R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 181
November 5, 2014
The Cockles of Sydney’s Heart — Cockle Bay
Darling Harbour in Cockle Bay
Sydney is one of the great walking cities of the world, in my view. I absolutely love strolling around every bit of it. One of nooks and crannies not to be missed is Cockle Bay, site of Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Darling Harbour ferry terminal
A short walk west from Sydney’s central business district will take you to Cockle Bay, and you can then walk across the bay using the Pyrmont Bridge — a pedestrian swing bridge that was closed...
November 3, 2014
The Quay to the City — Sydney’s Circular Quay
A look back from the Sydney Opera House Forecourt
Making our way back around Sydney Cove we approach Circular Quay. Let’s face it — our Commonwealth cousins around the world really can’t spell. Never could. Never will. If ‘quay’ (a platform extending into the water used to the loading and unloading of watercraft) were spelled as it is pronounced, it would be ‘key.’ Which reminds me of a little story from my stint in England back in the ’70s. An English gentleman corrected my pronunciation of t...
October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween — The Apollyon Particle
The Apollyon Particle — A Halloween Tale of Terror
Time for this year’s Halloween Story. If you enjoy it, please “Like” it below and spread the word. If you don’t, keep your mouth shut or suffer the wrath of Apollyon:
Friday, February 13, 2015
For immediate dissemination from Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN):
My name is Dr. Vlad Draken, and I led the team that brought us to this catastrophe. The following is a brief synopsis of how we arrived here, what Apollyon has brought for...
October 29, 2014
Sydney — Home of “The Coat Hanger”
Eight traffic lanes, two rail lines, bicycle and pedestrian lanes covering almost ¾ of a mile!
Remember when I called the Sydney Opera House, “one of Sydney’s most recognizable landmarks?” Well, here’s another one. It’s one of the most recognizable bridges in the world, right up there with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate. It’s the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and it’s the tallest as well as the sixth longest spanning-arch bridge on the planet. It also goes by the moniker “Coathanger Bridge,”...
October 27, 2014
A Night at the Opera without the Marx Brothers — Sydney Opera House
Jutting out onto Bennelong Point
Today we begin our look at Sydney, Australia, with one of Sydney’s most recognizable landmarks — the Sydney Opera House. I’m sure you recognize this iconic structure, but you may not know the protracted and often bitter struggle behind the façade. The Sydney Opera House was under construction for over 14½ years and cost nearly 14.6 times the original budget. That’s almost 11 years beyond the projected completion date and, in today’s currencies, the cost works o...
October 24, 2014
Fun Photo Friday — Fun Shots of Sydney
Sydney Harbour Bridge at night — The “Coat Hanger”
Today’s Fun Photo Friday begins a new travel series. This trip began with three nights in Sydney, Australia and ended a month later when our cruise ship MS Oosterdam docked in Seattle, Washington. But before we begin our trip in earnest, let’s introduce your guides:
R. Doug Wicker — Your Favorite Author . . . I hope
Ursula Wicker — Your Favorite REALTOR® and Travel Guide
And for the rest of today’s Fun Photo Friday I present a smattering on my fa...
October 22, 2014
Bet You Thought I’d Forgotten to Blog this Trip
Sydney Opera House
Way back in mid-May I offered this preview blog of our month-long trip that began with three nights in Sydney, Australia, followed by a transpacific cruise to Seattle, Washington, aboard Holland America’s MS Oosterdam. Well, I didn’t forget. I merely got distracted by another cruise from Montreal to Boston, and current events such as the Malaysia 370 disappearance. Throw in a few gun blogs, a movie review or two, and other aviation-related news such as the Chicago Center fia...
October 20, 2014
A 1911 by Any Other Name Would Be . . . an M1991A1 — Shooting Review
Colt M1991A1 Government Model
A word for the shooting enthusiast: This review is geared toward novices in general and writers of fiction in particular. If you’re a shooter or a fan of the M1911 you’ll still enjoy it, but please bear with some of the more extraneous background stuff. For someone looking for a review of the M1991A1 with a purchase in mind, read through to the end for a detailed look at the fit, finish, and other particulars for this model.
Last Monday we took a look at John Brown...
October 17, 2014
Fun Photo Friday — WhiteKnightTwo Favorites
WhiteKnightTwo Panoramic
WhiteKnightTwo doesn’t only act as a launch platform. Something I didn’t mention in Wednesday’s blog is that WhiteKnightTwo is also built to handle the stresses of parabolic flight, which results in something approaching zero gravity.
Parabolic flight profile from Wikipedia article on Reduced Gravity Aircraft
You’ll notice that this is not for the faint of heart. While that Zero-G portion of the flight may look like fun, take a look at what awaits you and both ends of th...
October 15, 2014
WhiteKnightTwo
Something you don’t see every day — WhiteKnightTwo
On September 11 of this year we had a visitor come to El Paso International Airport. What you see above is WhiteKnightTwo, the launch vehicle for Virgin Galactic’s suborbital tourist thrill ride SpaceShipTwo.
SpaceShip 2 (center) suspended for a ride aloft on WhiteKnightTwo — Launch altitude 50,000 feet/15,240 meters; Upper diagram is of WhiteKnightOne and SpaceShipOne
Fortunately I was at work that day, and doubly fortunately Ursula was able to...
