Arrived safely in Melbourne and with only a few hours to get used to the time difference, we're going out to Federation Square to bring in the new year.

Going to be here for the next three months, it's great to be back in the future!

A few weeks in Australia and it's nice to be back, visiting the country I call my second home. Things have changed, circumstances have changed and a few faces have changed but some are familiar and have been happy to find the new ones and get to know more about them as well. It is however, winter here. That's left a little something to be desired still.

The weirdest thing about being in Australia though is that it's not weird to be in Australia. I have traveled so much and my home base is now non existent really, so traveling feels a little less removed from reality and more of the permanent status quo.

After a rough start of my plane being delayed in Oklahoma City due to weather and a long layover in the Detroit airport, followed by a long rough flight to Paris, I managed to not let any stress get the better part of me once I arrived. It used to a lot, but I quickly found my luggage, got some cash out of the ATM, located the info to the bus I needed to catch and eventually found myself feeling a bit relaxed on a bus ride into city center. I was pleased to see my iPhone was working here and glad I prepaid for the 20MB of data usage while traveling. Otherwise it would cost a fortune to use and the GPS map will probably be a good friend over the next week.

It was just over five years ago that I moved to New York City from Sydney, Australia where I had lived for almost two years. That same week, I discovered Flickr and found a new home for my photography. After a few months of sleeping on an air mattress, our stuff finally arrived from Australia and we began to settle into our new home in the big city. The first few weeks felt like being on vacation, not permanent residence.

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity."

- Gilda Radner

Another year of traveling to Crested Butte, Colorado for Independence Day as has become our (mostly) annual tradition. I love Crested Butte and Gunnison County. I love Colorado and the Rocky Mountains. It replenishes my soul every time I come here. It's one of the only family traditions we have. My grandparents used to bring my father here, my father used to bring me here, and I bring Nathan here as often as I can.

Stay awesome, Colorado Rockies.

So, as a boy, I remember getting on a plane for the first time and waiting for the plane to take off, the thrill of zooming down the runway into the air, the wonder of the clouds as seen from the other side. It was as if you were as important as the astronauts before you because you were seeing a sight unknown to man for most of civilization.

And then came growth, bad management, and well, everyday American greed.

Some time off, we headed south to Brittany in lower France to a little cottage estate owned by the Campling family. Lot's of Wine, Games, and golf this weekend. Tomorrow I am going to help Chaz with cladding the side of the barn. It's not just beautiful here, it's postcard kind of beautiful.

I've been to San Francisco several times, I love this city and it always amazes me with the size of the skyline and the view of the ocean. The hills, the people, the transportation, everything about San Francisco is something to love about it.

A short trip to visit Kelly and Pat in Virginia, near Washington D.C. We were treated to a tour of the mall and as many monuments as we could squeeze in. There's a lot to take in here and you could spend a week at the Smithsonian and still not see it all.

It's good to see our friends from New York again.

I have been sick for some time. Not down and out sick, but the kind that keeps you awake at nights and hacking up stuff during the day. It's draining and it just makes you kind of hate life while you have it in a debilitating way.

I extended my stay in Texas because I can (let's hope) and because it's warm here, I can smell the ocean here and can feel the sun here. It's not quite Manly beach in Sydney but it works.

I have been staying in a beautiful Victorian styled cottage home. I have had no allergies here, no asthma, no anything. I don't sweat in abundance here (and it's warmer) I think some people's bodies were just built for specific climates.

I really hope New York City can just warm the hell up a bit before I head back over the next few days.

My friends Sona and Phil who used to live in New York until recently, just got married yesterday in Windsor, England (nearby anyway) and it was a beautiful reception. After the wedding was the reception back at the hotel and it went on till well after 3am. Such an eclectic group of people that all call these two people friends and from all over the globe. I love them both. Congrats guys. Have fun in Mauritius (off the coast of Madagascar).

Went to do some sight seeing today but the weather changed and it rained all day long. Leaving for Leeds tomorrow and I think the weather will clear. Will try to get over and see York while I am there as I was told it is beautiful this time of year.

Will see how that goes.

Nathan is making his first trip with me to New York today. I'm looking forward to all that I get to show him around the city. We have many good ideas so if you have any that you think a 9 year old would like to see, please give some input.

update: We've made it to NYC and found ourselves very whooped after getting unpacked and cramming some fragments of food into our mouth after not eating all day. Nate is loving NYC so far and can't wait to see what it looks like in the daylight.

Heading to the UK for a few days of work and hopefully a little sightseeing if time permits. It looks like a little rain is heading for the fine city of Edinburgh, Scotland, and by little, I mean at least a 60% chance of it every day I am there. (sigh)

Before I go, tomorrow I get to do my work outdoors, walking all over the city of New York taking photography of some iconic sights with an emphasis on the crowds and commuters. This officially makes two projects in a row where I am utilizing my photography into the media budget. Yay me.

Have been in Boston for the last couple of days. After the trip there in 2000, I almost swore I would never go back so I have been hoping for a more positive experience this time around. One of the things I have learned about Boston is that if you are not from here, you do not rent a car in Boston. The roads are completely idiotic.

The trip to Crested Butte has been a lot of fun. Ferdie and Clare flew in from Edinburgh, Scotland to visit Julie and I in New York, we decided to take a short trip to go Skiing in a small town I love to visit in the Rocky Mountains in the heart of Colorado.

I had a great visit to Australia, and to Melbourne specifically. I have been here several times in the past but this was the first time we really got to know each other. I met some great people and caught up with ones I already knew. Nothing but friendly people everywhere I went. Melbourne has a unique feel to it different than Perth or Sydney. I kept thinking it had a bit of Chicago to it as well as some Christchurch. If you haven't been to Melbourne before then definitely make it a priority on your travel list. During the cup races is a particularly fun time to go. And try the semi dried tomatoes when your here.

So long Melbourne. See you again soon.

I give up. I really do. I went to go get a hair cut today and the little asian hair cut girl used the clippers all the way around, over the top and pretty much everywhere I could possibly grow hair on my head. I'm not going over when I say my hair is the exact same length everywhere on my head now. She then used the little scissors to trim something away around the ears, as if it really mattered at this point. By the time I could even pick my jaw off the floor, half the top of my head of hair was just gone. The last time I felt a clipper go across the top of my head was when it all got shaved off in Air Force basic training.

I'm going to go sit quietly now and wait for my hair to grow back.

Leaving Prague today by train back to Vienna for a last night near the airport hotel to catch a flight back to New York tomorrow. Prague was an interesting and fun visit. The culture of people here is a bit different than anywhere else I have been. It was good to catch up with Claire and Ferdie again.

My dad passed away a few days back. I've been struggling over the last few days and on the journey of this trip to deal with a lot of emotions. Very painful emotions. This trip, while planned ahead and couldn't easily be put aside, was a necessary distraction for me to not just fall into an emotional vegetative state.

We arrived in Prague today to the hotel after a long train ride from Budapest. It's a nice hotel that feels very western, modern amenities like internet let me plug back into the world and check in on what's going on.

Arrived yesterday in Budapest. It's raining. It's been raining. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain.

Walked around a bit today and saw the new town in Pest and the old in Buddha. Some great architecture here and the people are a little more friendly than the locals in Bratislava, not that they were horrid.

A few hours in Milan, Italy on layover to Vienna, Austria. This week has been particularly hard. Yesterday however, was one of those days when the universe conspires against you.

Missed the first plane out of OKC, had to get standby for the next flight out.

Next flight I get borded on, but due to heavy storms in Dallas, I sat on the tarmac for 3 hours waiting for storm to let up then another hour to refuel the plane.

One of the longest trips taken in a while and I got to actually dust off the camera and take some photos again. Most of the photos I wasn't terribly pleased with due to the grey and cloudy sky, I thought many of my black and whites of Chicago in 2002 were better but on the last night I took some great evening photos of Buckingham fountain and the city skyline.

Drove out of the city to a little suburb that was picturesque but the town was abandoned due to the holiday, everyone was probably at the lake. Starbucks was about as interesting as it got on the visit of any local shops.

Made it to New York. What a long flight but it was less painful with the business class seating.

The last day in Sydney, something weird happened. After taking on a walk around the city to see the sites one last time, it started to rain down hail all over the city. This rarely happens there and it came down so hard it covered the Royal Botanical Gardens in white. Several of us were caught waiting in a gazebo in the park for it to let up. I'm not sure if it was a sign but, whatever, I'll take it.

Staying in Battery Park for now, walked over and checked out the World Trade Center Site, the lights are shooting into the sky again.

This weekend was full of beauty and adventure, some more than we asked for.

