This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

September 27th, 2009 to October 3rd, 2009

The Chat Room was hopping and the tunes were happening once again this week on the live show. It would be very nice to welcome more listeners to the Chat Room. We are live every Sunday from 6 to 10 Pacific time. There is a world clock here on the website that can help you figure out when the show is live in your city. Once again, my thanks go out to Bruce Toews in Winnipeg, Manitoba for once again providing his own Toews On The Waves radio show chat room, while our chat server at the network tries to resolve the problem. The instructions to log in are located by clicking Chat on the Menu on any page of the website. Please follow carefully, as there are two different ways to connect: IRC software or via the web.

It was nice to hear from Becky aka ogopogo in Westbank, British Columbia in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. She is a listener and one of the regular Nuts in the Hut in the Chat Room. She has been very busy in the past several weeks and has not been able to drop by, but in her email she sent her best wishes to not only the Nuts in the Hut, but to listeners around the world.

More folks have connected with me this week on Facebook, including singer Lenny Welch, and industry friends Artie Wayne, Kevin Shea, Russ Horton at D-Moos.com (where Treasure Island Oldies is on 24 hours every Thursday), Doug Thompson, Burt Thombs, Pete Donato, and listeners Craig Smith, Bruce Toews, Guylaine Coté; DJs Joey Reynolds, Stu Jeffries, and Dave Currie. I invite you to follow me on Facebook. The object of this is to get connected with as many inter-connected people worldwide. Oh yes, and to have fun too.

Bill Withers is the subject of a new documentary movie titled Still Bill currently playing in film festivals around the world. This week the Treasure Island Oldies Blog features Bill in a great live performance of his hit song Use Me. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice spotlights the soulful Lou Rawls with two of his well known hit songs: Love Is A Hurtin' Thing and A Natural Man. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote on the Voice Your Choice page. Click the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website. The winning song will be played next week in Hour 3.

Our next special with be our annual Canadian Thanksgiving Special. Please send your requests for songs you'd like to hear on this special. Click the Requests button on any page of the website or give me a call on our Treasure Island Oldies Listener Request Line at 206-203-4678. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you have a birthday coming up or would like me to wish Happy Birthday to someone special, send the details to me: name, birthday date as well and the city, province or state and country to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll play our official birthday song, Birthday by The Beatles, to recognize the special day.

It's great to have so many listeners in the Listener Gallery already, and your photo would make a great addition. Send your photo, name, city and state or province to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Have a great week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Lou Rawls - Voice Your Choice

Lou Rawls was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 1, 1935. He was known for his very deep voice and his smooth style of singing. He also appeared in the movies: Angel Angel, Down We Go and Believe In Me. In addition, he hosted his own TV show in 1969. Sadly, he passed away January 6, 2006 from lung and brain cancer; a real loss to the entertainment world.

He charted 19 times between 1965 and 1983; scored two Top Ten songs, one of which was the Christmas song Little Drummer Boy in 1967, and he achieved one Gold Record.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Lou Rawls with two of his signature songs: Love Is A Hurtin' Thing and A Natural Man . Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Ferrante and Teicher

In tribute to Art Ferrante who died September 19th, and to Lou Teicher who died in August 2008, here is one of their big hit songs, the theme from the movie Exodus.

This is a live performance by Ferrante and Teicher that surely captured their performaing ability and their chemistry together.


Enjoy!

Michael

Bill Withers - Song of the Week

Bill Withers, who became a soul superstar that walked away from all the fame in favour of a quiet and private family life, is the subject of a new documentary movie, Still Bill. The film took about ten years to complete and is now touring the world playing at various film festivals. Here is a link to the Still Bill movie website.

And here is Bill Withers in a hot live performance of his big hit Use Me.

Enjoy!

