Like, Where's Shamu?

Went to Sea World today. There was no Shamu - what gives? I thought all Sea Worlds had a Shamu? The problem may lie in the fact that the last time Gary and I were actually at a Sea World was when we lived in LA in 1984 - so there's that ... but ... I miss Shamu!

But, I LOVED the dolphins. They had an excellent show and we went twice. I had so many action shots I made it into a slide show. Gary was my assistant photographer and made a bunch of mini films the second time around - I picked a very good one. So a very ambitious blog - slide show, photos, blathering, and a movie.

We had a thoroughly fun day. Got a wee bit sunburned - but knew that was going to happen. Something about that lack of an ozone layer down here down under and you WILL get burned without sunscreen.

So - LOTS of photos of dolphins - but they were the show stealer's - you could actually feel them want to perform. You could see spare ones in other pens doing flips and such just for fun, and we went to the dolphin nursery and they are very friendly, inquisitive and talkative - their little clicks for communication are to die for!

The Shark Habitat had an underwater viewing area that we really, really enjoyed.

You can't tell, but this dude is HUGE! Sort of the Jaws shark:

Gary waited in line for the log flume ride so I could get an action shot of him ... now that is love:

Apparently the upper polar bear is ready to be made into a rug - the lower bear was swimming laps - it was hysterical - he / she would do a flip at the wall and push off just like my swimmer Gary does!

Saturday Sunrise

I know, I know - y'all are saying "there is that damn bridge again ..." but the SUN RISES THAT WAY! What can I say - I am a sucker for a good sunrise.

AIRPORT CHAOS:


I mentioned that next Friday we are flying to Sydney for the Weekend - aptly enough to watch 'Wicked' (skipping church ... get it? Never mind). Gary found out that he has meetings in Melbourne and Sydney on Monday and Tuesday of that following week - the Monday I fly out. So - we fly to Sydney on Friday, fly home on Sunday. Gary gallantly gets me home (since, you know I don't know how to find my way here - kidding it works better - and he is really being a gentleman), turns around on THAT VERY DAY and goes back to the airport and flies to Melbourne. I then sleep luxuriously the ENTIRE NIGHT in his bed (what a perk, eh?) get up Monday and head to the airport locking up his apartment tight and fly home. Monday Gary flies to Sydney and back to our previous stomping grounds, then flies home Tuesday. Man - the Hurst's will be contributing mucho to the taxi service and the Brisbane International Airport next weekend.

Fridays Adventures

So - I had one goal today, and only one - to find Middle Earth, map it out and come up with an itinerary for our visit to New Zealand. This meant walking to Borders to buy more travel books - I don't know, books just seem to give me a sense of power - I DON'T read them, but having them around me makes me feel better - thus I set out on my quest for more books.

Had to pass a church that I pass often - it is a block away from Gary's office. I took this first photo (and a bunch more) with my big camera set to 'take shit photos' - an actual setting - I swear and try as I might in Photoshop, I can't get the colours right, but I thought that I would add it anyway - being that I liked that it was surrounded by bunches of purple flowers. No matter the sky is also purple - yeah - go figure.

These I took with Gary's camera that I stole days ago and he has not noticed. I even put my own memory card in it so that I could delete at will - he never copies his photos over and there were a ton from Yellowstone and I didn't dare keep playing with his memory card - so for now - it is mine - it stays in my pocket wherever I go and I really am going to have to make Mr. Amazon bring me one when I get home.

Here is a part of the church - a little bell tower - I don't know what the building is called - but had the prettiest purple tree and pink flowered tree by it - I thought it was lovely:

Closeup of the pink and purple trees:

So ... I'm walking to Borders and a hair salon pops up in front of me and I veer off inside and try to explain to 3 Koreans with limited English that I wanted my hair colored and highlighted. A teensy bit of gray was showing through right on the edge and it was bugging me last night - noting for a spur of the moment 3 hours of torture just because your husband doesn't like your gray hair (I probably shouldn't use that excuse anymore - I started colouring it because he wanted me to - I had told him that my gray hairs were badges of honor - I had EARNED them - but I really like it and have stuck with the most expensive thing you could possibly do to a persons hair - so that's for Gary - ooooh don't tell him!).

I took this photo right as the 'crazy drill people' rappelled down and landed on my balcony scaring the shit out of me - but now that they have seen me taking random photos of my head, maybe I should stop calling them 'crazy drill people'? A bit blond, but I am feeling dumb lately (joke for all my blond friends - joke).

On the way home I took a couple of photos of building I especially liked. I like the juxtaposition of old vs new here in the heart of downtown Brisbane. Some very cool old buildings:

Yeah - you can guess what camera I used for this photo: (I am so ticked):

Close up of the top (and I could fix it a little bit more than the entire photo):

Oh, so after my hair was done, went down 3 stores to Borders, bought 2 more travel books - one actually has photos - which I am thinking is a plus. I am starting to really not give a shit about this vacation. I stopped at a 'Flight Centre' on my way to ... well, all the above. At first - seeing the signs around I guess "air traffic control school" but really thought they just sold airline tickets - who knew that Travel Agency is "Flight Centre" in Australian. I told the nice lady exactly what I wanted - nature photography - 7 or 8 days (since they say you can't do New Zealand in less than a month we are in serious trouble and I have no clue how to prioritize), that I couldn't hike for very long to anything really spectacular. When she asked on sleeping accommodations - if there was a room for 4 that was much cheaper than two rooms for two - should she go for it - I actually told her yes - my parents might care just a wee bit. But I am sure the price is escalating even as we speak - because as she says - November it the number 1 month for people to visit and things are going fast. My dream is she will come up with a great itinary at a great price and I just say: "Fine, I'll take it" so not our style - but man freaking beautiful country with not enough days - why do I have to be the one to decide what we see and don't see - let's let a complete stranger do it for us!

That's the spirit ...

100K Race

On Sunday, Gary is riding in a 100K race. He is doing it with some guys from work. Work provided the shirts (think Lance Armstrong - with all those adds on his bike shirt- except not yellow, of course). They also have a small area at the finish line with a banner that advertises PNGLNG - let me think - I think I can do this: Papa New Guinea Liquid Natural Gas? OK, something like that. He bought a racing bike last time I was here, and trains every Saturday - riding further and further when he gets up in the morning. He averages 25K an hour - so should take him about 4 hours.

Last night one of the other riders and his wife came over to pick up Gary's 4 bike - bike rack to attach to the back of their car. So me and the wife (I think her name was Stacy - so I will call her that) got to meet each other before being trapped alone together in a car going down to get the guys. There is room in their car for all 6 of us so that won't be the problem.

Logistics and sweaty bodies I believe will be the problem.

First of all - they start at 5:30 and I have no clue how they are getting where the start is - either bussed or it is close enough that they are riding their bikes. Then they join up with all 10,000 other bikers - yes that is TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE ON BIKES. And ride down the gold coast.

Enter Stacy and I a few hours later. We need to find parking probably about 100K from the finish line with 10,000 other cars vying for the 100 available parking spaces. Walk to the finish line, find the PNGLNG area - since that is where they are going to meet up with us.

What do you think the chances are I am going to get a shot of my husband crossing the finish line? I am thinking zero, but would so like to have the photo! I guess sometimes you can't always get what you want no matter how hard you try - and try I will - but with zero expectation (I first better find out what color his bike helmet is, don't you think?).

So then we meet up with 4 guys that just road their bikes 100k and they all pile in the car. Ewww! I will be bringing Gary a change of clothes and the rest will too, and they discussed there might be showers around, but in his wisdom, the other guy said, "Why don't we just walk out in the ocean and rinse off (I am unsure if rinsing a sweaty, salty body with salty sea water is really going to do the trick, but at least there won't be 10,000 other guys waiting for the showers - if there are any (you know the outdoor showers at the beach).

And then we drive home.

I think it is going to be interesting, and Gary is excited. I am very proud of him for taking up this sport and he really enjoys his bike rides and discovered he likes doing it alone - either he is with guys going too slow and he is waiting for them, or going with guys that are going too fast and always trying to catch up - so not as tranquil - thus he has found a solitary sport which thrills me since he is over here often alone.

Stacy seems nice, we will have a few hours trying to get to the finish line and waiting so I am glad I got to meet her and talk with her a bit. She didn't seem scared of me at all - that is a plus in her favor!

So, when I post photos of Gary and his bike or a grundle of bikers in a couple of days - I won't have to go through this entire explanation - you will know it is photos of the race...

I know .... y'all so care ....

I Lied ...

