Memoirs of a Lovestead

Halloween!

2007-10-29T19:39:00.001-07:00

If you came to find out what zany character Ray came up with this year. Well..

Mr. Ray and the wife. Mr. Ray is telling the photographer how much he pities him.

Mr. Ray getting a strong right from his wife after he clearly dropped his hands (rookie mistake). Going to have to get more training in the ring.

Here is Mr. Ray doing a little shopping with his dog. "Hey Sucka! Where are the doggy bones?!"

Mr. Ray going home after a long day at the grocery store. (This is after a lady walked up behind him in line, and then promptly moved to a different line after seeing him)

Indian Creek, Utah

2007-10-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Gettin' high on crack. 3 days of blissfully painful crack climbing at Indian Creek just south of Moab.

Rex on Generic Crack

This was a super sustained, 35m climb with lots of blood, sweat and tears on it. When Rex came down we did a chest bump to celebrate.

Walls of Sandstone

Jay on Crack

The Lovely Couple

Brie: "Please, Please don't make me climb that."

Tara, Rock Star

Tara rocks.

Rex really needs a call

Rex just kept doing this the entire day. I found out later his hands were stuck in this position from all the tape.

Ernest P. Dogg

Ernie gets the cute award for the crag. Not that there is much competition from me.

Greg showing how it's done

I did this climb with lots of yelling and crying. Greg did it in style.

Jason on Way Rambo

Jason and I climbed this 5.12- rated climb. I take credit for the belay, not the climb.

Big Rocks

"Roadrunner.. That Coyote's after you. Roadrunner.. If he catches you, you're through."

Brie stylin

Both of Brie's arms came off in the crack about 15 feet later.

Brekkie with the Nuttlemen

Everyday we wake up and eat 13,000 calories. Mainly sausage, eggs and then french toast ("Health food").

Craggin'

Tara on the left in Chocolate Crack and Eric on the right.

The Photographer gets Photographed

Arin's camera weighs about 27 pounds so she has to carry it this way.

The Rocktober Gang

The Results

My hands are on the camera, bloody and tear stained.

Oslo, Norway

2007-07-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

I love Norway. My people. Getting back to my roots (My Grandpa was Norwegian). Everywhere I went I'd tell people I was part Norwegian. They'd ask me, "Which part?"

With a population of 4.5 million - and something like over a million came to N. America - it is underpopulated at best. But the Norwegians live in some kind of strange bubble. It is the most expensive place in Europe. Check this out:

2nd highest GDP per-capita in the world (US is 9th)
cost of living is 30% higher than the US, 25% higher than the UK
58% of their exports are oil and gas related
less than 2% unemployment
women get 9 weeks minimum maternity leave (up to 32)
men get 4 weeks paternity leave

my beer at the local pub was 12 euro.

Typical Norwegian. They all look like this. Except for the men. The men have hats with horns and usually carry axes.

This is my 15th ship museum. I'm now up near 20. This is the famous (famous to me) Gokstad ship. It is 1157 years old. Happy birthday!

It's been 5 months since I last photographed a bird. Still got the touch!

Gustav Vigeland created hundreds of these amazing sculptures. The monolith in the back took 3 artists 14 years to create.

Train ride to the west coast of Norway. Most of the traditional houses have one of these 4 colors.

Bergen (West coast). Rain. We are now on our 7th umbrella. They keep breaking and getting lost.

In Bergen an ammunition ship blew up in 1944 which caused some of the buildings near the water to do this. Don't laugh, you'd do it too.

Yes that's whale meat and reindeer. Green peace and Santa are not pleased.

Norwegian paradise aka Aurland. Gateway to the Songefjord and a few days of nature.

The Fjords. It rained. and rained. oh well..

Copenhagen, Denmark

2007-07-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

I really liked this town. It's tiny compared to most capital cities. Islands and canals abound and the skyline is fresh and innovative.

Most of the photos here are of Christiania. Interesting name considering that it is a den of ill repute. In 1971 junkies and shady characters took over the place and have run it ever since. Here the police look the other way as heroin addicts scratch a living. I don't have any photos of people (they frown upon this for some reason).

I love canals now. We've got to get some of these put into Colorado. So I can buy the water front property and sell food at rediculous prices.

If you think this is where Alice and her wonderland reside - you are not far off the mark. Christiania makes Amsterdam look like a lame shopping mall. It is full of dreadlocked men, dogs and dirty children running amuck.

This is a sign on Pusher Street. No joke they named the street Pusher street. As the sign says, you can buy your hash here.

Of course the graphitti is really very good in a town that allows free expression and drugs. Unfortunately I didn't see a good library or, say, gainfully employed people.

After visiting Pusher Street you go into this room and trip out. "Like wow man!"

Berlin, Germany

2007-07-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Now that I've been to Berlin I'm can vote for the greatest cities in Europe. Rome, Paris, London and Berlin. Berlin has more history in the last century than all the rest put together. We were here a fair amount (5 nights) and still there is tons more to see.

War is the unfortunate reason to come here. WWI, WWII and the cold war were all centered right here in all their ugliness. Today Berlin is super modern and quickly growing out of its roles from the past. Hitlers bunker where he commited suicide is now a parking lot.

This is one church we didn't bother going inside of. Bombed out in WWII, it was left as a reminder of the destruction of war. Something like 50,000 people died in Berlin from air raids.

The famous Berlin Wall. Now mostly torn down and only exists in a couple places. You can still buy little (fake) pieces of the wall.

The Battle for the Reichstag. The German symbol of power that the Russians wanted taken. During the battle for Berlin 305,000 Russians and 325,000 Germans (many civilian) died.

"Work makes free." Just north of Berlin is the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Over 100,000 people died by Nazi German hands. After the war the Soviets took control and continued using it as a prison for war criminals and political prisoners.

Germans love their beer (that guy on the right LOVES beer). It is legal to drink it everywhere. I bought a beer at the little stand there and then drank it on the metro. Refreshing!

The most famous spot in Berlin. On the third floor, on the corner and facing the Brandenburg gate is where Michael Jackson held his baby over the railing. I should draw some kind of cartoon of Michael on the balcony.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2007-07-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ah Amsterdam...

"It breaks down like this; it's legal to buy it, it's legal to smoke it, if you're the proprietor of a hash farm it's legal to sell it, it's legal to carry it, but that don't matter anyway, because, get this, if the cops pull you over in Amsterdam, it is illegal for them to search you. " -Pulp Fiction

Now I don't know if that is right or not. But lets just say there were prodigious amounts of weed being smoked here.

And yes there are lots of prostitutes. They have little booths they rent by the hour and have a window to allow you to "window shop". They have unions, pay taxes and have better protection than street hookers. I don't have any photos (you perverts!).

Good luck getting a coffee in a coffee shop. It really means pot. Costs about 10 euro to get high. Which is about 5 times cheaper than beer (in a bar). This is a very sketchy thing. Legal to sell it. But who are they buying it from. Because it is only legal for citizens to grow it, and then only 3 plants. So it must come internationally - which is immediately and totally illegal.

So then along the same lines here. It is illegal to smoke it out in the open. But the cops don't mind unless you are causing trouble. And who has ever heard of a pothead causing trouble? "Hey man I said DOUBLE cheeseburger!"

EVERYONE in Amsterdam gets around on bikes. Every way you turn people are trying to run you over. I got really pissed at one point because I realized the bikes are worse than the cars.

This has to be the greatest invention. All other cities in Europe smell permanently of piss. These outdoor urinals - I'm peeing in a main square in front of a restaurant - have only one critic, women. Cause they want one.

I'm standing in the Anne Frank museum here. The locals will ride there bikes in the pouring rain. You can see Amsterdams famous canals in the background.

Brussel, Belgium

2007-07-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

So we headed through london last. But I can't find my photos. So jumping ahead back to the mainland - Belgium. After London Brussels is a bit.. Boring. So instead I give a photo which sums up their single greatest contribution to the world. Beer.

