Sydney!

This one goes out to Rusty, Richie, Tom and the rest of the Road/Tech crew without whom none of this happen.  Hats off to these guys who show up early and set things up.  They are often faced with adversity, such as moving road cases like this:

up staircases like this!

Did I mention that "Blue Again was nominated for a Grammy?

We had a day off in Sydney, so I had a chance to check the place out.  The first stop was Allen's music.  It was sort of a Kmart of music stores, but still much larger than anything on Maui.  I always enjoy hanging out in these places.  Often times you will hear someone trying out an instrument and playing something really cool.  Sometimes not, but in a large city like Sydney, which hosts a conservatory, it is likely that there are some very skilled players around!

The next stop was the Australian Museum for some culture.  On the way there, I spotted my first Ibis.  They were just hanging out like pigeons in the park waiting for handouts.  How strange they appear.....

A statue of the infamous Captain Cook graces Hyde Park.  In Hawaii he is not the most popular character...

Mick and Rick by the harbor with the Opera House in the backround.

The water taxi took us across the harbor to a place called Doyle's.  The trip took about 15 minutes and provided an excellent perspect ive of Sydney and it's surrounding coastal communities.  Australians love to be outdoors and especially on or near the water.

At Doyle's we dined on Sydney rock Oysters, calamari and fish and chips.  The food was excellent, the view down the harbor toward the city was surreal. Thanks Mick!  The giant fruit bats came out at dusk and swooped around a large fig tree.  We were astounded by their enormity and their freakish vocalizations!  I must get those photos!The return trip was fantastic with the illuminated skyline ahead of us.

While at the museum, I learned of the Johnstone's Crocodile.  It is a rather harmless fresh water animal found in the Northern regions.  They tell me it's good eatin'.

Today we are off to Wollongong which is about a 90 min. drive from Sydney.  We will play our 45 minute set with Michael MacDonald and Boz Scaggs to follow. 5 down, 7 to go! Hello Cleveland!