For the last week and a half, we pretty much have been in a different town every night making our way down the center of Western Australia. I've have been using unsecured wireless lines to check my email and get on the server to do work, but for the most part havn't been able to get online much. The hotel in Kalgoorlie had internet, but for some reason it didn't work and the woman at the front desk was snippy when we asked her to fix it. Simon hasn't checked his email at all this trip and has literally over 300 email to check.

I must admit that I htink I have reached my threshold for living out of a suitcase. I don't think it would be so bad if we were in one place for a week and then moved on, but every night in a different place is tiring. The schedule everyday goes something like this: meet at 7 for breakfast, 7:30 check out/load up the car, on the road no later than 8, drive for 4 hours, spend several hours looking at geology, maybe stop at a roadhouse for diesel/cold drink, on the raod again until the next town about 6, meet at 6:30 for dinner, discuss what we saw in the field and listen to Jeff rant about something totally ridiculous, 8:30 fall into bed exhausted, repeat. I'm getting a bit homesick for some familiar faces and news! So send me an email, give me some love :)



I've been able to get a bit of work done in the car before I start to get a headache and Simon has been on my case to get work done (because he now has a "vested interest" in me finishing), but at night I really have not been able to get anything done. But I really appreciate Simon helping me out, even if it does make me a bit anxious. He has been insisting that I give him my chapters a I finish them and is editing them as we go, which is more than Phil will ever do. ;)

on the road we passed the Tropic of Capricorn so here i am at the tropic!... On December 22, the Sun is directly overhead at noon here.





We've left the BIF and are now looking at salt lakes which is cool, but muddy. The gypsum swallow tails at this site ( Lake Tyrell) were amazing.




South: nothing past those islands until Antarctica












Three more days in WA and then we're on a plane to Melborne, two days of field work there and then back to the States. I have 2 months until I defend and I need some good solid work time!