Random Road Philosophising - Love and Food

I'm no preacher - never have been, never will be.
I believe people need to make their own decisions, make their own mistakes and learn from them, or not.
I just don't like telling people what to do - which is possibly why I dropped out of teaching after my first prac.
So if it ever appears that I have an opinion or there is a high horse and I'm about to mount it, please know it is not my intention to change the way you think or behave,

nor am I automatically assuming I am right or that my opinion matters more or is any more valid than anyone else's.
Having said that, I've been thinking a bit about food and my consumption of it and how I have noticed a change since being on the road.
A friend gave me the book "Art of the Peaceful Warrior" and in it the protagonist is taken to a restaurant and is promised the best meal of his life.
When he is presented with his food he thinks he's been had when the simplest of simple meals is placed before him.
But when he is given the context of the meal and is told, and shown, how much time and love was put into preparing the meal, he soon understands that the meal is the

best he has ever had.
I'm not going to go into a hippy spiel about "All you need is love" or "Love makes the world go round" but it got me thinking about the role of love in food preparation

and about having a better appreciation for the act of eating and what is has taken for the food to get from the farm to your gullet.
Take fast food, McDonalds for example. The last time I had McDonalds was more than 10 years ago so things may have changed (the fact that I still call it McDonalds

and not Maccas is probably testament to my "behindthetimeness").
McDonalds food is designed to be prepared, sold and consumed in the fastest time possible.
Kids churn out those burgers with no thought for what they are doing - their minds preoccupied with pimples, a boy or girlfriend and/or keeping their job.
The burger is then sold to the next person who has waited in a long but fast moving line so they can satisfy their hunger ASAP. Or, if they don't have time to stand in

line (and who does these days, right?) you can go to the Drive Thru and have your dinner devoured by the time you get home.
I have been guilty of seeing eating as just another chore that you need to get through each day. And I don't think I'm the only one.
Friends and family have seen me easily put away two large pizzas in one sitting as well as dessert without raising a sweat. Eating as sport.
But how many of us actually considers where our food has come from and what it takes to get the food to us?
Believe it or not, sausages do not come from a butcher. Fruit and vegetables do not grow in the supermarket.
Since being on the road, I guess I've had more time to think about these things and it has changed the way I think about and treat food.
And it has meant that some of the simplest meals have also been some of the most enjoyable. This has been a blessing as most of you know, I am getting by without

refrigeration of any sort.
The other day my dinner consisted of a carrot, two apples, some yoghurt with muesli and a date and walnut slice.
These days I take my time to eat. It's not a race to be won. I take measured mouthfuls and savour the flavours, texture and feelings offered by each bite.
I'm definitely no foodie but it's amazing how slowing down and taking time to eat can make the simplest of meals seem satisfying.
As I masticate (big word, had to use it), I think about, and give silent thanks to the people, the technology and the good fortune which has given me the opportunity to

eat and appreciate the food I am eating.
I also think about the people who can't afford to eat and go starving every day.
I also think about the connection between food and love. After years of watching Nigella, it's surprising I never made the connection sooner!
Is it any wonder we feel so shit after eating Maccas? Think about it.
The burgers are made from meat which has come from an animal that has been bred to die in stressful feedlots. It is prepared by someone who is getting paid a

minimum wage and would rather be anywhere else but in that kitchen and it is served to someone who is so stressed and "time poor" that they think they have no other

option but to fuel up on this kind of food.  With a production line lacking any sort of love or appreciation is it any wonder the food tastes like shit and you feel like shit

as a result?
Conversely, take my Mum's date and walnut slice as an example.
My Mum is the first to admit she's not going to be the next "Masterchef" but anything she cooks for me or my sister is done with a mother's love.
When I first set off on this adventure, she sent me off with a container full of this slice, wanting to give me some comfort food and hoping it would somehow sustain

me for the first and toughest part of the journey.
As I stopped for the night, feeling a bit peckish, I treated myself to a morsel of the slice and thought "Gee, this is really good".
I'd had the slice before but I can't remember it ever being this good, why is it so?
The reason was two-fold.
Firstly, I was taking my time to eat it and to savour it.
Secondly, and most importantly, I realised it had an extra ingredient, love.
Maybe I'm just being sentimental or a bit too crazy hippy (peace and love, man) but when you next find yourself eating, take your time to appreciate the food and how

you came by it, or, if you're cooking, chuck in a dash of love...and taste the difference.

