Blue Planet Journey

We made some adjustments today.  First, we said goodbye to our number 1 daughter, Katelin, as she left to rejoin Elan and his family in Colorado Springs.  Katelin, enjoy the transition from 2 weeks of temperatures in the 80s or above to below freezing! Second, we moved from Darling Harbour to Bondi Beach.  New Years Eve in Sydney is a BIG DEAL.  The fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge cost millions, and the best places to view this spectacle cost money.  I heard that a basic ticket for a seat to the show at the Sydney Opera House costs $750 AUD.  What I do know is that our apartment rental rate increased 300% for tonight, so we moved on to Bondi for an Airbnb.  We’ll be here 2 nights before catching a ferry to the cruise ship, the Celebrity Solstice .  Unfortunately, I doubt that we’ll be able to stay up until midnight to see the fireworks.  Caroline and I have already gone for a 5 mile run, a 20 minute swim, and a 6 mile walk ...

There is nothing like a beach to give you insight into a number of important issues: 1) The places you forget to put sunscreen on.  Our bodies have lots of bends and corners, and the sun will find all of them, like it or not (and you won’t like it). I’m currently sporting a wonderful raccoon mask, thanks to my sunglasses and my failure to use enough sunscreen on my face. 2) The ocean has both a high and low tide.  Putting your towel down on the sand in a great spot near the water can result in a surprise as the tide rises.  Especially if you are a woman laying on your stomach, eyes closed, with your top unfastened.  I was polite enough not to take a photo. There were walls covered with ceramic designs having a marine theme. 3) Compared to Utah, there was a LOT more skin exposed, for both men and women.  I estimated about 10,000 people on the beach.  How?  You count 100, then extrapolate that bolus of humanity across the entire area. ...

Bondi Beach I’ve been in Sydney for the past 4 days.  The weather has varied from a high of 98 degrees F to a low of 67, with a mixture of lightning and rain, wind, high humidity, and sun.   We were hoping Caroline wouldn’t blow off the bridge! This was the weather 3 hours before that photo of Caroline in the wind ! Other than a bus trip to Bondi Beach, we’ve spent most of our time so far around Darling Harbour.  This time has included running and walking, finding a grocery store, visiting the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Sydney Aquarium, and just getting oriented.  Oh, and hanging out at a local cafe playing word games, drinking an Estonian pale ale.   Darling Harbour has cafes, pubs, and restaurants galore,  That attracts lots of people, and the people produce lots of waste.  For the most part, you see little food waste on the ground.  However, there are numerous indications that there is an active manageme...