Michael

Lou Ferrante of Ferrante & Teicher Has Died At Age 88

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Pianist Art Ferrante, who teamed with Lou Teicher to record a series of 1960s easy-listening hits based on movie theme songs, has died at his South Florida home. He was 88.
The duo's longtime manager, Scott W. Smith, said Monday that Ferrante died Saturday of natural causes in Longboat Key, about 60 miles south of Tampa.
Along with Teicher, Ferrante recorded versions of themes from movies including "Exodus," "The Apartment," "Lawrence of Arabia," and "Cleopatra." They also recorded "Tonight," from "West Side Story" and the theme from "Midnight Cowboy."
Ferrante and Teicher, known as "The Movie Theme Team," performed together for 40 years after meeting as children at the Juilliard School in New York.
Smith, who managed the duo for 38 years, said Ferrante played the piano every day.
"Until about four weeks ago he was still playing," Smith said. "He was an unbelievable, incredible pianist. His hands, they moved like he was still 20 years old. He had other (aging) problems, but playing the piano was not one of them."
Smith disputed the characterization of the duo's music as easy listening, saying Ferrante could play complicated classical works off the top of his head.
"They were both absolute genius," Smith said.
When Teicher died in 2008 at age 83, Ferrante told The Associated Press that the pair turned friendship into 40 years of artistic and business success.
The men played 9-foot concert pianos while facing each other on stage.
"No one was more blessed than I to have Lou Teicher as my best friend since we met at the Juilliard School Of Music at the ages of 9 and 6," Ferrante said.
"Although we were two individuals, at the twin-pianos our brains worked as one. Lou was certainly one of the world's most gifted pianists," he said.
They recorded more than 150 albums and dozens of singles, selling more than 88 million records worldwide and earning 22 gold and platinum records. They also made more than 200 television appearances, some with personalities including Ed Sullivan, Dick Clark and Johnny Carson. They were White House guests of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
Their annual Ferrante & Teicher Tour ended in 1989 after more than 5,200 concerts.
Ferrante is survived by his wife, daughter and twin granddaughters.
Smith said private memorial services will likely be held in Longboat Key, where both Ferrante and Teicher moved in the mid-1980s after spending decades based in New York.

Peter Paul And Mary - Song of the Week

As a tribute to Mary Travers who died this past week (please see posting below), here is Peter Paul and Mary in two live performances...

First is Leaving On A Jet Plane, our Song of the Week, followed by Early Morning Rain, written by Canada's Gordon Lightfoot.


Enjoy!

Michael

Treasure Island Oldies Welcome MX Radio - Music Xpress

I am very pleased to welcome MX Radio - Music Xpress - The Variety Station in Atlanta, Georgia, to the Treasure Island Oldies Broadcast Partners Network.

My thanks to Bob Eldridge, station owner. I'm looking forward to sharing four hours of great music with the listeners of MX Radio live every Sunday night from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. And be sure to get in touch with your requests. Come to the Treasure Island Oldies website and click the Requests Button on any page. I'd also love to hear from you. Call the Listener Request Line at 206-203-4678 and record your voicemail message with your request or greeting. I'll play both your message and the song you' d like to hear on the show.


And please visit MX Radio - Music Xpress here.

We're Back

It's seems all is well again with Blogger, and with a slight improvement to boot. Please let me know of the subtle changes to the layout. Any input from you would be very appreciated.

Issues with Blogspot

For some reason, the side profile section of the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is missing and I am unable to add any photos. I'm also unable to do anything with text, such as underline, bold or italics.

As soon as Blogspot has the problem fixed I will be able to post again. I will try again tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Michael

Young Rascals - Voice Your Choice

The Young Rascals were a "Blue-eyed Soul" group from New York City and the original group consisted of Felix Cavaliere (vocals and organ), Gene Cornish (vocals and guitar), Eddie Brigati (vocals, percussion) and Dino Danelli (drums). Felix, Gene and Eddie had all been members of Joey Dee and The Starliters (remember The Peppermint Twist?). The famous Sid Bernstein signed them to Atlantic Records and their debut single, I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore became a minor hit, peaking at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. But that was just the beginning.

