Nebraska

I haven't really traveled seriously for work since February. I've had the odd trip here and there (Arizona, Montreal), but the weekly grind has stopped for the time being. I couldn't be happier. Except, my life seems so slow now, I haven't been in a panic about missing a flight or stood in a line for more than 5 minutes in months. I realized I won't even make Air Canada elite this year, that's awesome! I already managed to make Delta Silver though.  I have some vacation pictures to come, but haven't got to them yet.

Omaha, Nebraska was ok. Really hot, was there in mid-June. Apparently they have one of the best zoos in the world, unfortunately closed everyday at 5pm, and I had to work later than that. They also have a really good air and space museum. Omaha has a huge air base that had a critical role in the cold war. If you recall they stashed the president there on Sept. 11, 2001 for a time. Air and space museum also closed at 5 everyday. I did get to drive around the air force base with a guy I was working with, he was retired air force, had to flash his card to get on, that was cool.

This is in the Salt Lake City airport. Perhaps you have never noticed, but American airports often have extensive arrays of porn mags available in the magazine shops. Naturally, they are usually covered, but certainly available, often just playboy. However, if you find yourself on a long layover in Minneapolis why not stop for a "Club" or a "Swank". Is it any wonder that Senator was arrested for lewd conduct in the Minneapolis airport? Anyway, in Salt Lake City there is no porn to be found and they have to cover GQ, Cosmopolitan, In Shape, etc

There were signs like this all over the university I was working at.  Not always the bathroom, some just seemed like offices.  I was going to choose a bathroom to ride out a tornado in given the choice, because there would be drinking water.

Only moderately intereresting thing I did was go to downtown Omaha, the old market area, and have dinner at this brew pub. It was good, think I had lamb shank if I recall.

Across the Missouri River from Omaha is the state of Iowa. I drove over there so I could say I have been to Iowa. Then stumbled onto a planned parenthood clinic and took a picture for some reason.

I May Live to Regret This

2010 Vacation Video

Becoming a Grouchy Old Crank

I am slowly becoming a grouchy old crank. Surest sign, letters to the editor, http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/letters/Fairy+tale/3184330/story.html

Arizona

Was in Arizona, it was fun. It was back in March. Arizona is paradise in March, about 25 in the day, nice a cool at night. It rained one day when I was there though. I went to Las Vegas once 5 plus years ago and it rained when I was there too, maybe I have some sort of desert rain gathering ability, need to find a way to use this for fun and profit.

Phoenix is weird. First it is gigantic city made up of all these neighboring cities, tempe, glendale, scotsdale, etc. I think I was technically staying in Phoenix proper, but right on the eastern edge as was my work site was 5 minutes east and was in Tempe. When I got there i took a little trip down, on public transit no less, to downtown Tempe. It was ok, I ate on the patio of this pizza joint, to a southerner it was probably a little chilly to be on the patio, but for a northern it was scorching, I was the only one out there. Tempe is where Arizona State University, so there were students mulling about. I saw this bar setting up beer pong inside, sad that commercialism has corrupted the great sport of beer pong as well.

Sign on the main drag in Tempe.


Because of you allow cruising after 8pm this happens...


This is waiting for the public transit to go back to my hotel, some hipsters and their fixies, they asked me for a smoke, if I had one maybe I could have rode with them :-(


I really have a thing for botanical gardens. The other super natural skill I have, other than summoning rain to the desert, is ensuring that when I got to a botanical garden or a natural history museum anything to do with butterflies is closed, no different here.

The flora and landscape in Arizona is out of this world, or out of a coyote and road runner cartoon. The colours are so striking and vibrant it looks drawn. Here's some pics around the garden, the sun was setting, hence the failing light.








There is a hummingbird in this one. He/she is feeding on the tallish flower just to the left of centre about half way down. There was a hummingbird garden that was really cool, even saw one nesting, who would have thought hummingbirds would be hard to photograph.








The other really cool thing was the cactus league was on, major league spring training. Went and saw the A's play the Dodgers, that's Manny Remirez at the plate, steroid juices flowing.

From Schweiz to Canada

Everyone's Your Friend in New York City

Went to NYC for the first time in December while working out in Michigan. It was awesome. Kind of a hard place to photograph as you are at the base of at least a 10 story building at all times. Spent my entire time there in Manhattan.

Here's some music to enjoy the pictures with, by the best all female Canadian band ever.


View from my hotel room in Chelsea looking toward lower Manhattan


Fallout shelter on some random street


Subway station




Some pieces I liked at the MoMA









Bar in Studio 54, yes the seventies night club. It you slapped the booth cushions hard enough cocaine would puff out. Studio 54 is back to being a performance theatre again. Went to see Carrie Fisher's one woman show "Wishful Drinking" which was awesome

New Zealand

Went to New Zealand back in October 2009 for a holiday. Saw my sister and celebrated my Nana's 80th Birthday. First time all the cousins had been together since the early 90's.

Some of my favourite pictures...

Stopped and spent the day with a friend in Los Angeles on the way to NZ

"Swiss Plate" on Venice Beach


A Santa Monica Pier denizen


Spent a couple of days in Auckland (biggest city and where the plane lands in NZ). Then rented a car and drove to Northland all the way to Cape Reinga, the northern cape

View of Auckland from Rangitoto Island


Two of my favourite things in the world, fish and chips and L&P (an NZ soft drink)


View along northern coast near Cape Reinga


Sign at the cape




Took a bus tour on 90 mile beach


Car that never made it off 90 mile beach


Massive Kauri tree unique to the northern part of New Zealand


After the North, flew down to Christchurch and then drove to Invercargill where my Sister and rest of my family lives.

Bluff, way in the south, basically the opposite end of the country to Cape Reinga






NZ was prepared to defend itself against feared Japanese invasion


Kea in the Queen's Park Aviary in Invercargill


Petrified wood near Curio Bay


Curio Bay


All the cousins with Nana on her 80th Birthday




View up a tree at Queenstown Botanical Garden


Summer luge at Queenstown not nearly as good as Rodelbahn in Schweiz




View of Queenstown from the summer luge


Milford Sound, not actually a sound. A sound is made by moving liquid water. Milford Sound is actually a fjord, which is carved by a glacier. When they named Milford Sound there was not yet a word in the English language for a fjord, eventually the Norwegian word, fjord, was incorporated into English.



Took a boat trip out into the sound, this dolphin surfed in front of the hull for a short time.






Some seals sunning themselfs






Wild Keas are very mischievous and will grab anything shiny they can possibly get





You can look at the entire set here:

New Zealand October 2009