Southern Latitudes

A chapter closes

2006-07-03T14:05:00.000+10:00

Thank you for your kind interest in our Australian adventures up to this point.

This weblog will no longer be maintained.

Candace has a personal weblog at:
http://girlieasiwannabe.blogspot.com/

Hunter has a personal weblog at:
http://thisspaceblank.blogspot.com/

Best wishes to all.

Bendalong Weekend

2006-05-22T14:08:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago we went down to Bendalong Beach with a few friends for the weekend. Even though the picture above is pretty dead flat - don't worry, we got some decent waves at a less protected point break on Green Island.

It was an excellent weekend of surfing and barbeque at the beach; here are a couple of particularly noteworthy items:

Nature’s sea rhoombas:
Beside the campground at Bendalong is a place where fishermen regularly clean their day’s catch. The sea life has taken notice, and creatures gather hoping to score some tidbits.
Among the sea life present are multiple massive stingrays, the like of which I have not seen previously.

These rays are as big as 5 feet across the wings, and of course the tails are much longer. They are accustomed to the regular food distribution by humans, and will come into shallow water to take food right from people’s hands, and allow people to reach down and pet them like a dog.

However, after watching a big daddy crunch through a fish head, I became a bit nervous about my toes being mistaken for a morsel.

Truly incredible experience to be standing in the water surrounded by these large creatures.

We had our cookout beside the beach, and all night long the rays could be seen beneath the water methodically sweeping across the sand, like giant vacuum cleaners of the beach.

Surfing with a World Champ:

We stopped at a small country house with a hand-lettered sign advertising surfboards, and discovered that it was the residence of none other than legendary shaper Mark Rabbidge and his wife World Champion surfer Pam Burridge.

We had a nice chat with Mark and a look around the shaping room. Unbeknownst to us, our friend who was there with us, Gabrielle Howard-James used to compete in the women’s surfing circuit and had been on many a trip and in competition with Pam Burridge. In fact, as a junior on the tour, Pam used to wax Gabrielle’s surfboard for her. Not a bad story to tell about the 1990 World Champ and 6 times runner up.

We met Pam for a surf at Mañana Beach the next day, and she gave a one-on-one lesson to our friend and beginning surfer Dee Smyth.

I don't have a pic of Pam, so here's one of the next most impressive thing: Oskar!

Way Behind on the Blogging

2006-04-19T18:07:00.000+10:00

(by hunter)

Boy do the posts dry up when the laptop goes away. No desire to stay at work any later than necessary... writing will be abbreviated.

A whole bunch has happened since the last post:

Major highlights:

- Lisa McClellan came to visit!-
Lisa spent 3 weeks in Australia - jetting up to the Great Barrier Reef, over to Ayers Rock (Uluru), and kicking it with us in Sydney. It was an absolute pleasure having her here.

I went with her to Uluru, where we spent 3 days hiking in the midday Outback heat at Uluru, the Olgas, and King's Canyon. Really stunning places, even after discounting the heat-induced hallucinations.

We also made a weekend trip to the Blue Mountains for some excellent hiking and socializing with other friends.

We miss you Lisa! Come back.

(Lisa is a long time Portland friend of Hunter's, and more recently Candace.)

- James Gantz came to visit! -
As a part of a larger Australian tour, James came through Sydney and spent 4 days at our place. Unfortunately for us, we were out of town the whole time, and missed him completely. The only sign of his presence was a nice note & gift, and a cleaner apartment than we had before.

(Hunter and James (Jim) used to work together in Portland.)

- Callie Aadland came to visit! -
Perpetual traveller Callie breezed through town again for another fun visit. This is her third time stopping by our place in the last year. As always, she was full of good cheer and great stories.

(Candace first met Callie when travelling in New Zealand a few years ago, and have been friends ever since.)

- Steve sent us a digital camera! -
We were camera-less after our recent robbery, and feeling pretty lousy about it. Steve Jacobi and Kate Turning totally blew us away with their kindness and generosity by sending us one of their digital cameras. Thanks so much you two - you totally rock!

- We Bought a Longboard -
A 9'-2" tri-fin, mango coloured, noserider. Fun cruising for the smaller surf days.

- Camping at Seal Rocks -
We put the 4 day Easter weekend to good use by camping on the New South Wales coast a few hours north of Sydney. Oskar the Dog got to come this time, and had great romps on the beach.
Really great waves at Boomerang Beach (overhead right pointbreak), as well as fun longboarding at Number One Beach. Good fresh seafood. A hair-raising paddle around the point. The view from under the crystalline-lensed Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse on a clear night with a full moon was a mystical experience. Though we brought Steve's digital camera...sadly no pictures were taken all weekend.

Going surf-camping this weekend on the South Coast again. Pray for waves.

bummer

2006-03-05T17:51:00.000+11:00

Today someone climbed into our place through a high unlocked window and took a number of things, including our laptop, both digital cameras, ipod, cell phone, Candace's dad's wallet and watch.

It was a cruddy way to end the visit for Candace's parents; they boarded their flight today after an otherwise wonderful 3 week visit.

We got off lucky in that they only grabbed a few things that were in plain sight - passports, cash, wallets, and other items escaped notice.

Oskar was home during the intrusion, but hid under the bed like the fierce guard dog that he is.

Sorry, there will be no new photos for awhile...

.

Best Use for Aussie BBQ Sauce

2006-02-19T14:09:00.000+11:00

Last night I finally put the ubiquitous Aussie BBQ sauce to good use.

We have a large bottle of the nasty stuff taking up space in the fridge, since it would be unthinkable to have guests over to a cookout without this ever-present condiment. Given the rate that we entertain actual Australians, it seemed as though our visas would run out before this bottle would.

Well. Things have changed.
We are now 3/4 of the way through it from one eventful night.

Last evening, while still daylight, a car alarm started going off in the street directly in front of our place. It went non-stop all evening long. Remember it is summer here, and we have no air conditioning, so the windows have to stay open.

I was on the brink of insanity. Oskar and I took loooong walks, always hoping to come back to peace and quiet. Dinner was eaten to the music of wooop-wooop-wooop.
Neighbors converged on the street to gaze at the car and shake their heads (somehow WITH their fingers in their ears). The police were notified, but never deined to show up.

Midnight rolled around and I was tossing and turning in bed, grinding my teeth to the piercing sound, when I snapped.

Something needed to be done, and it took all of my willpower to keep it non-violent. Looking about for alternatives, I seized the large brown bottle of sauce, took it outside, and wrote a long detailed message to the owner of the car on the car's windows.

Most satisfaction BBQ sauce has ever given me.

...the owner finally arrived and drove away at 2:38am

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Burgess & Monique Christensen are here

2006-02-18T11:49:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

Candace's parents are here in Australia visiting!
They arrived last Friday and have settled right into the Manly Beach lifestyle of sun, sand, and swimming.
It is a real pleasure having them stay with us and it is fun to show them our city.

I have not yet managed to get them to stay still long enough to take a photograph - I will certainly do so when they return.
They are currently in Tasmania for a week with Candace sightseeing, and will be back on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Oskar and I are leading the bachelor life for a week.
It didn't take long for the dishes to start piling up, and the quality of the meals to decline.

A few more days of boxershort living, then I better get cleaning.

( geeez no... did you really think that is a picture of our home?)
.

Vege-maybe

2006-02-03T23:28:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

An important milestone has been reached in our Australianization:

We have finished our first bottle of Vegemite!
Never mind that it is a very small bottle, and that it took us a good 10 months to work through it - we did it, and feel all the more ~~nauseas~~ Aussie for having done it.

Actually, by the end of the bottle, we have become fans of the stuff. Perfect on a ham and cheese sandwich. A new bigger bottle has already been purchased.

Last Thursday was Australia Day. Compare it to the 4th of July in the U.S., but without the whole "independence from Britain" thing having ever happened. It is mainly just a good excuse to take a day off work, drink beer, and have yet another barbie. And then, since the next day is Friday, go ahead and take a "sickie" to make a 4 day weekend out of it.

The week leading up to Australia Day, the press is full of stories titled "Just what IS our national Identity?" or similar. Pundits opine that Australians are just not nearly as patriotic as, say, Americans. Then the day arrives, and the Australians gather en masse to stage a display of national pride that blows away anything I've ever witnessed in the States.

Candace celebrated by sailing in the Manly Yacht Club Australia Day Regatta. This regatta bills itself as the "Oldest Continuous Sailing Regatta" - since 1837. She entered the single-person keel-less category, and proceeded to skipper her Laser sailboat to a second place win.
Sadly, I have no pictures of this achievement.

Meanwhile, I was floating on the other side of the harbour, beside the Opera House, on my surfboard. No really. I joined the "Surfboard Challenge"- a paddle race from the O House, under the bridge, and to Lavender Bay. There were over 500 people participating, all of us wearing the provided lime green jerseys and australian flag hats. 99% of the people wisely had 10 foot longboards; I only had a not-so-floaty 6'-5". Suffice it to say, I did not win. In fact, thankfully, my results are not posted since I entered the day of the event. I did, however achieve my small personal goal of beating the policeman (participant) who was cheating at the starting line.

Sun, live music, formation-flying jets, squirting fireboats, tall-masted ships, Aboriginal James Brown, roo-wraps, beer, and a laser/video/fireworks extravaganza finished off our first Australia Day.

Australian Open

2006-01-28T11:20:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

As you probably know, the Australian Open tennis tournament is in full swing.
But what you may not know, due to the guy from Cyprus stealing all the media attention, is that a hot mixed doubles team is dominating the court.

Despite the same last names, we are not related.
(To my knowledge)

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Sydney in Summer

2006-01-22T10:03:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

A few quick pictures:

You step off the ferry one day and see things like this:

One of at least 4 outdoor cinemas that I know off right now. The location of this one couldn't be more dramatic - directly across from the Opera House. The screen is located on columns out in the harbour, laying down flat to allow the views. As the movie starts, the screen lifts on hydraulics amid musical fanfare.

Free symphony in the park:

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Holiday Travels 2005-6

2006-01-15T18:36:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

Our offices closed for two weeks during the 2005-6 holidays, so Candace and I decided to see some more of Australia. We loaded up the Subaru with about as much stuff as could fit - when we first arrived we had only about 1/3 of a Subaru-load between us; how quickly things can accumulate!

Our chosen route was to explore the coastline south of Sydney and around the bottom of Victoria. A rough route map:

We spent 14 days traveling the portion along the coast, and 2 days on the return trip.

Christmas Eve morning the temperature was in the upper 90’s as we pointed south out of Sydney. It was a great feeling knowing that we had two whole weeks of exploration, fun, and relaxation ahead. We had no set plan to follow – each day we drove a bit, stopped at anything and everything, and found a place to camp without much trouble. Sometimes we stayed in campgrounds, sometimes we bush-camped in the forest, and sometimes other opportunities presented themselves.

Oskar did not come along on the trip, unfortunately. Dogs are not allowed in any of the national parks, and in many other places. We were able to arrange for a nice couple visiting from Rome to make use of our apartment in exchange for taking care of Oskar.

What follows is a brief outline of the trip with some occasional commentary and pictures. At the end of this post is a link to a couple hundred photos on Shutterfly if you are possibly interested.