Between 1966 and 1971, they had 18 singles on the charts including 5 Top Ten hits and 3 Gold Records. In 1968 they removed "Young" and re-named themselves The Rascals. They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1997.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights The Rascals with two of their much-loved hits: A Beautiful Morning and I've Been Lonely Too Long.

There is going to be some difficult decision making by you before we find out the results of the votes. Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Henry Gibson - "Laugh In" Star DeaD At Age 73

The veteran actor found fame four decades ago as a meek poet on the landmark TV comedy show and most recently had a recurring role on 'Boston Legal.'

By Dennis McLellan
September 17, 2009

Henry Gibson, a veteran character actor who came to fame in the late 1960s as the flower-holding poet on TV's landmark satirical comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," has died. He was 73.

Gibson died late Monday night at his home in Malibu after a short battle with cancer, said his son Jon.

Gibson, who more recently played a recurring role as cantankerous Judge Clark Brown on "Boston Legal," was part of the original ensemble cast of “Laugh In,” which ran on NBC from 1968 to 1973.

The hourlong show, whose original cast included Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Jo Anne Worley and others, was an immediate hit.

"Henry was an integral part of 'Laugh-In' for a long time, and he was brilliant," said Gary Owens, the show's announcer, who remained close to Gibson over the years. "He was a very funny man."

Worley said Gibson "was probably the kindest person on 'Laugh-In' " and was the person she'd call whenever she needed show-business advice.

"I'm personally devastated that such a good friend is gone," she said.

George Schlatter, executive producer and creator of "Laugh-In," recalled that when Gibson auditioned for the show, "He came in and did a poem and a full back flip. He said, 'Is that anything?' I said, 'Be here Monday.' "

Gibson "brought a wonderful warmth and whimsy and a charm to 'Laugh-In.' That went a long way to balance some of the political, satirical and bawdy humor we featured," Schlatter said.

"Henry was a sweet, gentle man. Any piece we gave to Henry took on a different shape when he read it because he infused his own whimsy and his own gentle intelligence and wit to it."

In the show's famous cocktail party scenes, when the music would stop and each cast member would deliver a funny line, Gibson was a religious figure holding a teacup and saucer.

"My congregation supports all denominations," he said on one show, "but our favorites are twenties and fifties."

But Gibson was best known as the poet, holding a large flower and beginning his brief recitations with his signature catchphrase, "A poem, by Henry Gibson."

"He wrote all those himself," Jon Gibson said. "It was a point of pride that he only read poems that he himself wrote."

During one of his frequent guest appearances on the show, John Wayne spoofed Gibson by coming around the wall holding a flower and delivering "A poem, by John Wayne."

"Roses are red, violets are green," Wayne said, "Get off your butt and join the Marines."

Gibson's poems led to two comedy albums, "The Alligator" and "The Grass Menagerie," and a book, "A Flower Child's Garden of Verses."

Gibson's family said he used his fame to help support the fledgling environmental movement, including contributing op-ed pieces and poetry to newspapers and other publications.

Looking back on his time on "Laugh-In" in a 1993 interview with The Times, Gibson said, "It was an oasis of laughter and escape."

As an actor, Gibson went on to appear in four films directed by Robert Altman, most notably “Nashville” (1975), in which he played country singer Haven Hamilton, for which he wrote most of his character's songs and received a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor.

Gibson also played an Illinois Nazi in "The Blues Brothers," a menacing neighbor in "The 'Burbs" and a priest in "The Wedding Crashers." He also was the voice of Wilbur the Pig in the animated "Charlotte's Web."

He was born James Bateman on Sept. 21, 1935, in Germantown, Pa., and began acting professionally at age 8 as a touring performer for nine years with the Mae Desmond Theatre.

He earned a bachelor's degree in drama at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. After serving in the Air Force as an intelligence officer with the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in France from 1957 to 1960, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Gibson was still known as Jim Bateman in the early '60s when he was living in New York City, where his roommate was another struggling young actor -- Jon Voight, whom he had met when they were both students at Catholic University.

Voight recalled Wednesday that they developed a small comedy act that they performed at a couple of auditions featuring two naive hillbilly characters. Voight said he came up with the names: Harold and Henry Gibson, the latter a derivative of playwright Henrik Ibsen's name.