24/03/12 - 25/03/12

Gig day today.
I went to Taree for a bit of a look around then it was on to Old Bar which is just by the beach, not far from Taree to set up for the gig tonight.
The gig was at Martine's Cafe and Restaurant.
Owners Martine and John were really nice and it was good having a drink with them before the gig. They actually ran a hotel in Wagga before moving to Old Bar.
Good friends from Wagga, Peter, Janet and Deanne came along too so it was good to catch up with them.

Martine, Janet, Peter and Dea

Peter and Deanne were the first ones to encourage me to do my first open mic many years ago so I actually owe them a lot and it is weird to think that from that initial
encouragement I'm now travelling around doing gigs and selling my second Ep.
I felt a bit out of sorts in the first set but after the break I came out of my shell a bit more and started talking between songs (Peter said it was really good/funny and
should be an integral part of my show) but I must admit it was not planned, it just happens when I'm feeling nervous or on the rare occasion when I'm comfortable up
there.
I still find it really weird that I spend a lot of my time writing and thinking about music yet come gig time it's sometimes the last place I wanna be.
I took a photo from my vantage point out the front in between songs to prove I was actually playing to an audience - I think the crowd found that funny, but I was serious.

The view from behind the mic

In the break I got talking to locals Phil and Marion who seemed to like what I was doing and wondered if I was available to play their son's wedding in April.
Unfortunately I'll be at Bluesfest but they bought a cd and gave me some positive feedback which means so much.
I also sold another three cds at the end of the night so I think it was quite a success.

If you're ever around Old Bar, pop in and see Martine and John - I can recommend the pizza ...mmmm

Baring my soul to the world through song

The next day I caught up with Pete, Janet and Deanne again then spent the rest of the day at the beach, reading, writing and listening to music.
The colours of the sky and the ocean on sunset are still captivating me so I had to take yet another beach photo.

Old Bar beach at dusk

23/03/12

Today was a surpisingly good day - not that I expected it to be bad, but after the crappy foggy weather yesterday and not having any real plans apart from just getting further north, it was a good example of just hitting the track, following a few signs, making a few decisions and having a nice day.
Tonight was the first night I had stopped over at one of those highway rest stops and even though it didn't compare to my previous nights by the creek, I had a sound sleep despite the constant noise of the freeway traffic.
I ended up a few km's north of Raymond Terrace and continued north along the highway then took a coastal road with the aim of getting to Forster by the end of the day.
Along the way I stopped for a leak at a beach called Elizabeth Beach which I was stoked to find also had showers (albeit cold). I was just going to have a shower then move on but thought I'd better have a quick squiz at the beach.
So I did and it was beautiful! A small beach, and sheltered at each end by rocks and vegetation it reminded me a lot of the lovely beach at Wilson's Prom.
Given that the day was perfect weather-wise, sunny but not stupidly hot, I realised I couldn't waste this opportunity for a swim before having a shower.
So it was into the ocean for Steve and it was glorious, the water temp matching the air temp - magnificent.

Abandoning the tripod I tried my hand at manual selfy - not too bad, right?

After a shower I lazily made my way to Forster and treated myself to a couple of beers - the perfect way to end a strangely perfect day.

22/03/12

Woke up to weather that wasn't too bad despite the overnight rain.
However it looked like more rain may be on its way so it was time to reluctantly leave my camping spot by the creek.
I played a few tunes in preparation for a gig this weekend then I hit the road with the intention of getting to Newcastle or a bit further by the end of the day.
On the way I stopped and looked at a dam:

Dam! I wish I was your lover (Sophie B Hawkins)

I also went for a drive through the main street of Lithgow (mainly because that's where Roy from Roy and HG grew up i think) then it was off to Katoomba to check out the Three Sisters, or so I thought.
When I got there, the fog was SHOCKING! Bearing in mind this is mid afternoon in the middle of March - what the?!?!
I went to the lookout area anyway and as suspected, could see bugger all.

Nice view...of the fog!

Wow...glad I stopped at Katoomba...

No, it's not Wagga on a winters day...it's Katoomba in summer!

