Perfect Moments

I lead an ordinary life. From the outside looking in, it might seem unusual, unconventional but it’s my life and feels ordinary to me. It is full of moments. Fun moments, tired moments, lonely moments, happy moments, sick moments, tragic moments, elated moments, spiritual moments … and perfect moments.

Perfect Moments. What is a perfect moment? For a perfectionist like me – it is a very elusive moment in time that goes beyond ‘great’ or ‘outstanding’ or ‘it can’t get better than this’ and lets the person experiencing this ‘perfect moment’ glimpse a tiny bit of heaven.

I was thinking of perfect moments as I was falling asleep last night after taking our night shots of the Sydney Opera House and the first thing I thought of was the first time Jessie said ‘I love you’ to me. Seems like a ‘nice’ moment – even a ‘cherished’ moment – but ‘perfect’? When your daughter is 21, mentally handicapped and the event occurred just last year – yes … it becomes a perfect moment … the moment I finally get to add that small little word to the end of something I had been saying to Jessie for 21 years: “I love you, too”. Do I have a picture of a perfect moment? No – that’s not how it works – I have fairly perfect photos, but no picture of a perfect moment. Wouldn’t that be nice?

********


Sydney. Gary and I head out to take night shots of the opera house – me – because I am a photography fanatic and Gary because he loves me. We set up the tripod and I start snapping away. We move our position a few times, trading off a fixed, flat spot to set our camera and the tripod between us.

Photo title: "Ghosts"

We then decide to climb some stairs and get a better view of Harbor Bridge and get some shots of that - so up we go. I set up the tripod again and started snapping away. It was dark, and to shoot a clear shot on a dark night, you need to use the timer - because you hitting the button is enough to jiggle the camera and fuzz up your shot. So we got used to the cadence of the night - hit the button - an 8 second countdown depicted by ever faster soft beeps, the click of the aperture opening - then at least a 20 second wait while the camera absorbs the light, then another click of the aperture closing. A second later - your shot is displayed on the back of the camera.

Over and over again: Press, beep, beep .... beep, click, wait, wait, wait, click .... photo!

We are done.

We take the tripod base off my camera, put our cameras away, fold up the tripod and off to the motel we go. It had been a long day and I was tired, but happy – and excited to look at my photos since you can’t really tell if they are out of focus until you get them on a computer screen. We are walking along the top of the Cruise Ship terminal and Gary sees a set of steps leading up – towards the location of the Opera House. He says “I wonder what this view would look like”. I reply “It is probably gated off and we are done, let’s go”. As usual, he ignores me and starts climbing the stairs. I remember thinking that there was no way I was going up there – as I started climbing the steps behind him …


It’s a good view of the Opera House. Gary says – “Get your camera out – take a few shots”. I grumble “OK” and start unpacking everything. Get the tripod set up, my camera on it and it won’t focus. I was frustrated. Calmly Gary suggests we switch to manual and focus manually – which he does. He snaps a few shots.

Then all of a sudden, we hear a ‘boom’ … and FIREWORKS light up the sky just to the right of the Opera House. We stare at each other in amazement. Here we are, the camera is set up, it is pointed in the right direction and …. Fireworks? What are the odds? Gary says “Start shooting!” and I press the button down.

Beep, beep, …. beep, click – fireworks blasting – click. “Too many – too much light – dang”, I say. You see, 20 seconds is an eternity during a fireworks show.

Gary says "Just keep snapping shots" which I do - getting bursts of low fireworks in the trees.

I press the button again: Beep, beep … beep, click – nothing - no fireworks … then: boom – blast – a huge pink firework lights up the sky – click. "YES!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I had just captured, randomly one firework, next to a beautiful building I have always wanted to photograph, with the person I love most in the world standing next to me. Twenty seconds, just twenty seconds is what it takes to capture a Perfect Moment:

And, who knew - if you just keep trying ...

Just maybe

in one evening ...

You can experience an entire sequence of Perfect Moments ... which I think is called a Perfect Evening and a beautiful ending to a wonderful trip to Sydney.

If You Don't Succeed ...

... in getting the answer you want about the Sydney Opera House being lit at night ... just keep asking around! I had been originally told 'no' it was not lit and at 5:00am I could see that for my own eyes, but when seeing the lit Opera House again in a picture - called the Concierge and asked - who said it was lit every night until Midnight. Excited does not even begin to explain how I felt!

