Esprit high and dry in Smith’s Creek – more later.
Since our last post at the end of October, I have had a relaxed time in the run-up to Christmas. In a large measure, this was due to me going through a physiotherapy rehabilitation period for my damaged left Achilles tendon.
Annie, on the other hand, threw herself back into daily gym classes and pickle ball games with friends. The frustrating part for me, was not being allowed to cycle or sail.
Pickle ball ladies, Robyn, Sandy and Jody.
During the month of November I took on a side gig in smash repairs. Karen’s Nissan Micra which she has driven for 16 years, was parked in our guest parking bay while she is working in Portland. A red kangaroo struck the Micra in Orange, NSW five years ago, followed by severe hail damage a month later. She loves the car and refuses to part with it.
Istraightened the front sub assembly with her car’s scissor jack and bought a new bonnet online, only available in black undercoat. Also bought the 3 coats of spray paint (white base coat, pearlescent second coat and final clear coat) and after spraying the bonnet, refitted it. The hail dents on the roof, I pulled out with a new tool costing $8 online. The result speaks for itself.
Before.
During.
After.
Quietly however, I snuck in a number of social sailing events with our Sail Cruising Division, taking due care in getting on and off the boat. We had a brisk sail around Lion Island with young friends Reece and Astrid.
Annie and Astrid.
I was also Officer of the Day for a cruise to Smith’s Creek, which has only four public moorings. Those of us who couldn’tgrab a mooring, including Esprit, had a difficult time getting secure anchorage on the grass covered bottom of the creek.
With me and Jim Parsons assisting a solo member to anchor, I didn’t notice the fast outgoing tide. The result was a grounding on a sandbar (our sixth) continuing our chequered history, going back to our first grounding in the Whitsundays in July 2016.
High and dry in the Whitsundays
Annie waiting for high tide.
Annie and Gail with “miracle” face packs, compliments of Jim Parsons.
The party continued on Jim Parson’s Knot Again, before re-floating Esprit at 11pm. We had a pleasant dinghy trip the following morning to the upper reaches of the creek.
Exploring Smith’s Creek upper reaches.
Carl, a sailor from Hawaii joining us up the Creek.
An event worth mentioning, was the annual RMYC festival of lights event where the Sail Cruising Division joined the Timber Boat Division on the Pearl, the club’s floating party barge for live music, dinner and drinks. Michelle recently arrived from Fiji, joined our group.
Michelle at the festival of lights.
The SCD Christmas lunch at Coasters Retreat was again a well attended event, resulting in Annie and I spending two additional days moored at Towlers Bay, after which Michelle our daughter, joined us to take six friends out on Esprit until Christmas, when we will join them for the day.
The ladies prepping the prawn cocktails.
Some of the usual suspects at the lunch.
Finally, a few pics of Karen, Evan and Nina in the USA. They are having a good time and we are looking forward to welcome them back in Sydney beginning of February 2026.
Karen and Nina having a short break in Nashville, Tennessee.
I love my dad Evan.
Nina, the snow bunny in Oregon.
From Michelle, we only have one photo to share – at her office in Fiji. She is working hard and when not working, surfing and diving.
Michelle in Fiji.
May 2026 be a fabulous year for all our friends and family. We will update you quarterly with our news.
Warning! This post contains a lot of Schady and Muller family photos, which you may find boring, or may have puzzling names.
Auckland Skyline from the North – quite an impressive tower.
The 13 hour flight from San Francisco to New Zealand crossed the International Date Line, resulting in a lost day on our calendar, before we arrived in Auckland at 06:00 on Wednesday the 15 October. After picking up a rental car, we braved the morning rush hour through the city and across the harbour bridge to Browns Bay, where Annie’s brother Joe and his partner Mary lives.
Annie, Joe and Mary.
By midday we joined our round the world sailing friends Michele and Topher and Sarah and Mike for lunch in Devonport. Unfortunately, the intrepid Jonny and Tina who rounded Cape Horn on their way back to NZ, couldn’t join us. It was good to catch up with their news, as we all had by now become grandparents and settled down in our homes in Australia and New Zealand.