Day 1 (Saturday December 24)
South of Jervis Bay we explore Conjola National Park. All the roads are rough dirt tracks without much in the way of signage. It takes us three tries down deeply rutted dirt roads to find our way to Monument Beach. The Subaru succeeds in its first stream crossing (good thing)! We camp in the forest that evening. Wildlife sightings: kangaroo with joey in pouch; large forest dragon lizard.

Day 2 (Sun Dec 25)
Christmas breakfast beside a beach on the bay at Bendalong. During a swim, a huge ray about 5 feet across swims within feet of us. Surf at ocean beach nearby. Tour down coast through Ulladulla. Camp at Pebbly Beach in Murramarang National Park. Huge group of kangaroos in field beside beach; comfortable with humans and able to be petted. Will stop mentioning roos from now on - they quickly ceased to be a rarity. Wild parrots (Crimson Rosellas and others) fly down and sit on your shoulders if you are holding food.

Day 3 (Mon Dec 26)
Depot Beach – fantastic spot. Many small towns: Batemans Bay, Malua Bay, Moruya, Bodalla (nice old church), Potato Point, Narooma. Stopped at Tilba Winery and ended up camping beside the vineyards. Played croquet on the winery lawn.

Day 4 (Tues Dec 27)
Tacky “historic” town (i.e. ye olde shopping area of trinkets) of Central Tilba. Mystery Bay – great day at beautiful secluded beach. Surfing, but small waves. Camp at Mimosa Rocks National Park – rocky beach, aboriginal site, shipwreck, and scenic rock headlands.

Day 5 (Wed Dec 28)
Mimosa Rocks “Middle Beach” – beautiful long sandy beach. Candace surfs while Hunter tries spearfishing for dinner (first ever attempt). Lots of fish and rays, but all stay magically just out of range. Tathra pier in the mist. Bournda N.P. – bushwalk along the coast, Turigal Head. Spot an elusive Lyre Bird. Camp in forest nearby at 'UFO landing site'.

Day 6 (Thurs Dec 29)
N. Tura beach – lines but no waves. Merimbula – nice town, busy. Main beach allows dogs. Ben Boyd N.P., Haycock Point – surfing, spearfishing attempt #2 (no fish). Walk to see The Pinnacles. Eden – nice town, good whaling museum. Bought fresh fish for dinner (since Hunter can’t catch them). Camp in forest of Ben Boyd N.P.

Day 7 (Fri Dec 30)
Lyre Bird serenade at dawn – amazing bird calls. Visit whaling station; Boyd Tower. Malacoota – small town packed with campers. Spend midday at Davis Beach. Drive to Pt. Hicks on a super-long, super-bad dusty potholed dirt road - second gear max; thankfully somewhere to camp at the end of it. Swim at beach, hike to large sand dunes. Bush flies drive us nutty. Cocktails at sunset while sitting in the river.

Day 8 (Sat Dec 31)
Great beaches at Pt. Hicks. No surf. Hike to lighthouse – Capt. Cook first sighted Australia here. Snorkeled off headlands, saw a huge jellyfish, blue starfish. Snorkel at another beach too – lots of rays, boxfish. Very hot (100+?) drive out down that long bad road. Emergency stop for ice cream. No coast access along here, so drive many k’s west to Orbost and then Buchan. Great camp ground, cool weather, beautiful country town. Walk to pub for New Years Eve with the locals; mellow happenings, nothing but a couple quiet pints. Wombat blunders through camp.

Day 9 (Sun Jan 1)
Visit Buchan’s Royal Cave – beautiful limestone formations. Emerge from cool cave into more 100+ weather. Swim in natural spring pool to cool down. Nicholson River Winery. Drive through Bairnsdale, Sale, Yarram, Foster. Weather changes dramatically to knit-cap-cold and occasional rain. Walk on Beach at Sandy Point. Stay at friend Britta Weller’s parent’s house near Fish Camp – we “camp” in lower level. Mrs. Weller very nice and welcoming. Good to be indoors for the stormy weather.

Day 10 (Mon Jan 2)
Nice day, but cool. Visit Wilson’s Promontory N.Park. Koalas and wild emu herds common; we see neither. Squeaky Beach; Lilli Pilli Gully rainforest walk; very nice trail to top of Mt. Bishop for great view. Picnic Beach. Toora rainforest drive – massive trees and ferns. Stay with Mrs. Weller once more.

Day 11 (Tues Jan 3)
Philip Island – windy with big messy waves. Cool decrepit barn; Nobbies lookout with penguins, blowhole. Churchill Island homestead. Rhyll Inlet bird sanctuary and mangroves. Close up encounter with echidna. Drive around bay to Mornington Peninsula, stay in “retirement campground”.

Day 12 (Wed Jan 4)
Drive down bay side of Mornington Peninsula – quaint touristy beach towns, colorful beach boxes. Walk around Sorrento. Ferry to Queenscliff. Surf Winkipop (Bells Beach), 8 foot waves but not too clean. Camp in Otway N.P.

Day 13 (Thurs Jan 5)
Surf at Aireys Inlet. Shopping chaos at “Surfworld” back in Torquay – the worst of ‘surf culture’ all in one place. Lunch at Bells Beach. Drive down Great Ocean Road – crazy houses at Lorne; Nice Apollo Bay; good rainforest walk at Matt’s Rest. Great camping at Johanna Beach.

Day 14 (Fri Jan 6)
Swell, but nothing surfable anywhere with an east wind. Swim at Johanna Beach with heavy currents. More Great Ocean Road – Dramatic cliffs and coastline with rock formations: Gibson Steps, 12 Apostles, London Bridge. Lunch and snorkeling at Loch Ard Gorge. Drive to Melbourne to visit and stay with Kelly and Andrew.

Day 15(Sat Jan 7)
Visit Yarra Valley wine region with Kelly and Andrew and their children Josh and Claire. Nice lunch at Yering Winery – nice architecture. Josh loves the helicopters. Say goodbye and start back to Sydney. Drive to Albury and camp.

Day 16(Sun Jan 8)
Great museum in Gundagai. Dog on the Tuckerbox landmark. Lunch in Yass. Huge Ned Kelly sculpture in Glenrowan. Back home to hug the dog! Evening surfing in Manly.

A good trip all around, and quite difficult to adjust to the working world again. We can't wait for the opportunity to go see some more of Australia - as Candace pointed out, this trip only covered about 1/20 of the coastline, not to mention all of the interior.

For anyone who might possibly want more, here's a whole slew of pictures taken by Candace and me, check out this Shutterfly link:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9QbN3Lhm1Y-c

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Happy Holidays!

2005-12-21T23:34:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

Warm wishes to all of you!

The Aussies have a wonderfully civilized tradition of closing their offices for an extended period during the Silly Season. Candace and I have a nice two week forced vacation starting Saturday.

We are climbing in the car on Christmas Eve with all our toys and gear, driving south around the coast, and camping on any and every nice beach that we discover. We plan to explore at a leisurely pace for two weeks and see how much we can see. We'll spend Christmas surfing and opening presents around the beach umbrella.

Thinking of you and wishing you all the best in the new year.

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Reena

2005-12-18T21:18:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

Reena Kawal, a good friend of Candace's and all-around impressive person, came to stay with us for a couple weeks. It was great having her here! I was planning to write a bit about her visit, but she has already done a much better job of it than I could - for pictures and tales see her travel blog here:
http://rkspace.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the excellent visit Reena!

Hope to see the rest of you here soon.

Hotness!

2005-12-07T17:47:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

Today it hit 40.1 degrees Celcius.
That's 104 degrees Fahrenheit for us Seppos.
Sheesh

(they assure me this is "unusual"...)

update: the next day is only 27 C (81 F); the day before about the same. Go figure.

Thanksgiving, Aussie Style

2005-12-03T23:54:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

Since the Australians don't see fit to celebrate all of the U.S. national holidays, we were forced to improvise.

First, we informed Tom and Ania that we were throwing a Thanksgiving feast... at their house. Second, we got some turkey chops. Third, we marinated some Skippy (roo). We were going Traditional this year, it seems.

I tried to find an actual turkey, or failing that an emu, but all I could find was turkey lunch meat, and these mysterious turkey chops. No, I didn't know turkeys had chops either. They were about the same size, thickness, and appearance of a pork chop. We're thinking: Jurrasic turkeys.

Short of having a turkey to roast in the oven, we did the next best thing - threw everything on the barbie. Turns out BBQ'd turkey chops are quite delicious. The roo went over well too, as well as the grilled sweet potatoes.

Tom and Ania decided to up the ante by producing a massive platter of kebabs, as well as sausages, potatoes, and salad. Another friend Julia brought a beautiful fruit tart which easily eclipsed our meager desert offering of random Chinatown pastries - but we ate them as well.

Also in contrast to the average American Thanksgiving this meal was eaten outside in the courtyard. And since we are currently 16-19 hours ahead, we were well stuffed, plenty Thankful, and blissfully sleeping by about the time the States were waking up to baste their birds.

Happy Thanksgiving all!
(wish we could have all been together)

Happy Birthday Candace!

2005-11-25T14:50:00.000+11:00

Today Candace turns 21 again.
Congratulations sweetie!!!

First (USA) Guest!

2005-11-20T18:46:00.000+11:00

(by hunter)

Reena is here visiting us from Seattle for a couple of weeks! We are excited to have someone follow through on the promise to come visit. More later.

I have no pictures of Reena at the moment (the women are out and about), so here is a wombat warning.

A Piradical Wedding

2005-11-13T12:46:00.000+11:00

(By Hunter)

Recently I was in Los Angeles for my excellent friend Steve Jacobi’s wedding to the lovely and very talented photographer Kate Turning. This trip also included a nice 5 day jaunt down to Mexico with Steve and Mark Rogers for the bachelor party/surf trip.

First the Mexico trip: 3 guys in Cabo San Lucas for a bachelor party…need I say more? Am I allowed to say more? Should I share the pictures here, or save them for extortion later? I have a PayPal account, so perhaps an online bidding war might best determine if these pictures “go away” or become public property. (All bids are to be in US dollars – I don’t want any pesos or these lightweight Aussie “dollars”.) Don’t you want to know the story about Eva the sheep, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and the Mexican wrestler’s mask?

Truth be told, there was far more surfing than partying. Unless you count a cold beer or two by the pool after a long day of surfing as “partying”…if that’s the case, then I think we were out-partied by some/all of the Moms who were staying nearby. We actually never even went into Cabo San Lucas. Instead we preferred the less-gringo town of San Jose del Cabo, where we scored some outrageously good Mexican food. Good mellow times…and that’s the official story, Kate, at least until you out-bid Steve’s measly hush money.

The surfing was great. Each day we drove a fair ways down dirt roads, out to (undisclosed spot), where head-high waves peeled with precision down a right point. Nobody else out in the lineup, much of the time. Each afternoon we returned past Zippers, The Rock, and other well known surf spots to find them smaller and crowded. Even better, Steve and Kate just bought a piece of property overlooking that great pointbreak – Mark and I are salivating over the prospect of the future guest rooms.

Back in Los Angeles, wedding preparations and rehearsals and social gatherings filled the days leading up to the wedding. It was great to see Steve’s family again after all these years – they all look terrific, and by all accounts were doing well. Other friends old and recent were also in attendance and all were in excellent spirits.

