Seafood Night

Last Night was a first for me. I had Indian Spiced chili sauce Mussels, Un-Cut Green Beans, Sweet Potato mash, Swordfish, Garlic peeled shrimp over rice, and Australian Bugs. These bugs were to explained as very expensive and they only come from Queensland, Australia. They are really like mini mud lobsters. They are between a crawfish and a lobster and are very tasty. The mussels were also different but very tasty. The tails on the bugs were in a sauce with veggies and you cracked the shells and pulled out a lobster-looking meat which was very good. This meal was one of our special nights I guess because they threw all the good stuff at us at once so of course I indulged in it all. This is only the second time we have had swordfish, first time I know of the bugs, and first time for mussels.

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization prefers the name flathead lobster, while the official Australian name is Bay lobster.[2][3] In Australia, it is more widely known as the Moreton Bay bug after Moreton Bay, a location in Queensland.[3]

Just so happened they had seafood night I decided to take pictures. This is a whole shrimp bar in the mess hall

Desert and fruit bar in mess hall available every night. Selection changes every night.

Wet Mess. This was right after work but at night it is packed with workers getting their 4 mid strength beers on.

Another picture of wet mess at Construction Camp. Has Big Flat Screens and out door speakers. There is an inside part with a couple of pool tables but mostly people drink out here. There is approximatly 40 big trash bins for aluminum cans and they fill up every night to give you an idea of how much this island drinks at 2.20$ AUS apeice.

Our little store that's in a small room attached to the foyer to the entrance to the mess hall. It has all your essential bath stuff, cokes, candy, small stuff, etc.

Desert bar and random cold bar.

My meal of the night. Chilli Sauce (indian) Mussels, Fresh Long Green beans, Sweet potato Mash, Garlic Shrimp Peeled over Rice, Bug tails (Moreton Bay bug, AKA Australian flat lobster, AKA, Bay bugs is what they call them).



Ice bcream bin in mess hall. Usually has about 15 to 20 different flavors every night and all day



the only hot bar for the mess hall that I use

Pre Packed meal selection. I took this photo at night so nothing in there but in the morning they usually have last nights leftovers packed in plastic bins as pre-made meals. Usually not too bad if you liked last night's dinner.

fruit bin in lunch crib



condiments in lunch crib



cold selection in lunch crib

Hot bar in mess hall. Usually a large selection with many different cultures directed to.

Lunch Crib which is located in a room attached to Mess Hall so that when you are done with breakfast you can go and make your lunch.

International Calling... Is it safe?

So last night, the unavoidable finally happened, I called Rachel before bed to say my usual goodnight. Early in the night she tried to call me back and we were having communcation problems so finally I got a connection. At this point she has been at work for an hour or so, and I knew she would be busy but I really just expected to leave a voice mail. Suddenly, She anwsered (or so I thought), and I said, "hello, Hello", and with no response I stayed on the line waiting for her. I could hear a lot of commotion in the background and usually she will answer and then when she finishes up with her convo will talk to me for a few seconds. Well I did like normal and waited patiently, 60 seconds in to the phone call, I HEARD IT, "YOUR DOING GREAT-Nurse, (SCREAMING)-giving birth, KEEP PUSHING!!!!-nurse, (SCREAMING AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!)-giving birth, KEEP GOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAD ENOUGH HAHA. It hit me like a stack of bricks. I just heard a real live birth going slowly and painfully and so I quickly hung up. I layed there in the dark reviewing what I just heard and I just couldnt get my mind to understand it was ok. I wasnt ok, I just heard a live birth, (NORMAL TO RACHEL, NOT NORMAL TO ME), I have never heard someone giving birth before and I smiled because I knew that lady was lucky that she had rachel to take care of her and her baby. Rachel called me back shortly to explain what had happen and to make sure I was ok just like I was a father who passed out. So, rachel forgot to put her phone on silent so the nurse anwsered it right in the middle of delivery to make it stop ringing and she forgot the part about hanging up. So, I ask, Is international calling safe? My advice, when calling overseas to your girlfriend who is a busy OBGYN who averages 7 babies a day at work, BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!! And this first will be just as big as the many others I have had while on BWI!!!!!!!!!!!

