See Me....

Blog-tober twenty-third

2011-10-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

There are times when one just has to stop and get organized for what is ahead and that is how the day panned out. Planning for the working week which involved getting plans in place for people I am to work with both here and in NYC as well as catching up on my blog a bit. Nearly there!

What a difference a day makes?! Or should I say a year or two....
On this day two years ago we were having dinner at Annie's place looking out at this...

View down Broadway from 56th St

And today here I am in St Croix looking out at this....

View from my balcony

Blog-tober Twenty-second

2011-10-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

The relaxed Island time!

The view from the breakfast table

Two of my breakfast companions

My plan was to have a bit of retail therapy after breakfast. First a swim in the pool and then the reliable Big John taxi took me into Christiansted.

Not sure if this is referring to the where the drive here or to the wonder of left handers

It was so hot in town that it took me much of the afternoon to get over it!

Blog-tober Twenty-first

2011-10-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

The day was a journey back to St Croix in the Virgin Islands.
This year I have been allocated work in the Virgin Islands- it seems that some people can be very lucky sometimes!
It is in total four weeks work and involves traveling to and from NYC for blocks of time. I have been back in NYC the past two weeks and flew down to St Croix today to prepare for my next week's block of time. ( Hope this clears up some confusion Barb).
The journey was a tad adventurous again- it would have been less adventurous if i had remembered to pack my passport before I left home. Fortunately Franklin (the car service driver) was able to find an exit in New Jersey that linked straight back onto the freeway back into NYC and also fortunately I had allowed sufficient time to get to the airport and it was not rush hour so I made it back in plenty of time for my flight.
It was the first time that I have ever been comfortably seated in on the plane coming to terms with the fact that I hadn't been successful in getting an upgrade. The door was being closed on the plane and they announced my name to identify myself to the flight attendant and I was upgraded to "first class". It certainly made the journey much more comfortable.

A view from the bar

So after delays in San Juan and locating my luggage (yay it arrived this time) I made my way back to Club St Croix and finally to the bar with a G&T and a view over the pool and the palm trees.

Blog-tober nineteenth

2011-10-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

The chicken pie

Bernadette whipped up the chicken pie for our dinner

And the veges

Blog-tober seventeenth

2011-10-17T03:52:00.000-07:00

It was a day of work but things didn't quite work out the way it was planned so I came home. The cleaner was here so I decided to try out the little Japanese place that I had noticed ages ago on one of my walks to Grand Central. Katsu Hama- Michele will immediately know what was on the menu - yep ton-katsu!All well and good for Michele to know I realize this Barb but here is a little more research information...
invented in the late 19th century, is a popular dish in Japan. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced into bite-sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage and/or miso soup. Either a pork fillet (ヒレ, hire) or pork loin (ロース, rōsu) cut may be used; the meat is usually salted, peppered, dredged lightly in flour, dipped into beaten egg and then coated with panko (bread crumbs) before being deep fried.
It was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese. It was originally considered a type of yōshoku—Japanese versions of European cuisine invented in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—and was called katsuretsu (cutlet) or simply katsu.

And so I entered and enjoyed a wonderful Japanese lunch. I learned things on the way. I was sitting next to two Japanese business men (good choice of restaurant by me!) When the bowl with roasted sesame seeds and pestle was presented to me I watched what they casually did...

Sesame seeds with pestle and bowl

so I ground the sesame seeds and then added some of the katsu sauce using the little scoop from the little pot already on the table...

Katsu sauce

Then the ton katsu arrived...

It was the most tender and delicious ton katsu I have had outside Japan.

Blog-tober Sixteenth

2011-10-16T12:27:00.001-07:00

I decided to take advantage of the early waking and the pleasant weather and took a stroll through the city as has been my wont in the past.
In my serendipitous walk along 51st St I hadn't noticed or known of this building or organization.