The wedding ceremony and reception was held on the Queen Mary – the elegant and historic Art Deco cruise ship from the 1940’s that now resides permanently in Long Beach. A beautiful setting for this unique and sensational wedding.

No matter my attempts at description, I don’t think I’ll be able to do justice to this wedding event. A seriously fun and entertaining production, it does not fit into any kind of traditional wedding mold. Some highlights follow, but the total experience was something that defies mere description, yet somehow perfectly embodied the unique spirits of Steve and Kate.

The wedding took on a masquerade theme in the style of the Venetian Carnivale – elaborate period costumes were worn by not only the wedding party, but by almost every guest in attendance. The groom and groomsmen (of which I was one) all wore a pirate theme, complete with swords and tricorn hats. Even though Mark’s costume had come from the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, even it paled in comparison to the black and silver custom-tailored ensemble worn by Steve, complete with Kaiser Wilhelm’s epaulets.

The bride’s maids were beautiful in the wide skirts, laced bodices, piled hair and powder of Venetian noble women, but when Kate appeared all light seemed to radiate from her direction.

The ceremony took place on the back deck of the ship, with the setting sun as the backdrop. A professional dancer wearing a mask, Himalayan singing bowls and bells, and a touching exchange of vows set this ceremony apart.

The reception was at least as theatrical, and took place in the ship’s beautiful wood carved art deco ballroom. The costumes of those in attendance were entertainment enough, but in addition there were professional clowns (more of the Cirque de Sole mold than the Bozo mold) on stilts and balls, go-go dancers in Marie Antoinette wigs, and stuntmen engaging in a sword fight.

The reception raged in full swing until the ballroom staff kicked us out, upon which it moved to the bar at the front of the ship until the bar kicked us out, upon which it moved to the large suite that the bride and groom had rented onboard. As we all had accommodation on board the boat as well, it was convenient to drag my tired pirate self off to bed when it seemed prudent. Others, I hear, stayed on well past the point of prudence…

My photos are almost non-existent, as I was both in the wedding and also without pockets. Professional photographers were on hand, as well as posed portraits for all in attendance. I look forward to seeing these images, and hope to be able to share them with you if I can get my hands on them.

Other random highlights:
Meeting an actual Ninja Turtle – the actor who plays “Raphael” was in attendance.
Seeing Steve’s dad riding the clown’s tricycle.
Meeting numerous fun and interesting people – Daniel the villainous tailor, Janelle the geisha assassin, Richie the purple potter pirate, and many many more.
Getting stopped in Australian Customs and questioned about the sword in my luggage.

Thanks for all the fun and excitement Steve and Kate! Hope you are able to get some much deserved rest, finally.

Visiting My Valley

2005-10-16T19:00:00.000+10:00

(hw)

This weekend Candace, Oskar, and I broke in our new car with a roadtrip to the Hunter Valley. This is the major wine producing region of southeastern Australia, and is located just a couple hours north of Sydney.

As the name makes it obvious that it is my valley, I went hoping to reclaim it.

Further substantiation of my right to the valley was evidenced by a winery named after my hometown (Mt. Pleasant) and another bearing my last name.

All was going swimmingly, and after a very nice ceremony and warm greetings by all, the mayor prepared to hand over the deed to the valley.

That is...until Oskar came running up with one of the prize 120 year old grape stalks in his mouth.

The mood changed instantly.

We had to high-tail it out of there pronto, and the only way I could keep the furious wine growers from stomping us to a pulp was to toss the property deeds into the air and escape in the confusion.

Here Candace exults in a successful escape, a bit giddy with adrenaline and perhaps a taste or three of Semillon:

The Hunter Valley is a beautiful place, and one we'd love to take you to if you visit. That is, of course, if the vintner's hard feelings mellow a bit with age.

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New Wheels

2005-10-09T20:18:00.000+10:00

(hw)

We have a new Oz touring vehicle.
Complete with surf racks, 4 wheel drive, and a steering wheel on the right side.

4 October

2005-10-06T13:49:00.000+10:00

Happy Birthday, Hunter!

21 + ?!?

Also, Luna's birthday (70 years!)

Luigi Land

2005-10-04T09:23:00.000+10:00

Buon Giorno!

Work is going well at Luigi’s office. We just started on the winery project – a competition that he won in association with another office – our office gets to design it while their office gets to do the documentation and management – nice arrangement for us. It’s a brand new building (offices, wine tasting and cellars) for Casella Wines – who you may know if you drink any of the Yellow Tail wines imported from Australia. Ironically, it’s not widely distributed nor marketed here (like Foster’s beer) – I think Casella has focused their efforts on the export market and have done very well by it – they have seen huge growth in the last 10 years. They’re a winery that has been around for almost 50 years – started by an Italian couple who immigrated from Italy. We’re excited about the project – it’s something new for Luigi who has done almost exclusively high-end residential and restaurant/boutique work.

A bit of pop trivia: one of Luigi’s first clients were two of the band member from INXS – an Australian band that was hugely popular in the 80’s (who didn’t love the MTV video “the One Thing” – it was a great one by INXS – back in the early days of MTV when it was actually about music). Anyway, Luigi was commissioned to do a house for one band member overlooking the beach – and then another for one of the other band members (no, not Michael Hutchinson – the hot lead singer). I think Luigi has done quite well for himself – he’s a very good architect who seems to satisfy his clients in both the process and end product.
for more on Luigi, check out http://www.luigirosselli.com/

We got another celebrity tid-bit out of Luigi over Friday lunch (our office goes out to lunch together on Fridays – with a round of beers). He recounted a most hilarious experience being interviewed by Russel(l) Crowe. It was an all day interview that took place on Crowe’s huge property, involved a banquet meal with Crowe sitting at the head of a long table (tapestry hung behind him - gladiator like - or is it the Master-and-Commander??); ATV-ing around the property (with Luigi in his nice Italian suit); diplomatically critiquing Crowe’s design sketches on what he thought would be great architecture; and a few other things I can’t divulge except in hushed tones over drinks at a cocktail party. We all had a good laugh over the story – plus Luigi is such a down-to-earth sort of person that his perspective on all of the celebrity quirky silliness was just hilarious. In the end he didn’t get the commission, but I think he was happy not to – he probably would have been a very difficult client.

Here are a couple of Luigi's sketches for the Casella project plus a photo of the site.

Yenda - our project site
(6 hr drive west of Sydney):

Casella Wines
(entry and tasting room)

Mel-bunn

2005-09-29T09:23:00.000+10:00

(hw)

A couple of weeks ago we took a long weekend and ventured to Melbourne (“Melbunn”). It was an opportunity to see our friends Kelly and Andrew again, as well as my first visit to this other major contender for “Australia’s Best City”.

The rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne is heated yet good-natured, and a typical resident of either city will be ready to assert their city’s claim of superiority and offer up a joke at the expense of the other. An example:

A newcomer to Melbourne arrives on a rainy day. She gets up the next day and it's raining. It also rains the day after that, and the day after that.
She goes out to lunch and sees a young boy and, out of despair, asks, "Hey, kid, does it ever stop raining around here?"
The kid says, "How should I know? I'm only 6."

Kelly graciously toured Candace and me around the city to visit many of the attractions, accompanied by the beautiful gurgling daughter Claire and the adorable perpetual motion machine named Josh. For every mile kilometer walked forward, Josh logged an extra 5 in other directions.

Melbourne strikes me as having a feel similar to that of a Pacific Northwest city – smaller scale, artsy, independent and innovative shops, café culture, bike lanes, coffee, and books. I even saw people riding fixed-gear bikes. I felt instantly comfortable there. The climate is also apparently similar - it has a reputation for overcast skies and drizzly winter rain. We were impressed by the pervasiveness of quality public art, both officially sanctioned and guerrilla.

Andrew took us to experience a real Australian treat: a live “footy” game. In this case it was an Australian Rules football match, though the term footy can alternately refer to Rugby Union, Rugby League, and even occasionally Soccer. Here too is an example of the regional rivalry: everyone in Sydney is mad about Rugby League, everyone in Melbourne is mad about Aussie Rules Football (everyone that is except Kelly, who sat this one out).

The game is an incredibly fast-paced and athletic endeavor played by gigantic men that wear no padding or helmets. The men are huge, but lean – there are no Michael “The Fridge” Perry equivalents; every one of these guys runs and kicks like a soccer player, jumps and catches like a wide receiver, and collides like a hockey player. It’s a good game to watch combining the speed, finesse, and mayhem of various other sports. I have to say it makes U.S. football (aka “gridiron”) look boring and wimpy.

Other observations from the stadium: Cats can apparently beat Demons – who would have guessed from the names alone? The concession vendors use an excellent machine that fills an entire tray of beers at once – Homers of the world rejoice. The Australians also have a quaint custom of giving the ball back to the players when it goes into the crowd.

An unexpected highlight of the trip was experiencing Federation Square. This is a large, relatively recent, architectural project in the heart of the city. It is a grouping of buildings which define a public plaza and house a variety of public and private functions. The buildings are designed in an architectural style that I call “Huh?”; I was skeptical and expected to be under-whelmed. Turns out the plaza has a nice feel, and was definitely well used. The building massing is of a nice scale, and there are a variety of cafes and restaurants which spill out into the plaza. I still find the architectural style to be rather “Huh?”, but it was executed surprisingly well and with little expense spared. The museum houses a very nice assortment of art - contemporary, classic, and aboriginal – of very good quality. The galleries themselves were also worth the visit just to view some of the unique spaces and detailing that results from the colliding architectural forms.

The downtown has a nice pedestrian scale with wide sidewalks, lots of open air cafes, and shops lining the street level. The usual high-end boutiques and chains congregate centrally, but there is also an excellent selection of unique independent shops mixed in and found in high concentrations in the more bohemian parts of the city.

Finally, I just have to mention a particular meal. Andrew and Kelly took us to a fantastic little neighborhood Japanese restaurant that left us all in rapture. Small, reasonable and unpretentious, this restaurant had to put Andrew on the waiting list when he called 2 months in advance of our trip. Only a cancellation the day-of got us in the door. Excellent excellent meal – book now and plan your tourism around it.

While we were gone, I tied Oskar in the front yard with a sign saying “Will Shed for Food”…it seemed to work, as he was still plump and shedding when we returned 3 days later. Just joking – he stayed behind to go surfing, and knows how to work the stove and DVD player. He hardly noticed we were gone.

You can see pics of the weekend at:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9QbN3Lhm1Y9Q

Magpies Attack!

2005-09-23T09:16:00.000+10:00

On one of our job sites there is an aggressive magpie protecting it's nest.
Apparently it will swoop down and attack any time you turn your back on it.
See what the big strong construction workers have resorted to for protection from this fierce creature.
One guy is wearing a milk crate on his head, and the other has a stuffed animal attached to his back to fool the bird into thinking that he hasn't "turned his back".

More Mirror World

2005-09-11T20:40:00.000+10:00

(hw)

In Mirror World, car/truck hybrids (think: "El Camino") are considered cool, and are offered by most car manufacturers.

The common 3-hole binder is merely a 2-hole binder.

"Thongs" refers to footwear, not underwear. Understanding this distinction can be important - for example when a coworker suggests wearing thongs to the office for casual Friday.