Bearded Homeless Man

Today I looked in the mirror. It was me all right but what did I look like. A HOMELESS MAN. When I came out here I opted out of bringing a beard trimmer due to the fact I had limited space and was planning on shaving every other day. About 4 weeks ago, I realized how long my hair had really gotten, NO BARBERS ON THIS ISLAND, and decided maybe I needed to grow a beard so that I didn't look like a clean shaven hippie with long hair. When I embarked on this plan I didn't really think my beard would have grown at this pace. Well I try to keep the bottom clean but no matter what I do my face has grown like it has fertilizer on it. I dismissed this for a couple of weeks until today. My hair is getting long and my beard is now just getting annoying. I look like a homeless man and feel like one. Every man knows you can not take a razor to a beard without first trimming it down short. Therefore I am stuck with the homeless man look. Every once in a while I get a look of disgust from others but then i look at some of the others in the same boat and we acknowledge in silence this is the path we chose. There aren't many things to do on this island and it is getting hot here. But you know what? I have to be prepared when I land in COLD NO-SHAVE NOVEMBER in ALABAMA. So far all those who think I am not participating this year, You ARE WRONG. I am, and not only am I going to do it, I have a month jump start. I look forward to getting home and cleaning up for me and Rachel to take some nice pictures but till then I will keep the camo homeless man look because the deer seem to like it. Nothing like being an outdoor man. So good luck to all that embark on the no-shave November. Throw away those beard trimmers and clippers and just imagine youre on BWI.

Sharks!!

I have experienced a few first on Barrow Island since my last post. One of those latest is SHARKS! Last Sunday while most were off half of the day, me and a co-worker Ryan took our project controls truck for a drive to go and get it washed. The truck is a new Toyota 4 door truck with a utility bed 4WD. they call them Utes our here and all of them have radios installed on them for you have to announce a light vehicle entering certain roads. More on trucks later. We adventured up to the north side of the island where Ryan was going to show me the beach and the main MOF. Material Offload Facility. This place has a few huge cranes for offloading TEUs (Transport equipment Units, basically 20ft conex boxes with a bunch of stuff in them for the site). well beside that is one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in a little cove with Rock cliffs on both sides of it. The beach is only about 200 yards wide and is a small beach tucked in the cove but still beautiful with the water crystal blue. Ryan said the tides were down so we probably wouldn't see anything. Just then I spotted a 8 ft dark object in about 3 ft of water. I said is that a SHARK and he said no way. The big ones don't come in that shallow. Then the fin came out and it started getting more shallow, (about 30 yards off shore). Then in front of it we spotted 2 more sharks about 5ft long in the real shallow part about 2ft deep about 20 yards of shore. It was neat and nice to take in Australia's beauty for all that it is. Then it was back to reality and we rushed back to the truck to go get it washed. The truck is covered from top to bottom in red dust which everything is out here but we are still required to wash each bright white truck. We managed to get it looking descent as we used our time well in our 1 hour slot in the wash bay. The wash bay is basically a concrete loading bay that you back in that has a high pressure water sprayer that we use an eye shield with safety glasses on. Safety first of course. Then it was back to the office taking the seal roads( dirt roads with a thin layer of coating with rocks on top) to keep the truck clean of course so the boss could be proud when he saw it the next morning. Well that's the sharks and the truck story.