Arguably one of the greatest beers in the world. Chimay.

Whine and moan

2007-07-12T02:55:00.000-07:00

So I haven't updated the blog in ages. My excuses are varied but mainly it is laziness. This trip is really getting long and tiresome.

It is getting harder to find good computers to download the photos off my Ipod. Believe it or not, the more 'Westernized' you get the less sophisticated computer facilities are available. And more costly. This is due to everyone having broadband at home. So internet cafes become less necessary. Without question the best computers I've used this whole trip were in Sarajevo and the coast of Croatia. Everywhere else has these terrible 'dumb' terminals with bad or no USB connectivity.

Another problem I'm having is with my camera. The old Canon is giving me an error 99 which is driving me insane. Especially since it gave me troubles on the most incredible part of the trip - the Fjords in Norway. 17-85mm lens, can't use it below 24mm.

So here is where we've been since Portugal.

London, England
Brussels, Belgium
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Berlin, Germany
Copenhagen, Denmark
Olso, Bergen and the Fjords, Norway
and now off (today) to Stockholm, Sweden

If anyone out there (Bill, Shawn, Dipa, Katie) -camera people- have ever had this error 99 problem I'd appreciate suggestions.

Ray

Lisbon, Portugal

2007-06-18T10:27:00.003-07:00

Lisbon is fascinating city with lots of maritime history to be proud of. It rained most of the time - so no sweeping shots of the city.. instead I give you, Lisbon locals.

Man looking down at all the tourists trekking by in the rain.

This is a man and his wife at the local mall. Sort of like a multi-story department store only with no shirts required. "Honey, I need a shirt." "OK, grab some pants, let's go to the mall."

Just another local.

Local transportation that looks a lot like San Francisco.

So OK you can't just take photos of anyone you see. This lady gave me stink eye and then put some kind of Portuguese curse on me.

Sooner or later you will see the tag team street performers. Sometimes the dog is just perched in front of the hat waiting for money (sans accordian). And.. sometimes they offer you hash.

Segovia, Spain

2007-06-18T10:27:00.001-07:00

Segovia is a small town north of Madrid with a 4-star hotel and a 1-star price. Great place to recooperate.

The town is famous for this amazing aquaduct built by the Romans. No mortar was used! Just gravity and know how. 1900 years old!

So I didn't eat this (at least I hope I didn't). But I ordered "suckling pig" at a restaurant. I assumed it would be cuts of young pig. A head arrived, cut in half, looking at me with a tag in it's ear. It wasn't the meat around the jaw that bothered me, but rather the crunchy teeth.

Barcelona, Spain

2007-06-18T10:26:00.001-07:00

Barcelona is a heck of town. We hated it. Wasn't necessarily the town. It was the really horrible hostel we stayed in with all the 18 year old girls. Well..

Shot from the ship museum. What, are you surprised I went to a ship museum?

The Spanish eat freakin' everything. I had been thoroughly grossed out last year in Taiwan and thought no one could top them. The title is now firmly held by the Spanish.

The Spanish have a wierd eating schedule. Breakfast, not really. Then lunch from 1:30-3:30pm. Tapas (snack and beer) at say 6-7pm and then dinner from 10-12am. Don't bother showing up before 7pm for dinner. They'll think you are there for lunch.

La Sagrada Familia. Strangest Christian church in the world. Still being built. Looks like a bunch of melted candles.

This guy has that look of "Oh shit, someone catch me wearing this outfit."

"Let's see I'll just walk through this here cactus. OH WAIT. The sign here says I can't! Damn!"

More of Paris

2007-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

A few more shots to finish off Paris. Our last days were spent at the Louvre and the Musuem D´Orsay. Both of which are just outstanding.

Paris is getting stranger by the minute.

Museum D´Orsay has more famous paintings than you can shake a stick at. It is exhausting work looking at them all.

The Realism paintings are my favorites.

Had to throw this one in for all the fans of Dan Brown´s Davinci Code novel. The Louvre even has a ´Davinci Code´ audio guide tour.

I´ve been eating a lot this trip. I´ve gained 20kg in weight and 6inches in height. And Tara shrunk!

Paris, France

2007-06-09T02:40:00.001-07:00

There isn't much about Paris that didn't live up to it's reputation. It's all true. It is an incredible city.

Tara at the train station. We really love the transport now. No more crappy buses. No more dirty, urine smelling platforms.

It took 3 hours to go to the top and return. It is impressive at over 1000ft. 6.5 million people visited it last year. I think 1 million were there when we visited.

This is hands down the finest ship musuem I have ever been to. I have been to 5 this trip so far. I estimate I'll see another 6 before the trip is up. Tara estimates she'll see maybe one more.

Notre Dame. The first church I've been to where they actually were having a service. Probably 90% of the people in the pews were tourists.

I love the metro in this city. Efficient, clean, cheap...

Nancy, France

2007-06-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

4 glorious days of pampering with the Quémener family in Nancy, France. They are our good friends that did a similar stint in Sydney. We have been looking forward to this for a long time. We are 60 days into our trip and need a break!!

And so.. What I learned about the French in 4 days.

The French are hospitable people. They take you to dinner. Cook fantastic meals and let you use their internet.

The French eat tremendous amounts of really good cheese (and wine). I now understand why the French ruefully shake their heads when discussing 'American' food and wine.

The French women are great cooks. Baking and cooking yet somehow mysteriously do not gain any weight.

The French go 350MPH on their trains. They also keep large dead bug collections on the front of their trains.

All French babies are happy and above average.

And finally. All French people eat brains. All the time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Like a zombie would.

Murren, Switzerland

2007-06-04T13:51:00.001-07:00

We LOVED Switzerland and will be coming back. The skiing here must be outrageous. We planned to stay a few days in the mountains and stayed 5. It started snowing (May 23!) and we had to stay to see the views when things cleared. We are here to see the famed Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

On the right side is a huge rock that drops sharply into the valley. On top of that on the far right is some snow - that's Murren. To get there you take a gondola! Thats where we stayed for 4 nights.

The valley down below was just as dramatic and picturesque as the top.

This is what we came to see. This is the view from out hotel room. Payed for the view, one which we'd not have for the next 3 days.

We awoke the first night to this. 2 feet of snow. Hardly what we expected or were prepared for. I've got a light jacket and no boots. Tara has less.

The cog train to take you to the top of the Jungfraujoch. It's takes you to the highest train station in Europe. Top of the world.

Well we made it with clear skies. We got really lucky, one day later it was raining. I'm standing in the saddle between the Jungfrau and Monch. To climb higher you'd need mountain gear and brass balls.

It was -10°C at the top. About an hour later all this had melted off.

The view down the valley (glacier) with the visitor center on the left.

That's the top of the Jungfrau behind us (4158m, 13642ft).

These last shots are of a tiny town called Gimmelwald. This is a slice of heaven. 130 locals, no hotels, no cars, no stores. Just a little farming community way above the valley floor and well outside the modern world. It's some kind of magical land and the locals fight to keep it that way.

Salzburg and Innsbruck, Austria

2007-06-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

One night in Salzburg and two in Innsbruck. The world is starting to become very expensive. If the cost of accomodation is an indicator, 3-4 times as expensive.

The view from the train. Tiny little farms with luscious green pasture and enormous mountains as a backdrop.

The town in Salzburg is full of endearing shots like this one.

After sharpening his sythe he put on a black robe and started mowing the grass. Took him hours to get the edging just right.

All towns have to have a castle and king. Salzburg is no exception. I really need to get one of these.

My father always said that when I open my mouth my face disappears. I never realized that it wasn't a joke. I look like some kind of Japanese animated character.

The famed ski jump at Innsbruck (1976 and 1984 Winter Olypics). It's a long way down and if you look just past the green at the bottom of the jump there is a cemetery.