Huh?!?

Both worlds have a fascination with a boring sport where men stand around scratching themselves in a field while a ball is hurled at a batsman. In MW the bat is rectangular (roughly) and they bounce the ball on the way to the batter. They take breaks for tea. The boring factor is also taken to new heights: a game of cricket lasts literally for days, often ending in a draw.

Rent here is charged weekly (an extra 4 weeks to pay!). It is collected monthly however, on the day you moved in, rather than the beginning of the month.

Mirror world uses "fortnights" as a measurement of time.

The Boardroom

2005-09-11T19:56:00.000+10:00

(hw)

Behold the photo of our growing quiver of surf riding vehicles. Candace replaced her snapped board a few weeks ago with that gorgeously white 6'-5" egg in the center. She has made the leap to a "shortboard", and is finding it easier to carry to the beach (and looks good doing it).

I too added a board - that brownish beat up Brazilian knock-off is my new shorebreak ripper, and it is performing admirably despite the pound of fiberglass resin that I had to add to get it operational. It is a nice complement to the yellow big-wave bannana, and I don't really need to worry about it getting stolen.

Waves have been lackluster lately...today was a bit messy and shoulder-high; good for a few fun ones though. If you want to see our beach "live", and check our conditions for yourself, try this link:
http://www.coastalwatch.com/camera/cameras_large.aspx?cam=3500&mode=&state=NSW

Note that with the time difference, you may just see a live shot of the darkness.

Mirror World

2005-08-29T18:55:00.000+10:00

(hw)

Mirror World

Consider the wide variety of cultures in the world and the colorful, and sometimes vast, differences that exist between them. In this global perspective, the cultural differences between the United States and Australia are negligible. In fact, Australia and the U.S. are so surprisingly similar that Australia may edge out Canada in the running for being the U.S.’s default 51st state. This is especially reinforced in the political arena. Aussies themselves will make similar statements (but don’t you Americans dare make them).

Both countries (U.S. and Australia) watch the same or similar television, watch the same movies, listen to the same music, have similar governments in power, and buy from the same or similar multinational corporations. I have heard more Portland bands on the radio down here than I did when I lived in Portland. A U.S. citizen would likely experience far more culture shock moving to England than they would living Down Under.

Yet differences exist. Small differences. Odd differences. Subtle differences. It looks the same, but somehow it’s just not quite the same. Borrowing a term from William Gibson, I have started referring to this phenomenon as “Mirror World” – it is as though the U.S. culture has been reflected in a mirror that is slightly distorted, with the resulting image being reversed (as in driving on the left) and subtly altered.

These small differences may not be as exotic and colorful as comparisons drawn against nomadic steppe cultures, floating boat cities, or country folk in Tennessee, but they fascinate me none the less.

I hope to describe a few of these things for you here, and occasionally drop in a few more under a heading referring to Mirror World, as I collect them.

In the U.S. ketchup is an omnipresent condiment – in Oz it is a ubiquitous brown sludge called “barbeque sauce”. You will be asked “Want sauce on that, love?” as the bottle is already being squeezed phbbbtttt onto your meal. And I’m not just talking burgers – watch your fine meals folks.

Language is a constant source of amusement. There is nothing like sitting in a meeting full of blinking business men bewildered or annoyed because you just referred to the aluminum schedule (Uh-loo-min-um sked-jul). Finally one will clear his throat and, pronouncing the words slowly for my benefit, say the Al-yoo-min-ee-um is Shhed-yool-ed to arrive on Monday next.

There is an entertainment personality named Amanda Keller. In Aussie her name is Amander Kella.

Both countries have governments that are cut from the same mold. John Howard is one of GW Bush’s staunchest allies, and his international and domestic policies could easily be considered solidly Republican. Yet here in Mirror World, John Howard’s party is perplexingly named the Liberal Party.

Continuing in politics, G.W. Bush is famously inarticulate, requires much rehearsal for his very few public statements, and never ever allows an unscripted press conference. Here in Mirror World, John Howard is on the news practically every single night, surrounded by reporters, speaking articulately and at length about any subject that gets thrown at him. One may not like his politics, but there is no question about his competency.

Ciao for now – but just remember:
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

Galveston, oh, Galveston

2005-08-16T19:03:00.000+10:00

The other morning I was suddenly transported to a memory of walking to middle school. It was one of our first mornings in our new apartment in Manly, I had just walked out the door and started to head for the ferry, when all my senses took me back to middle school. I think it was the warm sun, the humidity, the smell of the sea and the sound of palm fronds in the breeze – a typical Galveston day.

Manly is fairly quiet this time of year – lots of day trippers on the weekends, browsing the shops, restaurants and the beach, but otherwise, calm during the week. I think during the summer it transforms into a bustling little beach spot with the longer days and regular beach goers. The “Corso” (the main pedestrian through-way) that links the ferry to the beach is a funny mix of tacky trinket shops, name brand beach shops, fast-food eateries, grocery store, cafes, news agencies, banks, pubs, etc. – essentially there’s something for everyone. It’s tacky and semi-maintained in a typical low-key beach town type of way (i.e. like Galveston), but pleasant enough with trees and outdoor benches and picnic tables. It’s no Monterey and we like it like that – something for everyone and flip flops are okay. One also notices the mix of people – different ages, nationalities, locals, tourists, travelers – there have been a number of times I’ve overheard French being spoken which always makes me smile. I think that Manly has a fairly significant transient population – between the travelers who may be here a few months to a year and the foreign transplants (like us) – I think the locals maybe number two thirds the populations. The advantages are that there’s always something going on somewhere – and lots of opportunities to buy good housewares second hand – but it is funny mix of Australia and the rest of the world. I suppose that’s true for all of Sydney.

Finally got a fridge! Rentals here do not come with fridge – its BYOF only. Finally, we have dairy to die for – lots of yoghurt and ice cream! Although, as it turns out, fridge-free living is possible as long as you go to the grocery store daily and forgo ice cream and yogurt - eggs, butter and cheese are fine stored on the counter – and milk had lasted up to 3 days without spoilage (we didn’t test beyond that). And since we didn’t have ice cream, we substituted cookies (“biscuits” here) and have become connoisseurs as a result of sampling the very extensive selection – Tim Tams and Chocolate Deluxe scored very well.

(cc)

a day in the life

2005-08-05T20:10:00.000+10:00

Vittoria coffee
9:20 church bells
palm trees stately
fig tree allee
terrace houses of innumerable variation
sandstone, iron, timber, mosaics, metal, glass
slot modern

opportunistic pocket parks
honeysuckle and jasmine flowers
sneak peeks beyond front doors and garden walls

harbour side strolls, balmy
sandy beaches, crystal water
penguins, lorikeets and cockatoos

6:30 SBS
doppio doughboy
sunset bird calls
dusk, bats alight

(cc)

why drive when you can walk?!

2005-08-05T17:37:00.000+10:00

(cc)

(this is an entry from several weeks ago, prior to moving to Manly – but still gives a glimpse of life in Sydney)

So I have to admit that I feel so lucky to walk to work. There’s nothing like a healthy walk to get the blood a-flowin’, to get the head cleared, to connect to one’s neighborhood and fellow city-dwellers. Prior to being in Manly, we were living in a delightful (!) part of the city……here’s a vignette:

My walk to work is about 40 minutes and takes me through an interesting cross section of town. It’s sort of like riding the #2 bus in Seattle from the CD to Queen Anne – you see it all in 45 minutes.

typical sandstone terrace house

The neighborhood we call home is called Potts Point – and is rather swank. A recently re-discovered area, it is now filling up with yuppies buying up the real estate and upmarket restaurants, shops and markets are sprinkled about. It is a convenient 20 minute walk to downtown and the Botanical gardens, 5 minutes to Elizabeth Bay and marina for harbour-side strolling. I think most considered it “hidden” behind the glare of red light district and thus previously undesirable. I actually have found that in someways it reminds me so much of Paris – the architecture is not parisien at all, but somehow the ambiance is.

one of my favorite art deco buildings

The scale of the streetscape is similar (2-6 storey buildings) with housing above business – and many of the buildings are architecturally significant – ranging from art deco to 50’s modern to a few contemporary. The shops are a range of eateries, grocers, specialty shops and hair stylists – we hardly have to walk far to buy just about anything we might need. And there’s even a French patisserie serving excellent croissant, pain au chocolat and palmiers! (that must have something to do with it…)
actually, I think it’s also the liveliness of the street day and evening – and all the different smells (some pleasant, some not) and sounds that one experiences while strolling down the sidewalk – one really feels connected to the neighborhood. And we’ve recently been told that Potts Point/Elizabeth bay neighborhood is the densest urban area in all of Australia!
Urban indeed.

Oceania

2005-07-26T12:49:00.000+10:00

(cc)

Had an excellent (wish it were typical!) day last weekend – started with a dive at 6:30, breakfast on the terrace overlooking the ocean by 9, surfing by 11:00, a paddle out to Creepy Point before returning to the beach and nothing much after that.

I was invited to dive with Derek, Vince, and Justin – we had met last year on a dive down in Jervis Bay (excellent diving! which had included a swim-through a narrow tunnel and cave). This morning we were diving off of Shelley Beach near Manly (northern beach where Hunter and I are living). I couldn’t remember the last time I had gotten up before dawn for fun and adventure – it felt great! Especially since as As a novice diver, this was going to be my first shore dive – which isn’t any more complicated other than one has to don all one’s equipment (wet suit aka “wettie,” air tank and weight belt) and walk to the entry point (fins in hand). That was by far the hardest part of the entire day – we had about 150 meters to walk – and I could barely go uphill. The entry was fairly easy since the swell was small – a few strategic moves on large submerged rocks got us out to deep water. The highlights of the dive were two huge cuttle fish (about 3 feet long and spectacular) and several Weedy Sea Dragons (or Seedy Weed Dragons as I kept saying). These creatures are amazing – they look literally like the dragons in storybooks, but without claws – they have the head of a sea horse, but with leafy-looking appendages and a very long tail – they are other-worldly to say the least – and about 12 inches long – and they just hover down around the sea weed.

the weedy seadragon (common in the Sydney waters):

cuttlefish (related to the octopus and squid) are fascinating to watch as they change color and texture to camoflage:

Towards the end of the dive we cruised by an underwater motorcycle – conveniently propped up for photo-opts I would imagine. I find that diving challenges one’s visual perception – often I’m not quite sure what I’m seeing, but something catches my eye that seems different or odd – and that’s when one discovers a camouflaged animal or plant encrusted motorcycle. We exited at the now bustling Shelley beach where it was all but deserted when we entered the ocean other than two lovers watching the sun-rise.

After a quick rinse at the beach shower, we were off (slowly and lumbering) to change at the car and get a bite to eat nearby. By 11, I had rendezvous with Hunter for a surf session (piddly waves), but the water was lovely, so we got in anyway and eventually paddled about 500 meters out across to Creepy Point (our name for the heads that wrap the south end of Manly and Shelley). Creepy Point’s a tricky surf spot – and there were excellent longboarding waves to be had, but alas, our boards are too short – we need to add to our stock soon…….but it was fun to paddle out and check out the spot. Mighty shallow……pick your spot to wipe out carefully – rocky boulder bottom. We paddled out further - around to the open-ocean side of the point there were two grommets (i.e. kids) riding a short, heavy wave on their body boards – they had guts, those groms, as the wave emptied out on a rock shelf and exposed rocks – and they had scaled down the rock bluff to get there in the first place - did their moms know they were out here?? “hey mum, we’re going to Manly beach for a surf, righty-o?”…..likely story. I’m sure I’ve used that line before, too….

