Circumspencing the Globe

I’ve been living large with Kerry and Phil, splurging left and right.  They’re gone now, so I’m back to my solo existence.  But for those of you who appreciate fine dining, you’ll find some handy references below. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a scene in the movie “Swingers” in which a group of Los Angelenos who had decided to go to a night spot proceeded to travel the very short distance by car, each one driving separately.  Somewhat comparably, in Sydney, my buddies Kerry and Phil and I decided to make the historic “Rocks” area our homebase but each booked a separate hotel.  Read the rest of this entry »

My travels along the so-called Sunshine Coast in Queensland, the so-called Sunshine State, continue.  It was raining when I left Rainbow Beach on the morning of January 2.  It was raining when I arrived in Maroochydore (“place of the black swans” in the original Aboriginal language) that afternoon.  It rained during my entire two-night stay in Maroochydore.  It was raining when I left there on January 4 for Brisbane, and it was raining in Brisbane when I arrived.  Crikey!  Do you see a pattern here, people?  Read the rest of this entry »

Last time I wrote about being blue.  This entry will be about a different color:  red.  There’s been a lot of talk about red and blue in the news lately, as it pertains to states and American politics.  I’ll be writing about the Red Centre, but not about the USA’s but Australia’s.  Read the rest of this entry »

“Nice weather.  If you’re a duck.”  He said this loudly so his voice would carry over the fierce patter of the rain.  The Queensland license plates on the cars parked behind him fibbed, “The Sunshine State.” Read the rest of this entry »

It’s New Year’s Eve day here in Oz.  I’m still on the east coast of Queensland, but many kilometers to the south of Cairns.  The rain has been heavy for almost a week, with blue sky making an appearance for only a few hours at a time.  In this entry, I’ll attempt to update you with the latest since Christmas.  If there’s enough time before the New Year’s festivities get underway, I’ll fill in some of the details between Melbourne and Cairns, too.  Read the rest of this entry »

It was Christmas Eve.  Gloria asked, “What are you wearing?”

“A green shirt,” I said.

“And pants?” she asked.

“Um, no, just the shirt,” I said.

“What kind of hair do you have?” she asked.

“Hat hair,” I said. Read the rest of this entry »

After settling into the hotel and strolling down the sloping sidewalk into Melbourne’s city center, I quickly felt like this was a city I’d want to live in.  I’ll sound like a promotional brochure here, but Melbourne is nothing short of a vibrant urban oasis, designed with imagination, buzzing in its business center, serene in its parks and along its river, fanatical about its sports and passionate about its cultural scene.  Read the rest of this entry »

It took gold to draw (European) people into the outback where Kalgoorlie is located.  Otherwise, no one would dare live here but the remarkable Aborigines. Read the rest of this entry »

The Land of Oz

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