I'm out of things to say. Austria was very nice. But after the culture shock of former Yugoslavia and further east, it was kind of boring. (Sorry Governor Arnold)

Bosnia

2007-06-03T06:11:00.001-07:00

A brief history. Yugoslavia was formed after WWI, changed governments and names many times, but fell apart completely in the early 1990s along with western communism in general. Serbia, the largest and most populated area in the former republic, tried to keep it all together for a "Greater Serbia".

Alas, each group has jumped ship by force or by vote. Most notably are the Bosnian and Croatian wars for independence and recently the Kosovo conflict. What once was Yugoslavia is now Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and the UN administered Kosovo. The history is all very complicated.

Serbia gets the bad guy award by far. When Yugoslavia fell apart Bosnia and the capital Belgrade were left with the weapon stockpiles. A land grab insued and Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic became very unpopular with the world. In the end, Milosevic was charged with war crimes and died of a heart attack in the Hague (2006).

Many may remember that Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, was under siege from 1992 to 1995 by Serbian forces. The city, with over 300,000 people, was cut off from the outside world for nearly 3 years - the longest siege in modern history. The Serbs took positions high above the city and could comfortably shell the city at will. An estimated 329 bombs fell per day and 20,000 people were killed - 85% of which were civilian.

Town of Mostar. Sadly this door is not so unusual. Look at the childs drawing on the right - Houston Rockets basketball fan.

Sarajevo, home to the 1984 winter olympics.

UN protection forces. Widely criticized for their impotence during the war. They could only stand back and watch as the Serbian forces shelled a largely civilian population.

The only lifeline into Sarajevo, built in 1993.

One surprise is the Muslim influence. Approximately 60% of the population. Same call to prayer 5 times a day.

Hotel Holiday Inn. Famous for being the only operating hotel during the siege. Most any footage or reporting was done in this hotel. The only connection to the world.

Throughout Bosnia new gravesites fill the landscape. Many of the dead were young men, fighting and dying while I was attending frat parties in college. This young man would have been my age.

Sarajevo Rose. Note the bomb fragment pattern in the concrete. The arc of the shells left this pattern all over the city. Most have been repaired but many are kept as a memorial to the dead.

Sarajevo: Home to one more tragedy, the birthplace of WWI. The Great War was begun when an assassin gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The left side of this photo is the spot where he fell. One bullet sparked empires to take sides and over 10 million to die.

Montenegro

2007-06-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Day trip to Montenegro. 5 people total in our tiny vehicle for the tour, and two were from Denver. They informed us that Montenegro was the setting for the recent James Bond movie Casino Royale. It is a very poor country and possibly the youngest. Exactly 1 year ago today (June 3) they declared indendence from Serbia.

Our tour guide was pitiful and reminded us we don't need to take any 'guided' tours. "This is a hotel. That is church. On the left is a view. Montenegrans are very tall." Well he was right about the being tall part. They all towered over us! Really good basketball players.

This place is magical. Next to this real island is a manmade island called Our Lady of the Rock. In the 1400s a painting of Mary was found on a small reef and they declared it a miracle. Ever since then they have sank ships and thrown rocks (took 200 years) to create an island. They built a church (of course) and every year they celebrate by (you guessed it) throwing more rocks.

You can see why the James Bond movie was filmed here. It is a remarkable country, but I think the GDP is lower than the millions spent on the movie (or gambled in the movie!)

Budva, Montenegro - tiny town with a great feel. Check out Tara showing a little leg. Such a flirt!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

2007-05-31T03:23:00.000-07:00

More internet complaining. I never have an English keyboard (keys swapped around). The blog website is always in the local language (French right now). And 12 swiss francs per hour is insane! OK, enough complaining.

Dubrovnik, the `Pearl of the Adriatic` and rightly so. Famous for enormous city walls (some 12m thick), marble sidewalks and senseless bombing by the former republic of Yugoslavia.

sidenote: Don't bother seeing spiderman III. Very disappointing. Especially since it was the first American film we'd seen in two months.

You can see how massive the city walls are from here. When we arrived a ship had just finished an attempt to take the citadel. Instead of plundering the city it decided to take tourists. Still a form of robbery, but legal and the tourists don't mind.

We are standing on a massive bastion opposite the town. Like two castles on a chess board they protect one another. Take one and the other is left to destroy the other. Not surprisingly, neither has been taken.

The streets in Dubrovnik are narrow and character filled. Think tourist trap, but more beautiful. Ice cream anyone? Ship museum?

This great treasure of a city was shelled by Serbia/Montenegro when Croatia attempted to secede from the Republic (Yugoslavia) in 1992-95. If you look closely you can tell that the roofs and buildings were rebuilt to match the older untouched ones.

Tara is becoming quite the photographer. Next I need to trick her into doing this blog!

To hold the city a brave group stayed and paid the ultimate price. This place is dedicated to the people who died during the shelling.

Yugo! Those who remember these crappy cars (including Tara's uncle John who owned one) will get a kick to know they are still on the road. Not many are left and it is a total mystery how they didn't all fall apart years ago.

The journey up and down the coast on a bus is a real pain. Uncomfortable, overcrowded at times, un-air conditioned at others. We have vowed to avoid buses from now on. But the views can be spectacular.

Hvar Island, Croatia

2007-05-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. So 9 days after my last posting and a full 2 weeks after Croatia I get good internet access. We are in France with our good friends Marion and Damien. Hvar Island was way back on the 16th of May!

Our plan was to stay in Hvar Island for 1 night. We stayed 3. It was incredibly picturesque.

Step off the ferry, little old crazy lady jumps all over you to basically force you to stay in her house. OK! The town is behind Tara's head.

I already love this town. Small town, ancient citadel, city guns to protect ye from the pirates and turks. Yarrr! Give me all your gold doubloons.

We are enjoying our lunch in the main square of town. Correction: We WERE enjoying our lunch. Island paradise?

To escape the hustle-bustle of the town and the speedos we hired a boat to a nearby island. Population: 20.

Lunch at our own private spot on the island. This piece of heaven served wine, olives, artichokes and seafood - ALL from the property! We loved this spot and just stared out at the vineyard for hours.

This shot captures how blue the water is. I had a hard time resisting stacking all the blocks on top of each other. The water is very salty and therefore makes you bouyant. I swam around for half an hour with very little effort.

Piran, Slovenia

2007-05-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

So we are hanging out in Ljubljana and thinking let's head down to Croatia. BUT WAIT! Piran has a ship museum!! So immediately we jumped in our personal train.

Turns out I had been here before with my mom and dad. My only recollection is hating the long bus ride and then being really dissappointed with the rocky beach. I still hate buses and yes the beach is still covered in rocks.

Here she is, Slovenia only has about 15 miles of coastline, but they've got a ship museum. And that is all that matters to me!

Check out the cool drawing on the rocks here. Seems like a young impressionist painting of a 6 wheeled cubist car. I just had to take the photo to make the little kid who drew it famous. Oh and I wasn't wearing any pants when I took this shot.

Wow we really lucked out on this one. We grabbed two tickets for an overnight ferry from Rijeka to Hvar island. We never realized we'd be taking the LOVE BOAT! Isaac the bartender, Captain Stubing, Gopher - the whole gang was there!

Ljubljana, Slovenia

2007-05-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Update - We are currently in Bosnia (Sarajevo). Dodging bullet holes. I'm about a week behind on the blog and will get Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia up soon.

Ljubljana is pronounced Loob-li-ahna and we pronounced it lub-jub for most of our trip until we finally arrived. Slovenia is an "Eastern European" country but wants nothing to do with that name. Former Yugoslavian, but really more connected with Austria.

Lots of art and always looking to beautify and already spotless city. Great city, but not a lot of the 'greatness' of many of their neighboring countries. Check this shot out, the bottom is a photo of a reflection of a photo of a reflection of a building.

I'm not really that amused with these guys. Blokes from the UK come down to these countries to party and then make asses of themselves. Quote from moron, "A country has really made it when guys from the UK come down in dresses." Later we saw guys in full drag who apparently come down for stag parties.

