Back to Australia October 2014 | Back to Cairns

I'm home and busy winterizing but it's warming to spend some time going through photos and unpublished posts to see what I can find. I'd rather be in the water , or on the water, or near the water, or....okay. Home. Cold. Snow. Actually it's a balmy -5 or so, and I should be out walking. Later...

After disembarking in Cairns I headed back to the hotel and after checking in (early again--love that hotel!) I unpacked, rinsed a couple of bathing suites and my stinger suit, and headed out for the day. There's a daytime market in Cairns called Ricky's which is really like a giant farmers' market with a few stable tenants that reminded me of the old, old downtown city market in Edmonton. And there's a night market. So I opted for the night market, and deferred my shopping to the evening--after 5 pm anyway. That's a great spot, but first I headed to the botanic gardens. Flowers will win me over every time! (Is anyone listening?)

It's a short bus ride once you know what bus to take and the friendly folks are more than eager to help. The Garden(s) is also home to The TANKS, three old oil tanks that  were used to supply the navy during the Pacific War. They now serve as venues for ar, music and other community happenings. How ingenious. There's a regular program of events at The TANKS.

It's spring, and there's lots of construction, but also lots of material for practicing (again) some macro shooting with my new camera.

The shade of a tropical canopy was a welcome reprieve from the heat and humidity. I was on my second bottle of water before I even got there! Here's a sample of what I found.

But what's underneath the canopy is as exciting as what forms it in the first place. It's amazing what blooms beneath those giants.