Our New Digs

2005-07-25T14:19:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

As mentioned briefly before, our living circumstances have changed considerably for the better. It was a struggle to find a place to live in Manly, but our new place has exceeded our expectations. Here is a more descriptive post about our new home.

Most importantly, it has a heater – something that is pretty rare around these parts. I say “a heater” rather than just “heat”, because it is literally just a single unit in the living room only. I can’t understand why heaters are rare in Sydney – it is cold enough that we spend most evenings jockeying for position in front of the little burner.

The apartment is incredibly quiet. Though we live in a four-unit building, we never hear a sound from our neighbors. The other night I took Oskar out for his night walk and realized that the unit next door was having a lively party…couldn’t tell from our apartment. All the walls in this place are plaster on masonry – not many sounds get through them.

Our street is also incredibly quiet. It is quite a change from the Darlinghurst days of late-night revelers, traffic, and constant all-hours trash dumpster emptying. I am still haunted by the “beep-beep-beep ker-ash!!” of those trucks in my dreams. It is quiet enough here to be almost eerie sometimes, and I have to go outside to look around and make sure that we didn’t miss the Rapture or something.

We are located at the top of a sandstone hill overlooking Manly beach. Outside of our building we can see both the ocean and the harbour. From the apartment, however, we can only see the front yard. It’s called a “garden outlook” in real estate parlance. The people in the two units on the other side of our building have what is known as an “ocean outlook”, and we hate them for it and plot ways to arrange a vacancy.

At the bottom of our hill is the Manly Oval. For no apparent reason all the play fields around here are ovals. I think it has to do with that zany game “the cricket”, but all they seem to play on the Oval is rugby – which requires a rectangular field. Regardless, one can be regularly entertained by large men in bright colors ripping the heads off one another on the Oval. When this is not taking place, a border collie has been seen chasing frisbees on the elliptical lawn.

Next to the Oval is our very own neighborhood lawn bowling club. Candace is, predictably, quite excited. Also next to the Oval is a grass-court tennis club (THAT should get my parents to come visit). There is also a nice terraced park with tropical plants and biodegradable doggie-bag dispensers. Some nights, men play bagpipes on the porch of the fieldhouse. Other nights there is “Rock and Bowl” at the lawn bowling club; I have actually witnessed people lawn bowling to Billy Idol.

At the bottom of our steep little hill (about 3 block-equivalents away) is Manly central. Here the shops, cafes, variety stores, and you-name-it are clustered in the three blocks remaining between the Oval and the Ocean. This shopping/entertainment zone spreads roughly from the Oval to the Ferry Wharf on Sydney Harbour, about 5 blocks away - though it dribbles out both ends along the beach. We are located so very conveniently to the beach and the shopping and the ferry, but nicely removed from any commotion by our little hill.

Back to the apartment. It is spacious, with high ceilings and ornate crown molding. We have deliberations about what to call the off-white/tan-ish/yellow-with-the-slightest-tinge-of-green color, but the term “sand” is perhaps the tidiest and is not associated with bodily fluids in any way. The floors are hardwood throughout, medium brown (light walnut?), with a glossy and seriously durable gymnasium-style clear finish on top. This floor is not afraid of Oskar’s nails.

We have two good size bedrooms, one of which came with a nice wood armoire. The bathroom is small but nicely appointed. The kitchen is also on the small side, but with lots of cabinetry, and stainless steel Miele appliances. We actually have a dishwasher now, but ironically we don’t own enough dishes to justify running it.

For now the walls are all bare, and the rooms are echoey. A few pieces of Ikea lurk in the expanses of flooring. In a surprise reversion back to college decorative techniques, we are featuring a milk-crate television stand.

A newcomer has arrived to challenge the collegiate design scheme: a brown micro-suede loveseat with matching square cube ottoman. Yes, we have a “cube” - it was inevitable, as they seem to be multiplying like tribbles across the home furnishings world. The couch gives the living room the sense of legitimacy it needed to feel lived-in, and we are now less likely to be run out by neighbors who mistake us for squatters.

For pictures of the new abode, check out the following link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeoNm7lwzasZM

00

Visas at Last

2005-07-21T14:42:00.000+10:00

We are now official "long-stay business Visa" holders!
Yesterday we finally got the sticker in our passports that allows us to reside and work (legally) in Australia. Our tourist visas having long since expired, we were riding along on a "bridging visa" and holding our breath - if there was a problem with the application, we could have been instantly deported.

Special thanks to Candace's employer Luigi Rosselli for the sponsorship. Without this, we would have been forced to surrender 13% or more of every paycheck to one of the Sponsorship Agencies that prey on foreign workers.

Loving our new place in Manly! More on that soon, I promise.
Shoot us an email if you want the address.

Wwwwiiipe ooouuut!

2005-07-11T08:51:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

Here’s the scene:
Strong gusts blow with bouts of rain, interspersed with dramatic sun breaks and rainbows. The marine service warns of heavy seas of up to 3.5 meters. The temperature drops enough that some people wear knit caps with their flip flops.

Into this scene appears a wetsuit clad figure, striding confidently down the hill towards the beach. A gust almost takes the surfboard out of her hands. Slightly less confidently, she strides on. The Manly locals whinge at the weather, but it is old hat for this Oregon Coast trained water-girl.

The waves march in toward the beach in tall dark lines, throwing white plumes of spray behind them in the off-shore winds, and pitching forward – booming – into the shallower water.

Tourists huddle in pockets and one asks “are you going out there?” She nods with a slight smile. Crosses the beach and strokes out into the surf.

Later, the tourists are in even more awe as she leaves the water holding a greater number of objects than she had when she entered. (see picture below)

Bummer, dudette.

Jervis Bay

2005-07-04T19:51:00.000+10:00

(by hunter)

Despite the fact that we have yet to spend a weekend in our new apartment in Manly (and have practically no furniture, or even a refrigerator yet), this weekend we went to Currarong Beach near Jervis Bay with Tom & Ania & Ella Bergstrom and their assorted friends. We rented a beach house, and packed it out with 8 adults, 2 babies, and 2 dogs.

We saw wallabies on a walk in Booderee National Park, and found some beautiful stretches of coast and bushland. We got a little bit of good surfing in, and a lot of good socializing and barbecuing. As usual, the time flew by far too quickly.

Happy 4th of July, to those of you in the USA!

Living in Manly at last!

2005-06-27T18:20:00.000+10:00

A quick note to say that we have finally made our residence in Manly! It took 3 months, 4 residences, and countless hours of effort resulting in repeated rejection by realtors because of our dog. Finally, last weekend the planets aligned, and we found not one but 4 places that accepted us, Oskar and all.

The two biggest contenders were:

a 3 bedroom, shabby-but-acceptable place that we can't afford, a mere one block from the beach; or
a 2 bedroom, much nicer place that we can't afford (but less so), about 6 blocks from the beach.

We took the 2 bedder, and it is very nice. Quite large, hardwood throughout, immaculate finishes, modern kitchen and bath. At least it feels like we are getting close to what we are paying for!

We spent our first night there last night, after arriving at our new place around 10pm with a queen size mattress, a bed frame, two folding chairs, a lounge chair, 4 small baskets, 3 pillows, and a side table all mostly in a Toyota Corolla. Have you already guessed "Ikea"? Tonight the assembly begins...

Stay LEFT

2005-06-20T18:07:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

Ken, our flatmate, asked us to take care of the “spotty dog” (the Dalmatian Igby) while he was out of town last week. As a deal sweetener, he offered us the use of his car. Man, did we take full advantage of that!

I sure hope he didn’t look at the odometer before he left, because Candace and I logged some serious klicks. We had the added benefit of a three-day weekend (thanks to the Queen for living another year) to get the most use out of the vehicle.

We spent the first day doing “work” - house hunting in Manly, and exploring the adjacent, more outlying, areas. We sure can visit a lot more open-houses when we don’t have to walk to each of them.

That night we drove out to “little Italy” - the Sydney suburb of Leichart – for a nice dinner. The guide books all mention an Italian meal at Leichart as an attraction, so we dutifully trooped over there. Our authentic Italian food was skillfully prepared and served by cheerful Asians. Viva Italia!

The next day we got up early and drove out to the Blue Mountains for a scenic drive and a nice hike. The mountains evidently appear blue due to a fine mist of eucalyptus oil exuded from the trees. The landscape is characterized by dramatically precipitous limestone cliffs, waterfalls, and gum trees. We hiked the “Grand Canyon” trail, which was an incredibly beautiful hike, but not at all grand in the “large size” meaning of the word; the “splendid” meaning of the word grand is more accurate. The canyon was quite narrow and lush, and the trail wound dramatically around pools, behind waterfalls, and under projecting rock ledges. It was one beautiful glen after another; grotto-a-lotto. We got out of the canyon in time to watch the sun set, and then join the flood of holiday drivers headed back to Sydney.

The last day we took the dogs and our surfboards out to the farthest of Sydney’s “northern beaches” – Palm Beach. The dogs got plenty of running in the park, and we got plenty of good uncrowded surfing in the head high waves. We packed a picnic and made a full day of it.

I have effectively made the switch to the left hand side of the road, without (much) incident. I knew the mental switch had taken hold when I saw an American program on TV and my instant reaction was “whoa, get back in the correct lane”. Please keep an eye on me when I come back to visit the US…

I paid Ken back for his vehicular generosity by accidentally leaving his dome light on, and draining his battery. We may not have another road weekend for awhile, I imagine.

Cloud House over Oz

2005-06-20T18:00:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

We have already received our first visitors from the Great Northwest! …not that we were quite ready to properly host them. At the time (end of April), we were pretty much fresh off the plane ourselves. Now that I have picture evidence to go along with the story, I can tell you about it.

Three Portland architects are getting recognition all the way down here in Australia. Edward Running, Shem Harding, and Kim Pannan teamed up to enter, in their spare time, an international housing design competition for Melbourne – and they won! In addition to being one of the select few winning entries, their design has the added prestige of having been chosen for likely production.

For more specifics on the Cloud House and the meteoric rise of these architectural rock stars, you can go to the competition website:
http://www.vicurban.com/merch/afford_home_comp_winners/index.html
or email the architects at:
cloudteam2004@yahoo.com.

The guys were brought down to give a talk about their design at a conference in Melbourne, and managed to see a bit more of Australia in the bargain. It was on their swing through Sydney that we got to see Shem and Edward and friend/architect/portlandian Noelle Elliott for a couple evenings.

Thanks you three for the fun and conversation (and Oregon Pinot Noir!). Best of luck with your well-deserved successes.

.

Rome wasn’t built in a day….

2005-06-09T18:23:00.000+10:00

(cc)

Thanks, Sophie, for reminding me of the patience, determination, and hard work it takes to bring a dream to its fruition. Indeed, Rome is still in its infancy here – still trying to get the infrastructure in place. One step at a time…..