As I walked back to the car I passed a bus full of Japanese tourists with their cameras and had an internal giggle that, like me, they wouldn't be taking any photos of The Three Sisters today - poor buggers. At least I can come back some time if I really want to but I doubt they'll get another chance to see them - oh well.
It was then time to head north but in order to do that I had to head east and through a bit of Sydney - fark!
It wasn't too bad though - congestion wise or other drivers-wise.
In fact, if you're every feeling bad about yourself, take a drive to Sydney in peak hour and let people in front of you - they LOVE you for it.
I do it by nature when appropriate as I'm a firm believer in "traffic karma" - if you're nice and let someone in, one day the favour will be returned when you need it.
Well, to firstly see the incredulous look then the beaming gratefulness on these Sydney siders faces when you let them in was enough to warm the deepest cockles of my heart - how funny!

20/03/12 - 21/03/12

Today the aim was to get to Bathurst, travelling through the guts of NSW.
On the way I stopped at Cootamundra to check out the Captain's Walk and reminisced about the time I played cricket here representing the not so mighty Wagga West...from memory, we got our arses kicked.
Oh! I now have another camera tripod so that will hopefully make life a lot easier.

The return of the tripod

To give the tripod it's first hit out I thought I'd stop for lunch at Cowra and go up to the lookout.
The tripod worked fine but poor old Stevo was a bit too slow in racing to the bottom in his flip flops though I did manage to get my head JUST in frame.

Steve's head bottom left

Second go was a bit more successful though my pose leaves a lot to be desired.

Steve with his patented "Doing a poo" pose

I got to Bathurst around 4.30pm and thought I'd take Freda for a couple of laps around Mount Panorama.

Freda does Mt Panorama

The finish line

Freda tore up the mountain

.....and kicked arse on the straights

I then went for  a drive around the Bathurst campus of Charles Sturt University - the place where I did my first residential school about 10 years ago and it was EXACTLY how I remembered it...nothing had changed from the outside.
I then went into town to pick up some foodstuffs then it was off to the camp spot which was about a 30 minute drive out of Bathurst.
It was a great little spot right next to a babbling creek.

Camp spot (Freda to the right)

This is livin'

The next day I was gently roused awake by the sounds of the creek bubbling away - what a setting, what a life, eh.
The setting was so nice, the weather great and I was in no hurry to get anywhere so I decided to spend another night here.
I spent the day finishing off lyrics to another song which I had a tune for in my head whilst driving yesterday as well as some yoga, reading (finished the Andre Agassi autobiography - pretty good read) listening to the radio and working on my wildlife photography (ha!).

Rosellas

In the afternoon, I found a spot in the creek where the rushing water had hollowed out a perfect little hole in the stone to park your arse and have a natural spa bath - magnificent! The water wasn't too cold which is often the case with mountain water so that was good. "Two thumbs up day" today.

Day 47 to 51 12/03/12 to 16/03/12

A lotta driving today.
I woke up in pretty good shape surprisingly, given the late night and ciders, vb's, coopers and what not that were consumed the night before.
I said goodbye to the gang, Bill was kind enough to buy a cd as well as giving me some tomatoes (score!), and then it was time for Steve and Freda to make the long drive back to Wagga.
A week ago I wasn't sure when I was going to head back before I continued on up north but Granma's house was flooded during the recent floods so I wanted to get back early in the week in case I was of any use in the clean up.
As it turns out, there was a lot of cleaning up to be done.
The flood water reached about 1.3metres throughout the house and there was a lot of damage.
The Army guys and gals did a great job in helping us move stuff out of the house then the fire brigade came in and helped hose and sweep the worst of the mud and crap out of all the rooms.
It was a bit of a shock to see the place but having seen first hand what the floods did to Brisbane last year kinda prepared me for what to expect.



Once the house was cleaned out, Dad and I tackled two of the back sheds, salvaging what we could and getting rid of anything that was wrecked.

Dad and I in front of Granma's place

And after a hard days work, there's nothing better than being able to custom design your own desert (ah, the luxury of having a fridge again!)

