Where has the time gone?? Well, Sydney Opera House, Immigration inquiries, Watson's Bay, Yoko Ono exhibit at the museum....

...and more!!! So sorry that I have been slow to write my last few updates.   It is so hard to believe that my 3 months is almost over!!! Most days are pretty simple and just not a lot to write about. We have been pretty laid back for most of my visit in the way of typical sight-seeing for a couple of reasons.  Number one, Jason just never has 'real time off!!"  One other cause has been my knee injury which prevented me from walking extensively and climbing hills and stairs. Actually, over the last 2 weeks, the knee issue has subsided a great deal. I think once I get back to the flatland of Florida, all should be well. As far as Jason and his down time: not likely to change for a while!! As many of you know, when one is trying to run their own business, it is a 24/7 challenge. Even when Jay and I carved out a few days for the Hunter Valley trip, communication did not stop. The good side of all that is, gainful employment!! The bad side is that it is minimal private time. So, that is where the Mum time came in real handy!! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to shop, cook, clean and take care of backed up paperwork, laundry and Stella walks for Jason!! We have had many lovely evenings with a nice dinner, a bottle of wine and some great movies!! As well as lots of time to chat and catch up on our lives that we both have missed since Jason moved to New York many years ago!! In that regard, 3 months has NOT been enough!! On the other hand, in sharing a one bedroom apartment, it has been plenty of time!!! Jason has indeed been so patient and gracious in sharing his space. He is a creative and private person that needs his alone time. That said, I never heard one complaint...and I am so grateful for my loving son and all that he has done to make me feel so special in his life!!
Following are a few stories, told briefly in this blog so that you do not fall asleep while reading!! When I get back to the USA and we have time to visit...just ask me and I will elaborate with little to no encouragement!! 

One must never forget when visiting a foreign country that if you change plans on your departure date, that the new date does not exceed the visa!! Jason invited me to stay an extra week so that I could attend a live taping of the TV show,  So You Think You Can Dance Australia, on which he appears as a choreographer. (He was on the 1st episode, taped before I got here and so far in the 3rd week where they begin eliminating the top 20 dancers.You may follow the show at: http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/so-you-think-you-can-dance-australia or on UTube 'So You Think You Can Dance Australia 2014') I was so excited to be able to watch him in action, that I immediately went to the airline website online and changed my flight from Feb 23rd to March 2nd...only one week! Right!? However, about an hour after I did that, I realized that my Australian Visa was only for 90 days!!! So, I called the immigration office to verify the date of expiration. Wouldn't you know (after 2 1/2 hours on the phone waiting to speak to someone!!) my Visa expires on March 1st!!! Furthermore, I was informed that if I leave on March 2nd, I would be 'unlawful' and that may affect any return requests. What to do??? I called the airline and waited an hour on the phone to speak to a live person, begged for another flight change without a huge fee...Success!!! Final result is that I leave on the very last day of my visa and I am still 'lawful!' 

It has been amazing to watch Jason as he creates movement for a piece of music: While he and I were driving to Port Macquarie in January, he got a phone call from a SYTYCD producer. She asked him to submit an idea for a dance to the song 'Addicted to You.' Jason had never heard the track, so he downloaded it to his phone and we listened through the car radio. Then for the next few hours he thought, we talked  and Jason formed the basis for a duet performance. By the time we got back to Sydney a few days later , he had arranged for a couple of dancers to meet him at the dance studio and they worked out a performance  idea that was submitted to the show and eventually approved for the first show of eliminations!! And I will be able to watch it performed live!!! Creativity at work!!! That is truly a nutshell version of some hard work!!!

Please do ask me about my visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney where I saw Yoko Ono's exhibition: War is Over, if you want it.   Remarkable work!! I will go see it again if comes to a place near me!!

Jason and I celebrated his 41st birthday together at Watson's Bay. I cannot even remember when we last shared his date in person!! We took the ferry from Circular Quay and spent about 2 hours over a delicious lunch at the Dunbar House overlooking the bay. They we walked through a park and ended up gazing at the Pacific Ocean !!! It was a marvelous day!!!!

• We spent a lovely evening at the Sidney Opera House on January 25th with several of Jason's friends and their friends. (about a dozen of us) We saw La Soiree, which is a burlesque type nightclub show. Oh, there was hootin' and hollerin,' laughter, a few drinks and a bite to eat after the show!! The Sydney Opera House is huge and usually has several events going on at the same time. (www.la-soiree.com/‎)

 Looking for the rest of our group in the crowd!! Good thing Jason is tall!!!

A few drinks, a bite to eat and good times with Ricky, Renee and Jason

Lots more photos to share when I get back!!!! Must go...Stella is demanding a walk in the park!!

Driving on the ‘wrong side’, Port Macquarie and the Hunter Valley Wine tour!!

Did you know that if you have a driver’s license in the U.S. that it is a very simple process to obtain an international driver’s license? One can go to AAA online website, download a form, print it, fill it out and take it to the nearest AAA location, (there is an option to process by mail, as well), where they will take your photo and give you the permit. Here in Australia, I only had to show my U.S. license and the international one in order to rent a car.  As I mentioned in my previous post, Jason has lived in big cities for so many years that he no longer has an active driver’s license. Between buses, trains, taxis and his bicycle, he gets around quite well. However, he had an invitation to teach for a few days at a lovely little town about 5 hours north of Sydney, in Port Macquarie. Since the Hunter Valley wine region is about half way in between, we created a driving trip…with Mom doing the driving in a rental car. I begin this post with that story!!

On Saturday January 18^th, while Jason was teaching his normal weekly classes at Sydney Dance Company, I packed and did laundry. Around 1PM, Jason, Renee and I got a taxi and went to the ‘No Birds’ car rental location to pick up our car. Nice small Toyota Corolla!!! Then, with Jason in the front seat and Renee in the back, I drove into the Sydney traffic as they navigated!! “Think left, Mom!” “Mom, you are too far to the right!!” “Just follow that car.” “You can go a little faster.” “Slow down!” “Stop for the pedestrian crossing.” “Watch out, there is a parked car in your lane, get over!!” Honestly, it was hilarious!!! I have never seen such a thing in all my years of driving; parking is so limited in some areas of the city that it is ok just to stop in the far left lane and park!!! Yes!! So, not only did I have to concentrate on driving on the wrong side, but I had to watch for parked cars and change lanes on a dime!!! And to top it off, Jason and Renee had to video a sketch in the Newtown area for a dance performance on January 29^th and 30^th. There is a celebration of the arts in Sydney during January through March and Jason is competing in this:

·         “Short+Sweet Dance is a festival of 10 minute dance pieces. We provide a platform for independent choreographers, dancers, and companies to experiment with new ideas, concepts and movement styles. Short+Sweet Dance develops emerging talent, fosters industry relations, and develops new audiences for dance. Short+Sweet Dance caters to audiences who want to experience new dance works served to them in pint-sized presentations.

Imagine an area like Greenwich Village in New York City, (artsy with a variety of stores and cafes) and very narrow streets where cars are parked on both sides with barely enough room drive through!!!!! Yep…here I am!! We found a parking place and it was a parallel spot!!! Forget that!!! I stopped, got out and told Renee to park the car. I can barely parallel park on the right, much less on the left!! By now, I needed a drink…but I am the driver!!! So, I settled for coffee at a street café while J & R did their thing. It was fun watching them create a video backdrop for their dance performance.

Sunday morning I made breakfast while Jason packed for him and Stella. Anthony and Michael (more friends of Jason) arrived about noon to collect Stella. They were watching her for the week. Once they left, J and I packed the car and we got on the road about 1PM, headed for Port Macquarie. I must say, I was not quite as nervous driving, once we got on the highway. Although, I had to stay very focused at all times!!! Thinking left!!!

The owner of the dance company where J is guest teaching, arranged a lovely hotel reservation for us to stay on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights; right on the Hastings River!! Port Macquarie reminded me of Key West. Almost all the restaurants are located near the river or the ocean, with excellent seafood!! Sunday night we met Staci Morgan, (owner of the local dance school), and two other teachers who were also there from out of town, for dinner. We sat outside along the river and there were a few local events we also got to see. First, a large flock of parrots flew into the palm trees, making quite a racket!!! Then, right at dusk, we witnessed thousands of bats flying to their night-time roost across the river on an island. These are very large bats and the sky was filled for about 10 minutes with their bodies so thick one could hardly see the sky!! We were told that they fly off the island at sunrise…sorry, I did not set my alarm for that!!!

Jason was busy working during the day on Monday and Tuesday, although he did not begin until 11:00AM. We walked into the town and had coffee and brekky each morning. (Here in Oz everything is abbreviated and they add a ‘y’. Another example; chippy is a carpenter.)  Then nice wine and dinner each evening on our own. I HAD to enjoy the pool, get a haircut and a mani-pedi to occupy my days. Some days it is hard to be a mom!! LOL!! Here are some photos from our lovely stay.

                                  View of our motel from the parking lot, 2nd floor with balcony

                                     View of the Hastings River from the parking lot of motel

                                 View from our room, just a short walk over the bridge to town

                                 Looking at the motel from town

Wednesday morning, after another great brekky in Port Macquarie, Jason and I headed to Hunter Valley. Wooohooo!!! Finally, a few days of relaxing in the wine country!! Wow, we arrived at Chateau Elan around 2PM and found a lovely bottle of chilled sparkling wine waiting in our room. As we enjoyed that and talked about where we were going to dinner, I saw my first kangaroos!!! YES!! Look at the photos, they tell you everything about our view and the Aussie visitors!!!  Wednesday afternoon became a career changing time for Jason. He had many business calls to handle and lots to think about. We chose to just stay at our lovely Chateau for a quiet dinner overlooking the golf course. After a bottle of wine and a session of Gong He Fot Choy (those who know me well, know this is my fortune telling game that I have used since the 70’s) and the Runes…we both slept quite well!!

 Thursday morning Jason had made arrangements for us to be picked up at the hotel and venture out for an all day winery tour. The bus picked us up at about 10:15 AM and we returned around 5:00 PM.  We visited 5 winery's; tasting lots of reds and whites, learning about the art of tasting, choosing and drinking wine. Hunter Valley is best known for their Semillion and Shiraz wines. Sooo much fun!!!  The best way to complete this day was dinner at a winery!! Jay made reservations at the most marvelous restaurant, Esca, which is located at the Bimbadgen Winery. The hotel took us there and pick us up after an incredible meal!!  Again, we had no problem sleeping this night!! Enjoy the photos!!!

                                        Jason at work in our spacious room at Chateau Elan

                                                   The view from our screened patio

                                                Kangaroos in the morning mist!!

                                   Our wine tour group...all very nice people from everywhere!!

                                            We bought a few bottles from every stop!!

                                            Jason is ready to sample some wine!!

                                             The entrance to Esca at the Bimbadgen Winery

                                      The view from our table at dinner

Coming up next:  An evening at the Sydney Opera House!!

It was a beach week!!

