Great Salt Lake

It occurred to me the other day that I have lived in Utah for 20 years and I have never been to the Great Salt Lake. Deciding to fix this oversight- we packed for a day trip and headed out. From what I could find out from google searching, Antelope Island is a great place to venture into the water, so we gave it a shot.
I'd heard and read all sorts of nasty reviews of the Great Salt Lake, but, let's face it folks and recollect what the Great Salt Lake is- the 2nd saltiest lake in the world (only the Dead Sea is saltier). Of course it's going to be a barren wasteland full of bugs, bad smells, mud and a salty residue on everything...
Being warned (and warned again) of the unpleasantness our adventure would entail- this is what we found as we arrived on Antelope Island. A gorgeous view of expansive water and desert, well-kept covered picnic areas, clean sand, showers and bathrooms. Not too smelly, and a breeze keeping the bugs at bay.

Getting to the water was a bit gross, depending on how you feel about gnats. The sand on the edge of the water was covered with thousands of gnats that moved in waves when you stepped forward. Kind of funny- kind of disgusting. The gnats weren't really interested in you (they didn't bite) as long as you kept moving. So into the water we went... very floaty, surreal feeling. You just bob effortlessly near the surface, this picture was taken with both hands on the camera. No need to expend any effort to stay afloat.


Little dude did some serious shrimpin'. Tiny pinkish brine shrimp are all over in the water, easily caught in a water bottle.


I couldn't head south, back home, without seeing Saltair and the surrounding area. So we headed west on I-80, past the airport, just as the sun was getting low in the sky. We went for a glimpse of Saltair but found ourselves enjoying the extremely photogenic Temple of the Birds and it's neighbor- 'burned-out-train-car' (for lack of a better name), just to the east. We just couldn't stop with the pictures. Oh the evening sunlight and colorful graffiti combined for some clever pics.

We weren't the only ones talking pictures, we counted 3 engagement and 1 bridal photo sessions going on as we wandered about. Here is the rare picture of the train car without any random strangers (oh wait, there is just one...).

Time to head home as the sun set, what an unforgettable day. To see a ton more pictures of the day- look here.



Here's a little video from out day at the Great Salt Lake. All I can say is thank goodness they are gnats and not bees.

Sydney, we love you...

We spent our last day wandering around Sydney, picking up souvenirs, taking plenty of pictures, people watching. When we came to this monument in Hyde Park we felt moved to take some parting shots.

Everyone held up their treats and smiled...

then made sad faces... when a little note taped to the stone caught our eye.

Ladies, I feel the same way.
When I am here I want to throw my arms out like Mary Tyler Moore and spin around. We'll miss you Sydney, heck, we'll miss this whole darn country.

Nambucca Heads Public Art

Driving through the town of Nambucca Heads we were stopped in our tracks by the mosiac street art/ bus stop in the center of this sleepy coastal town. We all piled out of the RV in amazement and started exploring.

The best part was that the mosaic wasn't haphazardly constructed- it tells a story all the way through. We learned later that the mosaic is called "Fish & Chips" and was constructed by local artist Guy Crosley and a team of volunteers, school children and art students, started in 1996 and completed in 2000.

Every piece of "Fish & Chips" was constructed from ceramics and objects donated or specifically made by artists locally and from around the world.

Here is the story: Starting from the serpentine deep sea: sharks, whales, rays and schools of fish begin their journey to the shore, through exotic waves of tile and rock into the Smokey Cape Bay, passing the headlands, through the river mouth onto the break-wall and along the river passing the ugly brick suburbs and pastureland to Macksville, over the hills and forests to the fertile earth beyond. All types of earthly and airborne characters adorn these landscapes. Beneath the colourful and glossy facade there is a dark undercurrent that surfaces including a large drunken octopus with three pigs in the clutch of his tentacles, monsters that dwell within the waves that wait offshore and a rainbow serpent wrapped around a gold topped mushroom where people await a magic bus to arrive.

C's favorite part- the windy roads of the suburbs- perfectly sized for his cars.

HOME

HOME
We are home.
Safe and happy.
It was a wonderful trip.
Lots of smiles, memories and fun with my favorite people in the world:
Noelle, Quinn, Fish, Maia and Crew.
Noelle put the whole trip together.
She is a rock star.
She is an angel.

Noelle I love you.
You are brilliant.
An amazing mother.
Funky groovy wife.
You have a big heart.
Thanks for showing the kids the world.
Let’s do it again.
And when the kids are gone we will do it again then too.
I love you!
Your spouse,
Steve O.

Amsterdam 5 star lunch

A typical lunch. We found out early that we could not afford to feed the kids at fancy European sidewalk cafes, so we started packing Noelle lunches. Here is a typical big city lunch in an alley in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam

My favorite piece of big city graffiti/stencil art.