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The Moon

The moon is bright and clear out here at BWI but one morning it was extra special. About a week ago, I saw the moon in a whole new way. I was up early as usual trying to get ready, talk to Rachel, eat breakfast, talk to Rachel, pack lunch, talk to Rachel, walk to bus for morning work, and call Rachel for last time. Well then it happened. I approached the bus and with no obstructing objects blocking my view, there appeared the moon. Not like ever before did it look and feel so close. It seemed so close I could make out every detail about the moon. It was closer than I have ever seen it before and then I immediately thought of Rachel. I was wondering if she could see it too. You see in the movies and the classic love story of 2 people looking at the moon wondering what the other is doing and I'll be dang if it was true. Unlike the old movies we have international cell phones and skype and email. I called Rachel and shared my love and feelings for her as I watched the moon and she immediately responded back,"I DID THE SAME THING". She was looking at the same moon. She was watching it at the same time with the same feelings and for the first time on BWI me and Rachel felt like we were right beside each other sharing the same moon at the same moment no longer wondering but sharing an instant feeling between us. This actually happened a few days in a row and each morning when the moon was in just the right spot we both looked at it as if we were staring in to each others eyes. A gaze only true lovers can experience and that is what looking at the moon from the 2 different sides of the world feels like. Until next time... Tales from Gregg's down under adventure continues....

Pouch Mail

Well it finally happened, the first pouch mail through Houston has reached BWI. My sister wins first prize for sending her sweet and caring Halloween card via pouch mail. For all those reading, I can be reached at

Paul Gregg Garner BWI SO1-1.129
P.O. Box 4522
C646-AUBI
Houston, Tx 77210-4522

THIS ADDRESS IS LETTERS ONLY, NO DVDS, NO PACKAGES, NONE OF THAT STUFF ONLY CARDS AND LETTERS
So anyway it takes about 2.5 weeks to get here but it can happen. For package information talk to mom or dad because they both have successfully sent a package. I was sitting at my desk when it arrived and was so happy to be called for mail. I opened it to find a long hand written note on the card which meant a lot to me. this Snail Mail is old fashioned but it definitely makes a day go much better. Thanks again to all for the support while I have been on BWI.

First Package

After intensely waiting, my first package arrived to Barrow Island from the other side of the world in the short time of 7 days. This is far from the estimate which was given to me of 2-4 weeks. SO NOW WE KNOW with the "small" price of $160, UPS can get your package to me in a week. Mom and Dad had a small competition with US Postal and Pouch Mail, and UPS won by a mile. The price may seem high but the joy it filled me with as worth every penny. After much anticipation and tracking down the package once it got to the island, it was delivered to me at work. Inside I found my much needed Log of Skoal (6 CANS TO BE EXACT) which was good since I was on my last can. Following that goody was 3 shirts (1 Under Armor, 2 BAMA), 3 hats, and much needed pictures. The pictures were hung immediately with my ever growing collection in my office. Rachel wanted to send me a package but I have a feeling she was putting things in there she put a lot of time into and didn't want them to get lost or damaged during transit. So this first package represented a lot. It represented that a package with the right price could, A. GET HERE, B. Arrive in a timely manner, and C. I'M NOT FORGOTTEN. I expect the other things to get here, and each one will only help my tour over here in Australia. While spending 8 weeks on an isolated island in the same environment is grueling and repetitive, packages and Skype have kept me sane and kept me feeling loved. I just wanted to extend a special thanks to everyone for the emails, phone calls, skype time (ODD HOURS DUE TO 13 HOURS TIME DIFFERENCE), packages and soon to come snail mail. It truly has kept me going and breaks up the long weeks and days. My room back at camp feels a little more like alabama with the new gifts and is healing the wounds of home sickness. I look forward to the call of "PAUL GARNER, 'MAIL'!"... I am stocked on SKOAL and will be home soon so no packages will be needed for a few weeks ( I WILL BE COMING HOME ON NOV 4) but the next rotation brings up a whole new chapter in the book of BARROW ISLAND. SO till then....