Perhaps it was the lack of parked cars that enabled me to notice it and then the decorative building was interesting. A little research ....
The present building was planned in the early 1930's designed by noted architect, Frederick Rhinelander King, and built at 3 West 51st Street on the site of the former home of Andrew Carnegie. The cornerstone was laid amid much fanfare and press attention on May 22, 1933, and the new clubhouse was formally opened on March 26, 1934, at ceremonies attended by national, state and local Republican dignitaries.

Then further along in the environs of the Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall my own architecture tour or at least building decoration tour.

By the time I got to 5th Avenue I was on a roll and went into St Thomas'- walked past many a time but never been in.

I continued to be on the lookout for the things I hadn't noticed before and there on a pillar at the front of the Plaza Hotel was....

The Plaza Hotel Barometer- is it social change it records?

One can't be so close to the park and not go in...

Blog-tober Fifteenth

2011-10-15T03:07:00.000-07:00

I didn't have any suitable photos for this day so i went back twelve months and there you are a Jack 'o' Lantern- I think it was in an alcove in a restaurant in NYC.

I had also taken photos of some art work in a school. The work was interesting and was on display all year. I may even have done a post about it then.

Blog-tober fourteenth

2011-10-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Living in New York City provides so many opportunities to learn.

The sign in our building lifts (elelvators) appeared on October 13th.

A sukkah (Hebrew: סוכה‎, plural, סוכות, sukkot; sukkoth, often translated as "booth") is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes. The Book of Vayyiqra (Leviticus) describes it as a symbolic wilderness shelter, commemorating the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness they inhabited after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. It is common for Jews to eat, sleep and otherwise spend time in the sukkah. In Judaism, Sukkot is considered a joyous occasion and is referred to in Hebrew as Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or Z'man Simchateinu (the time of our rejoicing), but the sukkah itself symbolizes the frailty and transience of life and its dependence on God

So when I walked past these two restaurants on 47th St I knew what they were!

Blog-tober thirteenth

2011-10-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Reflections in windows in Manahattan.

One need only walk out on the balcony or not even that really and these wonderful colours and patterns are there waiting to be photographed.

Blog-tober twelfth

2011-10-12T04:32:00.000-07:00

Chop Suey

I really love Edward Hopper's paintings. What I like about them, as in this one, is that they are a "snapshot" of life- interior scenes, giving insight into a small part of a whole view and capturing the essence of that scene or moment.

I was asked during the week what did I like to photograph and explained using Hopper's work as an example. I don't try to tell a story as many of his paintings do but I do want to capture the essence of what I am seeing...that being said here are my photos of the Fort at Christiansted, St Croix.

The path and entrance.

Christiansted is so obviously influenced by the Danish "occupation". The colours of buildings and the design of many things around the city.

The shapes and colours and lines

The arsenal of rifles from a former time

The storage of powder and bullets?

The markings on the canon

Blog-tober Eleventh

2011-10-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

The beach near the apartment in St Croix- looking one way...

Thanks to Wikipedia I have compiled some relevant aspect about the source of the seaweed....
The Sargasso Sea is a region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by ocean currents. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. This system of currents forms the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. All the currents deposit the marine plants and garbage they carry into this sea.
The Sargasso Sea is 700 statute miles wide and 2,000 statute miles long (1,100 km wide and 3,200 km long). It stretches from roughly 70 degrees west to 40 degrees west, and from 25 degrees north to 35 degrees north. Bermuda is near the western fringes of the sea. The Sargasso Sea is the only "sea" without shores. The ocean water in the Sargasso Sea is distinctive for its deep blue color and exceptional clarity, with underwater visibility of up to 200 feet (61 m).

...looking the other way

The Sargasso Sea is home to seaweed of the genus Sargassum, which floats en masse on the surface there. The sargassum is not a threat to shipping, and historic incidents of sailing ships being trapped there are due to the often calm winds of the horse latitudes.

A huge chunk of the Sargasso seaweed was torn off during the hurricane...

Owing to surface currents, the Sargasso accumulates a high concentration of non-biodegradable plastic waste. The huge North Atlantic Garbage Patch is similar to another ocean phenomenon, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

It was in evidence on all flights to and from St Croix

From above I think it made for pretty pictures!

