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Gallery Archive

 Reflection
This is where I post galleries of pictures of myself, my travels, my friends and other interesting things. I must think I'm pretty important. All my pictures are now hosted on my Flickr stream, because it's really nifty.
 

2006 Picture Galleries

To celebrate the end of Alicia's exams and because I'd never been, we decided that a weekend of rest and relaxation in the Blue Mountains was in order. Part of the area was on fire at the time, but we didn't let that bother us.
With me off travelling and my brother living in Melbourne, my Dad, sister, brother and I hadn't been in the same room together for ten years. To correct this, we gathered on the Gold Coast to celebrate my brother's 30th birthday.
One of the most famous parts of Sydney is its harbour, so it was excellent to get out and cruise around for a day with Clare and some other friends. We chased skiffs, had a lovely lunch and went for a relaxing wander up Middle Harbour.
Another opportunity for me to kilt it up arrived in the form of Danny and Alicia's wedding, at the Brisbane Powerhouse in September. The event had a sultry black and red jazz theme, great food, super music and spirited dancing.
Since I moved to Sydney in August, I've been trying to get out and see as much cool new stuff as possible. I met Anthony at Circular Quay and took the usual tour, checking out The Rocks Markets, the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
After I finally got my Open Water dive ticket in Thailand, I went diving with my buddies George and Cam down in Byron Bay. We dove around Julian Rocks, and saw a grey nurse shark, wobbegongs, crayfish and tonnes of other fishies. Very cool.
I had the great pleasure of attending Cam and Clair's wedding on the Gold Coast in June. It was a lovely day, with a beautiful ceremony and great fun at the reception. It was also good to trot out my kilt and make the ladies swoon.
Nara is another beautiful Japanese destination we visited via the Shinkansen from Osaka. We fed its famous but pushy tame deer, wandered through the park and stood in awe of the huge and amazing Buddhist temple, Todai-ji.
The first city Beck and I explored on my Japanese jaunt was Kyoto, the country's ancient capital. Unfortunately it rained hard all day, so our site-seeing was limited to Ginkakuji and the back streets. It was amazing, but I'll have to return to do it justice.
Another place I'd never visited while I lived in London was Bath Spa, which is about 150km west of London. It's a really pretty city, with a beautiful cathedral and amazing Roman baths. The botanical gardens and the city itself are also lovely.
Ryan, Wes and I took the ferry across to Vancouver Island, stopping in at Victoria, the beach, and Butchart Gardens. It was a lovely sunny day, making our outing quite relaxing. It was also a nice farewell to the island for me, too.
The Dr Sun Yat-Sen Gardens are in Chinatown in Vancouver, and are quite nice. They're pretty compact, but have a bunch of ponds, trees, rocks and turtles to relax and enjoy on a sunny afternoon. They even had nesting geese.
I met a rather pretty kitty called Flo just as I was winding up my time in Utah, but I still thought she was deserving of her own little gallery. She now lives with Erin, Cam and Clair, and has full-time employment being adorable.
Basketball is huge in Utah, so it made sense for me and Cam to head along and check out the Utah Jazz. It was also the night basketball legend Karl Malone retired his number, so it was a massive evening for him and the fans.
After our short jaunt in Las Vegas, we headed back towards Utah once again. Along the way, we saw Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, and miles and miles of wide open sky. Clair's car's speedo stopped working too, so she had to use The Force for the rest of the trip.
No west coast adventure is complete without a few crazy days in Las Vegas. It was my second visit (and my second stay at the Luxor), but the town still has plenty of glam and neon charm. And buffets. Lots of buffets.
Utah is not widely known for kickass heavy metal and rock, but I experienced both in mega doses when I joined Cam and Clair at Metal Gods at Liquid Joes. Big hair, chaps and a head-banging crowd made the awesome music even awesomer.
While visiting some friends in Utah, I had the pleasure to meet Cordova and Hades, two charming and highly entertaining Jack Russells. They once again prove the adage that the only thing better than a playful dog is a pair of playful dogs.
I finally managed to get a Whistler snow day with some patchy sunshine, so I could take a few decent shots of the majestic mountains in the area. There was an excellent mid-mountain cloud bank to ride above, too.
If you're after snow near Vancouver, Cypress Mountain is a fine place to go. If you want fresh powder, a Whistler trek is usually necessary. Cypress does have its days though, as shown by one day in January, with delicious powder all over the mountain.