The other day, I distinctly remember Gary standing in the kitchen, me gazing at my roses and him saying "You're funny' - and he didn't mean it in the funny 'hah hah' way - he meant it in the funny 'I don't understand girls' way ... about my flowers.

I don't know what it is about flowers that I like so much. And because I love, love, love flowers - it goes without saying that I love, love, love to photograph them. What can I say.

I can get lost in the center of a rose - it's perfectness, it's tiny gift from God, it's reason for sitting in my house is because my husband loves me, and even though he thinks I'm 'funny' still buys me flowers.

I love close up of flowers - their spirals, their perfectness, their singular beauty.

So - even though I PROMISED no more flower shots - I had to have something to do to avoid studying New Zealand: (sorry - some duplicate because my uploader barfed in the middle and won't tell me which 16 it had already loaded, so I reloaded all 42 ... yes 42 plus duplicates photos of just plain pink roses ...):

In Search of 'Middle Earth' ...

Been a good girl (except for the short quick nap that Gary walked in on when he came home unexpectedly for lunch) scouring my books and the web for an itinerary for New Zealand. Of course - MY itinerary won't be like everyone elses - it will be 'spectacular places to photograph in New Zealand' - and my google search engine is not helping with that AT ALL.

Found a few coffee table books with photos of New Zealand - and I might have to buy one just for the photos - but wanted to purchase the tickets, etc before I left Australia and won't have that book until I get home (unless I miraculously walk into a bookstore here and find something ... probably tomorrows quest ...).

BUT ... I did find out something VERY interesting in all my studies of New Zealand. The Lord of the Rings was filmed entirely in New Zealand - if all the web sites are to be believed. Now - how to find Middle Earth .... (if all I got photography wise was the beautiful scenery in the Lord of the Rings series - I would be a happy gal). So I have been searching for the very elusive Middle Earth ...

Any clues?

So in November I will be going from the Land Down Under to Middle Earth ... not to bad for a Thanksgiving holiday ...

Garys Magical Room

I have mentioned multiple times that Gary and I sleep in different bedrooms, but at the risk of a new user stumbling upon this and wondering about us as a couple - I will reiterate that the problem is "Queen Beds + Gary's height at 6'3" = no where for Lori to comfortably sleep since Gary sleeps on an angle". Thus we start together, but me being the insomniac, wait until I hear his steady breathing: that 'I'm asleep' breathing and sneak off to the other room and get rest with the full use of my extremities and not forced to lay in a fetal position all night on my itty bitty corner of the bed. We are definitely a king size bed couple. There ... I feel so much better and my marriage is still intact - albeit weirdly intact - it is solid - just trying to survive the best way we know how.

So ... this morning I am lying in my bed, the shades are drawn because crazy drill people rappel down and start diddling with our balcony at odd hours and I would rather not have men only 3 feet away watching me get out of bed and run for cover. I also have the flue or hot flashes or something hideous that has me sweating and shivering all at the same time. I hear Gary yell: "Lori, come here". Me: "Why?" Gary: "Just come here". I grumble and stumble out of bed and wander into his room expecting to see a unicorn or something standing in the middle of his room.

Nope - he tells me to get in bed ... what ever. (Go with me here - it is G rated). And he says: "Isn't this nice?" Me: "What" still shivering and grumpy. Gary: "The sun - hitting you in the face - you could tan in the bed every morning". I can't remember what I said - something snide and grumpy. Gary: "How can you not be in a good mood waking up to sunshine hitting you in the face every morning?" Now I just want to slug him because he is so damn happy and jolly and what not. But as I lay there, under his new wool duvet that breathes - is heavy but not hot (it IS magical) - I start to feel better, stop shivering and sweating and relax. Me: "You have the better room, no fair, I hate you" (yeah I really said it). Gary: "What are you thirteen?" Me: "No, twelve - it sounds better and when I tell you that I hate you (and you know that you are my most favorite person walking this earth) that is my 'twelve stage' - thus I am twelve". Gary: "Okaaay".

We lay there and enjoy the sun until it is almost gone off the bed, then I decide I want photos - of course it is too late to get the full sun effect, but who is going to get up and take photos when they are lying, relaxing in the sun enjoying the view out their wall of glass window?