Blog-tober Tenth

2011-10-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the fery to depart

The early morning commute from St Thomas to St John.
The ferry left at 7:30 from St Thomas- the sun was up, it was warm and a tad steamy.
I sat outside to make the most of the sunshine, the warmth, the great view and the 20 minute ferry ride.
A great way to start the day- the wind wreaked havoc with my hair but a comb set that in order.

The view from my seat on the ferry

Blog-tober Ninth

2011-10-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

I am certainly back in the "big smoke"!
The day was a day of grabbing on to moments and sharing great and simple times with friends.
The street market was on in 8th Avenue I spotted that- hard to miss really- on my way to get breakfast. So what else was a gal to do but get a banana crepe and a pineapple and mango smoothie!
Friends joined me as I found my way up 8th Avenue to Columbus Circle where we had a coffee and a long chat. They left and I met up with another friend to have a picnic in Central Park. Easily organized after we shopped for food at Whole Foods.
Lovely chats sitting on a rock in the park eating and watching the baseball game and kids at a party playing on other rocks with "swords" and all manner of costumed and casually dressed folk going by.
We walked back to have an iced tea in a cafe and then went our separate ways at the subway- she to explore more me to meet up with the first lot of friends to go to see "The Ides of March"- good movie- what did he say in the end?!
Home for a home cooked meal- how different a day from that on St Croix- photos later

Blog-tober Eighth

2011-10-08T04:04:00.000-07:00

Today is three years on since Maddy (my step mother) died. I have flicked through some of my photos and want to share those aspects of her that are in me or why i do and notice certain things...

She introduced me to an appreciation of art and galleries especially on our trip to the Guggenheim exhibition in Sydney years and years ago.

Getty Museum in California

The times we sat and waited to go into an exhibition or made use of the facilities in the gallery or knew that you could get a good soup and lunch in the gallery.

Getty Museum

The love of theatre- she got me started through subscribing to MTC and taking me to the theatre to see ballet and drama and the occasional light opera. Art House movies were things I'd accompany her to.

Kevin Spacy often does the kind of films and plays she and I would attend. This bad photo was at the TONYs a red carpet

When traveling in Ireland she told me I should start acquiring "nice things". The patchwork rug is a result of that conversation albeit two years later.

My rug from Rhodes

A gardener and birdwatcher. I take photos of flowers because they are lovely but she is always there looking too.

She taught me how to remember the street order of the Melbourne grid and we'd meet under the clocks at Flinders Street.

Flinders Street Station Melbourne

Always on the hunt for a bird picture

She loved succulent plants- but only in her "later years". She once told me she couldn't understand why her aunts used to love them s and that she found she too had begun to love collecting them.

Her love of succulents is why I took this photo

And this one too

She was a teacher librarian and I became one too... loving kids books is her gift to me

Shaun Tan at the PEN writers festival

She helped Michele and I buy our first home..

This has changed since the renovation

Her garden as it was but is no longer.

Blog-tober Seventh

2011-10-07T03:56:00.000-07:00

On my way back to the seaplane on Wednesday I stopped at the Royal Dane Mall inspired by a poster and cards I had seen of the Arches of the Royal Dane Mall. I wanted to get those photograps.
I could only manage three as one would need and incredibly wide angle lens to get the shots of these colourful doors and arches all the way along the narrow mall.

Blog-tober Sixth

2011-10-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

Secret Harbor beach.

Doing a quick visit today as I need to rush out the door to work . Posting some of he photos from St Thomas.

The window seen through the foliage is my room

The bar to my right the beach straight in front!

Took the above photos using the bar as the mid point. Stood and took the photo of my rom through foliage and turned around and took the beach shot. Easy walk for a lovely swim!

Through the palm from outside my room.

Blog-tober Fifth

2011-10-05T03:27:00.000-07:00

Early morning from my balcony/porch

Back in St Croix. Back at my home away from home (NYC), away from home (Footscray).

The sign on the gate at the Lutheran church

The journey back was a bit of a story... got on an earlier flight. Was first out of the plane area and couldn't work out how to get out of the place as no-one to follow. Eventually another person appeared to be taking the correct way so followed and passed her then I couldn't open the gate. Recovered my dignity and got into the first taxi van. He couldn't get his car started so i sat sweating away in the heat. Finally jump started and on the road and he wouldn't take directions when he drove past the turnoff. He quickly realized his mistake and turned around and went where I had indicated. He anted me to book him to take me to the airport on Saturday- I don't think so!

Looking down King Street- the main street

A day made sad by the death of Steve Jobs. What a brilliant mind and talent.

Blog-tober Fourth

2011-10-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

My version of working in the Virgin Islands has me pinching myself to be sure it is me that is doing this.
The school I was at today was on St John- the only way I can to get to St John is by ferry from St Thomas. Most of my work is in St Croix (pronounced to rhyme with "boy" that is "croy"). So here I am staying at a resort as close as I can get to the ferry and St John because the places in St John are far more expensive than St Thomas. And the school is only a short walk from the ferry.
I was planning to catch the 7am ferry which meant I needed to get a taxi at 6:30- I am only 4 minutes by taxi to the ferry terminal but I was told it is really crowded at that time.
At 6am I asked the reception desk to call a taxi for me- good thing I wanted to go at 6:30 as the cabs only start at 6:30am. Got myself organized with a breakfast bar and out to the foyer for the taxi which arrived eventually. He got me to the ferry terminal in 4 minutes but he didn't have any change so hopefully when I leave tomorrow I'll have the same driver and be in credit!

One of the arches in a walkway in Christiansted

Strode confidently into the ferry terminal to find no one behind the ticket counter and very few people around. I asked a coffee-drinking-disinterested woman where one buys a ticket for the ferry, I knew where but it seemed a more non judgmental question as opposed to "where is the person who is supposed to be selling tickets for the 7am ferry?". Once she understood what I was asking she very belligerently informed me that the ferry wasn't until 7:30 so there'd be someone selling then. I squeaked "7:30??" and she went on to inform me that ferries run at 6:30, 7:30 and then on the hour every hour until... I didn't hear that bit. I was thinking how late am I going to be!
Nothing I could do but get a coffee and wait. It was a very bad decision... I went to a coffee stand- at first I stopped at the rum selling place and realized my mistake- the coffee stand I asked for a coffee with milk, he poured the coffee....can you calling it pouring when it come out of an urn via a tap? The coffee seller said the milk, sugar etc are on the counter in front of me. I didn't hear what the etc was as I glanced down as he was indicating where these treats were and there was the "milk" an opened can of carnation milk with a coffee cup lid on top to keep bugs off/out I guess. I do not like carnation milk very much. Yuck ws my response- not sure if I actually verbalized that to the coffee seller.
I had time to fill in until the ferry arrived- ring Michele to see how she is (recovering from pneumonia and getting our new kitchen installed- check it all out here) In talking with her she asked about cows and milk- they would have to have two legs shorter than the other two to manage on the hills on St Thomas. Her question reminded me that I have mainly seen long life milk in places here although I bought milk but the carton in St Croix.

The weather encourages plants to grow everywhere1

Eventually the coffee-drinking-disinterested woman moved in to ticket selling area to become the talking-on-her-mobile-phone-disinterested ticket seller. Got my round trip tickets for the ferry and waited in the queue to get on the ferry which had now arrived from St John. The majority of the passengers were school kids coming from St John to St Thomas schools. The state schools here (US Virgin Islands) all have school uniforms. The style is the same just the colour combinations are different. The "lucky" kids at this school have pink shirts/tops and burgundy skirts and I think burgundy trousers/pants. I know for sure there ws an overwhelming feeling of burgundy and pink.
Watching these pink/burgundy clad kids pour off the ferry was interesting- mainly middle school and I guess high school carrying overstuffed bags of books and in some cases nothing at all- hmmm weren't they going to have a good day at school. One kid was carrying his football protection gear, another girl was already dressed in her sport uniform... and then there were two girls... 16 or 17 at most one walking with, the other holding their toddlers.
Eventually we boarded the ferry and I had a glorious 20 minute commute to work- sitting on the top deck ruining my hair in the wind, enjoying the warm outdoors, the view of the islands all around and watching a seagull (I think) dive into sea at the side of the boat. A really tough commute.

It was a delightful spot for Sunday brunch

The return journey at the end of the day held just as many interesting commuters. I found it difficult to get stuck into work when I got back to my room so settled on a swim in the warm salty sea that is only metres from my doorstep.

Blog-tober Third

2011-10-03T03:12:00.000-07:00

Early morning at the sea plane

I foolishly didn't bring my uploader of photos thingy with me to St Thomas so can't show any of here until i get back to St Croix. However i will include some photos of aspects of life and sights around.
I was feeling very ordinary in the first few days here and didn't finally establish the cause until the first weekend.
I had an enormous number of insect bites on my lower legs- I was initially thought perhaps bed bugs then i thought perhaps fleas from the taxi and then at brunch on the first weekend Sarah a local reassured me that they were indeed tiny little bugs that had bitten me. She called them "nosms" well that's all i could make out of what she called them. Little black things about as big as two grains of pepper (from a pepper grinder). I had about 45 one one leg and about 35 on the other, so perhaps the combined "poison" from them indeed made me ill. It wasn't until i saw the name written that i realized what they are called and appropriately names "no-see-ums"
I and the bites have recovered although I now have a few more bites.

Blue and clouds

Blog-tober Second

2011-10-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

I have based myself on St Croix but one of the schools I'm working in is on St John. In order to get there I need to fly via seaplane (20 minute flight) to St Thomas

St Thomas

and then taxi/car across the island to the ferry terminal and an 18 minute ferry ride to St John where the school is just up the hill from the ferry. It sounds smooth going however the first plane on any day is 6:40am so arrive at 7am. The taxi ride is 20-30 minutes. The ferries run on the hour every hour so the first ferry I could catch is the 8am ferry arriving half an hour late for work!

So here I am staying in St Thomas and heading for St John on Tuesday morning.

The adventure of taking the seaplane involves arriving not too early before the flight and having every item weighed that you are taking on board and then telling them how much you weigh all in order for them to distribute the weight evenly.
One sits on the outdoor setting chairs under beach umbrellas waiting for them to call you to the departure tent.

One gets to sit there briefly then makes ones way to the allocated weight distributed seat on the plane. The pilot or co-pilot then announces the safety briefing by shouting/ talking loudly down the plane

where exits are and safety devices and then one heads off on the journey across the Caribbean Sea

Blog-tober the first

2011-10-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

I have to get back into my blog- hopefully this time I manage to blog each day of my self appointed blog-tober- not sure if this is happening elsewhere on the blogosphere. What better way to re-enter getting into it all than to chart my adventures in the Virgin Islands.
How lucky am I to be allocated work here.

I spent the weekend at a lovely resort with Sue who had traveled here over Rosh Hashanah and returned this morning to my "home" here for three weeks- Club St Croix. A fairly attractive "resort"- it has a kitchen in my studio room and is on the beach unfortunately the sea is hard to swim in due to seaweed and rocky patches but the pool is quite delightful despite its minimal shade.

Back in the home away from home- sorry about the unmade bed

Having arrived back at my current home I decided I needed to get my washing done and in the process enjoyed the contrast with doing my washing in NYC which involves taking my washing to the elevator and then down to the RP level into the laundry.

The view along the path to the laundry

Here it involved walking along the path outside in the 82 degree heat strolling beside the sea under the coconut palms. just before I got to the gate to the pool and laundry area a mongoose rushed through the garden bed and then as I got closed to the gate a large crab scuttled under the path. As i inserted the key in the lock of the gate a largish gecko ran up the side of the gate. The only wildlife I would encounter in my NYC laundry trip would be fellow residents.
Tie to keep savouring the moments!