Mmmmm...Steve's custom made dessert consisting of ice cream, banana, choc chip cookies and milo

Day 46 - 11/03/12

Day three of the festival today and I was looking forward to seeing John Butler in the afternoon.
I got up and had a bit of a yarn to Bill and his mate Billy who had arrived yesterday - they had already started on the beers while I was finishing off my Weet-bix! Very dedicated men those two.
I'm glad the festival was within walking distance as there were not many parking spaces in the streets surrounding the festival site.

Best to walk to the Festival

It was back to Stage 2 and I was fortunate enough to rock up just as someone was leaving and got a seat right in the middle - perfect!
First up was country duo Chris Hillman (founding member of The Byrds) & Herb Pedersen who were pretty good and an excellent cruisy way to start a Sunday.
Archie Roach was next, and he looked in pretty bad shape but I was pleasantly suprised with the variety of songs he performed.
Snippets from both performers here:




It was then time for the Festival's headliner, John Butler and he didn't disappoint.
I'm not his biggest fan but I certainly don't mind him and he put on an excellent performance.
Towards the end of his set he played an instrumental piece which got a standing ovation and for his second last song he did a duet with Mamma Kin. Very entertaining.
He also did a song with a loop pedal which didn't behave itself initially but the way he coped with it was inspirational for all those solo singer songwriters out there who know what it's like to stuff up on stage or have a piece of equipment fail at a crucial time.
Snippets of his performance found here:



Harry Manx played next and I caught half of his set before it was time to go wee wees (over 6 hours without a bladder break - yeah!) and head to the RSL Hall for another songwriter speaks session.
This session was the weirdest one I've been to yet. I won't name names but one of the featured songwriters chucked a hissy half way through as a result of a misunderstanding of the format of the session and it was a bit tense and uncomfortable for all involved for about 15 minutes. But everyone soon got over it and it all ended ok. I had a laugh with a bloke on the way out about the tension in the room and he said it was bloody uncomfortable too.
I was a bit music and festivalled out by this stage and earlier in the morning Bill said to bring my guitar over to his camp site tonight to play some tunes, so I bought a six pack and headed back to the Showgrounds.
I ran into Bill and Billy on the way and they were both looking pretty cheerful after an afternoon of drinking so I knew I had some catching up to do.
We sat around yarning and drinking for a while before Billy decided to hit the sack, I then got out the guitar and Bill and I played some songs until the girls got back from the concert.
Bill and Billy's wives went to bed but Billy's daughter Norah, who had a lovely Irish accent, stayed up and sang and listened to some songs with us for a while before she too turned in for the night.
Bill and I stayed up til about 3am playing some more tunes (albeit quietly) and it was a great way to end my Port Fairy weekend.

Day 45 - 10/03/12

Day two of the Festival and thankfully I woke up to sunshine and no wind.
The Festival site was buzzing when I got there.

The Festival site in full swing

I made my way over to Stage 2 (which was set up like a concert hall with seating already provided) and kicked back to the blugrass sounds of Peter Rowan's Bluegrass Band.
After that it was the Maton Guitar Jam which was hosted by Nick Charles and featured about 8 guitarists including John Butler, Jeff Lang, Daniel Champagne, Peter Rowan and Jimi Hocking who all took turns playing a song. I thought it may have been a bit more interactive with the performers talking more about the songs or their guitars but it was still a pretty entertaining concert.
I captured some snippets of the concert here:



I then went to a blues harmonica workshop which was hosted by Eddie Boyle from the band "Blues on the Boyle" which gave an overview of the history of the blues harmonica. At the end he also took questions from the audience about harmonica playing.

Who'd have thought Donald Trump could play blues guitar?

I couldn't really be bothered moving on after the workshop so stayed around for the Bodhran (Irish drum) workshop which proved to be fairly interesting and entertaining.

Irish drum....parumpapumpum

I then left the festival site and went for a walk around the town centre where there was a lot going on with markets, puppet shows, busking and food stalls.

At 6pm I went to an APRA songwriter speaks session at the RSL Hall. The sessions are usually pretty good with the songwriters playing a song then discussing what inspired the song or anything else to do with the creation of it.
This one was a bit lacklustre but still ok. A couple of dudes from Tripod were sitting behind me so that was a minor highlight (I love a good celebrity spotting). It's always so weird to see famous people in real life!
After that it was time to go back to the festival and see "My Friend the Chocolate Cake" and Clare Bowditch.
Snippets of their performances here:




Clare Bowditch has a lovely stage presence and seems very down to earth and appreciative of her fans - always nice to see.
Another great day of music at Port Fairy.

