The Mighty MCG

First I have computer issues and then Blogger has had technical issues the past couple of days when I have wanted to blog...Murphy strikes again!!

But...I'm finally able to get access and it's past time to get to the venture to the mighty MCG or just The G has Natalie would refer to it.  You are probably asking yourself...what is the MCG?

The MCG

The Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG) just happens to be sacred ground for the game of cricket in Melbourne...much like Yankee Stadium is to baseball and you just can not go halfway around the world and not tour the MCG.  If only I had been a month or so earlier I could have gone to a cricket game though I know pretty much nothing about the game of cricket.  Now an AFL footy game would have been a bit more understandable but that season was a month or so away.  My timing hadn't been the best for sports...maybe next time.

Light tower at MCG

The G is the tenth largest stadium in the world and the largest stadium for playing cricket and holds the world's record for the highest light towers at any sports venue.  The 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.  In 2009 The MCG was named one of the seven wonders of the sporting world. 

Tours run all day long at the MCG and I didn't have long to wait once I found my way from the Richmond Station.  I managed not to get lost this time like I had going to the Fitzroy Gardens but frankly...if I had managed to lose my way to The MCG I pretty much would have had to have been blind as the stadium is huge!!

We had quite a character of a tour guide taking us throughout The MCG from the ABC Press box to the Life Time member seats to the hallowed grass itself on the field.  We went throughout most of The MCG...about the only places we didn't go were the maintenance closets.

Also located at The MCG is the National Sports Museum dedicated to Australian sports.  I was particularly interested in the Women's Basketball section which was disappointingly small but I've been reminded more than once that basketball is not a big sport in Australia.  I, however, am a big fan of many of the Australian women players who currently play or played in the WNBA here in the U.S.  Some of those players are mighty Michelle Timms, Tully Bevilaqua and Lauren Jackson to name just a few.  Lauren is one of the premier players in the world of basketball if not the very best current player and a handful of years ago I had the great pleasure of sitting with her when the Minnesota Lynx were playing the Phoenix Mercury and she has a wonderful personality and a sense of humor that still makes me chuckle to this day.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Melbourne be sure to put The MCG on your bucket list of places to see.  The only thing that would have been better when I was there is if I could have seen a cricket or footy game.  But that wasn't to be.

MCG logo

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures of The MCG here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

My 'Good Friend' Murphy...

Ever have one of those days where your 'good friend' Murphy rears his ugly head and throws a kink into everything and nothing seems to go right??  Well...my week so far has been visited by Murphy (as in Murphy's Law where what can go wrong will) more than once.  Don't get me wrong though...my days are awesome as I just started a full time contracting job Monday after not having any steady work in way too long a time after being laid off when the U.S. economy really went south. 

It's been the evenings that have been a bit screwy for me between some 'lovely' Minnesota weather last night keeping me off the computer and technical computer issues. 

There's just something about severe thunderstorms with heaps of lightning which squelches my desire to have a laptop computer in my lap just in case lightning strikes and considering the house was struck by lightning about 13 years ago and suffered about 10k in damages I stayed away from the computer and yes...lightning can strike twice in the same spot. 

Add to the severe thunderstorms rolling through and the sirens sounding on and off for several hours signaling to 'duck and cover' because of tornadoes in the area...much more excitement than I like on any given evening.  Since I was a kid I've never been a fan of severe summer storms and I seriously doubt that that will change.  No...actually I know that won't change and I become a bit of a 'nervous Nelly' whenever tornadoes are possible.  Oh yeah...we've had one of them too since I've lived in this house so nope...not a fan.

Add to the weather there seems to be connectivity issues with the Internet provider here at home and it's been frustrating.  At least I want to believe it was a connectivity issue and not my lack of IT saavy.  At any rate...barring any further run ins with my 'good friend' Murphy I plan to be back on track blogging more about Australia tomorrow.

In the meantime...thanks so much for having checked in and for your patience!!

Until next time...wherever you are...have an awesome day!!

Not Murphy!!

Too Long of a Pause!

It's been too, too long since I last posted and I do apologize for it but sometimes you just gotta get some other things done and stay the course.  Since I last blogged I have been offered a new job and am ecstatic over being employed once again after way too long of a time.  Maybe our economy is starting to pick up a bit.  Anyways...

Along the drive at Rochford Winery

I believe I left off chatting about our trip to Healesville Sanctuary and after lunch we were starting to head back to Melbourne.  On the way back we stopped at one of the showplaces of the Yarra Valley, the Rochford Winery.  What a beautiful setting to see as we drove down the curving road lined with trees and vines to the main building which contained a restaurant, cellar door and a wide open area where there was a huge stage where concerts were put on throughout the year.  In fact the next upcoming concert would be Lionel Richie.  Ok...he's not exactly Bruno Mars but I have seen Lionel in concert and he does put on a good show and his music isn't all that bad either but the concert wasn't until after I headed back to the U.S. so wouldn't be able to try and get tickets for him.

Scrumptious looking grapes!

We went in to the (what I'm assuming) the Cellar Door and Natalie and Helen were checking out some of the wines so I slipped outside and took a stroll around the building and a bit of the grounds.  Of course I had camera in hand.  It was harvest time for the grapes and I would have loved to have snatched a couple of grapes off the vine and taste them but somehow I had visions of the 'wine police' catching me and my getting into God only knows what kind of trouble so I resisted the temptation but the grapes sure looked yummy!!

A road between pastures at
Yarra Valley Dairy.

I guess I took a bit more time than I thought strolling around and when I went to find Natalie and Helen I found them patiently waiting in the car to head out to our last stop...the Yarra Valley Dairy which was a working dairy farm where a variety of cheeses were made from both cow and goat milk.

Before I knew it the day had flown by and we were on our way back to Melbourne.  What a grand day it had been but one that went by way too fast just like every other day for the past three weeks.

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures from the Rochford Winery here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow