"Mom, it's just a bridge ..."

Those were Ryan's exact words to me last night as we were out enjoying dinner. I was commenting on something or other and he was frustrated. But, I can't help it - I LOVE Story Bridge.

I realized last night as I was laying there watching the cars whiz by on the bridge that I had lied to you in an earlier post. I said that I was laying in bed looking at the skyline and couldn't figure out what was wrong. That part is true, but then I put a picture of the entire skyline. That is not what I can see from my bed - that implies that things are very far away from us when that is far from the truth. To get a shot of Story Bridge from our apartment, I have to take multiple photos and stitch them together, it is so close.

So I decided to set my camera on my nightstand and shoot a shot of the view towards my lower right side:

That is what I go to sleep and wake up looking at - not some far away bridge. The line is the steel beam between the windows.

Truth is, I am going to miss Story Bridge. My visits are numbered - I may be down to only one more since Gary is coming home in February (for his regular 1 week vacation) - I can visit in March - then his calendar is a big unknown (for a few more weeks). I love taking photos of the bridge, I love how it changes colours on a whim, I love that I can watch as they remove the blue lights and replace them with the usual white lights and answer the age old question: "How many guys does it take to change a light bulb?" - The answer, apparently in Australia is: Three. I love that it lights up our bedroom with a warm glow and that I can lay in bed surrounded by two walls of windows and bask in its warm glowing light.

At home, I have a huge master bedroom, so I am just looking at sections of my room while I wish myself to sleep: the sitting area, my jewelry stands from Korea, our shelves and now, if I look up - Milford Sound. It's just not the same as being surrounded by glass, up high with a city alive and moving beneath you at all hours of the night. Since I have trouble sleeping, it is somehow calming to me to see how many other people are up and about while I am staring out the window wistfully wishing sleep would come.

I awoke at 3:00 am last night and saw this beautiful sight:

Of course, getting the shot required sneaking out of bed, mounting my camera on my tripod, tilting it sideways to get a taller shot, then taking a series of 4 shots to stitch together. For some inexplicable reason - none of my series would stitch except this one - not the best shots - so my apologies. But what a beautiful sight!

An hour and a half later, I was awoken by a warm glowing pink in our bedroom. Our windows were a bit fogged over from the air conditioner being on and it being a bit muggy outside, so things were a bit blurry, but for as far as the windows would show me, all I could see was red and pink. It must have been one spectacular sunrise. Did I get up? No. I was tired and I had been up for an hour the hour previous so I decided not to go check it out. Am I an idiot? Yes - it was probably the most beautiful sunrise I have yet to see here in beautiful downtown Brisbane.

I won't make that mistake again. So few days left here on this trip (a little over a week) and so few trips left. I am going to miss this place, this apartment, the jacaranda trees, the kangaroos, the time with my husband that doesn't involve sawdust, the hustle and bustle of living in the middle of a large down town area, the walks, the views, the City Cat water taxis, the trips, and, of course Story Bridge and its neverending stream of cars driving across on the wrong side! It has become my beacon in the night - something to do when I can't sleep, something to photograph, a constant beaming companion - it is my friend.

But ... it ain't over yet! Brisbane - you have more out there for me to discover ... here I come!