On April 18th I traveled on the Overland Train from Melbourne to Adelaide. Often when I mention to people that I'm traveling by train they are quite surprised that anyone would be crazy enough to make such a journey. However, I'm finding it to be a great way to get around by seeing a good bit of the 'Outback' while having fascinating conversations with Aussies along the way.

I arrived in Adelaide and made my way to Thebarton, just west of the city center. Narelle Walker graciously agreed to host me at her home. We spent the evening talking in her shed (this is the mythical space in Australian backyards for gathering and storytelling). The shed is next to her chicken coop (although hens are called "chooks" here) and a recently planted vegetable garden. Her neighbors Pat and Amy cooked up a delicious meal of lamb and we shared some wonderful South Australian wine, all the while I'm thinking to myself, Adelaide might just be one of the greatest places on Earth.

The following day Narelle hosted a Walker family gathering, which provided many subjects for me to interview. Her father, Damian Walker upon getting out of his car quickly handed me a road atlas of the U.S. so that I could show him where I was from. He is a bit of a sporting legend in Adelaide as a master of that game we all know and love...handball (he had to explain to me what handball is). He later showed be a coin trick, which I'll be breaking out at parties from now on. Cousin Bridie Walker also agreed to an interview where we talked about her fear of open water and she taught me how to make a killer paper plane, her boyfriend Sam helped a bit though. Aunt Marie Walker (who can make a mean orange chocolate cake) and her sister Francie Walker talked about growing up in a Catholic family and how this informs who they are today. Francie can light a match by holding the matchstick in her nose and the matchbox in her mouth. I'm not sure how much the Catholic upbringing had to do with her learning that particular skill. Cousin Libby Walker taught me about Aboriginal symbols and talked about her abstract childhood dreams of "arguing shapes and patterns."

On April 20th I met Malcolm Walker, a writer from the suburb of St. Marys. When I mentioned my intense fear of rats, he shared a story about when he was India and he woke up with a rat on his arm. He reminded me that I should respect such an intelligent creature, although he agrees that they are a bit disgusting. He pointed to a beautiful couch he had crafted out of recycled wood. He says this is where his parents sit when they visit, although they are no longer of the earthly realm. What a lovely idea: to have a place for passed relatives to sit among their mortal family.

I later traveled to the Adelaide Hills. The poet, Rob Walker lives in Cherry Gardens where he has a spectacular orchard with a donkey named "Boston" and two cows. We walked around his garden where he explained what each plant was and how he harvests the various fruits and nuts. He has recently traveled to Japan as an exchange teacher. He shared some travel photographs and made me a peanut butter sandwich. He gave me a copy of his recent book, which he signed, "For Jessica Walker--a distant relative. Enjoy, Rob Walker." Did I mention that Adelaide is the greatest place on Earth?

After meeting Rob Walker, he suggested that I contact his son Matt. Matt and his lovely wife Emily and friend Stuart took me to an art opening where Matt was exhibiting some recent work. The four of us shared a delicious meal in Adelaide's Chinatown and then proceeded to conduct the interview in Matt's car (an interesting and comical setting for the recorded conversation).

I took an enjoyable bus ride out to Aberfoyle Park to meet Michelle, Lauren, Melissa, Douglas and Kazuko Walker. We had a roundtable storytelling session where all kinds of interesting topics came up. Michelle is a researcher who studies the science of winemaking. Melissa struck me as a revolutionary, bringing up her views about free trade and human rights, while her sister Lauren is an advocate of animal rights. I can only imagine and hope that these young gals will be in positions of power one day. Well done Michelle, on raising two amazing kids. Douglas and Kazuko Walker met in Japan. Douglas asked me if I believed in space and time, and you can only imagine the conversation that followed that question. The family prepared a beautiful lunch, which we shared while continuing to chat.

Ruth Walker is the sister of Hannah Walker, who I had previously met in Melbourne. Ruth is a research professor in the Psychology Department at Flinders University, a lovely campus overlooking the sea and the city. She shared some examples of her childrens' artwork and taught me how to dance the "Charleston." Ruth also talked about her reoccurring dreams involving speeding cars.

I meet Dylan Walker on Saturday, which was also Australia's Anzac Day. He and his wife Hilary and beagle Seamus live in Warradale. Dylan is a PhD student of cinema studies at Flinders University. We had a lovely chat about cinema, his upbringing and a very interesting issue of the bohemian magazine "Angry Penguins." We met his brother Andrew Walker at a Greek Taverna in North Adelaide. We dined on octopus, taziki and drank shots of ouzo. Dylan and I had a wonderful conversation about our common love for rock music from the 1970's.