Julia, Sophia, Annie and Emilia.
Whilst in Devonport, we popped in at Annie’s niece Julia who had joined us on Esprit in the Mediterranean and is now the mother of two lovely girls, Emilia and Sophia. Cousins Julia and our Michelle who are about the same age, spent quite some time together working in London. Julia and husband James are back in NZ.
Penny, Annie, Joe, Dirk and Frank.
The next morning, we did the 2,5 hour drive down to Whiritoa on the East coast, to visit Annie’s sister Penny and husband Frank Tonetti at their batch (holiday home). The weather was still sunny and we did walks and Annie joined the local pickle ball players for a few games.
Annie nearest and the pickle ball crowd.
After a pleasant two nights, we did the short drive down to just north of Tauranga, where my niece Anneri, her husband Robert and two children Madison and Logan now live in a lovely house, overlooking a river estuary. They have settled down well in NZ and are working hard to put the kids through private school. We left early on Saturday morning for the 530 km drive to Wellington.
View from their front lawn to the estuary.
Robert, Anneri, Logan (on his way to cricket) and Annie.
Beauty and the one legged beast – Madison and Dirk.
The New Zealand countryside is absolutely beautiful and green with trees growing into leaves and blossoms with the approaching spring. We stopped a few times for coffees and snacks to give Annie some breaks, as she drove the entire distance. We arrived at our hotel in Wellington at 4:30 pm.
The drive South – approaching Mount Ruapehu.
Ruapehu is the largest active volcano in NZ and is located at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in Tongariro National Park. At 2797m high, it is the highest peak in the North Island. It has the North Island’s only glaciers and is a popular ski destination.
Coming abreast of Mt Ruapehu.
After a quick shower, we caught an Uber to Annie’s nephew Paulo and Shahlaa his new wife, for drinks. They treated us to dinner at a restaurant with an amazing nine course meal of small tasting dishes. Paulo and Shahlaa have recently returned from athree month overseas trip and we got up to date with their travels. The NZ Pinot Noir wines were tasty and lubricated our conversation until late, before taking an Uber back to our hotel.
The beautiful Museum of New Zealand on the way to Paulo and Shahlaa.
The Takina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The modest Victorian Circa Theatre.
We had a late start on Sunday and after lunch, walked down to trendy Cuba Street to meet Annie’s other niece Lisa, husband Saije and baby Peaches for drinks. It was good seeing them and were impressed with Peaches’ development at two years and four months old.
Saije, Lisa and Peaches.
Wellington downtown sculpture honouring the Maori’s.
Monday saw an early start for the 660 km drive back to Browns Bay in Auckland. This time I insisted on sharing the driving, boot and all, for alternating two hour driving stints. We got back to Browns Bay at 6 pm. Interesting to note: Having not paid for petrol for our EV in three years, it was a shock to pay more than $200 for petrol for a weeks driving a Toyota HYBRID vehicle! Petrol costs around $2.75/l.
Petrol stop on the way back to Auckland – some guy with a chainsaw cut some totem poles.
On our last day in Auckland we drove up to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, a suburban area about 50 km north of Auckland to have lunch with my late mom’s cousin Catie, and husband Pieter and their daughter Michele and husband Nico.
Catie, Michele, Annie, Dirk and Pieter. Catie and Pieter soon to be in their sprightly nineties.
Annie’s nephew Marco, came for dinner on our last night. The flight back to Sydney the following day was quick, but it was bit of a surprise to arrive to Sydney’s 39 degC after leaving Auckland’s 20 degC! So here we are back at home after seven weeks away. Expect a lull in our posts, as I still have a month to go in this damn moon boot!
Flashback! I found my video of the Niagara Falls, not included in our post from Toronto. Here it is – quite spectacular.
So, we landed at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans around midday on Monday 6 October. Stepping out of the airport onto the bus, we were greeted by warm and humid weather. The name Louis Armstrong, a native of New Orleans, will appear in this post, numerous times.
St Ann Street
Annie had managed to book us an AirB&B in St Ann Street, on the edge of the French Quarter, next to the Louis Armstrong Park. St Ann Street runs through the heart of the French Quarter down to Jackson Square, by the Mississippi riverfront.
