Leigh James acoustic magic!

Only 3 hours sleep but fully refreshed, from last night's amazing music, i head to town on the subway to locate the bicycle i hired last night on the internet... only to find i've got the wrong store! I must get internet access in town, there must be some free wi fi available but everywhere i find access it's not working like it has!

Today is a bit of a shopping day.... i pick up stuff i can't talk about right now! and also head on the number 1 subway to the Ferry Terminal to catch the Staten Island Ferry again to pick up the carbon fibre travel guitar from Stan and Mick at the Mandolin Brothers. I know my way now, and walk straight to the bus stop and catch the bus to Forest Avenue, and finally the most amazing 'boutique' guitar shop in the known world.

Up early again... weather's cloudy so think i'll do the New York Skyride at the Empire State Building, first and if the weather clears, which its forecast to do, i'll go up to the observatory in the afternoon. The 'Skyride' is an amazing virtual flying tour above under and through Manhattan and beyond, and it has feedback in the seating platform, so you feel lean angles and shocks etc, to make it feel realistic...

Hi Y'all! It's overcast but very humid this saturday morning in New York City,and i've taken a few hours to step back from nearly 3 weeks of full on activity! Breakfast at the hostel... granola, avocado and banana the latter from a street stall not far from the subway station a block from the hostel, internet in the world lounge and a long phone call home, and its early afternoon!

Rain and 20mph winds greet us in the morning, and after breakfast(where i take a solemn pause to see some of the 'reading of the names' of the victims of 911 on the big screen)i venture out to the subway to get a refund at the Amtrak station at Grand Central Station. It's located at one end at the famous Madison Square Garden, so i walk under to get in line for the ticket refund..

I awake early in the HI Hostel NY, and there's a great vibe in the hostel...The weather forecast is threatening rain, but there's none in the morning only strong cool wind... I take the subway straight to the staten island ferry...I think security is up a notch police quite present as well as dog handlers, its the eve of 9/11 and they're taking no chances...there's a ferry every half hour so its not long to wait and we are taking pictures of the statue of liberty before long!

Breakfast at the HI Montreal Hostel... is a french affair, and its pack up and get going, i've learned now to spread the weight by putting the day pack on the front, and only zip it to the other for reducing the number of bags for flights etc! and walk to the subway... they are very fast here and run rubber tyres as well as rails, and i'm at the bust station centrale, in no time.. but the first time in a metropolitan subway terminal anywhere is daunting, but i find the right exit, and i'm early for the greyhound so i get pole position, as its first in best dressed...

It's an early start, i have to catch the local train in from Aurora to Toronto to catch the VIA Rail Canada train to Montreal at 9.30am this morning... Saying goodbyes to such wonderful friends, especially since Gabe's lengthy hospital stay.. is heartrenching, and i make a promise to myself to work out a way of bringing our 2+2 family over to Canada somehow, in the next couple of years...

Wake to another gorgeous sunny day..Andrew goes to hospital to be with Gabe and Ri and I chat for ages on the verandah till Nancy and son who used to be a neighbour drops by.... i get in a quick few laps of the pool, before its our turn to head to the hospital...

Another fine day in Aurora, its nice to have brought the good weather with me! After the late jam session last night, we stumble out after 9am but well before the boys who miss the morning entirely! Ri heads in again to Gabe's ward, Andrew and i have a great opportunity to talk about old times and new, cutting to the big picture including the challenge of how to retain the values and idealism of the 70s when we met, in the context of our post modern life.