Gary and I went out last night - and, well something magical happened ... but that is for another post. Don't have time right now since we are heading to the airport in 1/2 hour - so I will just post a couple of my photos and skedaddle:

Our time here in Sydney was, well ... magical - as I said! I will post tonight - y'all will be in bed - with some photos that even in my wildest dreams didn't think I would ever be able to take!

Later!

Flying High

Having an absolute blast in Sydney!!!

We had a wonderful flight, arrived by train to the Marriott and were surprised with a room upgrade and access to the Executive Lounge - thanks to one of Gary's many Gold travel type cards. Great perks, downside is you have to travel a lot to gain the status - that I don't think is all that fun for these executive types.

Took off for Hyde Park (no apparently the OTHER Hyde Park) and saw St. Marys Cathedral:

Apparently I might not be ENTIRELY all Jacarunda'ed out:

Then off on a trek through the Botanical Gardens to get a shot of the Sydney Opera House. The Botanical Gardens is HUGE! And thus a huge walk, but it was worth it. Parrots were grazing in the grass in flocks:

And then, there it was!

You will probably be seeing the Sydney Opera House ad nauseum because I cannot stop taking photos of it:

One of my panoramas (to really appreciate you will need to click on the photo):

After our photo shoot - Gary taking FIVE - count 'em FIVE photos of the Opera House and me taking, oh, maybe around 200 with my panorama (like the one above - they are 6 - 7 photos apiece) we headed back to the Marriott of sore feet. Gary says our photo taking habits average into two normal people taking photographs - but I'm thinkin' ... FIVE?

Got ready and headed to Wicked playing at the Capitol Theatre - a beautiful theatre! It was SPECTACULAR! I loved every minute of it. It got out late, so my - "I brought a tripod and I'm damn well going to get night photos of the Opera House" mantra was weakening and we decided we could do it tomorrow night.

It is now Saturday and my eyes popped open at 4:22. Couldn't go back to sleep and had to chuckle that it was 5:22 Brisbane time. Kept waking Gary up so snuck into the bathroom to call downstairs (on those weird phones in the bathrooms) and asked when the Executive Lounge was opening (wireless Internet and not waking up Gary was my goal). He told me 6:30, but to try my key card (only certain ones will let you on the 30th floor where it is) in the door and if it didn't open, he would come open it up for me ... which he did. I SO LOVE Marriott Hotels!!

I have now incurred the wrath of the staff setting up for breakfast in here since I was sitting here when they unlocked the door - but don't really care. Gary just called and said "You've been gone an hour and a half ... where are you?" Ooops - goal number two not working so well. I told him. Apparently his first guess was that I was wandering the streets of Sydney alone ... silly fellow.

So I will finish up this blog, get out the the Executive Lounge workers hair, go back to my room and start what is sure to be an absolutely fantastic Saturday!!!

Note: the guy that let me in told me they only light up the Opera House for special occasions ... as Kimberly would note: *cries a little*.

Later!!!

Practice, Practice, Practice

In approximately nine and a half hours I board a plane for Sydney for my final 'hurrah' here in Australia. I am going to enjoy seeing Wicked, being with Gary and taking tons of photos ... but I am no good with night shots and I would kill for a good shot of the bridge there and especially the Sydney Opera House.

So - I practiced - figured out the tripod (this was much harder than I really thought it would / should have been) and took some shots. Now I know we are all sick and tired of seeing Story Bridge, but when that is what fills the entire wall of your apartment - it is hard to ignore when practicing:

I mentioned that the lights were originally white and wondered why they were now red. Some have also asked. I found the answer and they are not red - they are pink in honor of Breast Cancer Month. I assume they will be back to white next month.

The shots are pretty clear - even though the shutter time is about 20 seconds. I threw in the buildings off to my right just for variety:

Now for the tricky part - convincing my husband to traipse all over Sydney in the middle of the night with a tripod and cameras to get the perfect shot!

Reflection

Five am - my eyes pop open. Why? It is light outside. Brisbane does not believe in daylight savings time. Regardless of what time I go to bed (2:00am) I am up by 5:00 - just the way it is.

Got up this morning and realized that 'crazy drill guys' had finished working on the balcony and that I didn't need to have my drapes closed any longer. Swooshed open the drapes and looked outside. My mouth dropped in astonishment. I couldn't believe my eyes. I ran and grabbed all 3 of my cameras, ran out on the balcony and started snapping away.

A hundred pictures or so later, I ran into Gary's room and told him to wake up ... in that excited: 'lookie what Santa brought' voice, I told him he had to see this. He looked at me like I had two heads each with ten or so eyes with a bit of a 'I wish I could lop both of them off her right now' look thrown in. I explained the unbelievable phenomenon that was going on ... he was groggily unimpressed. Lays back down and said that he would see my photos later.

