Herring Weather
Right now it is snowing, but it’s too warm for it to stick. Before that it was rain, hard rain and before that drizzle. It’s overcast with occasional bursts of sun through the clouds. It is 40 degrees but feels … Continue reading Herring Weather
The Camera You Have With You.
Yesterday was a magic day. Our son, Brian, came to Sitka to visit and Sitka obliged. We were watching Jamestown Bay when a pod of whales exploded from a bubble net. Then there was a beautiful sunset, but the best … Continue reading The Camera You Have With You.
Is it Cyclone Freddy Kreuger?
On my fifth day in the City Clinic’s High Dependency Unit, (HDU), March 7, I was moved to a regular hospital room across the corridor from where Suzi is staying. My room has a window overlooking a park strip where … Continue reading Is it Cyclone Freddy Kreuger?
Imagining John Cage in a Mauritian Hospital
I‘m lying in an HDU (High Dependency Unit, one step below the ICU) of City Clinic in Port Louis, Mauritius. Different machines are whirring at slightly different speeds and frequencies, every so often they converge, sing in harmony, and then … Continue reading Imagining John Cage in a Mauritian Hospital
Well, At Least This Time We Made It Past Fremantle
On Tuesday afternoon the Zuiderdam’s Staff Captain made an announcement asking for anyone with a blood donor card. A+ or O- who was willing to donate blood to help a critically ill passenger to come to the front desk. That … Continue reading Well, At Least This Time We Made It Past Fremantle
Remembering 2020
Several cruise mates who had been on the 2020 world cruise expressed strong feelings on leaving Fremantle. Some expressed a sense of closure, some that they felt that they were continuing their interrupted journey. I examined my feelings and realized … Continue reading Remembering 2020
Jammin’
Several folks who had been on past HAL Grand Voyages, couldn’t make this one, but are planning one in the future, have asked me “How is it post covid?,” or “Is the Grand Voyage any Less Grand?” This is a … Continue reading Jammin’
Looking for the Tooth Fairy
In Fremantle, “Freo” the port for Perth, we started looking for stamps for our postcards and the perfect beach and ended up looking for the tooth fairy. Along the way we found a delightful small city, some nice beaches, and … Continue reading Looking for the Tooth Fairy
Perth with People!
The simple reason we wanted to go to Perth is to see what the city looked like with people in it. We had been in Perth in 2018 and it had people but was largely under massive reconstruction. In 2020 … Continue reading Perth with People!
Not a Rats’ Nest
A Dutch Sea Captain (Not Captain Friso of Zuiderdam) named Willem de Vlamingh “discovered” an island about 12 miles off the West Coast of Australia in 1696. He said it was infested by giant rats so named the island Rott-Nest … Continue reading Not a Rats’ Nest
An American River on Kangeroo Island
The first ship built in South Australia flew the Stars and Stripes. She was the US Schooner Independence, built by American sailors from the brig Union in 1803 on American River, which is not actually a river but a long … Continue reading An American River on Kangeroo Island
Suzi and I have a generous taste from a $1,000 bottle of wine!
In 1844 Doc Christopher Penfolds and his wife Mary arrived in South Australia on the ship Taglioni with some vine cuttings from the South of France. They bought some land outside Adelaide and named it “The Grange.” Doc Penfolds prescribed … Continue reading Suzi and I have a generous taste from a $1,000 bottle of wine!
Before the Fringe — Adelaide
Objectively speaking I should like the Adelaide cruise terminal less well than the White Bay terminal in Sydney. It is at outer Harbor, which is further from downtown Adelaide than White Bay is from Sydney. There is no shuttle bus, … Continue reading Before the Fringe — Adelaide
Tall Ships and Long Memories
I first learned about Hobart from Pop. During the Second World War he was on a troop ship, the George Washington, sailing from San Francisco to Calcutta (as it was then known). They zigged and zagged for weeks. The first … Continue reading Tall Ships and Long Memories
MONA
David Walsh has gifted Hobart and the world with a strange and wonderful institution. MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, is dug into a sandstone headland that juts into Derwent River 12 kilometers from Hobart. You can reach … Continue reading MONA
Organ Pipes Sail By — Cape Raoul, Tasmania
Approaching and departing Port Arthur from the sea is breathtaking. We sailed in around Cape Pilar and out round Cape Raoul with rock formations called “The Organ Pipes” that reminded me of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Please enjoy … Continue reading Organ Pipes Sail By — Cape Raoul, Tasmania
“You Just Can’t Let Nature Run Wild” — Wally Hickel.
Alaska’s former governor Wally Hickel really said that, pointing out that Walt Disney had it right, you need to enhance nature. Aside from the prison, there are formal gardens going down from the church, not as formal as they once … Continue reading “You Just Can’t Let Nature Run Wild” — Wally Hickel.
Despair in a Beautiful Place
Port Arthur, Tasmania, I was going to call this post “The English Gulag” because Britain operated a string of penal colonies and labor camps throughout Australia to rid itself of criminals. Some of the “Convicts” were convicted of, essentially being … Continue reading Despair in a Beautiful Place
Sydney Sailout 2023
The sail out happened in afternoon daylight, giving us the views of the harbor we were denied on the sail in. Our last sail out was right at sunset, this one was a little earlier. Everyone held their breaths as … Continue reading Sydney Sailout 2023
Remember me to Herald Square
We went by a certain corner near Circular Quay in Sydney several times. Suzi mentioned the interesting angles of the buildings, almost like architects were trying to outdo each other. It is what Dr. Arnie Flaten, my architecture prof at … Continue reading Remember me to Herald Square
A Night on the Town
We got to bed after midnight. We don’t even do that on New Year’s Eve, but we wanted to enjoy a little Sydney nightlife, which for us was mainly people watching. From Darling Harbor we waked to the light rail … Continue reading A Night on the Town
Sydney, Main Post
Sydney almost cannot help but make a good first impression when you sail into her harbor. It is one of the world’s magnificent sights. It’s a complex harbor with bays and inlets, small ferries dart about dodging sailboats. The sails … Continue reading Sydney, Main Post
Check Multiple Sources
After four concentrated days in New Zealand, it’s nice go get three sea days to rest, sort out memories, do a little writing, download pictures, play some dominos and just plain chill out. Suzi and I are trying to get … Continue reading Check Multiple Sources
Carpenter Gothic and Cable Cars — Wellington
The Wellington docks are industrial, lots of logs in the round going to China. You can’t walk away from the ship, you need to take a bus to one of two stops in the center of Wellington. The problem is … Continue reading Carpenter Gothic and Cable Cars — Wellington