Well, my time at Michaela’s house was all about bingeing. Late nights, late sleeps, loads of food and lots of drinks. Well the purge has come at Scott & Jenni’s, and boy has it been fun.
It started three days ago now. I thought the afternoon would be spent lazing around the house & eating the fudge that we had bought in St Louis. Instead, I found myself perched precariously on top of a racing bike (the last time I found myself astride one of these terrors was at age 14! Mountain bikes are far less scary)circumnavigating the twin towns of Normal/Bloomington, with no brakes & a habit of looking in the wrong direction when checking for oncoming traffic.
On day two the stakes were raised. The plan, lazing in some tubes as we float down a waterway called “Sugar creek”. The eventuality, hiring a canoe and a kayak which needed a fair bit of paddle power to push it down the river. The result, another smash hit! I loved getting out & powering through the water. Finding things like a 5 meter jump-off into the water & a bunch of great things to photograph just sweetened the deal. The bonus, once we had finished at 6, we had two hours to trek in “Turkey run National Park”. We followed a track which led through a bunch of amazing little canyons, maybe 15 meters deep and going from 15 meters wide to a couple of feet! The temperature was about 10 degrees cooler in the canyons & the rock, the trees & the fog was just amazing!
This leads us to today. Having only managed to get about 3 hours sleep last night (for reasons that remain a mystery to me… just couldn’t sleep), I was greeted by a 7:19am phone call from Briana confirming that she could pick me up this evening after dinner in Chicago. A two hour drive with Scott & Jenni became a 3 hour one thanks to road works. The light at the end of that tunnel was a cheap “North Face” polar fleece at REI. Scottish weather here I come!
Having parked in the city, we did about 5 hours walking as we made our way across the city, through some gardens, into an art gallery and along the lake shores. It wasn’t all purging though. Lunch saw us at the famous “Ed Debevicks”, where the waiters are about as polite as a smack in the face with a wet cod!
That evening I found myself at another great food icon “Giordano’s” famous for an amazing deep dish, stuffed pizza. My appetite wasn’t there though & I put in a dismal effort, not even finishing a single piece. That was not my only disappointment that evening though, cause Briana had succumbed to get lag (having just got back from Denmark) and was unable to make it, so Scott & Jenni graciously let me stay at their house for another couple of nights. The only thing between me and bed, another 2 hour drive….. wait, make that another 3 hours. Stupid night works!
Be it through exercise or needlessly long driving trips, I feel I have paid my penance for my fast food excess.
Though Jenni says there is a great Oreo sundae that I HAVE to try tomorrow. When will the vicious cycle end?

I sit here infront of Scott & Jenni’s computer. The screen is bathed in the red glow of my face. Santa has put my nose on standby incase Rudolph calls in sick and the only way I will be sleeping will be if I am standing, cause none of the rest of my body wants to come into contact with anything. Even air!
This would have been the case, were I out on a speedboat for the afternoon, tube riding in Australia. Not so in the USA. It appears there continues to be this fabulous thing called “Ozone” above the US, since all the cloroflurocarbons that the Americans created decided that they prefered the more tropical climate found in the antipodes.A good four hours worth of sitting on a boat, or skimming on the tube added up to nothing more than fairly brown arms & just the faintest bit of pink on my face!
Big props to Jenni’s Grandpa, who was an awesome host. Also to Scott and Jenni themselves who prove to be excellent hosts. They have also added two of my favourite restaurants to my US tour (I have decided to stop referring to it as “fast food” and work on the more accurate name “burger joints”), being Steak’n’Shake and “Culvers”, where at the later I was introduced to the wonder that is frozen custard.
I could tell hurried stories about police rushing me away from Michaela when we were saying goodbye yesterday, or fudge-making singers yelling insults, but that may just have to wait for some other time. A little chocolate, a light piece of reading (Coqui would be glad to hear that I am half way through reading the Narnia series again) and a long sleep are my next points of order.