Naturally, being summer here in Australia, one must go to the beach!! We went twice this past week to Manly Beach, via a ferry from Circular Quay. (Quay=Key) This location is the hub of all things around Sydney Harbor, where the cruise ships come in to Sydney, tons of museums, restaurants and shopping and of course, the Sydney Opera House. As you will see in the following photos, the days were perfect!!
First, on Monday Jan 13th, Jason and I started off with a 'take-a-way' coffee from the St. Jude Cafe on our walk to the bus stop. We rode the bus through downtown Sydney...I never tire of looking at the beautiful old buildings right next to skyscrapers and the many parks interspersed along the way. We took a ferry to and from Manly Beach. Strolled through the shops and streets, walked along the boardwalk by the beach and had lunch at a delicious place on the main street. Reminded me of Key West...with prettier beaches!
Oops! No pictures from my tablet...and don't have my computer with me. They will come later!
Then on Friday we went on another Manly Beach excursion: this time for surfing lessons! Anthony, good friend of Jason's whom I met for the first time, Renee and Charlotte, former student of J's full time course, all had booked lessons. I was the chick watching from the beach. Lovely ferry ride, and this time we sat on the Opera House side of the boat! The weather and waves were perfect and they all had such fun stories to tell. Again, had a great lunch at the beach and then everyone went their separate ways. Anthony stayed on for some snorkeling and more beach time. Jason had class to teach at Sydney Dance Center, Renee and Ckarlotte had classes to attend and Mum went to visit the Chiropractor again. This time navigating the bus to the right stops and home by myself! I must say, I did it without a hitch, but was a bit uneasy! Sydney is a huge city and I have no clue which way is North, South, East or West.  I did find a way to relieve the stress! Once I got off the bus, I recognized a pub we had gone to before. So, I stopped in for a sandwich and a cold beer while I watched the Australian open on the telly! Jay says now I am officially an Aussie!

That is it for this post...coming up next is getting the rental car and DRIVING with Jason and Renee navigating and coaching!

Looking forward to a busy week...

For goodness sake...that last posting was a mess!! I had such a hard time getting it to go through and was cutting and pasting, rewriting and editing!! Sorry about that!! Finally, (and this ALWAYS works), I closed everything down and restarted my computer. Who knew????

Well, this past week Jason had a little down time and we took the ferry to Manly Beach from Circular Quay (pronounce 'key'). Very nice kind of Key West atmosphere and the beach right on the Pacific!!! In fact tomorrow morning, we are going back!! Jason and some friends are going to a surfing class, while Renee and I vege out on the beach!! Then after we have some lunch...Jason goes on to teach at a workshop at Sydney Dance Center, Renee working someplace and Mum is going to a follow up chiropractor appointment!! On my own!!! Jay got me the bus numbers, my bus pass and directions as to how to get there and home! I will post some photos and how it all worked out over the next couple of days!

The good news about my knee is that it may be only 'twisted.'  I am trying to do as much pool and beach time as I can for therapy!!! (Rough, isn't it??!!).  As long as I avoid steps and hills...stay on flat surfaces...it is bearable. I had my first acupuncture treatment a few days ago from Jason's friend/chiropractor/kinesiologist and that felt pretty good.  Such a pain in the ---, but managing to overcome it and have fun!!

I am off to bed...have an early wake up in the morning!!! Much love and many hugs to all!!

Hello 2014!! part 2

 Having some technical difficulties lately. My devices are not sure if they are in the USA or Oz!!

I must back up a bit to Christmas day. Jason, Renee and I woke about 10:00AM when Steve arrived with Frankie. [Renee now lives and works in L.A. California, but is back home in Oz for the holidays. She has worked with Jason almost since he arrived in Sydney and is invaluable to  him as his assistant and dearest friend. She is staying with us on occasion.]  It is also not unusual for Steve and Frankie to spend the night. Thank goodness for the invention of the blow up beds!!!!] So, when Steve arrived, I started breakfast and Jason served the champagne and OJ. We honored Papa (Uncle Bill, Dad) by having baked eggs and fruit!! Everyone here loves them and now I am making them at least once a week!!  Then Renee played Santa and  passed out presents. We enjoyed our giving as much as receiving!! Renee and Steve got me all Australian souvenirs: Tim-Tam Cookies, A boxing kangaroo, an 'I love Sydney' T-shirt, a Koala Bear oven mitt, a Kangaroo wine cork and some Vegemite!!!  Love it all....except that Vegemite!!!! I would say it is like buttermilk; one must acquire the taste when you are young and either you love it or hate it. 

                            Christmas Eve Dinner!!  Jason's requested spaghetti salad, prawns and butter ball cookies!!

                                                    Wii competition  with mimosas! 

Renee in her red and green!

New Year's eve was shared with Renee, Zoe, Jason and I...They cooked dinner and we played monopoly again. MOM WON!! Since my knee injury keeps us from doing a whole lot of walking...we decided to just stay home and watch the fireworks on TV.  People were claiming their fireworks viewing spots by the Sydney Harbor Bridge as early as 6AM!! 