When you get to Fraser Island, there are no real roads. Once you get off the barge from the mainland, you drive your 4x4 along the beach to get from point to point which means you have to be aware of the tides as at high tide, driving along the beach can be impassable.

We drove all the way up to the northern point of Fraser Island; Sandy Beach. Access was limited and we got stuck a few times and helped others get unstuck. Everyone helps each other out of the sand.

Right now, I am at the top of the peak overlooking all of downtown Hong Kong, at a little cafe bar with a free internet kiosk. One of the most amazing city scapes I have ever seen from up here.

It's very hot, very hot and very steep. If you ever wanted to get in shape without going to a Gym, live here. It's an entire city built on the side of a mountain, a mountain which I have now walked up and down several times.

Who would have thought Bangkok was a really cool place to visit? 

It's been a unique experience here and I hope Hong Kong goes half as well. Will be staying with friends in Hong Kong so that looks to be a fun time also. Currently I am sitting in the Bangkok airport waiting on the plane. Yesterday I rode an elephant, walked across the Bridge over the River Quai, got a Thai massage, and even bought a Thai silk custom made suit for dirt cheap.

I ate the local Thai food, was different than I expected but very pleasant.

Here is some fun trivia for you; Uluru (Ayer's Rock) is about a five hour drive from Alice Springs, Australia. I know this because the nice people at the Alice Springs Airport informed us of this when asking "So where is the rock?" With only one flight a day leaving Alice, an overpriced rental car was leased and a scenic desert drive was had. I saw a dingo roaming about, an eagle having a meal on a dead roadkill kittycat, a few kangaroo's and a unique view of the sky where the shadow of the earth can be seen just over the horizon during sunset.

Tasmania was a beautiful get-away. Jules and I went down to Hobart for a few days and took a drive around the island, a tour of the prison, and stayed the night at the most charming bed and breakfast. Truly a beautiful country side escape. 

France was a fun little break where I understood little being said but had fun trying to work it out. Luckily most of the French know how to speak some English and I had an interpreter with me as well in most cases (thanks Julie).

Back in Sydney from the Bay of Islands in New Zealand this past week. It was a good trip and we got to see some neat sights, played with some dolphins, rode quad bikes around an extreme course, went through an island on a boat, and much more.

It got a bit scary for a moment when returning to Australia on if they were going to let me back in but it turned out to be a non issue. (whew).

I'm a bit spent but had a good time, especially going quad biking over the New Zealand hills. Vroom, vroom.

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. The Capitol architecture is modeled after both the U.S. and the U.K. governments and the city has the most unique feel of a city I've ever known.

Jules and I visited the Capitol and the War memorial today and took in a walk around the city.

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. It was kind of comforting to be in the hotel there just off the mountains, in the old giant wooden fortress as the strong wind outside seemed somewhat threatening as the comforting fireplace and light reading seemed perfectly serene.

The next morning I woke up really early because of Jetlag. I watched the most stunning sunrise over the mountains.

The Blue mountains are blue because of the reflection of the Eucalyptus plants growing there.

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.

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.

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.

A few days ago, I decided that instead of flying from Sydney to Perth, I would take the Ghan Railway, I would ride on the Indian Pacific three days across the outback with a few stops along the way. It was more expensive than flying and certainly longer, but I wanted an experience that was unique.

The train was indeed an experience unique unto itself. It was a lot slower than I expected and the seats didn't accommodate sleeping very well. By day two I decided to bite the cost and upgraded to the sleeper cabin. It was amazing how different I was treated by the train staff when I asked to upgrade, you would have thought I had upgraded from Steerage to First Class on an Ocean Liner.

While driving to Dallas to catch a flight to Los Angeles to catch a flight to Sydney, One thing was forgot to add into the equation; unpredictable weather.

Somewhere around Ardmore, OK, the weather turned to crap and the snow turned to ice and sleet and it kept freezing over the window. Driving wasn't really that bad after a while but them thar Texan's have obviously not had to deal with winter driving much and they all freaked and set the cruise to around 20-30 mph. So, I missed my flight. First time for that to happen to me.

Got set up in a nice hotel and hanging out till my rescheduled flight leaves tomorrow.

Laugh all you want, I will be on an Australian beach in a few days. Nyaaaaa.

Paula and I just returned from Hawaii, had a great time and some much needed sun. It was a last min trip to Honolulu to stay at Waikiki beach and everything kind of fell into place. A beautiful trip. We went scuba diving and enjoyed a lot of beach time.