Aerial views of the job site

My New Office

The same bus picks us up from camp and we travel the same route everyday. The same driver and the same passengers. We take our dark ride at 5:15AM every morning traveling along the coast. As we ride, I sit peacfully fully alert to the vivid orange glow coming from all the ships and the jetty bouncing off the water as we near our destination.
5:30Am We pull up to the Super Office which is a 2 story green building. This building is comprised of appoximately 40 modular units with external stair wells on each side of the building. Not the best looking building but pretty standard on the island. The color is a dark green which is quickly turning to red. The coast facing windows all have cyclone Metal Screens but it doesnt matter they all are quickly building their usual red film. The island is like the rest of the outback covered in rich red dirt which covers everything.
5:35AM Our bus drops us off on the coast side right by the stairs next to the bathroom. The Bathroom is located in a separate Module building right outside our office on the coast side. All bathrooms are like this on the island execpt at CAMP. I head up stairs and as I enter I stop at the Crib. The Crib (BREAKROOM) is a 25'x15' room which includes a coffee machine, 2 double door clear glass standing 6ft tall Commercial Fridges. 2 Boxes of nonstop cookies which I have to pass on all day like much of the island. A drink machine with 4 spouts (water, 3 different types of some AUSTRAILAN KOOL AID MIXES, Usually one of them is diet) a commercial microwave, a commercial clearglass sliding door oven, a hot water dispenser, and a sink. This is pretty standard in office Cribs. There is one upstairs and one exactly the same downstairs.
Well after dropping off lunch in the fridge I make my way to my office. The Wall opposite of the coast consists of Enclosed offices for the PICs (People in Charge). I walk past them and find my way to my chair. My office is on the wall side with a window view of the project going on right outside our office. I have partitions on 2 sides and the wall to my back is the side of an enclosed office. I sit with one other person (Another Planner, Nice Filipino guy I can hardly understand and who is tired of seeing pictures of Rachel and Deer) at our 2 corners in this large Space. Along the full wall we have 4 huge cabinets that are 5 feet tall for plans and a huge whiteboard on the wall above that. My corner desk consists of a standard Dell computer with 2 17-in monitors so that I can read my schedules. To my left I have pictures of family, Savana, and Rachel along with random certificates and my Diploma. To my right I have schedules and other various important boring stuff I need to look at a quick glance. I have a nice office phone but was unable to convince them I needed international calling. Probably a good thing because I'd probably talk to rachel the whole time.
7:00AM well as usual, Im capping off my emails by now and wondering what my day will consist of.
7:15AM I ease out onto the stairs and take in the sunrise over the water and jetty. The orange glow slowly disappears as the sun rises and I take in the fresh salty air that fills the world around me. This is one thing I dont think I will ever stop appreciating out here. Something about the ocean filled with big ships right outside my office is my favorite part about this island.
7:30AM By this time I usually wonder down stairs to the exact same layout to find my bosses and talk about he usual stuff. FOOTBALL, HUNTING, ME RUNNING OUT OF SKOAL, WHEN WE GETTING OFF THE ISLAND, the usual.
9:00AM There is no standard day out here so some days consist of meetings and some dont. I usually view contractors schedule and do reports on them. I put finishing touches on my KJV (kellog joint venture) schedules and that usually takes me to lunch time.
12AM Nothing snazzy happens as usual and I find the little lunch that I packed for myself. I spend this time eating at my desk and cruising the net for useless forums and news so that I keepup with the world. Sometime around 3Pm after about my 5th dip of the day I start wrapping up whatever paperwork found its way onto my desk. Im usually exhausted because my day starts @ 230AM and starting ot feel the exhaustion. I mindlessly drift away and await for my chariot at 5PM sharp.
445PM Sure enough I got through another day and I ease down stairs to find the same people I arrived with. We wait on the same bus that drops us off and I find myself kicking pebbles with mindless conversation about the day to others.
5PM RIght on time, I step on to the bus and say AFTERNOON MATE to the same driver who takes us to and from everyday. I take my seat and take in ALL AUSTRALIA OFFERS. we head down the Coast with the sun drifting away at our back.
ANOTHER DAY IS DONE HERE ON BARROW ISLAND.