Gibson, who wrote some simple poems for his character to recite in the act, received a big break when he was invited to appear as the Henry Gibson character on "The Tonight Show."

"He was the kind of guy at that time, nothing could stop him," Voight said. "He was very talented. I just thought the world of Jim and was so glad for his success."

Gibson made his feature film debut playing a college student in Jerry Lewis' 1963 comedy "The Nutty Professor."

He also had a small role in Billy Wilder's 1964 comedy "Kiss Me, Stupid." And he made guest appearances on 1960s TV shows such as "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Bewitched," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "F-Troop" and "My Favorite Martian."

Gibson's wife of more than 40 years, Lois, died in 2007.

In addition to his son Jon, he is survived by two other sons, Charles and James; three sisters, Adele Donahue, Mary Lee and Elizabeth Malloy; and two grandchildren.

A memorial service is pending.

Instead of flowers, donations may be made to the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Friends of the Malibu Public Library.

dennis.mclellan@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

Mary Travers of Peter Paul and Mary Dead At Age 72

This is sad news indeed. Here is more information.

DANBURY, Conn. — Mary Travers, one-third of the hugely popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died.
The band's publicist, Heather Lylis, says Travers died at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut on Wednesday. She was 72 and had battled leukemia for several years.
Travers joined forces with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey in the early 1960s.
The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)"
They were early champions of Bob Dylan and performed his "Blowin' in the Wind" at the August 1963 March on Washington.
And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream.
The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Blowin' in the Wind."
At one point in 1963, three of their albums were in the top six Billboard best-selling LPs as they became the biggest stars of the folk revival movement.
It was heady stuff for a trio that had formed in the early 1960s in Greenwich Village, running through simple tunes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
They debuted at the Bitter End in 1961, and their beatnik look — a tall blonde flanked by a pair of goateed guitarists — was a part of their initial appeal. As The New York Times critic Robert Shelton put it not long afterward, "Sex appeal as a keystone for a folk-song group was the idea of the group's manager, Albert B. Grossman, who searched for months for `the girl' until he decided on Miss Travers."
Their debut album came out in 1962, and immediately scored a pair of hits with their versions of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." The former won them Grammys for best folk recording, and best performance by a vocal group.
"Moving" was the follow-up, including the hit tale of innocence lost, "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" — which reached No. 2 on the charts, and generated since-discounted reports that it was an ode to marijuana.
Album No. 3, "In the Wind," featured three songs by the 22-year-old Dylan. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "Blowin' in the Wind" both reached the top 10, bringing Dylan's material to a massive audience; the latter shipped 300,000 copies during one two-week period.
"Blowin' In the Wind" became an another civil rights anthem, and Peter, Paul and Mary fully embraced the cause. They marched with King in Selma, Ala., and performed with him in Washington.
In a 1966 New York Times interview, Travers said the three worked well together because they respected one another. "There has to be a certain amount of love just in order for you to survive together," she said. "I think a lot of groups have gone down the tubes because they were not able to relate to one another."
With the advent of the Beatles and Dylan's switch to electric guitar, the folk boom disappeared. Travers expressed disdain for folk-rock, telling the Chicago Daily News in 1966 that "it's so badly written. ... When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers."
But the trio continued their success, scoring with the tongue-in-cheek single "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," a gentle parody of the Mamas and the Papas, in 1967 and the John Denver-penned "Leaving on a Jet Plane" two years later.
They also continued as boosters for young songwriters, recording numbers written by then-little-known Gordon Lightfoot and Laura Nyro.
In 1969, the group earned their final Grammy for "Peter, Paul and Mommy," which won for best children's album. They disbanded in 1971, launching solo careers — Travers released five albums — that never achieved the heights of their collaborations.
Over the years they enjoyed several reunions, including a performance at a 1978 anti-nuclear benefit organized by Yarrow and a 35th anniversary album, "Lifelines," with fellow folkies Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Dave Van Ronk and Seeger. A boxed set of their music was released in 2004.
They remained politically active as well, performing at the 1995 anniversary of the Kent State shootings and performing for California strawberry pickers.
Travers had undergone a successful bone marrow transplant to treat her leukemia and was able to return to performing after that.
"It was like a miracle," Travers told The Associated Press in 2006. "I'm just feeling fabulous. What's incredible is someone has given your life back. I'm out in the garden today. This time last year I was looking out a window at a hospital." She also said she told the marrow donor "how incredibly grateful I was."
But by mid-2009, Yarrow told WTOP radio in Washington that her condition had worsened again and he thought she would no longer be able to perform.
Mary Allin Travers was born on Nov. 9, 1936 in Louisville, Ky., the daughter of journalists who moved the family to Manhattan's bohemian Greenwich Village. She quickly became enamored with folk performers like the Weavers, and was soon performing with Seeger, a founding member of the Weavers who lived in the same building as the Travers family.
With a group called the Song Swappers, Travers backed Seeger on one album and two shows at Carnegie Hall. She also appeared (as one of a group of folk singers) in a short-lived 1958 Broadway show called "The Next President," starring comedian Mort Sahl.
It wasn't until she met up with Yarrow and Stookey that Travers would taste success on her own. Yarrow was managed by Grossman, who later worked in the same capacity for Dylan.
In the book "Positively 4th Street" by David Hajdu, Travers recalled that Grossman's strategy was to "find a nobody that he could nurture and make famous."
The budding trio, boosted by the arrangements of Milt Okun, spent seven months rehearsing in her Greenwich Village apartment before their 1961 public debut.
Travers lived for many years in Redding, Conn.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