Almost gone: just added to show the view - the first photo after I looked at it didn't do the room justice. It is, as I also told Gary the best bedroom we have ever had - and I do feel a wee bit of ownership so I say 'we'.

And since I was off my game yesterday - with the flu or something - A.J. was wondering why my photo didn't have a 'foot shot'. So this one is for you A.J. - size 7 (impressive guess) feet with a view:

So, although I didn't see a unicorn in Gary's bedroom this morning - it is still magical. I was laughing with Gary about something at the end - and if it can pull me out of the hell I was shivering in - it is truly a magical room ...


Side note: Gary at one point mentioned that he could just lay there every morning and tan in his bed for a half and hour. I told him you couldn't tan through glass - I had heard that somewhere. He does not agree. Urban Legend? Myth? I don't know - anyone have a clue? I thought it was a physics principle that bent the rays of sunlight coming through the glass plus slowed the wavelength to something that was not the same as natural sunlight. Off to Wiki and Google - "sunlight through glass" I guess - then on to reading more about New Zealand.

Googling Results:

"Yes, window glass block the vast majority of shortwave UV-B and UV-C, which causes the most tanning (and skin damage), while passing most of the longer wavelength UV-A, which gives very little tanning results"

I rock!!

Travel Agent

Gary called me from work yesterday and said "You didn't post today". I told him that I had nothing to say - a truly rare thing for me. This is I am feeling a bit 'off' and have been mooning about the apartment reading books. Just not feeling up to going out - which I know - is not a good sign for me and my mental health - but there you go ...

I have been putting a few things off and really need to get to them - so while I am just mooning about in the apartment (really, really just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful view) I need to plan our Sydney trip next week and our trip to New Zealand in November when my parents come.

I hate playing travel guide - because it takes so long to really do a good job of studying the area and figuring out what you want to do, what order, where to stay - and so forth. I have my travel books that should help me, but I will probably get out today (gasp!) and head to queen street - there are a ton of travel agencies there and see what they can do for me for New Zealand. We haven't even picked out a place to fly into (I think) or area to cover so I don't even have a starting point.

Anyone out there with any suggestions - I would appreciate them!

So, today I am putting on my travel agent hat, sitting down and studying downtown Sydney - got the Opera House, Wicked, and St. Anthony's cathedral (just saw it on a special last night) on my list - but really don't know what is available in the Sydney Opera house area (that is close to our hotel and where Wicked is playing and we are thinking we can do this without a rental car and just get cabs for things that are a wee bit too far) but I am sure the place is packed with things to see and we are only there 2 1/2 days. Again - suggestions would be great!

So - got to start reading:

The nice thing about it? I will be reading sitting right here - enjoying my view:

Yeah, I took pictures of books - how pathetic is that for a post?

Mondays Walk

Went on my walk that I meant to go on last Friday today (Monday). I had been to an adorable little park located on the way to Woolworths ('Woolies' to the locals) on my last trip and took photos of it before moving along and going grocery shopping.

Driving by the park some time later, I saw something that made me upset that I had not walked the entire length of the tiny park - thinking of photo opportunities missed - but for the life of me I could not remember what it was I had saw.

So back I went today - and there were more surprises than I had seen from the road.

The entrance (I believe I put a photo of the entrance in last time I visited the park, but it is so darn charming - had to take photos of it again):

The trees were flowering:

A statue I had seen off in the distance, but had not reached last time (I think):

And my first surprise - an adorable sun dial:

Sure enough - it was right on time (10:00):

And then I saw it - a building I had seen being driven to the apartment for the first time by Gary (he came and picked me up at the airport the first time - now that I have a key and a security fob for the building I just take a taxi). It is an old school: All Hallows School and from this side looks very quaint. I see a side of it out the window in front of my laptop right now, sitting here in the third bedroom with a side view not a river view - it still has the old wall, but a butt ugly building. I had wanted to take a photo of the gate - it is dated somewhere in the 1800's but I forgot to even look:

I crossed the street after taking photos of All Hallows School and found myself in Chinatown - it was not very pretty, thus no photos!

Got back home and my friends hanging from the balcony were back - and with a drill. They have been drilling for a couple of hours now and I feel like I am in a dentists office. I might have to go for another walk...

Pink

Sunday's theme seems to be 'colour'. You probably read in order so this will be the first one (unless I come up with another color I want to blog about).

Gary grabbed some flowers for me as is becoming the tradition every time I come. The last two times they have been Asian Lilies and have not opened so we got to watch each pod burst into a beautiful flower. The lilies were looking peaked so he went with roses. We used to joke that I had stayed too long if the lilies died before it was time for me to go.

I am sure my roses will not make the 3 weeks I am here (well, now just over 2 ... how sad) so I will take photos of them in their prime and not harass you with each new opening like I did the lilies.

So ... Pink:

Purple

After arriving in Australia, I got in a taxi to get to the apartment. The first thing I noticed were purple trees everywhere. No leaves, just purple flowers and they were beautiful! I wanted to get a photo (of course) to share and every time I took a photo, the tree looked washed out, and mangy - not like they looked as we were zooming by in the taxi.

Gary and I on Saturday went to take photos and again I took photos of the purple tree, but still - mangy and scraggly. Then Gary told me about a purple tree just down the cliff from the church - so what did I do? Yeah I skipped Sunday School and took a hike to the elusive purple tree. What we had been noticing was that there were a bunch of purple flowers on the ground beneath the purple trees, thus indicating that they had been lush with purple flowers, but that time was slipping away and I might not get my photo.

From above the tree looked good enough, but I had been fooled before. But off I went down all the steps to the bottom in my Sunday finest and heels to take a picture of a freaking tree. Once I got there, I was impressed - it was more lush than any others I had seen, but still not perfect:

I did notice that if I pointed my camera at a particular lush part of the tree with the white clouds in the background, I got a sampling of what they looked like when driving by and probably what they looked like before half of their blossoms fell off:

Here is one that is scraggly that was at the top, but I liked the sky and clouds behind it and the pesky bird that kept mewling at me (the birds sound like cats over here - well, one type anyway - so they meow):

So - my elusive purple tree. Not great, but shows how pretty they are and were with all their blossoms on. They are everywhere so Brisbane is awash in purple right now.

This and That

Every year Brisbane has what is called a 'River Fire' and this year it was on Sept 12th or somewhere near it since that was the day my niece got married and we were not going to be in Brisbane for it. I pulled a couple of photos off the web to show it. It would have been fun to see - as in the second photo - our apartment is sitting there on the left of the photo - we would have ring side seats ... but not to happen.

The weird thing was when I got back in this time, I noticed the bridge lights were red not white like they had been. Gary and I argued about it for a day and then he came to his senses and said, yeah, they had been white before.

What I wonder is why? Christmas is not for months. Why?

Who knows. I shot a panorama this morning that shows the red just a titch but it is also not in focus so crappy panorama:

Also, every Sunday there are hot air balloons. One day we will go on one!

And I thought I would mention the flowers. This time they are roses and will definitely not make it the entire time I am here. I might just have to go back and buy me some myself when these die:

Saturday

Saturday started as was planned - Gary headed off with some fellow cyclists for an 80K ride to gear up for their 100K race next week. He said he would be gone 2 - 3 hours (or I was not paying attention) and at 5 hours I was starting to get nervous, but in he walked - quite tired. He mentioned that he had got a flat and needed to go get some supplies to be ready just in case this happens next week.

We scrapped doing anything extravagant since I was not feeling all that chipper either and decided to drive back to the restaurant where we ate the night previous to get a photo of the building in the light (after stopping at the bike shop):

The building next to it is just as fun, so I took photos of it also:

Across the way was a park with some purple trees we keep seeing. No leaves, just purple flowers, but every time I take a photo of them, they just look washed out and scraggly - I am hoping to find a lush purple tree to take photos of and post, but not here.

We were right on a bay in a little park - so I took some obligatory shots of flowers and we called it quits, headed back to home via the grocery store and spent a relaxing evening - Gary fixing his tyres and me napping.

Wicked

Yeah, you all know me - it could be Tourettes and I am just blurting out words for titles, but then again I am wicked ... about that later.

Alas no photos. Friday was a bust. I was going to go for a walk to a park that I had been to. Once, when we drove by it I saw something - my addled brain forgets what - and I remembered feeling ripped I didn't take photos of it. So my goal was to walk to the park and just wander aimlessly around until I had that eureka moment and found what I had seen before.

Went to lock all the sliding glass doors on the wall that is all glass and one would not lock - I shoved and shoved and it just would not get close enough for the catch to .... well ... catch. Bummer. We never lock them being 16 floors up, who is going to sneak in? But with the guys rappelling down and doing work, it was imperative that I locked up before I left. I called Gary for suggestions but he wasn't answering.

