Genoa - Steps

I have no doubt that there will eventually be a movie made about my amazing life. I also have no doubt that a place like this will feature in the film. I just love these stairs. The wrought iron work, the stone walls, the ferns that will grow just about anywhere... it's all just so lovely. It was also lovely and cool on these steps, the stone absorbing some of the heat of the day. Yup, here's one of the 4728 locations I would choose to include. I'll see if you can think of any others...

taken June 2010 - one set of City steps, Genoa

Genoa - Well, Well

Just outside the old gate to the old city (now named after Columbus), a beautiful medieval structure still stands. If you look at the column topper seen above, you can still see the carved angel. This column is one of the corner posts around a 5m by 12m open frame which seems to have been built around a well. It really is a lovely little park now, but I'm sure the practical nature of having a well within an easy distance of most of the upper part of the city caused this well to be highly decorated and highly protected.

taken June 2010 - just outside City gate, Genoa

Mount Tomah Gardens - View

So where do you think this picture was taken? Doesn't seem like Oz eh? :)

Mount Tomah Gardens really are a treat. There are so many areas with so many garden styles that it is easy to imagine yourself just about anywhere on the planet (well, maybe not Antarctica, but you get the idea...) I always think of an English manor with this shot. It's funny though, not 100m away you can be standing amongst the tall gums looking at what is obviously a classic Blue Mountain scene.

Also, how green is this grass? It really is amazing what a misty day in winter will do for the ground here in Australia.

Taken May 2010 - Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens, Blue Mountains, NSW

Hillsborough Dykes

I will never tire of watching the seasons on the Petitcodiac. Here you can almost hear the wind rustle last year's dried grass. The last of the winter's snow is melting and you can feel the ground releasing the cold it has held onto for months.

I miss the marsh, I miss the mud and I so very much miss the tides.

Taken March 2003 - Hillsborough, New Brunswick, Canada

Hunter Valley - Amazing Tree

Oh my goodness, what a tree! What a scene. So perfect! (too bad the winery sucked!)

On our most recent trip to the Hunter, we finally made out way to the only certified organic winery. All of the principles were correct, but the execution was terrible! I'm not at all saying that organic wine is terrible - quite the opposite. The stuff here was just really bad. There wasn't anything wrong with the grapes... it just tasted like the producers didn't have idea what to do once the grapes were ripe. It's amazing how poor a product can become even when produced with the best starting materials! *sigh

Oh well... At least they had a cool tree!

Taken August 2010 - Field in the Hunter Valley, NSW

On the way to the Taronga Zoo

Yet another classic Harbour shot. I love how rich and blue the water is here. I also really love the floating ferry platforms. There is just enough of a tide in this harbour to be a nuisance for ferries... all up it's about 1m of difference between low and high. (I'm rather obsessed with tides, just in case you didn't know).

Taken August 2010 - Ferry Terminal 5, Circular Quay, Sydney, NSW

Opera House Glam Shot!

Taking beautiful pictures of the harbour in Sydney is rather like shooting fish in a barrel.

The above was taken from the ferry going from Circular Quay to the Taronga Zoo. Of course, the Opera House is an obvious landmark, but I'd like to draw your attention to two other key harbour staples, namely the Anzac bridge and the channel marker in the foreground. I think of both of these things as being iconic here on the harbour.

Taken August 2010 - Ferry on the Harbour, Sydney, NSW

Japanese Garden

On our trip out to Dubbo, we were fortunate enough to stumble upon this beautiful garden. Such a treat to find an oasis in the midst of a bustling country town. I also found the amount of water quite impressive as from Dubbo west is almost continually in drought.

Also I should note that March is just coming into autumn for us in the Southern Hemisphere... can you imagine anything so green in Canada at the end of October?

Taken March 2010 - Japanese Garden, Dubbo, NSW

Green

More than the smell of cow manure or the sight of mud, this shade of green makes me think of home.

Yes, I do understand that cow manure does not evoke most to reminisce about times gone by. I also understand that most people do not find the smell of skunk to be floral. There are some things in life that can be seen in very different lights.

The green in the picture above makes me think of summer days and soft clover and grass. There is something in the quality of light, the warmth of the foliage and the colour of the (stagnant) water that brings a smile to my mouth and a warmth to my heart. This particular picture takes these feelings of home and adds a air of romance - I can see Jane Austin and costume drama writ large here.

I am so happy that this picture comes from a public park. Moments like this deserve to be savoured and shared.

Come and sit on the grass with me. Bring your favorite novel and some iced tea or lemonade. The sunshine is waiting for you too.

taken June 2010 - Parco Sempione, Milan

Blue Mountains - Wnetworth Falls Lookoff

This is a view that has several lovely memories attached. We first came to Wentworth Falls with J&M, who were keen to start showing Micah and I the beauty that was Australia. What a fine fine start to adventuring in Oz! Our most recent visit was with Micah's parents, which is the trip on which this photo was taken.

In truth, the Blue Mountains are actually not a mountain range and should be more accurately named the Blue Canyon. It is the second longest canyon after the Grand Canyon. Its depth is not quite as clear here, but man oh man it is beautiful and mighty deep!

Trust me, this is not the last time we will visit this stunning Australian natural treasure.

Taken May 2010 - Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains, NSW

Mount Tomah Gardens - waterfall

I was very pleased to see this photo actually turn out so well. I find it hard to get good photos of waterfalls, but the lighting was perfect on this drizzly day. Next on my list of things to figure out how to take pictures of would be fish. There are several bright orange fish in this pond (as one would expect in a 'proper' garden, eh?) and yet none of my pictures of them turned out at all. Oh well... I guess I'll have to head back and take more pictures. Oh, the hardship...

taken May 2010 - Mount Tomah Gardens, Blue Mountains, NSW

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Glamour shot!

My roommate and I spent a lovely day walking from Milson's Point over the bridge and into the city. Man oh man, the harbour is a beautiful place! Even the bridge is really quite awesome.

This shot was taken from the North side of the harbour. Just behind me is the Sydney Olympic pool (never been used in an Olympics, but who's splitting hairs?) and Luna Park. The pool is really quite lovely, and a salt water pool to boot! Having yet to visit Luna Park, I will have to go and report back to you.

taken April 2010 - Sydney Harbour Bridge, North Sydney, NSW

Cape Enrage

One of the best Thanksgiving trips with the family started by travelling to Cape Enrage. We all piled in the van and drove down the 114, stopping every now and then to admire the changing leaves. When we arrived at Cape Enrage, we could not have chosen a better, more clear day to see the cliffs and the water of the Bay of Fundy.

I absolutely love Fundy and the tides that define it. Having grown up being able to see the Petticodiac and it's 13m tides from my house, the rhythm of the tides are just a part of my being. At Cape Enrage, not only do the cliffs make for dramatic waves, fantastical winds and breathtaking views, but they also make for some really incredible currents in the water as the tides ebb and flow.

There is also a romantic loneliness to this part of the county. It is just so far away from everything, so beautiful and untouched. The fog, the wind, the trees and the water... How I miss my home and native land.

Taken October 2003 - Cape Enrage, New Brunswick, Canada

First Picture in Milan

Having recently returned home from a trip to Italy and Hungary, I am still combing through my photos from this trip. Who would have thunk that one person could take some many pictures!

This trip hosted many firsts for me: my first flight across the Indian Ocean, my first stop in Dubai, my first trip to Italy proper (yes I have been to Sardinia, but I think most Sardinians will tell you that they use 'being part of Italy' as a smokescreen to enjoying the freedom of the Mediterranean. Just sayin'!). This was also my longest solo trip, as I met Micah in Milan 2 weeks into his arond the world travel.

First off... My goodness Europe is a long ways away!

Second... I have never been so happy to arrive at a place to rest my weary head. This was not as easily accomplished as previously planned, as I conveniently left the directions to our hotel on the computer desk at home in Sydney. *sigh Fortunately, I had copied down the instructions twice and had studied Google Maps before heading out, so I basically knew my way from the airport to the hotel using public transport.

Having arrived late on Thursday evening, Micah and I took a leisurely morning Friday before stepping out on the town. We had a lovely, if not exceptionally sweet, breakfast before putting our walking shoes on and venturing into the centre of the city. Within a couple of blocks we stumbled upon this:

I must say, it is hard to not get a beautiful picture on a day like this!

The sky was perfectly blue with whisps of clouds. The sun was shining brightly but there was very little hase as the day was only beginning to warm. The rain from the day before left the grass green and the leaves glowing. This all made for a beautiful sceene as we sat under a tree on a short stone wall.

This was the beginning of one of the parks that led into the city's centre.

taken June 2010