There is so much to say and so little time to say it. Michaela has said so much, so well, that I needn’t bother for the most.
I will tell you a couple of interesting facts I learned today.
1: Budweiser is the NO.1 selling beer in the world (according to Budweiser)
2: Bud Light is the No.2 selling beer in the world (according to budweiser)
3: There are two things that taste better than beer. One is free beer, and the second is free beer which is scored on a free tour of a brewery!
4: Americans, and especially the people at Bud, have no business making stout.
5: It is amazing the amount of help you will get from hotel staff when you walk in with an Australian accent & they just suppose that you are staying at the hotel. Printing out directions, giving advice…. it is awesome!
6: If there is a point where eating hamburgers ceases to be an attractive option for at least one meal every day, I don’t know where that point is! (Of course, variety is the spice of life! I am spoiled for choice here. Today I enjoyed the delights of a “Flamethrower” burger that had Jalapeno bacon, tabasco sauce, and spicy chipotle mayo!)
7: Even Brussel Sprouts can taste good if they have enough bacon surrounding them!
Well, not the kind of wisdom that sees you bestowed with honorary doctorates, nor enough to win you a game of trivial pursuit, but if you’ve learned at least one thing, then the day isn’t wasted!
In other news, in 48 hours I will be drinking Bundaberg Rum, and playing “Settlers of Catan” with Scott & Jenni! I have had an awesome time over the last two weeks here, but I am also pretty psyched about cathing up with these two.

I have always thought that one of the best things about travel is getting to experience other cultures through their food. So far the US has been a fat-laden fantasy. “Hardee’s” sells a burger that has a 2/3 of a pound patty! I could barely count the layers of cheese and bacon at “Sonic” and “Jack in the box” passed the grease transparency test so well that I could see through the wrapper and almost half of my hand!
Fast food is a fascinating culture. A regular sized drink is often the size of an Australian large, there are a thousand different options to add onto any meal (real chunks of lime in my diet sprite really rocks!) and even more options for the meals themselves!
Today I went to a ball game. This great institution has many links to food too. Beers (at $8 a pop, my hosts Dave and Dianne were too kind in buying them for me), hot dogs and peanuts that are still in their shells!
Some like to propogate the fat multinational America ideas, but the thing that I love the most is that there are places that you can only find in one state, one city, or even just one suburb. Just as all cultures have their own iconic foods, America has its own entries & they are so much cooler than McDonalds or KFC.
Having eaten like I have never eaten before, I keep telling myself that Scotland will be the place where I will start my diet. Time to get back onto a healthier lifestyle (though I could be getting low-carb burgers over here, where the buns are replaced with lettuce…. yet somehow I never do). Of course, chances are I will give in to fried breakfasts, fat-rich haggis & deep fried mars bars. Oh, the woes of being a gastronomic traveller.
Thank heavens my fingers haven’t quite swollen enough to fit on individual typing keys. We’ll see if tomorrows lunch can fix that.

Well I have been here for 4 or 5 days now, I am having a lot of fun, but I have to say that I am ready for a couple of days where I am not travelling in a car or plane. The flights here were relatively uneventful. Sydney to LA is a long 13 hour flight, but QANTAS has some great food & the little TV’s in the seat-backs make the hours go quicker. When I got to LA, my stay there (4 hours) was made that much easier thanks to Bairdy, who has furnished me with a QANTAS club pass, meaning I could enjoy my own room to shower in & a couple of free drinks at the bar. I then fell asleep in the media room for an hour before doing some emails & stuff. Here is where I had my minor heart attack.
I got an email from Michaela, as expected, but it said that she may still be in London when I arrived….. which is the last thing I expected. It appears that her flight was overbooked & she got offered $500 travel credit plus a nights free hotel accomodation if she took a flight the next day instead. This is a smart move for a girl who has no money, but not so good for a guy who is arriving in St Louis in 4 hours, who will now be picked up by her parents, whom he has never met.
I didn’t enjoy the flight to St Louis, spending most of the time contemplating what things could go wrong now, but when I arrived, Michaela was there waiting, cause there had been some last minute cancellations. As it turns out, her mum & stepdad are really cool anyway, so it would have been fine either way.
Since being here I have sampled many different examples of American cuisine. “Hardee’s” holds the crown for the best burgers, “Wild Buffalo wings” has the best chicken and Michaela’s Grandma definately puts on the best breakfasts! Mornings spent at her house have meant Porridge, cereals, several different drinks, followed by bacon & eggs.
When I haven’t been eating, I have pretty much been travelling. Mic & I drove her brother Grant accross Missouri to his summer camp & have also driven around Kansas city for quite a while & then back to St Louis today.
Anyway, I haven’t yet succeeded in getting my mac online, but you can rest assured that as soon as I am successful, there will be some pics that come up.
Wishing everyone the best.
Tim.>.