These honeys were totally macking on me. The one checking me out later asked for the 411 and I gave her my digits. You can see that the three ladies are showing a little leg. Much to the consternation of the more respectable gal on the end.

This is John our friend on the train to the coast (Piran). His reaction to us Americans was priceless. (Two thumbs up) "America Good, America Good!" He is from Kosovo and just couldn't be happier with us. The Serbs pretty much beat up on every one of their neighbors when Yugoslavia broke up. He showed us photos of his kids, I drew my occupation (antennas) and he drew his (brick layer, I think, or maybe really bad architect).

Florence, Italy

2007-05-20T12:29:00.001-07:00

We flew through Florence to spot the famous statue of David and to get some really good Italian food.

Everywhere you look in Florence you see the beans and weiner. Not really into the circumcision I noticed. I'm sure this guy noticed too.

I believe this is the third largest church in Europe. It was absolutely massive. I'm standing 20 miles away to get this shot (just kidding). I called this the inside out church, the outside was rediculously ornate, the inside was boring.

OK so this is a really crappy photo. Yours would too if you had the photo police at every turn. Most of Europe is like that. But I had to try a shot. Michelangelo's David is a masterpiece and very few doubt it to be the greatest carved statue. And I could not possibly agree more. I stared at his unit for like 5 minutes straight.

Oh the Italians know how to live the life. We lived it up on the Prodotti Freschi (with non surgelati!). Insert money, instant yummy. I'm amazed that this exists as Italians take their food way to seriously.

Cinque Terra

2007-05-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Cinque Terra - 5 towns. 5 tiny towns along the west coast of Italy all linked by a walking path and train. All five can be reached in about 5 hours. Or 15 minutes if you are lazy (by train). We did 4. Got to the forth and thought.. ehh.. 4 is enough.

Really what we wanted to do is relax:
Cinque Terre is famous for PESTO! We bought some for about 3 euro, some noodles, bread. Viola! A masterpiece. We loved just hanging out in our little rented home. My favorite? Watching Walker Texas Ranger in Italian.

This was our home base. Our place is on the right. WAY to the right. The one with the view of nothing. Sorry the pic is a little crooked, it wasn't me. I think the town leaned over.

It's all beautiful. This is the fourth city. So when we got here we just called it a day. No way the next town would be better. So we hit the train.

Took the train back. The towns are in the cracks between mountains. So the trains cut through the mountains and peak out just enough to let people on. Looks like a scene from Mister Rogers neighborhood.

Venitia, Italia

2007-05-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

We spent a pricey 2 days in Venice. The price to ride one of these gondolas? 80 euro (110 US) for a 30-40min ride. So of course we got two!

Venice is sinking. Supposedly they are trying to do something to stop the increasing water levels (dam, helium balloons, etc.). Many buildings can no longer use their ground floors. This place used to have a yard, a kids swing set and a dog. All are now underwater.

Cost to pee in Venice? 1 euro (1.35 dollars). Even the restaurants charge you to use their precious facilities. Cost to pee in the canal? Zero if you don't get caught.

San Marco square. Here is where you go in Venice to drink overpriced coffee, feed the birds and take photos of churches. This kid is grimacing because of what the birds just did on his shoulders.

Rome, Italy

2007-05-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Roma! We spent 6 days in this city and probably about 2 days too long. Simply because we ran ourselves into the ground. We found it overwhelming and exhausting. I think my knees now bleed from the insides and my ankles will have to be replaced.

For starters Italians love art. Love it so much they display it over all surfaces. Spray paint is a favorite on subway cars. Subways are also a favorite of thieves. Tara and I had the pleasure of having my wallet nearly taken as we entered a tram. Three guys, wait for you to enter the overpacked tram. Then they squeeze in behind you as a team and all try for different pockets. If they succeed they immediately jump off the tram and you get whisked away sans wallet. Luckily I had my lucky zippered pants on.

The Roman Forum just outside the Colloseum. It's a most impressive place with lots of old broken down stuff. The columns and buildings all recall a long gone era. Down there somewhere, Julius Caesar is buried as well as the place where St. Peter was imprisoned. All kinds history through the 800 years or so of Roman power.

After visiting churches all day Tara needed to do go to her local place of worship. Gelato! I counted 122 flavors. I admit, it was better than any ice cream I'd ever had.

If you throw a coin in this fountain you supposedly will return to it. So I threw in my wallet instead to see what would happen. Sure enough, I returned to fish my wallet out. Turns out the legend is true.

The Italians are a friendly lot. Always smiling and willing to help out. They particularly like the tourists around the Colloseum.

St. Peter's Basilica is the most beautiful church I've seen. It's the 2nd largest church in the world (1st is in Ivory Coast) and must easily be the most lavish. It's 186m INSIDE. Nearly 2 football games could be played inside this place! Too me this church is a reflection of how rich and powerful the Catholic church is. With 1.1 billion members I guess they have a lot of cash flow.

As a sovereign state the Vatican has it's own army. These guys mean business. The changing of the guards ceremony included a dance of joy like Balki Bartokomus from the 80s tv show Perfect Strangers.

To truly appreciate Rome you have to have a knowledge of art and antiquity. So of course Tara and I didn't appreciate it.. But no joke the volume of beautiful sculpture and painting made a believer out of me. This is Cupid kissing some maiden.

The Pantheon (125 a.d.) is domed building that is well preserved given it's age. The only source of light inside is a 9m hole in the top of the dome which also lets the rain in. But I just like the silly fountain outside.

The churches around town have the most amazing art collections. Turns out most of the art in Rome is a result of the church's coffers in the 17/18th century. This is recent art with really striking lighting found in some old church. Rome is like that. Look around and you find beauty.

Greece

2007-04-28T04:35:00.000-07:00

Athens! If I thought that Eastern Europe was old - well.. Athens is older. Athens was in its prime in 400 b.c. and Greece is arguably the first great civilization in all of Europe. We had a great time in Athens and then went to a small town which Homer refers to in his Odyssey with king Agamemnon and such (Troy, Trojan horse, etc.).

The Parthenon. The mighty Parthenon (around 400bc) sits above Athens and is THE thing to see here. Athens itself is a bit dirty, crowded and congested. 2004 Olympics helped clean it up a fair amount.

This statue (say, 450 bc) by my count is only missing 4 of his 11 digits. Which is far better than most statues from 2500 years ago. Unfortunately most of the statues are missing their 11th digit (ouch).

I came across this striking statue just outside the Acropolis. Looks like some kind of explorer. Note his confident pose and dominating stature. I did a count, and yes he has all of his digits.

So far this trip we have been eating really well and cheap. Markets supply most of our food although sometimes we make mistakes. I had the pleasure of eating yeast in Romania (it's not butter). A heaping handful of Kalamata olives? 1 euro.

I like this shot on the grounds of the Acropolis. It looks like each column is smoking. Which is appropriate, because pretty much everyone in Europe smokes like it's going out of style. The Greeks are particularly bad - smoking is apparently a course during all meals.

Napflio, Greece. This was voted Lovestead's best site of 2007 so far. We had an awesome room with a great view. A castle and good food. Lots of Greeks here running about. The big thing is the sun glasses that George Michael (born Greek, Mikeolakis Georgogakisapolis) made popular in the 80s.

Big ass stadium. These are all over the place. Which in itself isn't that interesting. But this one is in mint condition and is from 300bc. Seats 17,000. Old. etc. (Tara says, "Greece = old and ruined")

Ah the citadel. I am in love with these places. 1007 steps (Tara counted of course) to the top of Palamidi Fortress. This place is a masterpiece of military defense. Totally impregnable (without modern weapons) except one achilles heal, no water. It sits way above the town and makes for a hell of a workout.

This is a shot of our hotel (just kidding). A shot from the fortress. That's the town below and just on the right side of the photo is our hotel.

Just a photo to make everyone jealous. This is our hotel for 3 nights. We planned 1, we stayed 3. We absolutely love this little town (Napflio). It costs us 30euro a night (a bargain).

Bulgaria

2007-04-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

Sophia - we spent a mere 2 days visiting the capital of Bulgaria. The first day we went around looking at all the sights. The second day we revisited them all... Sophia doesn't have that much to see.

Life here is a bit different from the rest of Europe. The average salary is around $140 US a month! The girl who ran our hostel confirmed this (I got the number from a newspaper clipping). That means my camera is a years salary here. Which explains why everyone stared at me and why there were NO camera stores around.

The most important and impressive building here is their church (as with most cities). Very large, very ornate. As you can imagine we are getting a little burned out on all churchs.

There are a lot of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Bulgaria. Thus you get a lot of these characters walking around. Try reading the sign above them to figure out what they were buying. Good luck, everything is in a cyrillic alphabet. We had a heck of a time getting around with all the signs this way. We've learned to navigate by the landmarks alone by now.

Want a cheap thrill? That bottle of vodka in the middle is about $2.3euros.

Translyvania, Romania

2007-04-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Velcome to my home. Well.. my home for the past week. We spent the entire week in the country trying to find that special medieval world that is gone from Western Europe. Also I was secretly looking for Dracula.

Translyvania, Carpathian mountains, Romania.. It all sounds so romantic and old world.

Not the greatest image - but look closely. It is spring time here and the crops need to be planted. So time to break out the horse and plow. I saw people in vast fields with a single hoe. I also saw people picking potatoes one by one. I later saw a guy taking a shit next to the river, but that's a different story.

Vlad Dracul (the order of the dragon), fathered Vlad Tepes (the impaler) who for many years held back the Ottoman Turks. While greatly outnumbered by the Turks, he would use fear tactics like impaling people (who took days to die). At one point he had the entire Turkish army on the run using these gorilla warfare techniques. It earned him a place in history as well infamy. Later to become the famed "Dracula". Who, by the way, the locals hate because Bram Stoker basically took their hero and turned him into a Hollywood legend.

Vlad Dracul and his family (including little Dracula) lived in the citadel in Sighisoara. His house is still there (550 years old!) and is now a restaurant. This citadel is the real deal and we loved walking around it's walls. This is a shot from the crypt beneath the church (from 1488). This is where Tara scared the living daylights out of me by jumping out at me from around the corner.

Bran Castle - a real proper castle used to repel the marauding Ottomans. Built in the mid 1300s, it has a commanding presence in the narrow valley. It is considered "Dracula's castle" but there is no proof he even ever visited here. But that doesn't stop the t-shirts salesmen.

There was of course a princess in Bran castle. And check out the name at the bottom. Ileana, you need to ask Bill why he hasn't built you a castle yet.

The locals heading out for a night on the town. We saw more horse carts than you'd believe.

Rasnov Citadel. High atop the hills above town, this citadel protected the townsfolk below. I loved this place! Towering snow capped mountains in the distance. All the key holes and crannies to shoot down into the approaching armies. There is a well that two prisoners dug to get their freedom. Took 17 years!

This about sums up train travel. It is very cheap in Eastern Europe. Most legs only cost about $15 US. Next stop. Bulgaria.

Istanbul, was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople

2007-04-21T03:54:00.000-07:00

Instanbul has the unique claim to fame of being in both Europe and Asia. The bosphorus straight splits the city and it's 12 million or so residents. We really felt like we had escaped the western world here. Carpet salesmen aside (don't bother asking, none of them are magic flying carpets), the people are really friendly and helpful. With so many languages spoken here, English is becoming the most utilized. We had very little trouble getting around this amazing and ancient city.

Have to brag here - this was taken from our room. We had the most amazing view of the Blue Mosque. So named because of the blue tiles on the roof. The spooky lines above the mosque aren't spirits. They are the very confused gulls flying around. Can you see how their wings flap in time? (click on the photo to see it!)

Turkey is 99% Muslim. But progressively so - thanks to Ataturk ("father Turk"). He was their president during the 1st world war and then helped fight back the Greeks. He did a lot for women's rights (work, voting) and also brought a strong sense of fashion. Today, women are discouraged from covering their heads. But of course, they still wear them in mosques.

Aya Sofya. One of the finest churches in the world. If not THE finest for many many years. How many years? Try 1500 years. This place was built in 537 AD. In 537 most of the world was running around hitting each other on the heads with wooden sticks. And the interior dome is STILL one of the largest in the world. It was first a Christian church (the Romans) and then was converted to a Mosque when the Turkish took over in 1453.

Friday, noon. All Muslim men are required to attend service. A very busy place indeed. This MASSIVE mosque was so full the people were spilling out into the steps and grounds around the building.

Strong is the force in this one.

All young men must join the military for a short tour. As a result you get lots of zany guys with automatic weapons. The police are a very dominant feature around the University as well (usually with shields and tear gas). Apparently the local Uni kids have lots of political opinions.

Don't sneeze.

My favorite part of Istanbul was the narrow streets leading to amazing places. The most beautiful mosques would pop up before your eyes.

Turkish people LOVE cats. Cats everywhere. They feed them in the parks (fresh meat!), keep them as pets and pet them on the sidewalks. I imagine they keep the rat population down and thus the black plague.

Dubai Photos

2007-04-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

It's like simultaneously stepping backwards and forwards in time. Towering modern buildings live next door to shacks. Spending time on the bus gets you in touch with a dazzling combination of nationalities. I was determined to get photos of people in action - but found myself a bit nervous.

These two guys were just doing there thing outside the silk market. My American eyes can see and feel the stereotypes based on recent political goings on. But later I watched a gent just like this giving his son a nookie. Seem like regular old chaps after that.

The trading markets (souqs) have had a central place in everyday life since the beginning in Dubai. Life still goes on in much the same way now. Of course with the addition of intruding tourists with cameras.

Everywhere I've been I see this sign. Sad, but a fact of life. We went into a huge mall that had Appleby's, KFC, Starbucks, etc.. Take away the burqas, robes and head dress and you are in any mall in the US.

We only stay in the finest parts of town. So I get lots of these shots. These guys seemed to have a pretty hard life. Moving big stuff on carts. He is probably texting his friend, "Hey some American is taking my photo."

Dubai

2007-04-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Fascinating. I just tried to get onto a friends website (on Flickr.com) and this message came up in an internet cafe here in Dubai.

I've got lots of photos of interesting juxtapositions. Like I just saw a man who makes a living by moving large items on a wooden cart on his cell phone. Or two men in traditional head dress and robes getting ice cream at Haagen Daz.

Dubai is fantastically diverse. Indian, Arab, Asian, Russian (lots come here to shop), European and African all share this tax free environment. And yeah.. it's really really hot.

I haven't been able to figure out how the women in their burqas drink Starbucks coffee.

Coffee in Starbucks = 12 Dirhams
Chai masala on the street = 1 Dirham

EUROPE!!

2007-03-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Well our departure from Oz is fast approaching and true to form I've managed to injure myself. I've been surfing everyday and the surf got big yesterday. So I go out and immediately manage to cut one of my toes on my fins. 3 stitches, not much.. but starting in a week I'll be on my feet 18 hours a day. ouch.

So where are we going? This map is a very rough plan of places and time schedules. As always I've planned too much. Would you expect any less?

Happy Birthday Bridge

2007-03-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sydney's beloved "Coat Hangar" Harbor Bridge turned a whopping 75 years young this past weekend. To celebrate, Sydneysiders wore ugly hats, drank beer and sang songs with aussie expressions that nobody knew. So pretty much like every other day. Oh and they lit up the bridge with psychedelic lights.

2007-03-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

Angry Green Man with Glasses

This green man was last seen making a spectacle of himself at the Maroubra library. He is considered green, shaved and dangerous. Anyone with information please contact a librarian immediately.

TasMania

2007-02-18T02:01:00.001-08:00

Tasmania for 2 weeks! Tara was there for a conference and I was there for the birds and surfing. Guess who had more fun?

