What
· The World
· · Places
· · · Australia
· · · · · · Melbourne (3 fragments)
Galah Story · We’re visiting friends in Australia and I watched a pair of parrots interact (oops, Marius Coomans writes from Australia to tell me they’re Galahs); photographed them, but didn’t understand. Oh, and a koala ...
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Shellflower V · I really had fun with this one, and if you think you’re tired of these shell pictures, well maybe not just yet. [Series intro here.] ...
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Shellflower IV · Once again, scanned using the Waterhouse-Hayward technique, the obverse and reverse of an eroded seashell. Offered only to please your eye. [Series intro here.] ...
Shellflower III · Ooh, I got the Waterhouse-Hayward technique working with the flatbed scanner; it’s wonderful! Check out what happens when a dead mollusk collaborates with several years of intense surf. [Series intro here.] ...
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Shellflower II · Still haven’t debugged the scanner process, so this is another Pentax/Tripod/Tamron shot. Series narrative here. Damn, these are pretty shells ...
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Shellflower I · Attentive readers will remember that in January of this year, the family and I spent some time in Gippsland, Australia, in particular on the beach at Cape Conran park. On the big beach there where they surf, you can find remarkable sea-shells. The process by which the waves slowly turn them to white sand is transparent here, as you can pick up all sorts of shells once cone-shaped which are eroding away, revealing in the process unsuspected beauty of internal structure. They look like flowers. I brought a bunch home and I’m trying to photograph them ...
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Things About Australia · Well, we’re home. For a six-day stretch I didn’t touch a computer once. Lauren and I regularly talk about moving to Australia (she’s lived there), so when we visit we always have our eyes and ears open. Here are some observations whose only unifying theme is a few summer days in Victoria, Australia ...
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Aussie Snaps · Two large-scale shots of the beach at Frenches Narrows at Cape Conran park, with people fishing into the surf ...
Aussie Snaps · Herewith two pictures of CSIRAC, claimed to be the fourth digital computer ever built, and the oldest still in existence ...
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Aussie Snaps · The moon over Melbourne on a delightful Southern Hemisphere summer evening ...
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Williamstown · This Saturday we took the train out to Williamstown, a waterfront neighborhood near where we’re staying. We found its charm considerable despite the putrid weather, a uniquely Australian combination of grey skies, high temperature, and howling wind ...
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Aussie Snaps · We took the kids to Melbourne Zoo, which is OK if in parts too old-fashioned (but the Australian-animals section is fine). I find zoo animals kind of depressing so I usually don’t take pictures. But there was an attractive red-headed black duck swimming in murky water with its baby chicks—a volunteer I think, not a zoo animal—and they were too cute to resist ...
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Aussie Snaps · Two random roses from Sally’s front yard in Newport, a suburb of Melbourne ...
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Aussie Snaps · My writing energy here in Australia is about fully occupied by a writing assignment I took on for O’Reilly; details when there’s something to point to. However, lots of pictures are occurring. Today, Melbourne, inside the Victoria Market butcher section, early on a Sunday New Year’s Eve morning ...
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That Other Hemisphere · I’m in the wonderful state of Victoria, Australia (currently Melbourne), for the next little while. It’s summer. Communication may be sluggish.
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Oz Out · Heading home; herewith more illustrated downundernotes, plus thoughts on crowded schedules and on retirement ...
Downunder Christmas · Since the friends down here knew we’d be visiting in February, Sally left her tree up and cooked everyone fabulous Aussie-style Christmas dinner (on the barbecue, of course) ...
Warm Wind Off the Ocean · You could go to Australia for the warmth or the wine, or for the light or for love; and all of these would be good reasons. But the real reason is to sit near the ocean and feel its tropic wind warm on your cheeks, which is entirely beyond price. Herewith some news and colour ...
Aussie Cluefulness · We’re taking a vacation to Australia in February. You can’t just hop on a plane, you have to get a visa. This used to mean, if you were in a big city with a consulate, going down there with a picture and spending time waiting, or if you were away from such a city, mailing them your passport. So last night, Lauren suggested checking their online presence, and what do you know, it’s excellent. You can get a year’s visa for A$20 by giving them your passport number and a few basic vital statistics, and the whole thing takes maybe five minutes. Good on ya, Aussies!
