The Daily Grind (Ride)

This is where it all starts sometimes as early as 4:30 in the
morning. Queensland doesnt observe daylight savings so the sun (and birds) are up early. I dont have AC in the room (the only one in the house) so my windows have to be open. It usually drops down to 72-74 degrees at night so its a little adjustment from the temperatures im used to. Of course now I start thinking its cold when it gets down to 75. I have been riding into work which is an 18 km (11 mile) ride that takes me though the west side of Brisbane and suburbs then along the river to downtown. The following are a few pictures from along the way.

This is the city with one of the city cats which is a ferry to move people around the city. Its much like Portland with the river flowing right down the middle of the city. This is me on my way home. I stopped to snap a picture with one of the many bridges in the background. The picture is taken from a floating 'sidewalk' much like the one in Portland. Brisbane at night is beautiful. Several of the bridges are lit up and the waterfront is alive with music and people having a good time. This picture was taken from the Story Bridge Hotel where I had my company Christmas party. I snaped this from street level standing in front of the Hotel.

This is a picture of the city from Mt. Coot-tha a hill west of the city. It offers a great view of the city and the area beyond. its hard to see in this pictures but right at the horizon is Morton Bay, some barrier islands and then the Ocean. As a crow flies Brisbane is about 7-8 miles from the ocean.

My day ends with the same ride on the way home. Usually a bit slower (about an hour) and often wetter. The afternoon storms that are so characteristic of the tropics have been chasing me home on many nights. Getting rained on when its 80 plus and 80% humidity doesnt really bother me to much, however.

Three Weeks

Rainbow Beach (Snapper Rocks) at Tweed Heads (Gold Beach area)

Christian, Mattanja, Naomi at Gold beach storm

Kite beach at Sandgate on Morton Bay

I have been here for just over 3 weeks now and am feeling somewhat settled at work, getting around the city and living with Christian and Mattanya. My daily routine is getting a bit old with an hour ride on the bike to and from work. So, by the time I’m home I am fairly tired. That will change in a couple weeks when Sara and the girls get here (I can’t wait for that!!!!). We will be staying at a friend’s house while they are in Tasmania over the holidays then I will move in with Cindy and Patrick, some friends from the states.

I have been able to get out and see quite a bit despite not having a car. I went to Caloundra and the Sunshine coast to the north for a weekend, down south to the Gold coast last Saturday and Sunday and out to a couple spots on Morton bay which is a large shallow bay that separates the greater Brisbane area from the ocean.

The people of Australia and Brisbane are great. Very friendly and helpful when ever asked a silly question by a Yank. I don’t ‘hear’ the Australian accent anymore which is really strange. I do notice when there is another American or other accent in the room. Some key phrases I hear a lot are ‘cheers mate’, ‘no problems’, ‘bits and pieces’, with nearly everything shortened if possible. Umbrella is ‘breli’, afternoon is ‘arvo’, chocolate is ‘choc’, and the letter ‘R’ is not pronounced. If a word ends with an r its finished with an ‘A’ sound similar to the Boston accent but much softer.

That’s all for now.

First Post

Its Tuesday, 9 pm after work and I am nearly ready for bed. I am setting this up to stay in touch with you all. I will be updating this from time to time and i hope you all enjoy it.