One first step of success is my new job in a little architecture firm. Harkening from Milan, Luigi Rosselli has been here creating architecture for almost 17 years. He runs a laid-back yet focused office with 4 architects under his supervision. We crossed paths because a friend of mine in Paris is a good friend of his wife, so Isabel connected me up with them. As it turns out, Luigi is a very well respected architect here who has won many awards for his high-end residential projects and swank restaurant designs. I was lucky enough in timing – Luigi asked me to help out for a month on a house remodel and pool addition (!) – and in the meantime, they’ve won a competition for a winery which I will be heading up in July – I’m jazzed about my job to say the least. They didn’t have room for me in their tiny office, so I’m actually in a room by myself two floors up – a bit lonely, but they’ve set me up with a radio and my own printer, so when I come to work, I almost feel like I’m coming into my own office. The bonus is that I have a nice view over the street and huge amounts of desk space – and I get to pick the radio station.

Other than setting up my workspace, my first task at work was to drive to the planning department to pick up a project model that our office needed back – Luigi handed me the address, the keys to his car and then thought he might ask if I’m comfortable driving here (they drive on the left hand side). I responded that I hadn’t driven here, but I have an excellent driving record and thought I would be fine. He agreed that it was easy enough and advised that if I saw a car in front of me driving toward me to simply move to the left and all would be okay. With that, I set off in his nice car to Waverley council – and returned without incident.

So, I’m jazzed to work on this pool project – just a few weeks ago I was thinking to myself how great it would be to design an aquatic facility here (Australians take their pool design seriously) – so when Luigi offered me this job, as modest of a pool that it is, I figured it was a sign. That and the fact that he used the term “olde worlde” (in his Italian accent) to describe one of his more conservative clients – with that kind of humor, it confirmed my hunch that this office was a good fit. Ah…..the pool project – this client’s house is quite grand, in a very up-market neighborhood on the harbour. From the house’s terrace, you can watch sailboats glide by on the water – or you can even drop through the yard to the gate which leads to a path to a little strip of beach and the local yacht club. The new pool will sit nicely in the lower terrace of the yard – with a modest pool house for entertaining (all louvered walls and sliding glass panels) and frangipani trees for shade (we’re losing the lillypilli trees).

And did I mention the espresso machine? It seems that no office can function properly without readily available espresso. Luigi’s is no exception – so there’s coffee made to order at 10 (traditional coffee/tea break) – and then espresso after lunch. And Corado seems more than happy to show off his barista training by making everyone coffee everyday. Needless to say, my formerly non existent coffee habit is a thing of the past…..a cappuccino is mighty nice at 10!

Oh, and to follow up on Hunter’s lawn bowling entry, I must confirm that, yes, I’m a big fan. I haven’t been this excited about a game since UEC (Ultimate Extreme Croquet) debuted on the Kitsap peninsula April 2004 – Brett can attest to the high adrenaline rush of cut-throat UEC. Lawn bowling doesn’t share that, but it does have the same find-a-safe-place-for-your-beer strategy and knock-your-opponent-out tactic. Plus, what nicer way to spend a sunny afternoon with friends – a little sport with leisurely conversation, good beer and snacks, nice scenery - and most lawn bowl clubs are very well sited with some of the most sought after views.

Visa Vista

2005-06-09T18:22:00.000+10:00

(cc)

8 June – a notable date – we’ve officially submitted for our long-stay visa and sponsorship. After a thwarted attempt with another agency and after a week of gathering documents, scanning them, writing essays on why we should be allowed to work and stay here, our destiny is now in the hands of the Australian immigration department. I haven’t felt so much weighing in on my future since my college applications! Luigi proof read the essays and though they sounded like something issued by the state department – not sure if that was positive or not, but at minimum it has some sort of official-ness about it. I hope the immigration officials are convinced! Unfortunately, since I am the sponsored visa applicant and Hunter is the secondary applicant on my sponsorship, I will not be able to teach sailing like I was hoping. Oh well - I figure that there will be other opportunities to sail and get out on the water – first things first – like a long-stay visa and a sponsored job. We should hear back in 2-4 weeks if we are accepted – in the meantime, we’re moving forward on good faith. Btw, if anyone needs advise or tips on applying for an Australian visa, I think we’re feeling like experts now, so feel free to ask us anything.

Back on the Chain Gang

2005-06-06T19:13:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

Thanks for all your collective job-related well wishes (someone? anyone?); I am happy to report that it worked! Last Friday I was in the enviable yet difficult position of choosing between 3 different employment offers.

There was a Big firm, a Medium company, and a Small office to choose from. I have decided to give the small office a shot, and foray back into smaller commercial projects and residential work. For starters I will be working on a nice modern house situated on a dramatic beach cliff. I can't wait for the site visits. I look forward to a construction document set that I can actually lift without throwing out my back. I start Wednesday.

Rollin' a Lawn

2005-06-06T15:43:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

Last weekend we participated in another classic Aussie activity…we went lawn bowling. A sport favored by the geriatric set, it is similar to shuffleboard on grass, but with balls. (It occurs to me that the previous sentence could be interpreted a few different ways – please take only the most benign and direct meaning.) Similar to shuffleboard, horseshoes, and bocce, the main object of the game is really just to gab with your mates and drink beer. Why this sport isn’t catching on with the younger set, I can’t fathom.

To introduce us to this Australian institution, we talked our dear Aussie friends Ania & Tom into joining us on the pitch. (Tom is actually Aussie-by-marriage, but he has a convincing enough accent now to earn the title) Neither of them having ever played (!), we ended up getting the club staff to help us out.

The club staff set us up on a pitch well away from the very serious looking gaggle of white-clad octogenarians where our errant bowling wouldn’t cause consternation. Ania proved that she did know a thing-or-two about bowling after all by immediately fetching beers. Tom and Ania’s adorable young daughter Ella was provided with her very own mini bowling set which she put to immediate use in a far more spirited version of the game.

Lawn bowling is intended to occur in a down-and-back fashion; roll balls in one direction, then walk across and play them back again. Since glass was not allowed on the pitch, it effectively meant that snacking and drinking was limited to every other round (short of walking all the way around the pitch rather than directly across it). This would not do. A game of this effort and athleticism requires frequent nourishment, so we straight away altered the game to play in one direction only. Our version works thusly – roll the balls down the pitch and then stand around chatting; eventually someone decides it would be nice to play another round and fetches all of the balls from the other end. Brilliant.

Candace especially took to the game, and was already talking about her potential to “rule the green” with a bit o’ practice. I haven’t seen her this excited about a game since that croquet weekend with Brett in Seattle.

More pics of this day of exertion are available at:
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeoNm7lwzasYq

Episodic

2005-05-30T11:49:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

Last evening we went directly from having a chat with an actual astronomer to seeing Star Wars III. To do so seemed both fitting and ironic at the same time. Both the movie and our conversation had a good bit to do with politics, war, and an empire.

It was good to note that, even in the Star Wars universe, contractors take forever to finish their projects. We see the Death Star under construction at the end of the latest movie - Luke & Leia are newborn babies. In Episode 4, the Death Star still isn't finished and Luke and Leia are adults. By this measure, UC Merced is being completed rapidly.

If necessary for the future, I have plans that locate the UC Merced exhaust ports.

In and Out of Work

2005-05-26T13:34:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

Finally a “job status” post…

There have been significant developments on the employment front. After weeks of searching and interviewing and negotiating, Candace and I both secured jobs within days of each other. A few days later, I quit. Seriously. More on that in a minute.

Candace is working for a small architecture office that does mostly high-end housing, but recently won a competition for a winery. The office has about a half dozen people, and they do good work. Candace will be initially working on a very upscale house addition and pool. She has been going into the office occasionally to get settled, but can’t officially begin work until the visas are changed over. Her employer is pretty laid back about the timing of the project, which allows Candace time to settle in and also pursue other things…such as sailing. On a whim, she applied to be a sailing instructor at a local yacht club, was accepted, and is now training to be an instructor with the club. What this means is lots of free sailing for her! Once she gets her own class, she will actually be paid to sail around on the beautiful Sydney harbour – a prospect that seems too good to be true.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I took a position at a large high-profile firm. On the surface, it seemed ideal – an upper-level position, decent salary, a large international firm. Just what some people might consider ideal. Notice I said “some people”…obviously I am not including myself in that group. I will now try to do some explaining...

I pursued and accepted the position knowing that it wasn’t really where I ultimately wanted to be, but it seemed an acceptable means to an end. Of course I can’t expect to move to another country and get an ideal job, right? This I knew and (still) willingly accept. But there is only so far one can go.

It starts with the bait and switch: I was tantalized with an interesting sounding project and then was given a different project. This is a groaner, but not uncommon in the architectural hiring process.

Then you get the distinct feeling that the office doesn’t seem to care that you have started: no desk, no computer, no one willing to spend any time giving you an introduction to the office, and no one willing to introduce the project to you, even when pursued. Not even so little as providing the work done-to-date for me to review. The four person (!) computer team tells me of a computer in the office which I need to disconnect myself, carry across the office and set up at a desk that I unearthed. The computer doesn’t work.

The next day the computer has been fixed/replaced, but needs software. I log on to find that my name is misspelled in the computer system – which affects the auto signature in emails, the directory, etc. Not too big a deal, except that I can’t change it. In fact, I can’t change anything. The computer is locked down so tight that you can’t save anything to your own computer, much less customize settings, toolbars, or any of the usual things. I was restricted from making Google my default homepage. It was security that would make NASA proud. No personal files allowed at all on your computer. No shortcuts can be saved to the desktop. Nothing can be changed from the way it is set up, even your choice of font. All correspondence is monitored and is “company property” – typical legalese, I know, but this company made it clear that they were actively searching for infractions, and gave lurid examples of past employee’s infractions regarding the storage of their private information.

This company had a mandatory system for everything. I have worked at some pretty corporate firms with standards a-plenty (heck, I have even been on the Standards Committee), but I have never experienced anything on this scale of scope and rigidity.
There was a form for everything, and an accompanying ponderous bureaucratic process. I was told not to speak directly to an administrative assistant, receptionist, or IT support – I had to submit my request on an electronic form, in a queue, and they would get to it eventually.

I could go on for some time in this vein, but I fear I am already at risk of sounding petty. This is all to paint a picture of the firm: super-corporate, highly rigidized, grey and oppressive. Have you seen the movie “Office Space”? Similar to the movie, the environment of the office has taken a draining toll on the employees - there was no one with a pulse in this place.

Much worse, the architectural approach of the office to my project was astoundingly careless. Described to me by the firm as “just a tin-foil and glass box addition”, it was an addition to a large international airport in a very hot climate (specifics held back on purpose). Their response to this challenge was an arbitrarily shaped (not responding to solar orientation or context), un-insulated curtain wall of glass and sheet metal. Seriously, there was no insulation at all, except “perhaps” a thin layer to dampen the sound of falling rain on the metal. No sun shading on the floor to ceiling glass at all. When I asked about this, they said “no worries, we have plenty of air conditioning”; and indeed they did, the units took up a good 1/4 of the floor space.