Well the period when I was actually driving to Wagga Wagga was uneventful. I had the complete series of “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” to listen to on my iPod, I had a roll of peppermints in the glove box & I had an open highway and a 110kph speedlimit for almost the whole way. The excitement actually happened while I was parked at a set of lights, waiting to turn left onto the Hume Highway.
I had just gotten my krispy Kreme doughnuts for my sister Amy & was waiting at the lights. Three cars were waiting to turn across the highway into the street I had come from & when there was a small break in traffic, the first two decided to do just that. They crossed uneventfully, but then the third car, the driver of which was an old gentleman, must have supposed that they had a green light, not just a break in traffic, so he decided to follow the other two cars.
Meanwhile, I am sitting in my car and thinking that the driver of the third car is an idiot, because he appears to be one of the people who rolls out halfway into the first lane while he waits for the truck in the left lane to pass. As it turns out, I was wrong. he is the kind of driver that drives into the side of a truck that is doing 70kph…
In the space of about 3 seconds, the fairlane hit the side of the truck, its bonnet going under its tray before the back wheels of the truck hit it. Here is where size matters. As it happened, this was a 5 tonne truck carrying nothing in the rear hold. This meant that the the wheels pretty much destroyed the bonnet, but it also bounced the truck up and into a spin, which flipped the truck onto its side, where it lay to rest after smashing through a metal street pole.
I sat, not 5 meters away, amazed at what I had seen. 5 or so seconds later, having digested the information, I jumped out & made a quick survey. No fuel was leaking from either vehicle, so I first checked the fairlane, the passengers of which seemed to be moving out by themselves. I then rounded the tipped truck & found the driver trapped inside the cab, but essentially unhurt. I climbed the bullbar of the truck & helped the driver exit the vehicle.
As it turns out, the fairlane had an old gentleman, his wife and two grandaughters in his car. Had the truck being carrying a load, or had it been any larger, it would have ploughed straight through him instread of mostly bouncing over him. Had this happened, it of course would have been a tradgedy. As it stands, it is just an interesting story I get to tell on my blog & two grandkids tell about getting their first precautionary ride in an ambulance.
A great reminder of the urgency of the gospel. The decision that you could make today can be the one you wish you had tomorrow….
In other news, Bethany is a beautiful baby. There will be pictures following shortly!
60 odd hours till I am in the air…

I have to say that I can be a little compulsive when it comes to packing. I like to be totally packed and safe in the knowledge that I don’t have to worry about anything. I feel the call to pack so strongly, that I find it hard not to put away my toiletries & other bits & pieces 36 hours before I need to. It kept me up last night thinking about how my computer & its peripherals are sitting here, higgldy-piggldy on the desk when they could be neatly and lovingly placed in their little backpack. Sure I need to use them tomorrow, but I’ve PACKED!
The time has come. Once my last load of washing makes it out of the dryer, I will repack part of one bag & then I am gone. The Hunter Valley, my home for a month, will be naught buy a memory for the next six months. Over the last two years I have gotten used to moving, having done so about half a dozen times, but this is a new time. The book cases, beds and bric-a-brac are all in storage. I’ve distilled all that I own down to all that I feel I need to survive for the next six months. The captive world of Tim Goldsmith is almost at an end and the age of “Tim Goldsmith: International man of mystery” is about to begin.
Don’t worry though people, this international man of mystery is bringing his computer with him, so the little piece of frivolity known to you as timgoldsmith.com shall continue to be.
Stay tuned for “tales of the wanderiing Tim”