A quiet pottering sort of day

2011-07-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

The flurry of activity to get some aspects of my life and with it my blog in order has kinda died down a bit but there are still loads of photos to be used to get the great Kimberley journey finished.
Michele is recuperating from her "day surgery", I am recuperating from nothing other than rushing around pretending to be a nurse, gathering provisions for dinner and for our trip to Rawson tomorrow, while trying to keep out of my mind the trip to the dermatologist and the checking for my own skin cancers tomorrow before we head up the bush for our scrapbooking retreat.
I have mountains of photos printed off, I have some sort of plan for them in mind but will need to access/ download some page plans so that they don't end up in a mess.
I have even managed a little work in preparation for one of the school reviews I am doing later next month.
And given that I haven't taken my camera out today I thought I would pop in some of my photos from the Greece cruise done in April.

A boat on Delos

The poppies on Delos

Waiting for diners

Steps in Stamos

Ephesus

Blue beyond blue

At home in Oz

2011-07-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Things have not eased off at all! But I have this small window of time to try to catch up on at least my blog.

The backyard in Footscray

My plan is to try to back track a little so that the trip I have just been on is documented a little.

I am currently at home in Footscray, Melbourne, Australia and trying to cope with the cold especially after the warmth of Northern Western Australia. The cold kinda seeps through you especially sitting at the computer with the chill creeping over ones legs and arms and eventually the heat making it too you from the heaters in the house.

So why am I here? Other than to catch up and be with family and friends? Some reasons are for holidays/vacation (school summer vacation in US) other reason is to get the dreaded visa process done. You may recall the anxiety of that two years ago- the memory still lingers, so much so that I went into complete panic mode when it cam time to fill in the forms on line. But thanks to the support of friends and colleagues I managed to get that done and have arrived home from the US Embassy confident that my passport will arrive in the post in the next few days appropriately stamped and containing my visa so that I can head back to NYC later in August.

While I am here in Victoria I will again be doing work in schools (four this time) so will have some trips around the city and the country.

So the journey continues...

The Bungle Bungles

2011-07-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

Great excitement as we headed to our gorges and our walks for the day we passed or it passed us ... a dingo! Many stories of what the dingo may have taken.

My favourite "dingo" joke at the time of dingo jokes was the one about the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior which goes...
Question-"Do you know who they are looking for the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior?"
Answer- "A dingo with an aqua lung."

And so back to the Bungle Bungles....

First the walk to Picaninny Gorge


Then we got brave and did a helicopter flight- you do not get airsick in a helicopter!

After lunch we headed to Echidna Gorge

The cold showers, the tent, the early get up all were truly worth the joy of seeing this beautiful part of Australia.

Travel from Lake Argyle to the Bungle Bungles

2011-07-17T23:00:00.000-07:00


Statement of the "bleedin'" obvious at Ivanhoe Crossing. The Ord River in flood.

We stopped at Warmun (used to be called Turkey Creek). Warmun is one of the main centres for east Kimberley Aboriginal art. It is a small Aboriginal community, 200 kilometres south of Kununurra in far north Western Australia. It was known as Turkey Creek for many years, but has reverted to the Aboriginal name for the area. The main language of the region is Gija. But we only stopped for lunch. The link to the website with details of the history and the work of Rover Thomas, whose photo and details were displayed in the shop at "Turkey Creek". Some of the art work was on display from the Warmun Community art centre but the art centre itself was closed due to the floods earlier in the year. Reports of the flooding are linked here and the photo is proof, for you in particular Martha, that I couldn't get there and try to buy you your own Rover Thomas art work.

However I did sneak a few shots of things.

Even the rocks in the carpark/parking lot, were works of art.

El Questro to Lake Argyle

2011-07-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

The full moon was still in view as we left El Qustro

We stopped to look at the raging torrents of the Ord River and spotted our first fresh water crocodile

The Ord River surging along

On Lake Argyle the euros came down to the water's edge for grass and water

Sunset and reflections on Lake Argyle

and again

Lake Argyle is part of the Ord River Irrigation System which has transformed this dry region into a lush agricultural oasis.