Sydney Australia - Vivid Sydney - Adding color, light and music to the Autumn Evenings

Sydney has a Vivid Sydney program going throughout the central zone of the city.  It can range from small light and music displays to the whole roof of the Opera House changing every few seconds to a new dynamic visual.  It is all good fun - and it fills the evening streets with peopl

Sydney Australia - The sun is out and that makes everything else wonderful

Sunny days have been such a premium in Hong Kong it was so refreshing to have the a cool sunny fall day in Sydney.  Everything just pops when the sun is out.
A great view from the room - and a good wander around some of the old neighborhoods.

Hong Kong - Amber Rains and Art activities everywhere

Amber storms are big storms anywhere.  They seem to be just run of the mill in Hong Kong lately.  Another weekend of grey and rain.
Special Art exhibits going on all over Hong Kong right now - fun time to wander around.  The galleries and some of the parks have lots of things going on.
This sculpture was specially executed for this year's program.  It is resting in a fountain in one of the central parks near us.

Hong Kong - Black Rain....it finally arrived

I arrived back in Hong Kong late Tuesday evening.  As usual it was grey, gloomy and rainy - it has been unending.  It has been over 2 months of mostly grey rainy days.  On the few days we have sun it is as if we are in some foreign spot - it all looks so different.
We have heard about the "black rain" since we arrived.  When it comes everyone stays inside, things shut down and there is water and chaos everywhere.
So I get up Wednesday ready to head out the door and one of my mates calls and says "it is black rain" should we come in to the office.
After getting confirmation on our favorite HK weather app I said I was ready to head out so would go survey the scene and report in - or race back home.
We all got to the office and sat through the almost 6 hours of black rain.  It was not bad where we were located but we learned the next day that it was the first black rain since 2010 and caused amazing chaos and damage it some parts of Hong Kong.
Black Rain seems to be just huge amounts of water, thunder and lightening all happening with great intensity and over and extended period of time - 15,000 lightening stikes, plane struck by lightening, huge areas of flooding, landslides, etc - lots of crazy.  None right by us.
Friday now and it started as a lovely sunny day - we were hopeful.  But as lunchtime arrives the clouds are rolling back in......more rain on the way.

Saint Paul MN - A Great International Weekend

We had Davide, Maria, Daisuke and more all graduating at Mac over the weekend.  And that meant family and friends from Mac and around the world enjoying a great weekend together celebrating their accomplishments.
It was all great fun.  We tried to give Davide's Mom and brother a tour so they could get a bit of a feel for life over the last four years - and I they found out it was a great place to be!
Lots and lots of rain was part of the weekend as well.  It moved the graduation indoors but cleared up so we could fill the house both inside and out with a world of friends that all found some time to stop by and enjoy the day and the celebration.