So I cleaned. Yes, me - I cleaned. I don't even clean my own house - but the dust! So I vacuumed, dusted, cleaned the kitchen (gotta get that sink shiny - don't know why Gary can't seem to do that ...).

Gary calls me - about something else he would like me to do since he didn't have the time and I said 'sure' then asked about the blinkin door. I explained what was happening and he explained that BOTH doors move and that the other door needed to be pulled toward the other. I walked over to it, pulled the door toward the other and they fit like a glove and the clicker clicked right in! I said a few choice words since it had ruined my day, but I am glad I know how to do it now. To make me feel better, Gary said he had the same problem until he figured it out. The best part? The guys didn't even show up! So pretty much a waste of a day.

So ... cleaning - fun, fun, fun.

Gary arrived home and we sat down at the computer and got tickets to fly to Sydney, reservations at the Marriott by the Sydney Opera House and tickets to WICKED! We will be doing this the last weekend I am here since Gary is training for his 100K marathon which is the week before - keeping us sort of close to home, but that weekend, we have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to explore Sydney - I am VERY excited.

That's about it for here, it is 6:00am Saturday and Gary is headed out for an 80K bike ride per his training then we will be headed .... somewhere - I will be sure to take photos!

Thursday Update

A while back when I was sick, someone mentioned to me they were so worried about the dust storms in Australia and my lungs. I had said my lungs were doing a lot better and, "What - dust storms in Australia?" I really don't stay up with the news when I am sick in bed. But asked Gary about them and he said they came, they went, I would be fine.


Side note: After a guy saw the photo from my last post and asked Gary what website he pulled it off of and Gary told him it was his own photo pasted together by his wife - that guy (don't know who it was, just a co-worker) said that the sky looked like that because of the dust storm - so something good did come from it ...


... but not in Gary's apartment. He apologized profusely and said that he had not cleaned my bathroom before I came and I was all "Why should you - it's my bathroom and you rarely use it - I can take care of it". Then he reminds me of the dust storms and if you recall I devoted an entire blog last time I was in Brisbane to the ventilation system here in the apartment (and apparently all apartments) where the top 6" of the window in my bathroom is just screen. Yes, just screen, dust storm - put them together and what have we got? Well lets just say that I was able to become part of the world renowned Australian dust storms by cleaning up the blinking mess with Gary - man a lot of dust, wet? Just looks like mud ... in my bathroom.


Only the kitchen and my bathroom have the screen over the window doohickey - the rest of the rooms required to have ventilation in Gary's apartment have vents and they might be filtered since he said the dust was not so bad in there.

This note was posted in the elevators. I thought that maybe I could call them and tell them that my bathroom needed to be cleaned ...


Another fun thing going on at Gary's apartment that I did not fully comprehend is there is some safety work being done on his deck. I'm all for having those handrails not fall out, so no biggie, but the first day I got here - if you read my blog you might recall - I dumped my luggage and fell into bed - thinking it odd the drapes were closed - they are never closed - beautiful view ... and who's going to see you. In the middle of my slumber I hear voices - right outside on the balcony and then I remembered - oh yeah - people are going to be mucking about on the balcony and I was very grateful they could not see in.

The next day they came and I was just wandering the apartment - doing this and that - reading a book, whatever and saw them arrive - on ropes. They start from the roof and belay down. I have rappelled once in my life and it was not for me - that first step off with nothing but a rope holding you up hundreds of feet.

As the day went on, I grew bolder and opened the sliding glass door and asked if I could take their photo. They said yes. One was on the balcony and one was hanging from a rope on the other side of the balcony. I mentioned to him that I would not be comfortable with that. He said he loved the hanging, he didn't love the work he was doing!

So Thursday for me was a lazy day for me - Gary called it a recovery day. We headed out to what everyone around her calls the best steak in Brisbane:

It was called Breakfast Creek Hotel and is a pretty building but my night shots are not so great. The steak was to die for! We came home stuffed, fell straight into bed and I slept the entire night - so maybe my jet lag was not to be this time.It's now Friday morning - and a beautiful one at that:

It's not as pretty as Gary's picture, but then again - I will never come across a day like that to photograph!