Travelling - the flight

The beauty of Qantas is that there is always a significant amount of movies on thier channels and that on-request anything is available. Pleasure to be had when one is going to get to a destination 30 minutes b4 you leave!! Sleeping is usually the hardest and I managed to get quite a lot done - just the wrong time zones. It has created shuch a change in my body clock that Im not sure where I am. The neck and back are in agony. I look at the neck brace the next seat passanger has and think Murder is not punishable by gas chamber - or is in California? I had a spare seat between myself and the artist Alex. He has been in Noosa for a few months and he is now on his way back to New York. What a pleaseure. He didnt have a great time,he had a brilliant one. He was a guest at the Hyatt Coolum to assist with sculpture worksshops and teach the local a thing or two about New York Artists. His speciality was wood and the stone. His style was to screate a feeling from the local envioronmment, sculpt to whaterver he coulsd relate to and then give a it back to the area he removed it from, but in its new form. He showed me a number of works that he placed back in the sea, or threw from the cliffs in Tasmania to the raging seas - the arms outthrown photo was truly spectacular but i think he could have kept a piece and I could have used it well!

The interesting part was arriving at LA. the window ws foggy - or so I thought- the smog having settles over the city so that as we flew in each uilding disappeared as if taken from the view buy a great hand. the govenator is correct - zero tolerance for LA is probably the answer as the summer heat without wind made it difficult to breath freely - kind of like smoking again. More on this in the San Francisco post.

The customs and the security are huge- there were people everywhere. I have experience with crowds but this controlled chaos was something. All move precisely and efficiently and I was through faster than if I entered Australia. Smiles and handshakes all Round. Having to catch an onflight I went straght to the coffee stand for a cup of something - as they say- if it was coffee bring me tea, and if its tea - bring me coffee! awful but... An added bonus was meeting an old boss, Kev Treshman, now retired at 61, and travelling the world as well. On his way to America for the 3 rd time to travel Oregon and a couple of the surrouunding states. It was comforting to hear his rendition and tales as I still hadnt really met a american in its home envioronment. United Airlines was very modest compared to Qantas- local I guess. The trip was a little over an hour to San Francisco. And there was the smiling ( if slightly heavier) Troy Boy. The shaved pate is still evident as is the mischievious smile. So I got in the wrong door -- Im new at that stuff. The small car syndrome hasnt hit San Fran as yet. The SUV - survive urbaneia vehicle- could have smashed the little toys we have in Oz, but was welcomed as we hit a 8 lane local arterial on the way to the interstate to take us up to Richmond. Where was the view of the Bay I asked, the penthouse suite, the doorman, all those little things that keep Kimmy happy? Carrying my bags up the steps to the 2 nd floor Troy kindly opened the door explaining that in San Fran they dont open the doors much. I understood as Troy and Grace, although in a very pleasant 250 villa condo opposite the shopping centre, have Brisbane's Southeast Freeeway outside- servicing the local school and village. You need to see the vehicles to understand the the capacity to consume. Troy took me to a diner where we had a burger- I mean a BURGER and some chips----and a milkshake and a something on the side etc etc.... Quantity is not an issue however price is- same $, different prefix. off to see the day in - I is a pleasure to have the transfer taken care of and delight to see Troy Boy.