My family & I just got back from spending 2 weeks in Australia over the Christmas holiday break.  It was a beautiful time to be there-- we  took off from chilly New Jersey and landed in the heat of the Aussie summer.  Our days were full of adventures: snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, hiking in the Outback desert and exploring a variety of Australian culture.  One hot afternoon, my family indulged me by participating in an Aboriginal painting workshop.  They might have just wanted a chance to sit in the shade and relax but we all had a good time with lots of fun and giggles.  I'm looking forward to translating some of the techniques and patterns that we practiced into future fused glass projects so stay tuned! But we all agree the highlight of the whole vacation was the night we had dinner under the stars at Uluru and then walked through "Field of Lights."  It was magical--  Uluru itself is incredible.  It's a massive red rock that rises out of the Australian desert and is sacred site for the indigenous Aboriginal people.  As the sun set, the warm glow of the land changed to pitch darkness and the night sky was filled with stars.  After looking up at them, we walked through Bruce Munro's art installation and looked out at the field of 50,000 solar powered lights that changed colors as we walked through.  The photo above was taken by my son.  But as with anything really special, photographs can just hint at how amazingly peaceful and simultaneously electric that night was.  For that, we have to rely on our memories.