Day 44 - 9/03/12

Shitty, windy weather greeted me by the time I got to the Port Fairy Showgrounds which would be home for the next three nights.
I was one of the first ones there and after saying g'day to my neighbours Bill and Monica, it was time for a (glorious) hot shower and then I spent the afternoon in the car reading as the weather wasn't really conducive to doing much else.
I watched in amusement as more and more people arrived throughout the afternoon and began wrestling with the wind while attempting to put their tents up. I was very thankful that I didn't have to buggerise around with tents, only needing to jump in the back of Freda when I want a kip.

Setting up camp at the Port Fairy Showground i.e. Turning the motor off - done.

By about 6pm it was time to brave the wind and head into town (which was about a 15 minute walk) to see what was doing at the Festival.
There were quite a few people there when I arrived but there was a lot of friendly staff who kept the ques moving forward at a good rate.
I started with a stroll around the festival site to work out where all the stages were and where food, drink and toilets were.
There were plenty of food options available and most were reasonably priced (rare for a Festival of this size).
The first thing I noticed was that most people were carrying around fold up chairs and I soon realised this is a sit down kinda festival.
I went to Stage 2 and saw a "Music Deli" concert which featured 30 minute sets from Mamma Kin (John Butler's missus), Harry James Angus (dude from The Cat Empire) and Tin Pan Orange. This was a great way to start the Festival as it gave a little sample of a few groups at the same location and with quick change over times.
Mamma Kin was ok, Harry James Angus was excellent (I have made a mental note to check out his solo album when I get a chance) and Tin Pan Orange were also really good in parts.
I took some short videos of each group but they really don't do any of them justice.



It was then off to the Lighthouse Cafe stage where a band called "The Pigs" were playing.
Basically, they're a hillbilly bluegrass group who do a few originals but also countrified versions of popular songs.
Their original material fell a little short of the mark, apart from their song "Macho Moisturiser" which was hilarious, but some of their covers were pretty entertaining.
Below is a video of them doing Salt N Pepa's "Push It", Beyonce's "All The Single Ladies", and LMFAO's "Shufflin'".



By the time their set finished the weather had improved greatly for the stroll home.
An excellent start to the Port Fairy Folk Festival weekend.

Day 43 - 8/03/12

The Great Ocean Road was beckoning again today so I packed up Freda and continued on.
First stop was the 12 Apostles, though I think there's only eight left now.

What's left of the 12 Apostles

Careful, you may DIE!!!!!

That's me!

I then made a few more stops along the way to look at Lochs and other rock formations.

It was then off to Warrnambool for some lunch and internet.  It seems like a pretty nice place with some parks and nice beaches.
I then drove further around and through Port Fairy and on to Portland via a wind farm.

This time I actually read and heeded the "No Public Access" sign

The night was spent in the Mt Clay State Forest which claims the title of smelliest drop toilet so far on tour. Seriously, it was nose hair singeingly bad - pwoar!

Freda in da forest

Day 42 - 7/03/12

Today is what I like to call a "holiday day".
"But Steve, EVERY day for you is a holiday!" I hear you say.
Well, that is true, but a holiday day for me normally involves no driving, some reading, some writing, some guitar playing, and some exercise, all done at the slowest pace possible.
I've found this awesome Am radio station that plays all the classics and doesn't have very many ads so I had it going all day in the background.
I'm currently reading Paul Kelly's book "How to make gravy" and the chapter I started reading after breakfast related a story about Buck Owens who once said of songwriting: 'I found a sound that people liked, that radio liked...I found this basic concept and all I did was change the lyrics and the melody a little bit..changed the song and the chord progression a little bit and I sold it to them over and over again.'
Well that got me thinking...I had a chorus in my head since I drove from Parkes to Wagga before xmas but had been struggling to think of some verses. I also wasn't sure whether it should be a Common Trees or Stoner Pony song.
The Stoner Pony song "Save a horse..ride the pony" is arguably our best received song so with this in mind, I set about writing some verses for this new song with renewed vigour. Within an hour, something I had wrestled with was done within an hour - songwriting is a funny thing, isn't it?
So I'm looking forward to demoing it the next time I get a chance.
The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling out reading and listening to music.
After dinner I went for a walk along the beach which provided some great photo opportunities when the sun began to set. I can see how people get into photography, it's very satisfying when you get a good shot.