Thank you so very much for the great welcome home from my vacation in Sydney, Australia. To say I had a great time is an understatement; it was the trip of a lifetime. I would love to go back but for a longer time to be able to see more of this amazing country. I must say though, that on Saturday afternoon went to downtown Vancouver and to the beach. Sitting on the sand in English Bay and taking in the view is also pretty dazzling. So I am very fortunate to live is such a great city. I must say that despite being back for four days now, I feel more tired than I did when I first got back. So this week's update won't be lengthy.

It was also a special treat to play some great music by Australian artists, most of whom I am sure you were already familiar with, but it was great to play some songs that you may have never heard before by artists such as Country Radio, The Dingoes, Sherbet, John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes, Normie Rowe, etc. It was fun to have this mini Aussie Special.

Speaking of Aussie music, over at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog our Song of the Week is Gypsy Queen by Greg Quill and Country Radio. It was the 1972 Song of the Year. Enjoy!

Next week on Voice Your Choice we feature Roger Miller with two of his fun and wacky hits to choose from: Dang Me and Chug-A-Lug. Have a preference for one song over the other? Cast your vote by clicking on the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website and make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Scott Harmon in Phenix City, Alabama, a regular in the Chat Room and one of the Nuts In The Hut. All the best to you, Scott. If you have a birthday coming up or would like me to wish Happy Birthday to someone special, send the details to me: name, birthday date as well and the city, province or state and country to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll play our official birthday song, Birthday by The Beatles, to recognize the special day.

It was nice to receive a photo from Mike Gorman in San Leandro, California and his pic is now posted to the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. It's great to have so many listeners in the gallery already, and your photo would make a great addition. Send your photo, name, city and state or province to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Once again, a big thank you to Bruce Toews in Winnipeg, Manitoba for offering the use of his Toews On The Waves radio show chat room while our chat server remains down. Update as to the status of our chat room coming ASAP.

Have a great week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Roger Miller - Voice Your Choice

Roger Miller was born on January 2, 1936 in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in Erick, Oklahoma. Sadly, he died of cancer on October 25, 1992 at the age of 56.

