Back from Oz....and the dead

[SubTropicRay]

What a long month and a half it's been.  Colin, I apologize for not contacting you in Oz.  Shortly after tying the knot on October 28th, I got a very, very bad cold/fever.  I somehow managed to pull through while on my trip down under but not without every cold remedy imaginable.  When I got back to the states, I developed a horrible cough which turned out to be bronchitis.  I spent two days in a local hospital with an incessant cough.  It's only in the last couple of weeks that I managed to recover and get my strength back.  I did my best not to let it ruin the trip but didn't want to spread my germs. Anyway, here are some photos:

Calamus in the rainforest

[SubTropicRay]

[SubTropicRay]

Mauritia

[SubTropicRay]

[SubTropicRay]

Salacca magnifica

[SubTropicRay]

Pinanga inflourescence

[SubTropicRay]

Ptychococcos

[SubTropicRay]

L. rotundifolia

[SubTropicRay]

Pelagodoxa

[SubTropicRay]

Sommieria

[SubTropicRay]

Me and Joey

[SubTropicRay]

Me and Socratea

[SubTropicRay]

Metroxylon was amazing

[SubTropicRay]

Calyptrocalyx

[SubTropicRay]

Land of the King

[SubTropicRay]

afternoon nap

[SubTropicRay]

Flying Foxes

[SubTropicRay]

Cyphosperma balansae

[cfkingfish]

Those photos are friggin' amazing. Cyphosperma overload.

[SubTropicRay]

[Zac in NC]

Glad you are back. There have been threads in the Palapa looking for you.  I am glad you are back and are better. Thanks for the pictures so far.

Zac

[SubTropicRay]

Two Canaries and a Jubaea

[SubTropicRay]

[SubTropicRay]

[SubTropicRay]

View from our room at Hilton Cairns

[SubTropicRay]

Hilton Cairns open air atrium

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Hi Ray,

Nice to know you are ok now,

We where in Sydney as pre arranged with fresh Australian produce, wine and local beers ,maybe next time. It was not a good day to take you out on the harbour, as it was blowing up to 30 knots and raining. Was not what we had planned as a nice sunny day on the harbour for you. No place for a sick person and your nurse would definetly be better looking.

You have taken some good pictures, where did most of them get taken. which part of the trip did you enjoy the most (besided the obvious) and which part of the trip did your new wife enjoy?

We missed each other in New york by a few days, missed by a few hours at Jungle music, missed by a mile or so in Sydney

Hopefully we will turn up at the same time at the same place one day :-)

Next Socal meeting should be in Sydney with a field trip to Queensland, any takers?

coincide it with a florida meeting

There would be some local guides to show you some Aussie hospitality

regards

Colin

[Gileno Machado]

Hi Ray. Glad you are fine now.

Thanks for the camera specials, outstanding sommierias...

[bgl]

Ray,

Welcome back, and good to hear you're OK! Great photos and hopefully the trip, for the most part, was a good experience!

Bo-Göran

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Wow....what is the red flower in post #4?? Stunning...

[paulgila]

amazing pics!you must've had a great trip!

[Kris]

Dear Ray  

Hey all your stills are terrefic,and some of

your stills could be sent as post cards to your

loved ones_the scenery & landscapes are so

beautifully picturisied.

And stills of salacca,CIDP,Jubea chilensis,Joey

simply bowled me over !

Thanks for those lovely stills & Do take care_Pal !

Love,

Kris(India).

[Zac in NC]

(STEVE IN SO CAL @ Dec. 11 2006,23:25)

QUOTE

Wow....what is the red flower in post #4?? Stunning...

Steve- It is Etlingera elatior, the Red Torch Ginger.

Zac

[SubTropicRay]

Colin,

Please accept my sincerest apologies.  

The trip was excellent outside of the illness.  We spent 5 days in Sydney and 5 in Cairns.  The Flying Foxes are amazing.  We have bats in Florida but not the size of these critters.  I told my wife from our hotel balcony in Cairns, "look at how many birds are still flying at dusk".  Then one of these things buzzed the balcony and I could not believe my eyes.  When you're not accustomed to seeing this, it leaves quite an impression.

[redant]

Your pictures are always outstanding. Sorry to hear you where ill. Looks like you visited some great palces.

[Kathy]

Beautiful beautiful pictures Ray.  Glad you are better and back.

[mike in kurtistown]

Ray,

Your pictures are quite outstanding. I am especially impressed by your use of closeups, even with large palms. Usually, we try to document the palm in its entirety, but miss the marvelous esthetic impressions that you have captured. Feel better!

MM

[Alan_Tampa]

Just for the record, the frog in the photo is Litoria infrafrenata. .(white lipped treefrog)

Also, I think the cockatoos are Sulfur Crested, a little rusty on the Psittacines.

Alan

[Zac in NC]

Yeah I'd agree with both of those ID's Alan. Those do look like Sulfur cresteds.

Zac

[SubTropicRay]

Thanks Mike.  It's good to hear from you.  I loved your Amazon article in the Palmateer.  How's the palm planting going in paradise?