St Ann Street history.
We spent the afternoon relaxing, before going around the corner to a small restaurant, to eat some local Cajun Food. Some Gumbo, a rich stew; Jambalaya, a rice dish with meat and seafood; Red Beans and Rice, a simple yet popular meal.
Cajun Food: Gumbo, Red beans and rice, Jambalaya.
Cajun culture is known for its unique French dialect, lively music, and bold, spicy cuisine characterised by ingredients like cayenne pepper.
Passing through Louis Armstrong Park – a jazz sculpture.
Houses on St Ann.
Banner on a balcony.
The next morning, we walked down St Ann Street to Jackson Square admiring the colourful houses, to catch the 9:30 am Hop on, Hop off bus to do a city tour. Now, these houses are mostly repaired or rebuilt structures after the devastating category 5 hurricane Katrina, struck New Orleans in late August 2005. There are grassed open plots, still unbuilt.
More rebuilt, colourful houses.
Mule and buggy.
Hurricane Katrina with winds of 280 km/h caused a storm surge of more than 4.3 m from the Gulf of Mexico and rainfall of around 250 mm in two hours, completely flooding New Orleans. The levees and walls surrounding the town were breached in many places. The result: 1,392 people killed and $125 billion worth of damage.
History of New Orleans.
The people of New Orleans are resilient and good humoured, having survived a number of hurricanes over the years. In fact, very friendly and helpful in their broad Southern accents. Riding on their streetcars (trams) which only cost 50c for a seniors day pass, serves the common folk and is like a party on wheels, with lots of shouting and repartee between driver and passengers.
A street car – this one built in 1920.
Driver at the controls.
Jackson Square – St Louis Cathedral and the statue of Major General Andrew Jackson.
Artists selling their creations next to the square.
Next to the square – Cafe du Monde. Street musicians already playing at 9am.
On the bus tour – the posh Garden district (also flooded).
Also on the bus tour – the severe World war 2 museum, built since Katrina.
Our day tour on the bus finished at about 12:30, so we stopped at the Cornet Pub on the corner of Bourbon Street and St Peter for a beer and lunch. I asked the bar lady what sizes their draft beer comes in: small, medium and large, she said. We ordered two medium lagers. The medium turned out to be one litre, the large, two litres!
You call that a medium size beer? You need two hands to lift the glass!
Carrying on down Bourbon Street, we heard some Zydeco music coming from the Bourbon Heat pub across the road. Zydeco is a dance-oriented music genre that originated with the black Creole people of Southwest Louisiana, blending traditional Creole and Cajun music with blues and R&B. Its sound is defined by the amplified accordion and the percussive washboard.
The guy playing here was not only good on the accordion, but played contemporary blues on his guitar. His singing, wasn’t too bad either. We enjoyed a few Hurricanes – a fruity rum cocktail and the potent and sweet, Grasshopper cocktail. Below are a few short video clips of the accordion and guitar music.
We stumbled home for an early night. The next day we bought two senior day passes for the streetcars, me heading off to the Jazz Museum and Annie to the French markets. Later, we did the St Charles loop through town to look at the streetscape and watch the people. Annie bought us a Crawfish Pie (crayfish pie) for dinner.
On the way back home, up St Ann Street.
Back through Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square.
At the Jazz museum, I learned that New Orleans Jazz had its roots in the Sunday gatherings of the negro slaves at Congo Square, to sing and dance. There is a lovely mural at the museum, as well as a statue in Congo Square depicting this.
Mural at the Jazz Museum.
Statue at Congo Square.
On Thursday, my Achilles tendon injury was quite swollen and sore, so I decided to start on this post, while Annie went sightseeing. She managed to buy me a pair of gel heel supports to reduce the tension on the injury. By late afternoon we walked down to Bourbon and Canal Street to listen to some street music.
Bourbon Street late afternoon.
This place is buzzing with music – in every bar and jazz club. I wish my friend Jim Petrie was here to enjoy this. No wonder the New Orleans carnival which always start around the 6th January, sometimes carry on until Easter. The people just love to dress up, dance and make music!