He charted 42 country hits, with 16 of them appearing on the pop charts, garnering success, recognition and fame, plus six Grammy Awards. Of the 16 pop hits, five were Top Ten and one became a Gold Record, for his signature song King Of The Road.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Roger Miller with two of his much-loved hit songs: Dang Me and Chug-A-Lug. Which of these two songs do you prefer? Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Country Radio - Song Of The Week

To end off my Australian vacation and the mini special I did on Australian music on this week's show, here is the 1972 Song of the Year awarded to Greg Quill and Country Radio from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Our Song of the Week is Gypsy Queen.

Enjoy!

Michael

A Trip To The Blue Mountains

Had an exciting outdoor adventure at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. It is a two hour train ride through the various neighbourhoods of Sydney. I must say the public transit system is unbelievable, very complex yet simple to use and get around either by bus, train or ferry...brilliant!

The train left Central Station and eventually began the climb into the Blue Mountains. Once in Katoomba, took a London Double-Deck bus for a Hop On Hop Off tour around Katoomba and Leura, with 27 stops of interest. Got off at Honeymoon Lookout and hiked along cliffs with a great vista to take in. In the valley floor is a forest of various types of trees including eucalyptus, which gives off a "blue" look, due to the oil that is emitted from the leaves of the eucalyptus trees.

What blew me away was hearing lots of screeching and looking down into the valley to see dozens and dozens of white cockatoos flying together and making a ton of screeching noises. Along the walk many beautifully coloured parrots flew around, landing in the branches of nearby trees.

The piece de resistance is the destination of the hike, the lookout at Echo Point. Here you can take in the amazing panorama of the plateau that was eroded by the sea ninety million years ago, resulting in the valley below. There is a 3000 metre outcropping of three sandstone towers called the Three Sisters. Truly this is an amazing natural wonder. Check out the photo below.

One last day Wednesday, then back home to Vancouver. See you Sunday for the next live show.

Bye for now.
Michael

 

More from Oz

Hi again from Sydney, Australia.

Yesterday went to two excellent attractions: Sydney Aquarium and Sydney WildlifeWorld, both located beside each other in Darling Harbour.

The Aquarium offers visitors the opportunity to do a walkthrough under water in glass tubes. You can see up close a wide variety of marine animals including turtles, dugongs, crocodiles, gigantic manta rays and fearsome sharks!

WildlifeWorld has a large variety ot reptiles, insects and animals, all indigenous to Australia. Watched with wonder beautiful koalas, both adult and babies. One mother was munching away on eucaliptus leaves while her baby was asleep all cuddled up to mom. Also saw wallabies and beautiful kangaroos. The photo on the left was taken closeup of a beautiful "roo". Doesn't he look wise?!

Heading off today to the Blue Mountains, about a 2 1/2 hour train ride from downtown Sydney to Katoomba. There we'll see fascinationg natual land formations such as the Three Sisters, large side by side vertical sandstone columns. They're called the "blue" mountains because of the eucalyptus trees, which exude oil from their leaves, giving a blue misty look. Will post more photos later.

Having a great time Down Under.

Bye fow now.
Michael

Hello from Sydney, Australia

"G'day Mate",

Arrived safely here in Sydney, a beautiful and big city. Got to the hotel before check-in time, so checked the luggage and went for a walk and saw the biggest landmark, the Sydney Tower. Took the elevator to the outlook level and had a 360 degree panoramic view of the city skyline including Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, Hyde Park and so many other interesting sites. Incidentally, the kangaroo photo above is stock photography while the city shot is a panoramic photo taken with our camera.

Had a nap later in the afternoon then went out for something to eat. Was not sure it I was on daytime, nighttime or whatever time. LOL

After a good night sleep and plenty of coffee in the hotel room, going exploring today. Sydney has an excellent transit system and you can buy a pass, daily, weekly, etc. that will provide access to the entire system. This includes regular transit buses, plus a "hop on hop off" bus system for the entire city as well as Bondi Beach, and the entire ferry system. Very excited to have the first full day in Sydney.

More soon.

Bye for now.

Michael

P.S. Even though this posting shows Thursday, September 3rd, it is actually Friday, September 4th at 8:30 am. Hard to get used to the major time difference. :-)