Fine ... out to the balcony take another 100 photos or so (series of panoramic shots add up). Put them on the computer - look at them - sort of dark - so grainy - ick. Grab my camera ... "Oh, please let it still be there!" Yes! Two hundred more shots.

All the while thinking ... 'It's a freaking river - a river that moves - how, how, how in the world could the water be glass? And thus being glass - a perfect reflection of Story Bridge:

It's going to be a fantastic day. With a start like that above - how could things go any way, but? A photographer, even a bad photographer like me, lives for the moment they can get a perfect shot, an unusual shot, a beautiful shot. Oh, what a way to start a morning!

Happy Thursday!

While Brisbane Sleeps ...

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.”

―Rosalia de Castro

CAN'T SLEEP ....This is the daily 'Real Simple Daily Thought' - I liked it. Although I do know where that trail up their leads - my old home in Norway. Miss it. But new adventures are afoot so can't complain, now, can I?

Most everyone I know is starting the day that I just ended - It was a good day! I'm sure you will enjoy it!The closer I get to my departure date - the longer my nights are awake - cramming a few more hours into my days, I guess.

Off to surf, play, read a book, spy on other insomniacs, listen to music (headphones of course), and play with old photos (something I have been doing a lot lately - stirring up fond memories and enabling me to see how far I have come with Photoshop), all in stealth silence - Gary is fast asleep and I plan on it staying that way

...Have a good Wednesday!

The Beautiful Jacaranda

Sarah asked me in a previous post, probably tired of seeing the phrase 'purple tree' what they were called. I googled 'purple trees in Brisbane' and sure enough, wiki came through: the Jacaranda tree: explained in depth with photos: here.

That being said - I was sitting in the City Cat yesterday - I had decided to take it to the end, it ending at the University of Queensland, turn around and get off at my stop. At the last stop, a lot of people got on and a lady sat down by me. I prefer the premium seat - outside in the front and there is room for about two people. She turns and says something to me and I reply - which hearing no Aussie accent asked me where I am from - totally confusing her with 'Texas' 'cause I don't talk like a Texan. She was curious why I was there which segued into my husband living here and me over half the time and just bumming - so she started telling me things that I could do around the city. It was very helpful HAD I A PENCIL AND PIECE OF PAPER being basically brainless.

About halfway through our conversation, there was a beautiful tree I had to take a photo of and told her I just loved the tree and aren't they just beautiful? She asked me if I had been to the lake at the University of Queensland to see all the Jacaranda trees? (I heard her say Jacaranda but forgot - thus the google). I told her 'no' and she said I 'had to go'. My feet hurt, I was hot, and tired and wanted to whine to her 'BUT I WAS JUST THERE!' But didn't.

Rolling over this morning I started cursing a perfect stranger and Gary, curious what had me 'possessed' asked me what was going on. I told him of our conversation and that now I felt like I had to go. It is good I didn't just go and try to wing it - would have never found the lake on the huge sprawling campus - but had googled a map and walked right there this morning.

She wasn't kidding. Jacaranda heaven. I am having decision making issues so I just vomited all the photos I liked into this post - didn't even take the time to make them into a slide show. It was a beautiful walk and a beautiful place - I think you had to have been there ....

So ... that's it folks ...

I'm all Jacaranda'ed out ...

Total Crapshoot

Gary was headed out to teach Institute this evening and said something about not seeing my lilies on my blog - or as he put it: "fourteen photos of your lilies on your blog". So since I had some time on my hands, while he was gone, I played.

I turned this photo:

Into this:

I turned this photo:

Into this:

The first one I like. Had to do some complicated things with it and I thought that it turned out fine. The second - total crap. I don't know how it happens - one minute you are creating something and the next minute you look at it and it looks like someone vomited all over your photoshop screen. Go figure.

Too lazy to try again - Gary will be home in a half hour and we will be watching a movie - so I decided to post the crap.

Y'all don't have to look ....


And just for Gary - I didn't quite get 14 photos of my lilies ... 4 will have to do ....

City Cat and South Bank

Decided to take the 'City Cat' today - a form of ferry transportation up and down the Brisbane River. My destination: South Bank. It is where in a previous post I posted 2km of arbors of bougainvillea. I wanted to see if it looked more lush now that it is 'spring' here in Brisbane.

Pretty much the same:

I was not able to show you the very large sandy beach and pool that is man made and a very popular spot in the summer (it was blocked for some sort of construction) - I guess it is just a bit too cold still - except for the birds:

Pink, Purple & Green:

This little guy and his friends joined up with my ferry ride after I got back on after South Bank going the wrong direction - decided to just enjoy the ride till it turned around and took me home. He is just a titch larger than a hummingbird and they seemed to want to dive bomb you - but being so small - it was just comical:

Then I went bridge watching. Gary and I have discussed this bridge in length - in that 'what were they thinking' discussion. It seriously looks like an erector set experiment gone horribly wrong and mars the beautiful Brisbane river (in my humble opinion):

Because there are beautiful bridges around:


Train bridges:

Plentiful bridges - just that one - scary one!

And, of course, before I got home I had to snap a photo of a purple tree (it is the law):

Unfortunately, when you start out at 7'ish you are home by 10'ish and still have a day ahead of me - better get to work!!

Space Food Sticks and Queues

Sometime this morning:

Gary: (reading my blog on his blackberry): "I don't see me shaking hands with Mr Heart Healthy" (or "Mr Heart Attack", or "Stupid Stuffed Heart Thingy" - I don't recall what he actually called it, but I knew what he was talking about).

Lori: "A girls gotta make choices, it didn't make the cut."

Been thinking about it and thought ... I'm bored, my last post was a boring and a downer, I am going to randomly post crap on my blog to avoid any adult responsibilities whatsoever.

So ... my friend:

Here's to a long, healthy life, Gary (I am sure that shaking Mr Heart Healthys hand is going to guarantee you are heart attack free ... I can just feel it ... or maybe it's all that bicycle riding?):

Oh! And how could I have possibly forgotten his 'secret weapon'? We went shopping at Woolies before we headed to Sea World on Saturday - so he stocked up on things that he was going to need on the ride - energy drinks, trail mix and these disgusting little critters:

I believe he actually 'yellped' when he saw them - both of us reminiscing having space food sticks as children, but mine, I told him were peanut butter based rolled in evaporated milk. To that, Gary standing in the middle of the aisle of the supermarket said: "The ones I had were actually edible". (Butthead)

I thought he could buy them on the merit of the funky 60's - 70's packaging. And in the cart they went. He got home and decided to sample them before he was on the road and made me take a bite ...

... not only was it packaged in the 60's - I think that is when they were made! Most disgusting thing I have eaten in a very long time. But Gary loves them - go figure.

Space Food Sticks - a total blast from the past - I guess it is fitting we bought them at Woolworths (I am picturing they have been sitting on a stock shelf somewhere since the 60's)



OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES:

This is a post that I thought about writing but decided it didn't deserve a post spot - so I am sticking it here - because I am still avoiding ...

If you are female and you have been anywhere with lots of people you are going to understand this dilemma: the lines at the loos. Am I right? Man I hate that - why the designers can't just double the stalls for the ladies is beyond me - but ... there you go.

We were at Sea World and Gary was waiting for me every time we headed for the loos. I actually used an open handicapped one once to avoid a line of 20 women - go ahead JUDGE ME! I wasn't going to wait and IT WAS OPEN!

That was Saturday. Come Sunday we end up at a park with 10,000 bike riders and their family and loved ones wandering around. Those two stalls in the parks lavatory was not going to cut it.

What to do? What to do?

There was a big semi truck that said on the side: "Just Loos" and ... pretty much thats what it was - plus a hand washing station. Equally split for the Ladies and the Gents. But - in a race where at least 90% of the riders were male - guess who queued up and guess who got to just breeze into the loos? Turnabout is fun every now and again ...

Eight Days

Five am Monday morning. I wake up in the dim light of my bedroom. Wander out. I am cold from the air conditioning being on all night - want to get warm - so I head for Gary's room and his magical duvet (not too hot / not too cold) and see that the weather had matched my mood:

It is foggy, depressing, you can barely see the buildings up river. Of course this burns off in a few hours - there must be a law in Brisbane that declares no ugly days - because I have been here very often and to date - have seen one rain shower (quick - moved on) and this fog - both turning into beautiful days for the most part - it must be illegal to have a bad weather day in Brisbane.

I watch the fog dissipate as the sun rises above the clouds that have fallen to the ground, and wonder - is my mood going to dry up as quickly as the weather? No. It will take a bit more for me to snap out of my mental malaise. You see, I have a problem: Eight days - only eight days to go.