There was also no waterproofing membrane backing up the sheet metal – it was just sheet metal screwed straight to structure. No sheathing, vapor barrier, etc. The only exit path in case of an emergency was across the roof of the existing building, in the open air, and into an existing access stair intended only for maintenance access. There was not ANY stair, much less a fire stair, to/from the space – only an elevator and escalator. And this didn’t seem to concern anyone.

And this architectural quality is from a “prominent”, “respected” and international firm. They have offices in at least seven countries. Furthermore, you should read the hypocritical jabber about “sustainable design” that they use for marketing.

I think many an architect has had to proceed with projects that compromise on issues that we feel passionate about as professionals. This is to be expected to varying degrees on most projects. However, decent firms struggle against these negative forces, and do what they can within their power. Far too common, however, are the firms that think nothing of providing the quick and disposable architecture asked for by those whose only focus is short-term bottom line. The corporate world is exporting this brand of placeless, expedient architecture at the cost of cultural and climactic distinctions, and our dwindling natural resources. As thousands die in wars waged to protect access to diminishing power supplies, can I possibly justify participating in architecture that blatantly disregards even a token guesture toward building performance?

So it didn’t take long until I realized that I was climbing in bed with the Enemy. Candace, responding to my imagery, summed them up perfectly: they were The Borg, and I was being assimilated (that’s a Star Trek reference for the uninitiated).

Adding insult to injury, they wanted me to switch from AutoCad to ArchiCad. Ha!

Thus, after a few days in this lovely place, I ran away screaming - for better or worse. I could not imagine being associated with the work coming out of that place, nor could I imagine spending the better part of my waking hours in that environment. I hope that this doesn’t make me appear to be a primadonna. I think the architects out there understand that this profession is a labor of love, and therein the reward lies; there certainly isn’t adequate compensation coming from other avenues.

Candace was wonderfully compassionate as I discussed this dilemma with her. Despite the difficulty that might effect us both if I don’t secure employment soon, she was supportive of my need to let this “bird-in-hand” fly away, because...well... it was a sick pigeon.

So I’m back on the search. Wish me luck.

Honey I Shrunk the Van

2005-05-15T12:53:00.000+10:00

Some Oz favorites:

Tiny, tiny cars (See picture of van above). Most car manufacturers offer very compact vehicles – yes, even the American companies that refuse to offer them to the U.S. market.
Sitting in a park and being enveloped in a spinning flock of wild cockatoos: squawking loudly, and back-lit by the setting sun, their pure white feathers and sulphur colored crests glowing as though internally lit.
Surfing with penguins: Manly Beach is the home to a species of miniature penguin called a “fairy penguin”. One of these cute little aquatic birds caught a minnow so close to me I could have reached out and wrestled it away.
SBS: This is Australia’s equivalent of PBS (U.S. Public Television), but it is better. Their news program is the best I’ve seen: concise, thorough, international, non-bias. In addition, they offer international news programs from around the globe in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Arabic, and possibly other languages. The other programming is varied, but of high quality: documentaries, comedy, movies. They play a movie most evenings – unedited, without commercial interruption, often international. Last night I watched a very good Croatian movie. This month is “Kubrick Season” with a documentary about, and the complete works of, director Stanley Kubrick (2001 A Space Odyssey, Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, etc.). This is television with substance.

Movin' on Up

2005-05-15T12:49:00.000+10:00

We have just moved into our 4th residence since arriving in Sydney. It’s not time to unpack yet – this is just one more rung up the ladder to that glorious and elusive “place we want to live”. For the uninitiated, the PWW2L is defined as: any place in Manly that allows a dog.

Things such as electricity, plumbing, insulation, and stunning views are all optional; we are open for negotiation. One would think that our combined income and a willingness to spend 2/3 of our take home pay on rent would make this search relatively easy, but not so.

In the meantime, we have moved from the tiny studio apartment into a less-expensive, spacious, 2 bedroom top-floor apartment with a balcony and a nice view of the harbo(u)r. Seriously. And dogs are allowed. No, really. And it is in Potts Point - a good neighborhood.

Here's the view from the porch:

Before you get too excited for us, there are a few downsides. It is nowhere near the beach. We are sharing with another guy and his dog. He gets the big bedroom, we get the tiny bedroom. His dog, a sweet young Dalmatian, has totally asserted dominance over Oskar – the tough ex-con hides in our room. The apartment is almost completely unfurnished – it is a nice big expanse of hardwood floors, but with nowhere to sit and eat (however, it does have a considerable amount of Big Art, from the renowned “Home Experiment with Acrylics” school of painting). And lastly, our housemate calls our dog “Otto”, which isn’t helping his self confidence.

But man, who’s complaining?! (I mean, besides that bit in the last paragraph.) This is a real step up – heck TWO steps up – from where we were before; much more room, less noise, and less bugs. I was worried about how the housemate situation might go, but so far we hardly even see the guy. As long as we remember to wash the solitary coffee mug, all is well.

We're getting there...

xoxo, h & c

Oskar update

2005-05-02T15:32:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter):

So the dog folks out there have asked that I give an Oskar update.
He’s doing fine. He is mostly unaffected by his stay in the pokey, and aside from the tats and the flashing of gang signs he is still the same old loveable “good boy”.

But the burning question remains: does he circle the other way around before lying down (this being the Southern Hemisphere)?
Unfortunately our studio isn’t big enough for him to turn around in, so I can’t say which way he circles when he lays down.

I am happy to report that his ability to shed volumes of hair has not been compromised in the least. If that is a judge of his happiness and health, then he is thriving.

His bark is picking up a bit of an Australian twang, and he shortens and adds “...ie” onto his barks too. The driving-on-the-left-side-of-the-street thing has him pretty confused still, so I am not letting him take the car for now.

There is an excellent dog park right on the harbo(u)r at Rushcutter’s Bay, which is a short walk away. Dogs congregate there by the dozens in the evening, and Oskar has gotten pretty social. This is a change from his previous toy-fixation, but a good one. Most of the dogs are “city” dogs and only come up to Oskar’s knees. Luckily his experience with Tiki the Poodle in Portland taught him not to snack on those little furry treats, so he tolerates them stoically and even lords over them with his size and “hard-time” street cred.

He’s learning to recognize his name in Australia (“Aawska”) and respond to it.
He sends his “woo-woo” to all his mates in the Sunnyside hood, up PDX way.

Numb-ers

2005-04-28T13:31:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)

Sydney is an interesting mix of the Olde and the Moderne - which is at times very rich (like the mix and juxtaposition of architecture) and at times amusing (like the extra "e" added to the word "old" & "modern") and sometimes a bit confounding. This post is about one of the confounding bits: their "system" of street numbering.

You may roll your eyes at me and think "what's the big deal?", but after visiting dozens of architecture firms every day for the last month, one really begins to appreciate the ability to determine an approximate location in advance of hitting the pavement.

In the typical rational American city (not that they ALL are... ) each block is numbered from a common starting point, and progresses in common increments from block to block. Thus the 300 block on one street is adjacent to the 300 block on another parallel street. This allows one to look at a map, and figure out on which block a given address is located. This is a good thing.

Here in Olde Worlde Sydney, street numbers are as individual as the streets themselves. Numbers start where the street starts, but it seems to vary as to which end is the starting end. Even and Odd numbers progress on their own accord – one can be standing in front of “67” on one side of the street, but need to walk 4 more blocks to find “68” on the other side of the street. I have seen places where the even and odd numbers located across from each other vary by a few hundred numbers.

Also, some buildings will have multiple numbers. It isn’t uncommon for a building to be numbered “11-31 York St.” Apparently this building must have replaced a number of smaller buildings?

Sometimes the numbering will ascend as you move in a direction, only to start descending again at some seemingly random point. When you have a long street, this can mean a significant distance between possible locations of “6 Liverpool St”.

When we first started bumping into these admittedly minor but all-to-common frustrations, I grumbled about them but Candace took the point of view that they were “poetic”. As time goes on, I think she’s joining my grumbly point of view. Now THAT I find to be poetic.

What was that, again?

2005-04-24T19:44:00.000+10:00

(Warning - this post is composed entirely in Aussie-speak. If you find it hard to understand, imagine it rattled off at high velocity and in a thick accent.)

How ya goin’ mate –orright?
Candie and I hit the frog and toad after brekkie, to bludge about on the sand in our cozzies. It was good goin’, as the weather was like to fine up, and we all know that a seppo will rattle their dags to the beach in two shakes of a lamb’s tail when there is hard yakka to be done.

Being as white as a new jumpbuck, we stood out like a dunny in the desert among all the boaties and floaties. After a good basting in the sun and a paddle about with the grommies, we changed out of our togs and decided to shoot on through like the Bondi tram in search of edibles. Since we didna lug a hamper, we opted to stop and scarf some tucker at the local take-away for our afternoon tea.

I was so hungry I could eat a horse and its jockey. Neither of us wanted beige food like the battered sav, but I was willing to try the toad in a hole or pie floater. Candie told me to rack off, imbo, she was not havenit. Finally we found a place to get a spag bog with mushies, which left us full as a state school hat rack. Of course a good meal leaves one dry as a dead dingos donger, so off we go lookin for a schooner.

We went to the nearest Hotel, but it had rooms, not bevvies. The next Hotel had the rubbidy, so we plopped down for a pot. Before long the tide’s gone out, and we shouted another round. It appeared we were fixin to grog on. Candie started to rubbish the footy team on the tele, and stirred up a bit of a barney with the blokes around us. We had some lively natter, and luckily it was all in good fun, and no one chucked a mental. Never know with footy – some boofheads are like to be snitchy and spit chips if you stick your bib in, and will want to stack on a turn in a heartbeat.

Neither of us in the habit of being on the turps, we put on the wobbly boots in no time, and had to choof off before we found ourselves too faceless and liable to wake up the next day with the Joe Blakes. So we scarpered back to the flat, took Oskar for a stroll, and swung the billy for a cuppa. Yep, the day was apples, and the next looked to be just as right.
Life in Oz makes us happy as a dog with two tails.

Cheerio!

Pictures

2005-04-14T12:43:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)
Here is a link to some photographs that I took last weekend.
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeoNm7lwzasYI

Home, small Home

2005-04-14T12:00:00.000+10:00

(by: Hunter)
The job hunt continues. We may need new work shoes after all the miles we have logged. We HAVE had a couple interviews, and are holding our breath for a positive response. Don't want to say anymore on this subject lest we jinx it.

We are now living in our very own apartment...which we can't wait to get out of as soon as possible. No more needs to be said about it - let your imagination roam. It's good to know that it costs us approximately the same as that for which I am renting my Portland home, but is the size of the entry hall and much much less welcoming. Anyway, it's "home" for now, and will be until we can get paid very well for just being us - which is what I'm holding out for.

Oskar gets sprung from the Big House on Sunday, one way or another. I must get him out of there before he gets anymore prison "tats". I was fine with the "Lone Wolf" on his bicep, but when I saw "B I T E" and "T H I S" across his knuckles, I knew that he must be mixing with the daschund prison mafia, and it was time for action. I can't wait to get him back here to this spacious closet to fill it with love and hair.

There is so much to see and do in Sydney. Luckily the beauty is free, because the rest of it costs plenty. Hard to see oneself surrounded by so many interesting diversions, but feel like you can't afford them until you get employed. Soon, though.

