To the Land of Oz: February 2014

...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!!

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!!!