Bourbon Street 2.
Early evening when it gets cooler, Bourbon Street becomes a hive of activity. People of all ages walk down the pedestrian street, with cocktails, wine or beer in hand (no glass allowed, therefore plastic containers), checking out their options for music and dinner. Whereas lunch times feature solo acts, groups now play in the pubs.
People watching from the balcony.
Two souped up EV wheelchairs.
The music is loud and is nowadays, mostly hard rock, with the few exceptions of Irish pubs playing Van Morrison. Apart from the usual Pat O’Brien’s, Finnegan’s and Molly’s Pubs, there is one that got me chuckling, called “Irish Daycare”. We opted for the quieter ambience of a small eatery where we could order a Po’boy.
The Po’boy fried shrimp sandwich.
A Po’ boy is a traditional New Orleans sandwich made with flaky French bread filled with seafood, like fried shrimp or oysters, or meat like roast beef. “Fully dressed,” it includes toppings of lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise. Its name and origins are rooted in the city’s working-class history. A foot long (300 mm) sandwich sets you back $20 and is more than enough for two people.
Check the sign about money!
We also learned what Grits are – I always read about Jack Reacher ordering grits with his meals at truck stop diners. In SA we would call this no. 9 coarse mealie meal, but here it is flavoured with bacon chips or cheese.
Interesting sign!
Our last two days were spent visiting a museum about slavery and the 1960’s Civil Rights movement against segregation, here in Louisiana, led by Dr Martin Luther King. Also, just enjoying the street and music scene during the day and evenings. New Orleans has turned out to be the highlight of our trip so far and comes highly recommended. We fly to New Zealand tomorrow morning early and will post on that later. To sign off: Two photos below for ute lovers.
You call that a ute? No, a truck! Note the Subaru station wagon in front for scale.
My shoulders are the height of the bonnet! Imagine being hit by all that lovely chrome.
After taking a train and a Skytrain to Newark Airport on the 29th September, we had a short flight from New York to Toronto. A shuttle bus to Union station, then a subway train to Rosedale station and an Uber to 122 Roxborough Drive brought us to the house of Martin and Jane. We hadn’t seen Martin, Annie’s youngest brother for at least ten years, nor his two sons, John and Julian, or met his partner Jane.
Martin and Annie. The Maple trees are changing colour for Fall.
Our first day was spent catching up with news at home, relaxing and doing our laundry. Martin took us for a drive to show us their neighbourhood and for us to buy some wine. It was good to meet John and Julian and find out about their careers.
John, Annie, Martin and Julian Schady.
The following day we had an early start to catch a bus for a day trip to Niagara Fallswith a stop at the quaint town of Niagara on the Lake, for tea. Our bus driver was most knowledgeable and entertaining and took us to see all the main sights at the falls. The whirlpool with its overhead cable car, then the Horseshoe falls between Canada and the US and finally the US falls. Lunch was at a local restaurant.
Typical house at Niagara on the Lake.
Cable car over the Whirlpool.
Darby and Joan at the Whirlpool.
Top of the Horseshoe Falls.
How the Horseshoe Falls have eroded over time.
US Falls – Horseshoe Falls on the right.
Bridge between US and Canada.
The next day was spent walking in the local ravines as far as my boot would allow – about 4 km. On the Saturday, I pushed a bit harder and did about 7 km to the markets at the old brickworks and back. On our last day, we took a ferry out to Wards Bay on Toronto Island, a short distance from the city, to walk on the island and have lunch at a pub.
Map of Toronto Island.
View back to the City.
A typical island bungalow – shoo wow man, groovy – reminds me of Bakoven.
One of a number of yacht marinas on the island.
After seven days in Toronto, we took a flight to New Orleans in the US where we booked into a quaint Air B&B cottage for a six day stay. The music and Cajun food of the Mississippi Delta, are what we have been looking forward to. We will report back after New Orleans.
On our flight from Portland to New York, I had an informative New Yorker, Peter Miller, sitting next to me. He lives in Manhattan and offered to get us on the right trains to get to our hotel. We arrived at Newark airport at 6pm, where I had a lady waiting for me with a wheelchair. She was a recent arrival from Nigeria and pushed me all the way to the skytrain that link to the railway line to Penn Station. We had a good chat about Africa and why she came to the USA.
Penn station concourse.
Penn station is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere. Peter got off the train with us and pointed us in the direction of our hotel, before taking the subway to his abode. We took a taxi with the driver Mr Singh, a Sikh from the Punjab in India, a recent arrival in NYC. He sported a magnificent beard and twirled military style moustache below his turban.
Our hotel, the OYO hotel, 150m from Times Square, is one of the new hip and arty hotels of NYC. The ground floor areas are an interior decorators dream and this piqued our interest after seeing their website – interior design on steroids. The rooms were clearly photographed with a fish eye lens – so small, you have to go outside to change your mind. It had a fridge and bathroom, important in that order.
OYO lounge area.
OYO – more lounges.
OYO dining room – Oy vey!
Fish eye view of our bedroom.
Maria the receptionist was our introduction to the unique NY repartee –a rapid exchange of clever replies. After a late rise the next morning, we ambled down to Times Square for a coffee. The place was buzzing with people, many hustling you with some deal or another. Repartee from a bloke looking at my boot: “Are you going to give up kick boxing now?”
Cool Annie at Times Square.
We took a seat on the red stairs to have our coffees. The red stairs are famous because they serve as an iconic landmark and cultural hub in the heart of Times Square, offering a popular gathering spot with excellent views.
View towards Broadway.
Completed in 2008, these 27 ruby-red glass steps have become an internationally recognised symbol, featured in media and attracting thousands of visitors daily who use them as a stage to observe and experience the surrounding urban spectacle. The Red Stairs were designed by Australian architects Choi, Ropiha after they won an international design competition in 1999 with their winning concept.
Not so hip Dirk enjoying the vibe.
On Wednesday we took a taxi to the Chrysler building on Lexington Avenue where Michelle our daughter, arranged for us to meet her friend Eleni Christodoulou, who works on the 71st floor (The former viewing floor). This floor is unique and expensive real estate, and is occupied by a leading Artificial Intelligence software development company that she works at. It offers unsurpassed views of the city.
Chrysler Building (Getty Images)
The Chrysler Building is a 1,046-foot-tall, Art Deco skyscraper and is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework. It was completed in 1930 and was the tallest building in the world, before the 102 storey Empire State Building’s completion in 1931.The Empire State Building is 1,250 feet tall.
Chrysler Building, entrance lobby.
Lift lobby.
Lift car interior – they don’t make lift doors and cars like this anymore, hey Ron?
View of the Empire State building from the 71st floor.
Another view – too many to show!
Just a block away is Grand Central Station, or Terminal. It has 44 platforms on two levels and during morning rush hour, a train arrives every 58 seconds.The iconic Main Concourse is the geographical centre of the 3,300 m2building. The ceiling is beautifully painted with the constellations of the Astrological Zodiac. The station is truly GRAND by design. We took a train from here, back to Times Square.
Grand Central Station.
Back at Times Square – the Lone Ranger acquired a walking stick.
Annie then walked to the Museum of Modern Art after lunch and immersed herself in the exhibits for five hours, until closing time.
On Thursday we challenged ourselves with using the MTA app for New York. We planned to visit the Guggenheim Museum on Central Park, by combining tube and bus transport. We ended up in Queens on the other side of the East River, took the tube back to Manhattan and jumped on a taxi which got us there. The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is truly amazing and beautiful for its time.
The Guggenheim.
Interior, ground floor.
The permanent exhibition of Impressionists painters was very good, but we were disappointed with the contemporary work displayed on the spiral ramp. Picture graffiti with nonsensical words spray painted on mirrors and…. Fire the curator!! We caught a taxi back to the hotel for lunch, before Annie ventured out again. My boot, despite the walking stick is very heavy and tiring and requires a Nanna nap.
Looking down from the 6th Floor.
Halfway down the ramp.