   

                                 Jason, Renee and Mum...with Stella and Frankie!

                    We were very comfortable and no crowds to worry about     

         

Well, so much for Jason having time off of work!! my sweet son has very little..Jason has been almost working every day!! We do manage to have some great homemade dinners and some nice local pub and cafe visits!! We are hoping to get in a few excursions over the next 2 weeks. Jason and I are looking forward to a little trip, just the two of us, next week to Port Macquarie (where he is teaching for two days) and then some real R&R to the Hunter Valley to do some wine tasting and tours. Mom is going to drive on the wrong side of the road!!!! Jason no longer has a driver's license and I got an international license before I left home. So I will be the designated driver!!! OMG...that will be a great story!!

Oh yes, I must back up a bit to Christmas day. Jason, Renee and I woke about 10:00AM when Steve arrived with Frankie. [Renee now lives and works in L.A. California, but is back home in Oz for the holidays. She has worked with Jason almost since he arrived in Sydney and is invaluable to  him as his assistant and dearest friend. She is staying with us,]  It is also not unusual for Steve and Frankie to spend the night. Thank goodness for the invention of the blow up beds!!!!] So, when Steve arrived, I started breakfast and Jason got out the champagne and OJ. We honored Papa (Uncle Bill, Dad) by having baked eggs and fruit!! Everyone here loves them and now I am making them at least once a week!!  Then Renee passed out presents and we enjoyed our giving as much as receiving!! Renee and Steve got me all Australian souvenirs: Tim-Tam Cookies, A boxing kangaroo, an 'I love Sydney' T-shirt, a Koala Bear oven mitt, a Kangaroo wine cork and some Vegemite!!!  Love it all....except that Vegemite!!!! I would say it is like buttermilk; one must acquire the taste when you are young and either you love it or hate it. 

Well, for having time off...Jason has been working every day!! We manage to have some great dinners...

2014 begins!!

As I begin 2014, like many of you, I feel my emotions running the gamut from deep sadness to extreme happiness.  I extend my sympathy and understanding to those of you who have experienced serious illness or have lost loved ones in 2013.  Also, I thank you all for the communications of compassion and understanding that I received during the illness and subsequent death of my father. This is the first year of my life that I begin without him and the melancholy still overtakes me at the most unexpected times.  I can still hear his voice in my mind as he spoke to me of what he wanted for me to do when he was gone. Live in the moment, take care of myself first and most of all, he wanted Jason and I to reunite after a long period of living so far away from each other.  Therein, I find the other end of the emotional spectrum!! The happiness, comfort and joy that Jason and I have shared in the last month is beyond my expectations!!  I have struggled with how to present this message of mixed emotions and that is why it has taken me a bit longer to update this blog.  Now, as I get back to my Australian adventure, I wish you all a very Happy Year in 2014!!

I left off in my last message as Jason, Renee, Steve, Frankie and Stella, and myself left for an afternoon at Rose Bay beach. This is a lovely spot on Sydney Harbor and when we first arrived, I swear my jaw dropped to my knees!!  What a view and such a beautiful beach on the harbor. There were lots of people with their dogs and it did not feel crowded at all. (see the photos below) When we got home, Renee made us all an Aussie Barbie: Homemade potato salad, hamburgers and ‘sausages’ (hot dogs, as we call them in the USA!).  Renee and Steve use bar-b-que sauce like we use mayo, ketchup and mustard!! It goes on everything!!!!  After dinner we played games on the Wii and then a rousing bout of Monopoly!! Steve won!!

If you look closely (click to enlarge the photo) you can see the 

Sydney skyline and the Harbor Bridge

  Frankie and Stella with Steve and Jason ready to swim!

                                      

The castle looking building is a school where a friend of 

Jason's teaches. 

                                               Beautiful day...beautiful beach!!

End of part one!  Click on photos to enlarge...having trouble getting my postings to work, so I made the photos smaller.