SYDNEY

Well it is Sunday night in Sydney, and I have had quite a week here. Monday through Friday I worked. This is the job here, a two story brick rowhouse in the first stages of a very thorough renovation. We spent the week pulling out timber floors, breaking down brick walls, busting up tile floors, excavating soil, and carrying it all in 5 gallon buckets out the back door to the dumpster. Needless to say, I slept pretty well those nights. Here I am at the end of the week with Jeff (left) and Ashley.

Newtown is a suburb of Sydney (about a 30 minute walk from the inner city). It is an interesting place in itself, an artsy and eclectic mix of Australasian cultures. It has a reputation as an accepting an peaceful community, which I have no reason to rebutt. Here are a few shots of Newtown by night:
Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens are situated at the heart of the city, overlooking the harbour and the iconic opera house. The gardens are extensive and full of beautiful sights and smells.

These are 'flying foxes,' which have taken up in the treetops of the botanical gardens. They are huge bats that feed on the fruit and seeds available in large quantities in the gardens. The bats serve as pollinators, but because of their numbers and unnaturally long feeding season here, they are slowly destroying the canopy. Here they are sleeping the day away.

And here it is, what you've all been waiting for. The most recognizable building of all time... the Sydney Opera House in all its glory. It is every bit as impressive close up.

A not-so-subtle message appeared in the sky as I was appreciating the architectural genius of jorn utzon...

And just one more thing, I think you may enjoy this. I recorded an hour of Sydney Harbour, then condensed it into 39 seconds, and this is what came out: