http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog This Country Boy.com Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:56:28 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en  Saturday afternoon footy, or Australian Rules Football for the uninitiated, has turned into a bit of a tradition.  As earlier stated, my first game of local league play was a lesson in passion and good play.  With my traditional Saturday morning breakfast (aka ‘brekky') done, for the second week in ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/another-footy-saturday.html  I'm a good old fashioned American that likes his cars big and fast.  That is why I drive a sport utility vehicle.  A Chevy Trailblazer can not only get you to where you are going, but with four wheel drive, spacious back seat and cargo area, all leather interior, and ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/the-ute-of-today.html  I should stop ironing cloths.  It is only when I iron, or I guess fold cloths lately, that I've noticed the growing problem....my clothes are wearing out. Anyone that knows me can attest that I'm not a fashion guru.  I'd still be wearing corduroy or zubas if it wasn't for some ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/the-emperors-new-clothes.html Driving through Sidney, a sign struck me that immediately brought back memories: "Illinois Hotel." Immediately, my mind brought me back to my university days as a masters student in Champaign, Illinois.  The fields of corn and beans that stretched as far as the eye could see.  The small towns and villages ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/illinois-hotel.html  For one of the first times in my life, I missed being home for my Dad's birthday.  I know that Dad understood - he too took some time in his younger days to see the world, though his was with the army and not with a company. I want to say ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/lost-in-translation.html  Located in the northwestern corner of what is commonly referred to as "Buffalo Commons," New Rockford, ND serves as the center of the bison (aka ‘American buffalo) processing industry in America. And I was there, overlooking the kill floor from my desk for one whole summer. Well, actually, only five days a ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/wisdom/a-corner-of-the-buffalo-commons.html  Melvin's time is wrapping up in Australia, his project almost done, so he is preparing to head back to wife, home, hunting, and his dogs.  That means prioritizing the long list of things that he wanted to do while he was in Australia. And there were some things that he wanted ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/saturday-brekky.html  My mother was a Mason.  Not a stone cutter or brick layer, she was a Mason by birth.  My grandfather was Walter Mason, and she was his oldest daughter. But like any good Mason, my grandfather built things, and in this case, it was a big family.  My mother was the ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/wisdom/built-to-last.html  There needs to be a few final comments about New Zealand. First, the country is beautiful.  The sea, the mountains, the fields and the cities are pristine.  The scenes of massive herds of sheep grazing serenely in the distance with snow capped mountains with hardly a soul around is unbelievable.  It ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/that-one-big-step.html  The story of New Zealand from a native's perspective (ok, even the Polynesians came in from overseas), isn't that unique.  The island is an overturned ship that held the sons of the Earth and the Heaven, in a storm, their canoe hit a reef, and they huddled on the canoe ... http://www.thiscountryboy.com/blog/abroad/fines-sheep-rain-sleep-and-back-to-melbourne.html