Devil

Of course I have to start with the symbol of Tasmania. I watched as this guy (from a zoo) snarled and barked and then spun around to form a small tornado. They are actually in big trouble from a facial tumor disease that has ravaged their population.

Tara's Rock

I was trying to take a photo of these fascinating orange rocks when Tara jumped into the frame. Of note here is the orange color.. of the rocks.

Queenstown

After camping we headed into town to see the hustle bustle of city life. This crazy town had an energy and a pop that sizzled all night. We knew we'd found the glitz and glamour that is Queenstown.

Queenstown Resident

This little man was waving us down to tell us where the party was. It wasn't in Queenstown. In fact, it isn't in Tasmania. But that's okay. Tassie is about nature and not night life.

Cradle Mountain National Park

This place was outstanding. Definitely competing with New Zealand in natural beauty and conservation. This is the start to the famous 85km overland track. I wish I'd been able to do it, but I had some surfing to get to.

Tara's Cradle Mountain

Tara got a new pair of sun glasses so she thinks she is all that. I've not purchased a pair of sunnies over $10 bucks. So I guess I can't compete. That's Cradle Mountain in the background (supposedly you can make out a baby somewhere).

Early Morning Camping

If I were to get up this early every day I'd have more photos than I'd know what to do with. Thank god I never get up early.

Mass Murderer!

A road side slasher was victimizing drivers on the east coast. This horrible person is so persistent that the county has erected this permanent sign to warn travelers. I had my trusty multi-tool on the ready just in case.

It's Gaytime!

I couldn't resist having a Gaytime! After eating two of them I hadn't had a gay time yet. But lucky for me, there are 4 chances to have a gay time! And lo and behold, on the 3rd try I had a hell of a gay time.

Where's Tara

This was an outstanding day on the east coast of Tassie. Tara is down on the rocks looking the place over giving an approving nod. Most of the beaches we visited were deserted. mmm.. dessert.

Pirate Booty

Argh Matey. You'd have to expect to see pirate booty on an island with so many ship wrecks. If you look just underneath the skull you'll find ole davy jones locker for sure.

Bruny Island

I spent two glorious days alone on Bruny Island just south of Hobart. I found lonely surf beaches and amazing bird life in a short period of time. This is looking south beyond Australia's second oldest lighthouse. It's like looking back in time. You can imagine Abel Tasman's ship sailing past in 1643.

Ray Surfs Huge Wave

This wave formed up behind me into a 15 foot monster. Tara was so shocked and concerned that she dropped the camera and didn't get any photos of it. Oh well.. next time.

Hippie Paradise

Wow man. Like whoa check out the gnarly paint job on this party van. I could like live at this spot forever. Just me, my Grateful dead tapes and an herb garden.

Chocolate wave

I surfed this nestle quick wave and it was gross. Named Cloudy bay because of the water (it's filled with red algae). It got in my ears and I couldn't hear for most of the time in the water. Oh.. and the water was 15C (59F). Damn cold!

Unknown Birdie: Tasmanian Scrubwren

Tassie Scrubwren - my friend at Inala on Bruny Island identified this one for me.

Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo

Scarlet Robin

Musk Lorikeet

Oops. This is a Musk Lorikeet, not a Little Lorikeet. The Musk has the red face mask. The Little has red under his beak.

Forty Spotted Pardolote

I saved the best for last. This is considered to be one of the rarest birds in Australia. Only a few groups are left in south eastern Tasmania. One group in particular is being kept going by a private landowner on Bruny Island. It is profoundly sad to sit and watch an animal that may go extinct within my lifetime.

Gone where? Where next?

2007-01-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

Merry New Years, Happy Xmas, etc., etc.

2007-01-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years! Fireworks, surfing, islands and animals. Tara and I have been all over the place in the past few weeks. Heaps of photos to catch up with so lets get started!

Whitsundays Xmas

Our journey begins at the Whitsundays Island group in Queensland where we did a scuba dive on the great barrier reef and a variety of bird/animal hikes. We spent Xmas on an island which was strange. The water was bathtub warm and filled with life relieving jellyfish. So swimming was at your own risk. Then Santa Claus showed up with the Easter Bunny and handed out lollies. This is not the Xmas I grew up with..

Crikey a Croc!

We went on a river trip to find crocs and we found plenty. In this murky brackish river you can bet the crocs rule. Every few years some moron gets taken by a croc. He is usually found in the belly of the croc with a can of VB still in hand. It's a place where a "no swimming" sign couldn't be any more redundant.

Wedge Tailed Eagle

On the same river trip we saw a few bird of prey! These birds are no joke and rule the area from above. I was running around the boat pointing my camera up while everyone else was looking down in the water for crocs.

Osprey

The eyes of this guy tells the story. He was probably looking a mile down river for a mouse or something. I've got another photo of this same bird being 'attacked' by a tiny Willie Wagtail. All other birds hate these guys because they eat whatever meat they can find..

Long Island

The islands here are truly amazing. White sandy beaches named by Captain Cook because he came through on Easter Sunday. Crazy story - I came across an old friend here by chance. He was waiting for a bus and we walked by him. Amazing coincidence. He lives in California and is on holiday in Oz for a month. The chances of us meeting up are astronomical.

Bush Stone Curlew

The town at Arlie beach has a huge lagoon/swimming pool for the tourists to keep them from swimming with jellies. So late one night Tara and I are swimming and up flies this guy not 10 feet from us. Huge bird wading in the water with us. Pretty cool and quite unusual to hang out with a night bird (check out how big his eyes are).

New Years Eve Sydney (1/3)

Hate to state the obvious, but these are fireworks over the Sydney Opera House. 12 hours of waiting and traveling for 10 minutes of fireworks. Really impressive, wouldn't do it again. 45 minute wait to use the toilet.

New Years Eve Sydney (2/3)

New Years Eve Sydney (3/3)

Jervis Bay

My good mate Zack was kind enough to let me hang out with his family at Jervis Bay for a week. Basically.. wake up, eat, surf, lunch, surf again, dinner, sleep, repeat. It was great and I learned more surfing that week than I've learned in 6 months.

Danny Boy

My bud Danny pulling a floater off the top of the wave as it closes. I really covered his ass on this shot (inside joke). Since I'm the one manning the camera I don't have shots of myself. So I can't show you the shot of me doing an aerial.

Pacific Heron

This show off was hanging out with horses near the bay. I had to hop a barbed wire fence and the horses came after me once I got this shot. Needless to say I didn't hang around to see what was going to happen.

Joey

A family of Kangaroos hang out at the beach where we surfed all week (Cave beach). This little guy didn't mind all the people streaming by with their surf boards or me up in his face with my camera either!

Wallaby

This was taken in Ku-ring-gai National Park this past weekend. So you can clearly see the difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo.. right?

Tawny Frogmouth

This is a HUGE find for me. Well.. an old man pointed him out to me. Frogmouths are nocturnal and utterly impossible to find if you don't know where to look. They are masters of disguise and can perfectly match their surroundings. I'm certain I've walked by and even looked directly at plenty of these guys without actually seeing them. I've been staring up in the trees for months trying to find one. Now I can give my neck a rest.

Pelican

I've decided that Pelicans are my favorite bird and subject. Who else makes these crazy faces? They are easy to photograph and never fail to charm.

Birds, Horses, Babies, Cars

2006-12-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Sydney View from Balcony

This is our view from our 10th story balcony. What is missing? The sounds of the trains below and the smell of Kimchee from the neighbors.

White Faced Heron

What?? You've seen enough birds already? Ha!

Eastern Spinebill

This was taken at a friend's engagement party (congrats Zack and Amanda!). Amanda's family live on an awesome spread in Hilltop with birds a plenty. I figure this is one of my favorite shots.

French Baby

Congratulations Marion and Damien! Baby Erwan (here at 6 weeks) was a very camera friendly subject. He never once tried to fly away or hide behind tree leaves.