Steve Case - Master Photographer

I like to call this one "Dude on a beach"

Day 41 - 6/03/12

Well today it was time to make like TLC and go chase some waterfalls. Yeah!
But before I left the camp site there was another matter to attend to and I played a quick round of "toilet tennis" before setting off.

Who's up for some toilet tennis?

Toilet tennis! A game the whole family can play...one at a time...

The weather was pretty shitty and drizzly but I wasn't going to let that deter me - I could be dead tomorrow so gone are the days of putting things off or waiting for the right time. The right time is NOW!
Before I go on, I took heaps of pics but none of them do the views and the experience justice.
The first waterfall was Triplet Falls which would make a great location for a boy band video don't you think?

"Although we've come...to the eeeeeeeeend oooooof the roaaaaaad..."

Then Little Aire Falls:

Little Aire Falls

I then worked on my wildlife photography. Ignore the fact I had to knock it on the head to make it sit still:

That's a good butterfly

It was then off to Beauchamp Falls where the scenery leading to the Falls was just as good as the falls itself:

How's the serenity?

I tried to spot a platypus but nothing was doing unfortunately.

Beaucham Falls

I was a bit waterfalled out by mid afternoon but decided to go see one last one (Hopetoun Falls) as it was only a few more km's away.

Hopetoun Falls

Now that I've discovered I can also do video on my camera, I have put together a compilation video of the above Falls.
Just make sure you turn your head on the side.  And the expert singing commentary is courtesy of me, you're welcome.



The way back to the camping spot at Johanna was via about 30kms of this shitty windy, narrow road where you crap your daks every time a car comes in the opposite direction. Not cool.

The road is loooooong.....with maaany a winding turn...

Good day chasing waterfalls.

Day 40 - 5/3/12

It was time to say goodbye to Amanda and Melbourne today.
The past week in Melbourne has really changed my opinion of it - I saw a different side to the city and really enjoyed the time spent there.
But alas, it was "time to hit the road" again and get back into the swing of van life again.

On the road again..

I negotiated getting out of the city like a pro with the first stop Portarlington.
There was nothing too exciting here apart from the open air urinal - I'd never experienced one of these before.
It had it all - the joy of pissing in the great outdoors with the convenience of a chain flush - genius!

Open air toilets..what will they think of next?

I then drove around to Queenscliffe where they have a big music festival every year.  I went down to the wharf and got a pic of the ferry that carries passengers and their cars to Sorrento on the other side of the bay:

Stop! Ferry Time

However, little did I know I had entered a restricted area to get the photo.

Read the sign, dickhead - "RESTRICTED AREA - No Public Access"

As I was busy dicking about with the camera and negotiating the insects:

Without my camera tripod I'm relying on insect infested posts...

The gate which I had casually walked through had now closed! Oh shit!

Uh oh...

I eventually found a spot to jump over and scurry away with my tail between my legs.
After some lunch, I made my way around to Torquay and hung five...

Hangin' five at Bells Beach

then ten...

Hangin' 10 at Bells Beach

...at the famous Bells Beach.
I was planning on staying in Torquay tonight but the signs upon entering the town saying "Sleeping in vehicles in any public places strictly prohibited" kinda made me feel a little unwelcome so I decided to keep making my way along the Great Ocean Road.
Along the way I stopped for photos of the lighthouse at Airey's Inlet famous for being the lighthouse featured in the kids show "Round the Twist"...I used to LOVE that show.

The Lighthouse from Round The Twist

I tried to get a bit arty with my photography of the lighthouse but I think it was a fail:

Arty lighthouse picture fail

I passed through the towns of Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay with one eye on the road and the other on the views.

You are now entering the Great Ocean Road

I wonder why they call it The Great Ocean Road?

I pulled over to get this shot of the sun rays through the crowd and waited for the voice or Morgan Freeman to say something prophetic but nothing was doing:

Stephen, son of Bob, this is God.

I eventually found the Johanna camping area which is right by the beach. Welcome back to the road and the ocean, Stevo.

Johanna Beach campground..see little Freda on the left?