Now, that's a big flag

Last week we got an email from my sister with the following subject header: I'm coming to Sydney!!!...for four hours‏ Meredith, who is currently living in China, did say she was going to find a way to come see us in Australia. And when my sister says she's going to meet you in some far flung corner of the globe I've discovered it's a good idea to believe her (See also Georgia [twice], India , and China) . In her email she explained that she would be helping organize a food and wine festival and Fiji and would have a 4 hour layover Monday morning in Sydney en route to the island. I got the day off and rolled up to the arrival gate just about when her plane was touching down. First, I finished the chapter I had been reading on the train to the airport. Then I framed a few shots of the arrival gate. A bored little girl in her red Chinese new year's costume doing gymnastics on the hand rail would be perfect in the background I finally decided. I found a good vantage ...

Here I am holding the boomerang in the wrong direction. There's a boomerang and Aboriginal crafts shop near where we live that we've walked by probably a few dozen times. Jean finally ventured into the shop last week and got an exhaustive tour of the shop's wares from the ebullient store keeper. Jean also signed us for a boomerang lesson taught by "an authentic Aboriginal" as the clerk phrased it. We met Alfred, the authentic Aboriginal, at the shop Tuesday afternoon. There were over a dozen or so other lesson participants already gathered. We trooped over to Rushcutter's Bay Park where Alfred lined us up and gave a demonstration. The overriding messages of the lesson were: 1. Always throw into the wind or you might not get your boomerang back. 2. Give yourself plenty of space or you might knock someone out. Then the flinging began. The flight dynamics of a boomerang are really amazing. You throw it overhand like a baseball. The boomerang goes out ve...

Spring is here and its warmed up enough for a swim. Here's a pic of Redleaf pool near where we live.  And here's one in focus As you can see Redleaf pool is not so much a pool as a fenced off section of beach. No sharks allowed. Jean taking a breather on the steps out On the walk home

The Coast track is a 26 kilometer (~16 mile) hiking trail through the Royal National Park to the south of Sydney. For most of its course the track follows the undulating coastline skirting around sheer cliffs and crossing sandy white beaches. Most people spend two or three days on the trail over-nighting at a primitive camping ground along the way. We finished packing up Friday morning. Friends and colleagues had come through in loaning us the camping gear we lacked including: a tent, a backpack, and sleeping pads. I sewed up a fleece blanket to serve as a sleeping bag and prepared some backpacking snacks. We took the train an hour south to the beach side suburb of Cronulla. From there we caught a ferry across Gunnamatta Bay to the village of Bundeena that lies on the outskirts of the Royal National Park. We set up camp at the Bonnie Vale camp site just outside of town and then spent the afternoon hiking around the area. On our walk we came across a red-bellied black snake stal...

One of the great things about Sydney is that you can hop on a train or ferry heading in just about any direction and either be at a beach or a forest within an hour. Here are some pictures we took on a jaunt north into Garigal National park back in April. Our friend Shirley met us at the park for some bush walking. Waiting for our train at Kings Cross station. I've heard "The Cross" described as being the the most insalubrious place in Sydney. So far I would have to agree. Fortunately, there are loads of more salubrious areas close at hand. Jean reveling in the salubriousness of Garigal National Park. Jean and Shirley vying for best adventurer's hat A fairly typical water/mountain/beachscape Jean and Aaron shot Aaron attempting to demonstrate the staged candid photo to Shirley and Jean still being really confused by her husband's eccentricities. Leaving the Mines of Moria. Whew! No Gandalf! Nooooo! The beginning of a string o...

It's May, there are protests in Greece over austerity measures, an ash cloud is rising up from Iceland and our bags are packed for a trip half way across the globe. Next stop the northern hemisphere.

I don't remember much from the first exhibit except that it was about birds and had some cool dress up options. Here is Jean doing her best parakeet impersonation. The rainbow serpent is a common theme in Aboriginal art and mythology. A descendent from the heavens the serpent lives in the deepest regions of Australian waterways. The neat placard explained that because the boomerang was inscribed with the phrase "Sunny Australia" it was probably made with tourists in mind rather than hunting.  Some Modern Aboriginal Art Aboriginal art inspired from the stolen generation. From the late 1860s until the 1970s there were federal programs in place to remove aboriginal children from their families in an effort to lessen the influence of Aboriginal culture. The prehistoric cave bear's marsupial brother. His closet living relative is a Koala. Steggie Even holographic crocs are little intimidating

After walking up and down the road I eventually found the building where orientation was being held. I couldn't help but think it was somewhat ironic that it was in a difficult place to find. I entered the reception area and noticed at least ten other people sitting on various couches dotted around the room. At first I was a little apprehensive about not knowing anyone there or what the morning would include. I noticed that most people in the room were sat slightly apart and not talking to each other. However I guessed most people were waiting for the same seminar as me and since a lot of us were there to meet new people I tried to overcome my nervousness. I introduced myself to a lady with a friendly appearance, she appeared pleased I initiated a conversation. After a short while we were ushered into the training room and directed to take seats clustered in small groups around tables. When the first ice-breaker was introduced I almost groaned thinking, oh how clinched. We were g...

I thought the enchiladas I made for dinner were pretty good. Then Shirley brought out the big guns for her dessert. Here she is torching the crème brûlée . I'm afraid that I have to bow to her kitchen arsenal.

Since arriving in Sydney a few months ago the weather has been amazingly temperate. Apart from the first blazing week in February temperatures have been in a Goldilockistan just right state of not too hot and not too cold. On sunny days it's been comfortable enough to swim yet even in the heat of the day there's respite in the shade. Blackheath in the Blue Mountains As we marched into May I begin picking up tell tale signs that the state was beginning to change. An excursion to the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney in mid April brought us a preview of fall colors and brisk climate. Autumn soon followed us out of the mountains and settled in the lowlands. The early morning cool has become crisp. The refreshing bay breezes have turned bracing. The tank tops so prevalent a few weeks ago have been replaced with hoodies and cardigans. Even though I'm fully aware that the seasons in the southern hemisphere run counter to those in the northern hemisphere there was this lit...