We had a very nice dinner with an Architect named Luigi Rosselli and his wonderful family. Though he isn't hiring, it turns out one of Candace's friends is a friend of his, and he was nice enough to meet with us and give us advice and direction concerning the local marketplace. In addition, we enjoyed a excellent Italian meal and some fine wine. Thanks for your generosity Luigi!

We have plans with fellow University of Oregon graduate Tom Bergstrom and his cool wife and business partner Ania and their little daughter Ella, on Sunday. Looking forward to seeing them again.

Well that's about all for now.
peace & love, h&c

April Showers

2005-04-04T21:43:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)
The last week or so has seen Candace and me busy as can be, exploring housing options, job searching and visiting Kinkos. (Note to self: do Aussies abbreviate the name Kinkos in their typical fashion to “Kinkys”? Must look into this.)

We have a development on the housing front – we signed a rental agreement for a studio in the Darlinghurst neighborhood as a short-term solution. It gets us a place to call home close to the (pending) job interviews, allows dogs (sort of – the landlord told us to just tell the neighbors we were watching him short term for a friend), and the length of stay is totally open-ended.

The landlord is so laid back he is almost asleep, and his only request was that we give him “two weeks notice…unless you need to leave sooner than that”. Really rigid guy, that landlord. Now we can actually unpack the bags a bit, and stop living like backpackers. I will kind of miss the group kitchen though. Ok, no I won’t.

This apartment will be home until we get the massive salaries that we are demanding, after which we plan to renovate the Opera House into an apartment. Actually we will then be able to take our time to find a good permanent residence in Manly Beach, where we plan to be located if at all possible. A ferry ride to work isn’t a bad commute at all, I figure.

Here are a couple Oskar photos proving that the pup is alive and still capable of being happy:

In other news, we spent some time this weekend with a very nice group of friends. Andrew and Kelly are Aussies that live in Melbourne but know Candace from a time they lived in Seattle, and Mike and Shaune are Americans from Seattle, in Australia on holiday and to visit A & K. Still with me? All four of them, plus their beautiful young children came to Sydney for the weekend.

We spent the day at the beach sunning and surfing, and then headed back to their hotel room/apartment. Little did I know that their room was at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Sydney, with a protruding glass room that afforded a panoramic view on the city. Very nice. Just to cap it off, good old Sol decided to give us an intense sunset that kept building in intensity and lasted for the better part of an hour. Sadly, I can’t post the pics here at this time, because they are on Candace’s camera, which is back at the room. Well get them to you in another post.

In the mean time, enjoy this picture of the strange red “SURGERY” sign that is attached to a non-medical looking doorway in a back alley nearby. I hope we never have any occasion to require their services.

Just to balance out that last picture, here is a picture of a Vietnamese restaurant a couple of doors down that backs up our claim that there is more very nice Modern design per square foot in this city than just about anywhere in the world:

That’s all for now.
Best wishes to you all!

Mind the Gap

2005-04-03T11:40:00.000+10:00

Ok, here it is...
the requisite photo of the Opera House:

Good to have gotten that out of the way.

Hot Cross Buns

2005-03-27T19:39:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)
Happy Easter everyone.
Let me just say that you have never seen a chocolate easter egg until you see the ostrich size ones they have to offer down here. Whoa, that's a big egg.
Another Aussie easter delight are the hot cross buns. We sampled a pair that just came out of the bakery's oven, and it is a good thing.

Started the day off nicely having breakfast with Jason. He is a friend of one of Candace's friends in Seattle, and turned out to be a super friendly and generous bloke. He introduced us to a great part of the city called Newtown, which has a very lively street life and great shops. He described it as comparable to NYC's East Village, and Candace agreed. I wouldn't know, embarassingly.

Jason was full of useful information, and great company. He gave us an excellent overview of the city's various districts, and fielded endless questions. Thanks Jason, for everything! We look forward to seeing more of you until you leave for Seattle in a couple months.

After a great "brekky", we got a bit of a tour from Jason then set off on foot through Glebe, the University District, and then back through Newtown.

Returning to home (for now) in Potts Point, we put a nice dinner picnic together and sat on the harbo(u)r edge in a nice park on Elizabeth Bay. We tried out a box of wine - also known as "Chateau de Cardboard"- and found it to be quite good plonk.

Cheers,
H

Manly hunting

2005-03-27T19:31:00.000+10:00

(by Hunter)
Spent Saturday walking everywhere in Manly, calling every ad in the paper, and generally hitting the rental market hard. Pretty little ground gained since it was a holiday weekend, and most calls went unanswered. Had a few denials based on the "couple factor" (in "shared accommodation" places) and the "dog factor". The dog factor is going to prove to be the most challenging issue. I can identify as a landlord, but am peeved about it as a renter. I guess it about cancels out? Our newer tactic to try is wait until we meet the people and form a favorable impression before bringing up the dog thing. Might mean a lot more running around, but also might be more likely to succeed.

We rested out tired feets in a nice beachside pub, and watched some rugby on the tele. Or was it Aussie rules? Not so clear on that distinction yet, both look brutal and make US football look wimpy.

Here we are at Queenscliff, overlooking Manly Beach:

Back Blog

2005-03-27T16:59:00.000+10:00

(by: Hunter)
I have sent a number of emails to people since arriving down here. Now, without permission, I am going to raid those previous emails for my first blog entry. Hopefully this will suffice to cover the first week we were here, and bring this blog into the present.

I didn’t tell you about our 3 days in LA with Steve & Kate…we had a blast. We arrived in the morning, and Steve picked us up at the airport. Candace was coming down with a cold, and was exhausted after our last few weeks, so she stayed at his house to nap and relax. I went with Steve to Malibu to do some “location scouting” for the photo shoot they had planned for Thursday. They needed a place with wide open sky and sea and grass, so fancy houses on the hills of Malibu fit the bill – where else can one get an unobstructed view of nothing but sky and water in LA? So we toured a bunch of multi-million dollar houses. Then, we decided which one we liked best and rented it (well, Kate’s client #### rented it). The view was awesome. Afterward, we went to lunch at a place right on the ocean and billed it to #### since we had conducted “business” all day. Drove home down Sunset Boulevard. That night we went out to a fantastic sushi restaurant - some of the best tuna sashimi ever experienced.

The next day was mostly work for me getting Oskar on the flight to Sydney – it involved paperwork, money, driving crazy LA freeways, meeting with the USDA, etc. Finally got him squared away. One highlight was I took him on a hike before we left to wear him out for the flight. Steve clued me in to a place called Runyon Canyon, which climbs a canyon and hills right behind Hollywood. Saw the big sign, drove down Hollywood Blvd, saw the stars in the sidewalk, etc.

The last day was the day of Kate’s photo shoot. We slept in and drove out to Malibu to meet up with Steve and Kate (they were letting us use one of their cars) who had gotten up before the sun and we already working. We drove down a great canyon to get there and saw a coyote! Then we hung out all day in the back yard of a gorgeous Malibu mansion, watching Kate photograph cavorting models, and eating catered food. As we left the fancy house, we passed the actress Tea Leone walking up the road. (So yes, apparently some people DO walk in LA! Even stars.) I have to say we had quite the LA visit. It doesn’t get much better I bet – too bad life isn’t really like that much for most of us. Thanks so much Steve and Kate for the wonderful time and hospitality. You guys rock.

I made the journey out to see Oskar today for the first time since we arrived. It has been 3 days since he has seen me because I was not allowed to see him over the weekend, or for the first 24 hours after arrival. Poor guy was very sad, and went crazy when I got there. It must have been so scary for him to go for days without knowing what was going on. He wasn’t eating, but I fed him his food and he ate it all. He seemed better by the time I left, but of course he wanted to go too.

Now it is a couple days later and I have gone to see Oskar more. He is doing much better now that he knows I’m nearby and haven’t forgotten him. He seems much better than the first visit. The trip to see him takes the better part of the day on the train. Seriously…A couple hours on the train, then a 3 km walk, then backwards all over again. It takes the better part of the day. A real bummer – I hope to get a car soon so I can go more often, and without spending most of the day on the visit.

Did some cooking out on the roof deck this evening. Threw some items on the barbie, we did. Such a nice view from up there. Nothing like watching the sun set behind the skyline as the bats rise.

So far no dingos have stolen anything. I'd like to keep it that way, but you never can tell with those varmints. I plan to get a dingo coil to burn, or a net, or spray or something.

One of the highlights of our week was getting our very own Yoda Phone. Funnily enough, the company has miss-spelled all of their literature so that it reads Vodaphone, but we know better. Hmmm...buying a phone you are...yeeeesss? Cells are handled completely differently down here, and it is - believe it or not - even more confusing than the plans offered by US phone companies. It took us days and a calculator to decide which plan to use, and we are out of minutes already. I'd give you the number but we can't afford to answer your call. Only good news is that we can go broke using this phone anywhere in the world - EXCEPT the good ole USA. My US phone is now a nice plastic paperweight. Leave it to America to refuse to use what the rest of the world uses.

We went to the Backpacker Car Market and spoke with a number of desperate people with funny accents who had funky modified cars to sell. The Market is on an underground level of a parking garage under the city, and people literally spend weeks sitting in the dim dank garage underbelly waiting for someone like us to come along and buy their kangaroo-dented Ford Falcon station wagon. We passed on everything we saw down there, but it was kinda fun to act interested, then walk away and listen to them slash the price with each step. The market actually requires proof of inspections and registrations to sell there, so it is actually a better bet than an ad in the paper - plus the desperation bit helps too. Soon we too will have a 1978 Holden Commodore complete with 2 extra Jerry cans, a tarp, mossie net, folding camp chairs, Aerosmith cd's, used bedding, a complete set of road maps in Dutch, and more, more, more!

The weather has been awesome - that is until 2 days ago when the sky was ripped asunder and Niagara Falls was temporarily transported to somewhere over our heads, and angled to fall at 45 degrees. Good news is that given the rainfall averages, I'd say it's all clear weather until June after that one. Today was beautiful again. Yesterday Candace and I went on a very nice stroll and passed an alcove where a half dozen destroyed umbrellas lay in shambles. We were on our way back from a showing of an apartment that was advertised in the paper. Described as a "NY style loft apartment", it turned out to be a "room" (of sorts) available in a large warren where 18 other people lived. It was Nasty, but not in the good sense of the word. I think most college fraternities would find this place beneath their cleanliness standards. On the other end of the spectrum we might have a short-term place worked out in a very very nice part of town, if all goes well.

Now that we have a yoda phone number, we are starting to carpet-bomb the city with resumes ("CVs"), so hopefully someone will be fool enough to want us metric-illiterate Yanks. Then we will have to actually stop enjoying ourselves quite so much and go back to work.

Well it took us a week and a major holiday before we finally made it to the beach to surf (only about 15 mins away). Easter is a big deal down here, and since everything is closed, we have no choice but to stop working on everything, and just play. We went to Manly beach – yes, they let me on manly beach, thank you very much – and had a nice day in the sun and in the waves. More of the same planned for tomorrow. That is the part of town where we hope to live – I can’t wait to start getting a surf in daily before or after work! Hope this crazy plan all works out. Caught some nice waves, and saw Candace get some nice ones too.

Here's a pic of Candace the intrepid subway rider: