Missing Posts in Shots.

I am attempting to get back in every one's good graces by posting too many pictures of my latest adventures. I actually just worked on my feature story for class for an hour or so (about blogging, ironically) and it disappeared. Reminded me of Crash Different, because, excuse my language, the file was fucking gone. So I'm posting pictures. Or attempting to.

These first three are of the 75th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was a really cool day. I got to walk across the Harbour Bridge with about 100,000 other people without any cars on it. Which And we got temporary tattoos. In lieu of a huge fireworks display, they opted for lighting up the Harbour Bridge at night, which viewed from Mrs. Macquarie's Chair is quite the sight.

My free trip to Byron Bay was awesome (see pictures below!). The overnight 12 hour bus rides were not. But Byron is a nice little hippie-ville on a great bay. Non-locals call it the berg of "thongs, bongs and sarongs." It's the most easterly point of Australia- up by the lighthouse it literally looks like the Edge of the World. I got to kayak on the ocean and there were dolphins about 10 feet from the boat. I also got to remember how awful of a surfer I am: I can catch the wave, but stand up on the board? I can barely stand up on dry land without falling over. Not that you didn't already know that.

OH NOOSA!! It was a really really great week. I've discovered that the best way to take pictures of myself is to take pictures of my feet, so there seems to be many photos of my feet covered in sand. Saves me the trouble of finding someone else to take my picture. So, I stayed with Rachel, my former youth exchange counsellor and her husband Phil and their nine year old niece, who was also visiting. Noosa has changed a bit, there's a 7-11 there now! And a real shopping mall (complete with Big-W, which is Aussie for Wal-Mart, ick). But I took their niece to the beach with me, and went for walks on the Noosa River (it's still salty and flows inland, which freaked me out when I first arrived) and caught up with host families.

I did go to the Rotary meeting (7 am Thursday morning). I forgot how early that was. OH! A note on those horrific school uniforms. Four years ago, everyone was so reassuring about them. "Everyone will be wearing the same thing, and it makes getting ready easier..." blah blah blah. NOW I heard more than once: "those uniforms from the Lutheran College are so unattractive!" I knew that. I had to wear it for a year. And I knew it was fugly.

So, tonight I'm off to an April birthdays party! Despite my feature story disappearing, I am trying to make a good evening of it. Hope the pics make up for my absence.