Rosehill Racetrack

This past weekend was RFI's Xmas party. So in true Aussie style there was plenty of gambling and drinking. Everyone at the racetrack is well dressed and somewhat well behaved. It is a bit strange to go to a 'sporting' event in slacks and a collared shirt.

Sydney Olympic Park

My favorite place to go after work. We are truly lucky to have the site of the 2000 Olympics at our doorstep. The Aussies totally gutted what used to be a toxic dump and turned it into a nature reserve. For 6 bucks we get to swim the same lanes that the great "Thorpedo" set records in. Cheapest thing you can do with (most) of your clothes off.

Cisticola

Olympic Park Resident. Probably been here about 100,000 years longer than any of the nearby apartment building's residents. I give this area about 10 years before it is turned into a shopping center.

My Phat Ride

Look closely and you can see my sweet rims still spinning. The distortions in the shot are from the hydraulics, 1000W stereo and nitrous oxide. The ladies swoon at the sight of my pimp mobile.

Willie Wagtail Wife

At my favorite lunchtime wildlife spot (Lake Parramatta outside work) Willie and his wife were busy with their nest. The nest is made of sticks and spider webs (note the web on her forehead). Sadly I don't things worked out, there weren't any eggs (I think she was practicing) and later the nest fell apart. Willie played the part and danced around to try and lead me away from his nest. Nature is very cool.

Kingfisher's Nest

A pair of Kingfishers (again at my lunchtime spot) are busy feeding their young here. I'm hoping to get a glimpse of them, but I don't see myself climbing a tree to do so.

Aussie Animals (No Zoos!)

2006-12-03T00:12:00.000-08:00

Crikey Mate! She's a ripper! These are my aussie animal all stars to date. I'll append this message as new ones arrive. No zoos needed in Australia, just step out into your backyard!

I wrote up a flowchart to simplify animal identification in the bush. I've broken it down into a run/don't run structure that I believe will greatly decrease potentially dangerous encounters. I recommend memorizing this for future reference.

Hot Goanna Love

Location: Lake Parramatta, near workCover your eyes kids. These two were so concerned with their business that they didn't budge when I stepped over them on the path. Normally Goanna will head up the nearest tree. Compare the size of the leaves to them - these aren't little lizards.

Echidna

Location: Royal National Park
This is a rare encounter during the day. Only cloudy days will do as they usually move around at night. They have poor eyesight and only reacted to me when I was moving. He was adorable because every time I moved he would bury his head in the ground to "hide" from me. It was like playing peek-a-boo.

Red Bellied Black Snake

Location: Lake Parramatta, near work
I find all kinds of cool things near work. As I sat down on a rock I noticed him not 5 feet from me! Poisonous? Very.

Eastern Water Dragon

Location: Blue Mountains, Jenolan Caves
Reminds Tara and I of our beloved pet "Colonel Mustard." This guy jumped off into the water and swam across the lake! I thought dragons feared water as it would expel the pilot light in their throats. I guess I was wrong.

Kangaroo mom and Joey

Location: Blue Mountains, Campsite near Jenolan Caves
4am, thump thump thump. All around our tent I heard this and thought "what manner of beast is this?" Around 20 kangaroo (this will increase every time I tell the story) were around our tent. Every time I stuck my head out they'd stop and I couldn't see them (pitch dark). I had to snap these photos in the dark, review the camera, then re-shoot- predicting where they were. A lot of work for a mediocre shot.

Green Tree Snake

Location: Near Manly beach
OOOh! The famous Angry Green Spitting Snake! He'll jump off his perch to take small children. They are more feared than drop bears.. (actually they are harmless)

Angry Lizards

Location: Blue Mountains, Six Foot TrackThese two warriors were fighting over (you guessed it) a woman. The 'lady' waited to see what would happen then ran off when they were done head bobbing and hissing. The winner got to chase her home. Sounds like what happens at bars in Sydney.

Shark

Location: Mona ValeGo surfing, pack up surf board, walk up the beach.. Shark. Good thing he was already dead. I would have opened a can of whoop ass on him.

Copperhead Snake

Location: Blue Mountains, campsitehehehehe.. This guy was near our first campsite. So I told Tara that I didn't like the site because of the 'neighbors'. We left and later I showed her the photos. Copperheads are friendly enough though.. right?

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

2006-11-28T01:12:00.000-08:00

Great Ocean Road

This sign is here to remind you what side of the road to drive on. Just in case you flew to Australia. Got in a rental car. Drove on the wrong side of the road for 3 hours and made it, alive, all the way to this sign.

2/12 Apostles

The Twelve Apostles are a rock group in Australia. They broke up a few years back and now there are only 8 left. No chance for a reunion tour.

6.1/12 Apostles

Same photo spot, just turned around to face the other 6. Look at the pile of rubble on the ground, that fell last year!! There are actually only 8 of the original 9 that once existed. Yes that is 9.. not 12. They named it 12 to be sound more biblical or something. Can you imagine being there to watch one of these monsters crash to the ground! These guys have been here for 1000s of years!

Three Monoliths

I'm going to be in the dog house for calling Tara a monolith.

Ray & Tara

The obligatory Tara and Ray photo.

Danger!

This sign says it all. They should just replace it with "Don't do anything stupid."

Real Live Koala

Driving to the southern most tip in Victoria there are Koala bears! This came as a shock because I was certain that Koalas were just an aussie gimmick and that they didn't really exist in the wild (only in zoos). I was looking around to see if I'd find zoo keepers nearby to put them back in their cages after the tourists left.

Headline: "Laurel found in Australia"

We all thought Laurel (from Laurel and Hardy) passed away years ago. But he is alive and well in Warrnambool. Now we just need to find Hardy for a reunion show.

Red Door

Warrnambool is full of these kinds of images. My theory is that they stopped advancing in the 1980s. Guess they figured it was enough. On the way into town we listened to 50s doo-wop and there were classic cars everwhere. Manicured lawns as far as the eye could see.

Truck Train

Finally saw the rediculous trucks that ply the roads well away from cities. Double length trucks are pretty common, but this is our first triple length truck. There are 36 wheels on that thing!

Striated Pardalote

You didn't think you'd get away without seeing more birds?! This little gal had a nest nearby and was busy feeding her hungry chicks.

Superb Fairy Wren

Welcome Swallow

Grey Fantail

Aussie Antenna Range

I really did have work to do on this trip. This is our outdoor antenna range that we use to test antenna patterns. The day after this photo was taken a horse riding competition was on. Look closely at the back of the field for the obstacles.

Royal National Park

2006-11-12T00:42:00.000-08:00

Great weekend trip! Royal National Park just south of Sydney is the second oldest national park in the world (next to the great Yellowstone NP). It has amazing vistas of the coast and a really rugged coastline.. but I just want to see the birds! Over 280 species have been spotted there. I'll have to believe them. But I did see two very exciting species, the famous lyrebird and the satin bowerbird (and his bower).

The lyrebird is famous for mimicking pretty much any sound. Other birds are their favorite subject, but people have observed them copying trains, chainsaws and even camera shutters. The one we saw/heard was apparently a star wars fan. Lyrebirds don't fly (tail feathers are like peakcocks), instead they are quite quick on their feet and managed to elude my camera at every turn.

Burned Out Tree

"It reminds us that though the fire has consumed everything, life still manages to prevail." Couldn't resist quoting Paul (friend at work) on this one. 1994 a fire swept through RNP and pretty much leveled everything. Took a while, but all is well.

Yellow Monarch

These little guys were singing away at us on our hike. The burned tree trunks provide a great backdrop for any subject.

Ray and Tara

Had to throw in the obligatory Ray and Tara shot. This is outside our packed campsite. This was not a good place to camp. If you picture Aussies with 10 man tents, bottles of wine and screaming kids, then you might be able to get a feel for it. Ear plugs are required.

