Wave action

On our second day in Sydney, we took it easy with a bus tour of the city. The tour wasn't so great, though we did get to see many of the neighborhoods and got a bit oriented to the area. A highlight was a stop at famous, beautiful Bondi Beach. The sun was coming out from behind the clouds, but the beach was almost deserted. I stood in the sand and watched the giant, energetic waves roll in.

Harbor icons

A gray rainy morning in Sydney. We're totally lost as far as the time zones, and somehow we've skipped a day -- but here we are! We didn't let the weather or jet lag deter us and took a long walk through the central business district, down through the Royal Botanic Gardens, over to the Sydney Opera House, and around the harbor area to Wooloomooloo. (Yes, that's what it's called.) We stopped at a little cafe under the Opera House promenade for coffee and free wi-fi, so we could upload pictures and chat on Facebook with our US-based friends, stuck a day in the past.

South Pacific

Somewhere over the south Pacific, time zone unknown, 4 AM California time. Rachel and I hang out in the V Australia bar. We're skipping forward a day as we head toward Sydney.

Let me entertain you

Flying V Australia, our seatbacks have the Red entertainment system. More movies, TV shows, and games than we could possibly watch. I brought a book for the long flight but never even cracked it open.

Worth a Thousand Words at the Salon

I can never explain how I like my hair cut. Here, the stylist did a decent job, so I took a picture for next time.

Sushi lunch

Ellen enjoys going out for "sushi", which for her usually means teriyaki salmon, tempura shrimp, or udon soup. She also enjoys the miso and edamame. We were supposed to share the edamame, but I'll be lucky if I get any of them!

Blossoms

I love the accidental composition on this one. The blossoms in the trees match Olive's outfit.

Drinking Game

We had a nice visit by Rachel's brother Josh and my niece Olive, from cold Chicago. Ellen enjoyed having her cousin around to entertain.

Tickle Me Ellen

Year-round al fresco dining is one of the pleasures of SoCal. Here we enjoy a morning brunch at Mike & Anne's.

Lady in Pink

I wish I had been able to get a better shot of this. My shot-from-my-car-in-traffic oeuvre needs further development. This is an outstanding exemplar of a definitely noticeable SoCal subculture ... middle-aged Asian women who "pink out" their rides. You can't see much of the detail, but the entire inside of this off-the-rack Camry was decked out in pink Hello Kitty coverings. Pink leather seats, giant fluffy pink steering wheel cover, the works.

Quiet on the set

SoCal is a "company town," and everyone knows someone in "the industry." The entertainment industry, that is. That red brick building in the center of the frame is across the street from the Starbucks near my office. The street was blocked for a few weeks by a lengthy caravan of trucks and equipment. I also wondered why the building had a McCain/Palin poster in the window, some American bunting, and a sign that said "Election Headquarters." An odd choice of decor for 2010. 

It turned out someone was shooting a Bollywood romance set during the 2008 election. I'm sorry to have missed the big dance number.

Still life and girl

Love the winter (spring?) bounty of our little patch of land in California. Here's Ellen with the day's crop of kumquats, pomelos, and lemons.

Fruit of the day

The loquats are ripening! They look and taste quite a bit like apricots, except they have four seeds like shiny mahogany marbles. Unfortunately, later that year, the tree was completely removed by the gardeners. It was blocking the gate, but I hoped they would trim it back, not tear it out.

You've got some big bronze ones

Sculptures, that is. My university is having an exhibition of life-size bronze sculptures of various men and women in assorted real-life poses. Here they are, being unloaded.

Don't let your babies grow up to be cowgirls

Ellen chose to be a cowgirl for Purim this year. I think she was inspired by Jessie in "Toy Story 2."

This is also the first time we got her into pants in over a year.