The dishwasher is running, the itty bitty European sized dryer is drying and I have my books out studying the beautiful photos the encompass the country of New Zealand. I have things to do, I have settled into a routine. I get here - make sure Gary's 'bachelor pad' is clean (he usually cleans up before I come - so nothing really to do), and start doing what ever I want / need to do.

It is a different life. A big city, downtown life. I walk everywhere, carry a backpack to put my purchases in. I feel like a bird in a nest when I am home looking down on a beautiful city. I people watch - especially when I am on my computer and can see two different apartment buildings out the window in front of me. People going about their lives, hanging out something to dry on the balcony, smoking on the balcony, watching TV, having dinner out on the balcony - the outdoors seems to be a very big deal for the people that I watch - even when the outdoors might be only a 10' x 10' swatch outside their apartment.

Their lives will continue on - the lady in pajamas will still sneak out at 5:00am and smoke a cigarette crouched along the wall, trying to keep warm, the lady in the other apartment will come out and do her daily Tai Chi - and I will again marvel at her beauty and grace, the messier ones will continue to put laundry out on their lines - marring the beauty of the balconies that I watch - but me? Eight days ... and I will be heading ... where ... home? I don't know what it is, especially when I am over here. A house and a dog and a Jessie who comes home to visit every Sunday ... is that enough to call it 'home'? Gary is here and I call this 'home' and I believe I will always consider where Gary lays his head at night my 'home'. But I have responsibilities - mainly to save L from my dog!! (She has gone above and beyond the duty of friends to watch my Charlie for 3 weeks).

And as I think about it, that is 'home' also - just really my 'lonely home', my 'responsibility home', my 'empty home'. Over here my time is maybe slow and boring every now and again, but that is when I am not feeling well - otherwise I am off doing something. At my 'lonely home' I do things too - but always with a date in mind - the date Gary will be coming 'home' and then it will no longer be my 'lonely home' it will just be 'home'.

So in eight days I head off to my 'lonely home', and pick up my responsibilities. That is probably the biggest difference. Here I don't really have any responsibilities. I wouldn't need to do the laundry or clean the kitchen - Gary makes do just fine - I just do it because I want to help out. But there is something freeing about not having any real responsibilities - I pay all the bills before I go (for the most part), I try to do my newsletter (or like last month - let someone else write it for me) I keep the household running - for no one but me, but well - things just need to be done. Here? Not so much.

Eight days. Not much time - but still - enough time. I will get what needs to be done for our trip to New Zealand. I will get the bedroom I sleep in ready for my parents since the next time I come out, I will be coming with them, I will figure out what we need to see while we are in Sydney - and I only, really have five days to do all that - then it is playtime!

Eight days.

One hundred and ninety two hours.

Eleven thousand, five hundred and twenty minutes.

Better start making the most of each minute I have in my 'home' ...

Average: 29K / Hour

Well, somewhere in Gary's brain he must have thought a race was on (see previous post) since he averaged 29K / hour and finished in 3 1/2 hours (I believe his personal best) - thus I was in a car on my way down to the event and no where near the finish line when he sauntered on by.

Gary took this shot at the beginning of the race - a sea of bikers:

A guy he stuck with from work most of the way used his camera to snap this of Gary at about 75K:

And here is the final result: 10,000 bikers in a park on the Gold Coast of Australia:

All in all, Gary doesn't seem phased, said he had a blast, 'drafted' off other riders going the speed he wanted to go and had a great time. He is now muttering something about starting the something ride - a route from Houston to Austin when he gets home. Thought he would make it a yearly event.

Go Gary!!!

And He's Off!!!

4:30am Sunday morning: Gary getting ready to go queue for his group in the 'Bike Thingy' (more on this in a bit). He is in the round of second fastest riders so needs to be there at 5:30am. Dress, eaten, ready to go.

Lori: "I think I will take a pre-shot."

Gary: "Of me, like if I die on the ride?"

Lori: "No ... of my new lilies before they open"

Gary: "Oh"

Lori: "But then again ...." snap:

Got my lilies too.

He's now out the door and queuing with about 5000 other riders - some have come 1/2 hour earlier - those faster than 30K / hour - he is in the 25 - 30K / hour. I read the write up on this Thingy and it is called the Brisbane to Gold Coast Bike Challenge and clearly stipulates that it is not a race and goes on further to state anyone 'caught' racing will be removed from the ride. Crazy Aussies - A finish line? Ten Thousands riders? And SOMEONE is going over that line first - that is a guarantee.

It's a race ...

(send good thoughts down under - in 4 -5 hours I am hoping to see my hubbie alive and looking somewhat well ...)