07/04/2008

An American in Australia

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from 'America' by Katherine Lee Bates 1913
07/04/2008, Brisbane, Australia

This Fourth of July message is dedicated to the memory of

Jim Cabay
1943 - 2008

a member of our extended family in Chicago, Illinois, and a kind and generous host of many a Fourth of July family gathering.

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Angela
06/27/2008

In our earlier posting about Brisbane we forgot to say that we have also explored some of the city parks which are much more than just parks. - think interactive water elements, palm trees, ponds, gardens, a sandy city beach, weekend markets, buskers (street performers), well-designed playgrounds, and interesting birds and one big reptile.

We have to catch up on our photos. For the past week we have been 'doing' things rather than looking through a lens. Now we need someone to follow us around with a camera.

Short posting, but we wanted to say that sometimes we are asked how we learned to sail. We always reply that we learned from our neighbor Fred. Fearless, he went out with us newbies and taught us how to manuever a 22,000 lb. full-keel boat, what to look for in sail shape, when to let out the sheets, how to work the throttle. Also to not worry - there was plenty of time to tack; we wouldn't suddenly hit shore while still a hundred yards away with twenty feet of water under the keel. The reason why I'm so comfortable at the helm is initially thanks to Fred. Your words of advice still run through our minds.
Thanks Fred.

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06/24/2008, Brisbane, Australia

We have had a good first week and have been very busy.

(Our wireless internet connection is currently unreliable, so I lost the posting I just tried to make.
It wasn't very long and basically said the following:)

-We have been busy orienting ourselves to our new surroundings.
-We've been carrying Malou, or coaxing her, all over town.
-Been looking for and acquiring bikes, with a child carrier
-Making travel arrangements.
-Researching local job opportunities. (We hope to stay in Brisbane for a little while... a year or two, not sure)
-Brisbane city planners have been making good decisions.
-and that there are no photos this time. Our camera memory chip was affected by electro-static charge and we lost some photos and movies. it should be ok again now, but we are a bit camera-shy. We Will take some more photos soon. There is a lot to see here.

More next time. We will continue to be pretty task-oriented for the next few weeks so our blog postings may be few, but we will try to get some city photos posted as soon as we can. Take care and thank you for the comments.

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06/17/2008, Brisbane, Australia

Steen made an excellent dinner and we ate in our candlelit cockpit... the Story Bridge, the city lights, the reflection off the water, people and ferries coming and going. Like sailing under the Golden Gate, or playing with stingrays in Moorea, we agreed that the journey up the Brisbane River at sunset, arriving in the city as the lights came on was one of the most unexpectedly wonderful and amazing things we had done during our journey so far.

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06/17/2008, Brisbane, Australia

The city sparkles and we agree this is one of the coolest things we've ever done.

Staying out of the way of the little night ferries, we anchor just down from the bridge, in the light of the tall buildings right across from us.

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06/17/2008

Story bridge.

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06/17/2008

taking photos while steering.

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06/17/2008, Brisbane, Aust.

As the sky becomes pink and the southeastern shore gets bathed in warm light, we start to see skyscrapers in the background, around the many bends.
We start keeping a heads-up for the City Cat Ferries, (catamarans), who run up and down and across the river taking people home from work or out to dinner at riverside restaurants...

We round one of the last bends and there is The Story Bridge, outlined with picturesque lights.

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06/17/2008, Brisbane, Aust.

The river narrows and starts to meander.
Around the next few bends we see some older homes mixed with new, climbing up the banks on both sides, and some impressive waterfront developments with walkways, restaurants, city ferry docks...vibrant and healthy looking neighborhoods. Our hopes of finding a well-planned and user-friendly city have been kindled.

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06/17/2008, Aust.

northwestern shore.

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06/17/2008, Aust.

northwestern shore.

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06/17/2008, Eastern edge of Brisbane

warehouses turned into multi-use developments.

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