Letter from NYC

Monday, June 18, 2012

Oh boy, look who's 1! Happy birthday Xavi!

Here's the birthday boy on Bondi Beach with Maxi the other day. We will have a big birthday celebration when you get back to NYC.

and here he is at Bronte. He can walk a few steps.

and here he is with Sally at Isobel's Confirmation at St Michael's Lane Cove

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Hi from Governor's Island

New York has a massive harbor, like Sydney. Maybe not as scenic but still an impressive vast body of water which gets over-shadowed by Manhattan. Governor's Island lies just 800m off Lower Manhattan and is like your Garden Island or Cockatoo Island. it is reachable by a free ferry on weekends during summer. It is shaped like an ice-cream cone. Over there you can walk, go biking, enjoy free art exhibits, performances, acres of green space, and more. I went on a walking tour there on Saturday morning.

The ferry departs from the Battery Maritime Building. This is the bunch of losers I went with. "Shore Walkers". Cost $3.

View back from GI to Lower Manhattan. It was a lovely sunny morning.

The GI brochure says visitors "can enjoy some of the most dramatic and rarely seen views of NYC, the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn. These stunning views provide the perfect backdrop for a day's activities on the island". Accurate, i guess.

Castle Williams. One of the ring of forts built around the harbor to defend the city during the war of 1812. This strategy was successful - the British were scared off and did not invade NYC by sea.

Fort Jay, built in 1794, was also used to house Confederate POW's during the Civil War.

Historic buildings on Governor's Island. FYI Reagan and Gorbachev had their final meeting in the 1843 Commanding Officer's Residence in 1988. That's Freedom Tower in the background.

Friday, June 1, 2012

they are on their way downunder

Sorry about the poor quality of the pics, taken with my BlackBerry Bold, 3.2 MP and autofocus - any wonder RTM is going down the gurgler.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Xavi is 11 months now

Xavi is still adorable as he closes in on the big One. He can now stand unaided although he doesn't like it and is not far off walking. He can also clap his hands. he loves spending time outside, especially practicing walking with his little Chicco cart. Can't have his bath in the kitchen anymore - kept standing up to look in the cupboards and splashing soapy water into dinner on the stove. Looks like he'll be a motor mechanic! His NYC friends include Calven, Kevin and Zabi, but he is really looking forward to seeing Maxi again soon.