The following day was the first day of our 48 hr BigBus tour pass. We did the red loop of Manhattan downtown area. Manhattan Island between the Hudson and the East rivers is quite large – 21.6 km long and 3.7 km wide at its widest point.The Lenape native Americans lived on the island and called it Manahahtaan. They sold the southern tip of the island to the Dutch West India Company for 60 Guilders ($24) in 1624, to establish a fur trading post and a new town, New Amsterdam. The British took control in 1664, renaming the colony New York after the Duke of York and establishing it as a major port.
Empire State entrance lobby.
Our first stop on the tour included tickets to visit the viewing platform on the 84th floor of the Empire State Building. After visiting the Chrysler Building, we thought this not necessary, but it turned out to be a good idea, as the weather was much better for viewing.
View South – One WTC in the distance.
View South East – note the pencil thin buildings!
View towards the Brooklyn Bridge.
View west across the Hudson river to New Jersey.
After Wall Street, named after the wall that separated the Dutch Colony from the rest of the island, we hopped off at the Brooklyn Bridge which Annie walked over while I visited the New York City Hall and watched the passing show at a Veterans Street market.
The Brooklyn bridge.
Wall street bull – Sergei posing for his girlfriend.
New York Town Hall.
Beautiful Victorian brick building near city hall. Note the Gaudi-esqe ripple facade of the modern building behind.
Our next stop was at the 9/11 memorial site and the new One World Trade Centre. This area of devastation has been beautifully redeveloped as a tranquil area of reflection with two pools indicating the footprints of the Twin Towers set in a tree canopied park.
Site layout.
The new One World Trade Centre building is a beautiful faceted glass tower, making the building, including its spire, reach a total height of 1,776 feet (541 m). Its height in feet is a deliberate reference to the year when the United States Declaration of Independence was signed.
One WTC across a pool.
Aerial view of One WTC. Note how the floor plan twists 45deg from the ground floor to the top. (Getty Images)
The names of 2,976 people who died on 9/11 inscribed around the two pools. Roses placed by relatives and friends are touching.
To the one side is the new Oculus structure, which is the transportation hub and shopping mall at the World Trade Centre, designed by Santiago Calatrava. Its wing-like architecture is meant to symbolise hope and rebirth after the 9/11 tragedy, resembling a bird taking flight. In addition to housing subway and PATH train lines, it serves as a retail centre and a space for art and public events.
The beautiful Oculus with One WTC behind.
Interior of the Oculus.
Oculus seating put to good use.
Our final stop included tickets for the Circular Boat Line for a trip down the Hudson River to view Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We got back to Times Square and our hotel at 6pm for a quick shower before walking to meet Fergus and Kate at the Vanguard Wine Bar for drinks and dinner.
Cruising down the Hudson – the money shot: Empire State Building in the gap!
South Manhattan with One WTC.
Thinking of Esprit at this moment.
The Statue of Liberty – a gift from France.
Kate and Fergus arrived in NYC a month ago from Sydney, after Fergus was transferred by Grimshaw Architects to their New York office as Associate Architect. We had a great time and after walking back to our hotel, we had clocked up 7 km for the day, despite the boot, for a good nights sleep.
Drinks with Kate and Fergus.
On Saturday we made a late start to get on the BigBus tour to North Manhattan and Central Park. This time we sat on the top deck to view the attractions, never once getting off the bus at the various stops.
Horse carriages in Central Park.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) the largest art museum in America, is located on the East side of Central Park.
A Nanna nap in the afternoon perked us up for a walk around Times Square at night, which is even more crowded than during daytime.
Times Square at night.
Sunday 28th September was our last day after a week in New York before flying to Toronto on the Monday. Annie took the subway to the Chelsea Markets, then a bus to Central Park, where she rented a bicycle to cycle through this enormous park, measuringapprox. 4 km (2.5 miles) long from north to south and 0.8 km (0.5 miles) wide from east to west.
Annie and her cycling buddies in Central Park.
People enjoying the park.
I had a relaxed walk to Bryant Park to visit the New York Public Library, enjoy a coffee in the park and later returning to the hotel to write up this account for our next post.
Pickle ball ladies, Robyn, Sandy and Jody.