I’ve been enjoying the company of one of my oldest friends over the last 48 hours. Matt and I went to school together, we went to church together, we hung out together, we had the same friends & many of the same interests. Many would claim we also have the same warped sense of humour.
Over the last 5 or 6 years, our lives have both changed.

For Matt, he now has a new set of priorities. He has a lovely wife with whom he has been married three years today. And now together they have a lovely son, Thomas, who they have to look after 24 hours a day. Man, what a real commitment! Constant attention throughout the day, feedings throughout the night & then even waking up first thing in the morning to look after his every need. Matt & Lisa are totally up to the challenge though. It is great to see two people who are so in love with each other & see that love expressed in and to their Son.
Meanwhile, my most pressing issue in the morning is whether or not I can be bothered to go & pick some oranges from the orchard to squeeze myself some fresh juice? Sure, I love juice, but is it really worth putting my shoes on, walking 50 meters & then having to twist those darn fruit, just so I can have some delicious, fresh and healthy juice to start my day? rest assured, the records show that about 50% of the time I have voted for the Dr. Pepper breakfast option since I have been here.

I have also been enjoying the company of Scott & Susie Millar over the last couple of days. They are two of my better friends, but in contrast to a relationship that has been forged over nearly two decades, they have really only factored into things in the last couple of years. An awesome couple of solid Christians, their commitment to the body of Christ at Church, the furthering their own knowledge of the good news through formal and informal study, and their love for the work they do with our church youth group, it is great to know that by the beginning of 2005, they should also be sporting their very own kid, who they can build up in the ways of the Lord.

Seeing so many great couples becoming great parents is a real privilege. Can guys be classed as clucky? I certainly don’t want a kid any time in the immediate future, but they are awesome & I certainly love hanging with them. Maybe I can fill all my needs vicariously through others. This idea has become a little easier this afternoon as 10lb 7oz Bethany Anne Heap, Niece No.3, and daughter to Amy & Andrew, made her triumphant entry into the world.
How exciting to be surrounded by so many new entries. I can’t wait to watch them grow up & one day be able to call the old friends!

It doesn’t make for interesting reading, but most of the big news at tme moment revolves around getting this site the way that I want it. I moved a bunch of links onto the site today. I guess I need to say that it isn’t really in a great deal of specific order (beyond family being first) so don’t feel bad if you are NO.4 on the list & there is someone “higher” than you.
My little banners are online now & I am pretty happy with them.
In other news, I have Scott & Susie (and Susie’s “bump”), and Matt & LIsa with their bub (and my nephew) Thomas with them! We have done some wine tasting, beer tasting and dinner eating this evening & tomorrow when Tom Carlos makes an appearance, we should have two Digital SLR camera’s & one very good film rig, so many a happy snap should ensue!
Well I have failed to get more than 6 hours of sleep over the last 4 or so nights, so I really should head off.

It is my last week staying here in the Hunter. Time to start dotting the T’s & Crossing the I’s before I start my travel (as a side note, should you not capitalise “I” when using the cliche about “dotting i’s”, cause then the dot itself is redundant? tough questioon. Maybe our resident linguist, Nate, will grace us with his thoughts on the matter). I got the chainsaw sharpened today & will cut enough firewood for my grandparents this Saturday. I also went & bought all the chocolate to give as gifts during my travels. I need to do a trial pack, clean this place up & get this site operational before I go too.
In regards to the site. It is looking a little less colourful at the moment, but things should be coming online over the next little while. In the mean time, i am a bigger fan of the cleaner lines & it is certainly easier to use from my side of things.
Thanks again to Chris Bevan for all your work on this. I am really excited.