Today, my dear friends Tracy and Jane from Perth fame came through Sydney with a five hour layover on their way home from Los Angeles. I drove down to meet them, have breakfast and catch up. It was a great time until I smashed Julie’s car into the truck in front of me while driving the girls back to the airport. The men in the truck were nice about it at least. The car is pretty messed up but it’s insured. Nobody was hurt except my driving record.
My first auto accident. Bah.
It was the eve before last at the Sydney Opera House that I did partake in a play that was written over 400 years ago by a man known as Shakespeare. The play, be it well performed, was a comedy that was without question humorous, entertaining, and thoughtful.
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages…
Canberra is the national capitol of Australia, about a three hour drive South West from Sydney and about a five hour North East from Melbourne.
Jules and I went to the Blue Mountains just north of Sydney this weekend, it was a good trip to be welcomed back to Australia. We had a great time and avoided the power outages all over Sydney and New South Wales from the bad weather and strong gales.
New York is slowly regaining their power back. I wonder what this event will do to the population of New York City in about nine months?
Traditionally, when large metropolitan cities go dark with no electricity, no television, and no radio, over the course of an evening of having to talk to one another, the people begin to lose control. On top of which we have a near full moon, NYC should have become unglued in the evening hours with massive looting, violence, and burglaries.
Crested Butte, Colorado had a great Independence Day parade and fireworks display this year and a lot of people showed up to see it this year. The rafting excursion on Taylor river was a blast as well, despite the cold temperature of the water. Nathan held his own on paddling the raft down the rapids and even mocked other rafts that were stuck on rocks as we floated past them. Mild sunburns all around but mearly battle scars for a fun weekend.
Nathan enjoying the July 4th Parade in Crested Butte, Colorado
Okay, I’ll admit it, I was biased to liking this movie on several fronts before I ever saw it. It’s a story about a father and son, it has a quest to find Sydney, Australia, and it’s an animated movie by those awsome people at Pixar. Any one of those reasons would have gotten admission price from me at the very least.
It’s really good to be back after three months down under. I missed my son so much. His hug was what I was missing.
Julie and I went to the Sydney Opera House again last night to watch a performance of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony as performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Now I can say that all of the classical music I know didn’t just come from Bugs Bunny cartoons.
What a great thing, to be able to just plan a night out after a day of work for the Symphony, or an Opera, or a play… or something besides a movie and an overpriced coke. Afterwards, to be able to walk around the city with such great views and the hustle of the city going on around you and being lost in the whole thing. I am most definatly, a big city person at heart.
On my drive to Victoria and Melbourne, I got to see the Twelve Apostles.
Happy Easter everyone. I am heading down to Melbourne in Victoria for some fun for the next few days, hopefully the rain will let up. Looking forward to the nine hours drive south down across some baron roads with few signs of civilization in between. That is if I can even manage to make it out of Sydney.
Jules and I went over to Manly today where she introduced me to Manly and it’s beautiful beach. A really awesome day of just wandering around and seeing the sights with a guide to show me around.
On the plane a few days past, it rained calmly and I had some time to reflect on some of the emotions I have had since being far away from the place I call home. I’ve been happy here. I’ve been happier here than I have been in a long time and knowing this, I thought it needed examination.
It wasn’t the change in geography that brought me the happiness. It wasn’t the expectations of what I was doing here nor was it the adventure. It was something more than that.
Friendships are a precious commodity. Lifelong friendships are worth more than anything. True friends stick by you when you make mistakes and don’t have excuses when you need help or support.
After some time in Perth, I’m back in Sydney, Australia for the First ever Semi-Permanent Design Conference. I’ve scored a great long stay apartment right off Darling Harbor. It’s the smaller 9 story building in the very center of this photo.