Satin Bower

This was a great find. The Satin Bowerbird creates this bower and decorates it with little blue bits and pieces. In the wild there are no blue pieces other than flowers and feathers. Here we found blue bottle caps, forks, clothes pins, labels and a single blue feather. This bower of course is to attract the female Bowerbird (which isn't satin colored, but spotted white and brown). And sure enough, we spotted both the male and female nearby having their way with each other (took about 1.2 seconds).

Goanna

Finally saw a real live Goanna. I believe this is technically a Gould's Monitor, but I believe "Goanna" is a catch all for around 20 species of monitor here. This guy was huge! At least 3-3.5 feet long. As soon as I grabbed this shot he headed up the tree to hide.

Red River

The forest floor was lush and teeming with life. Same can't be said for 90% of the dry continent. But when found, it is beautiful.

Red Browed Finch

These tiny guys are cool characters with their red masks. I've seen them in two other environments, but here they were quite a bit more relaxed and let me grab these shots before taking off.

Aussie Photos

2006-11-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Australia - we've been here since November 2005. I'd say time flies but it really seems like a lifetime since we arrived. These photos represent most of what we've been doing - hiking and exploring. I'd show you photos of Sydney, but 27 photos of the Opera house doesn't do Australia justice.

Canberra

Canberra gets a lot of flack about it being sterile and over planned. This photo says it all. All the rumors are true. Designed by an architect from Chicago (blame the Americans), it has all the charm of a modern art museum. There are two restaurant areas and if you aren't near them, tough luck. The gas stations are hard to find which is strange because without a car you'd be SOL. The town is way too spread out and it takes leaps and bounds to get from one area to the next.

Floriade

Floriade, how exactly does one pronounce that? This is the annual Canberra flower festival and showcases the worlds best flower arrangements. Flowers battle for #1 in an all out extravaganza. Sunday Sunday SUNDAY! Stamins vs. Pistol, who will take the glory? You buy the whole seat but you only need the edge!

Waterfalls in the Blue Mountains

The Wentworth Falls area in the Blue Mountains are amazing. All the tourists flock to Katoomba to see the 3 Rocks, but Wentworth is far more interesting. The key word here is water - it never rains in Australia, so if it does run out to Wentworth to see the water fall..

Six Foot Track

Tara and I did an overnight backpacking trip on the Six Foot Track. This is a great track with a lot of features to explore. The bridge Tara is on is really dodgy and narrow. About halfway across you wish you had just hiked across the dried out river it crosses. Australia has all these bridges that go over dirt, I guess it'll rain here someday.

Rock and Tree

At our campsite we had a lot to explore. Tons of birds, cows and rocks. Wow, I lead an exciting life.

Cow Picks Nose with Tongue

At our campsite the cows were everywhere. Which meant the flies were everywhere too. I tried to scare off a mom and baby (veal?) and she stood her ground. I figure she'd win that fight. When I got back to civilization I had a hamburger to prove a point. I win.

Tree Reflection in Water

This is a tree reflected in water. Again - six foot track.

Crazy Barbed Wire Dress

Sydney is home to a great number of museums and I love them all. There are also a ton of them in Canberra, but they are all in Canberra (figure that one out). I'd post all my maritime museum photos but then you'd all fall asleep. If you come out to Sydney I'll drag you to the maritime museum whether you'd like to or not.

Birds.. lots of them

2006-11-07T02:34:00.000-08:00

Birds??

A few months ago I'd have laughed if you had asked me to name one. But Australia is different from home (Colorado). The birds are the main players in the environment. Sure I've seen other wildlife - sharks, snakes, crocs and kangaroos. But the birds are everywhere, all the time. Go to work, eat lunch, sit on your porch and they will be there.

I have yet to go on a hike where I haven't discovered some new and amazing new species. In three months I've photographed over 70 species! Most shots are of a bird in a tree and quite boring. But these stand out as real keepers and I hope you agree!

Cape Barren Goose

This goose was bathing at Centennial Park in Randwick. The park is a good photo spot because birds are used to all the people milling about. Unfortunately for them the park is a bread crumb dump with sickly birds abounding due to the overcrowded conditions - they trade diseases amongst themselves.. please don't feed the wildlife!

Scarlet Robin

This tiny robin was patient enough to let me take this shot before flying off. This was taken in the Blue Mountains on the tail end of a backpacking trip on the six foot track.

Long Billed Corella

Another of the Centennial Park residents. Many of the Corellas gets a bit old and overweight because of the unhealthy and unnatural conditions. I love to see them there, but hate to see them sick.

Black Stilt

Olympic Park, site of the 2000 Olympics, has done a great job preserving natural marsh lands and has reclaimed a fair amount of mangrove swamps. They even provide a nice bird blind to watch the birds doing whatever it is they do.

Rainbow Lorikeet

The Rainbow Lorikeet is easily the most recognizable resident in the Sydney area. They thrive on the locally planted nectar producing trees. In Strathfield where I live they flock by the hundreds and raise quite a ruckus with their loud screeching.

Welcome Swallow

The tiny welcome swallows are lightning fast and don't sit still for long. A fair number of them live just outside of the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains.

Australian Pelican

To see them on land you'd think they would never make it aloft. But to watch them effortlessly gliding along on open wings is enough to make a believer out of me. Oddly enough, they live throughout Australia wherever water is to be found. Which in dry Australia is somewhere just slightly west of the east coast..

Superb Fairy Wren

This is one of those birds that is everywhere, yet so small most people don't notice them. I've seen them in just about every park or track I've been on. But most would be hard pressed to identify one. Their blue streaks nearly flouresce in the sunlight.

Masked Lapwing

The aptly named and goofiest looking bird in Sydney, the Masked Lapwing is an odd character. They don't like to fly, preferring to root around in the grass for food. This photo was taken just outside my work. I'd seen the parents around for a few months and sure enough the little one showed up this Spring. I took this photo from the window of my car, birds don't seem to mind cars. The moment you step out they all fly off like you just stepped through some mysterious portal.

Red Rumped Parrot

Canberra (the capitol of Australia, and no I didn't know that before I came here either) is home to this beautiful parrot. My friend Wong snuck around to encourage the parrot to take flight so I could snap away from the other side. Not real 'eco-friendly', but the results speak for themselves.

Kookaburra

No bird photo collection from Australia would be complete without the Kookaburra. They laugh and carry on with the most amazing and memorable calls. The sound of the Kookaburra is a defining element of the Australian environment.

Little Pied Cormorant

The cormorant is one a family of water birds that do quite well in Australia. Chances are if water is around, they'll be there. So far I only find them as couples and generally not in flocks. This guy was hanging out at a pond near work.

Australian King Parrot

My friend Amanda's mom lives in a great spread where Parrots, Rosellas and Lyrebirds live. The tree leaf shape is suspect if you ask me...

Taronga Zoo

These next four photos are "cheating" because they were taken at a zoo. Never the less they are some of the most exciting shots I've taken. The Taronga zoo is a favorite of mine (next to the San Diego zoo) and has the most amazing 'bird show' that I've seen once or twice, or four. The following birds are native Aussies that I'd hope to someday see in the wild.

Black Kite

Rufous Owl

The gal in the shot is the host and bird handler at the show. The freaked out kid just let the bird fly off of his gloved hand.

Wedge Tailed Eagle

Black Breasted Buzzard

This striking creature has a natural instinct to crack open large eggs. Emu or Cassowary eggs can't be opened by a mere beak. So this bird has learned to open them by smashing a rock against it. It uses tools! I myself would probably use a band saw.

Galah

Anyone who has seen the bird show will appreciate this shot. The Galah flys to the hand of a member of the crowd and steals the gold coin from their outstretched hand. The Galah then returns to the handler. The bird later returns the coin after some jokes.. But this time the bird returned with a diamond ring and thoroughly shoked the girl when her (soon to be) fiance stood up and asked her to marry her. Good on you mate!

Who's that?

2006-11-06T02:24:00.000-08:00