Christmas in Sydney - A Reflection!

It's different for me to spend time in Australia or any other country in the southern hemisphere during the Christmas season. Frankly, it's a tad bit odd to walk around during the onset of summer with all of the spark and energy that is characteristic of that warm season and know Christmas is knocking at my door back in the U.S. Somehow, the warm and tropical weather makes me feel like something other than Christmas is going on .... Yeah, I know I'm merely a product of my environment. I'm frequently reminded by friends and family members that Jesus, the religious epicenter of this holiday, was born in Bethlehem, and it seldom snows in that part of the world. That usually brings up the whole St. Nick story and the commercial discussion..... you know the rest of that story.

Never less, having spent most of my life living in cool to colder climates, I suppose I just grew to equate Christmas with snow and colder temperatures. The whole Los Angeles thing hasn't really resonated with me either. It's a bit warm here in the winter time. But at least it cools down at night and we get the occasional rain during the season making it a bit more wintry. (Can I admit that seeing all of the photos at Dickster's and Bowie Mike's blogs has made me a bit homesick?)

I'm sure I've been a victim of all of the commercialization as well. Years of television and media influences have convinced me that -

Christmas = Icicles, snow, and cold!

Not so in Sydney, Australia.

Christmas = shorts, tank tops, sandals, and swimming pools. It's the beginning of summer.

A Christmas tree in Darling Harbor. The center of social activity and a great place to stroll and people watch.

It was 75 degrees F.


But if it's Christmas, there's shopping to be done. And one of the big destinations for shoppers in Sydney is Paddy's Markets.

Lots of retail items for sale by a variety of vendors.


So many T-shirts for sale. I couldn't force myself to buy one. I need another T-shirt like I need another bear market. I'm guessing none of my friends or family members are longing for a shirt that says Sydney either. But I could be wrong.

Another shopping destination is the Queen Victoria Building. AKA, the QVB. The QVB is a late nineteenth century building designed by the architect George McRae and constructed in the central business district of Sydney, Australia.




A photo of the southern side of the QVB which opens to Bicentennial Plaza facing Sydney Town Hall.

The inside of the QVB.
In addition to retail shops, there are eateries and coffee shops.

Note the summer attire.

So the bottom line is this: Many people live in the Southern Hemisphere or in warm and tropical climates. For those that celebrate Christmas, it's quite normal for it to be nice and warm during the Holiday season.

But for me, I'll keep dreaming of a White Christmas and hoping for snow!

Music Monday! My Rifle Pony and Me!

After my last post you may have guessed something like this was coming!

It's Music Monday and I'm in that kind of mood.

Rio Bravo is a 1959 Western film, directed by Howard Hawks-

And a movie I've seen and enjoyed many times!


(Per Wikipedia)

The film was shot at Old Tucson Studios, just outside Tucson, Arizona and is generally regarded as one of Hawks' best pictures. The film received favorable reviews, and was financially successful, earning over 5.5 million. The film stars, John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Walter Brennan. The musical score was composed by Dimitri Tiomkin. His score contains the haunting tune "El Degüello," which is played several times to build tension. A character (Colorado, played by Nelson) identifies the tune as "The Cutthroat Song". He relates the song's historical playing on the orders of Antonio López de Santa Anna to the Texans holed up in the Alamo to signify that no quarter would be given. The tune was used in the following year, over the opening credits of Wayne's film, The Alamo.



Capitalizing off of the appearances of Martin, and a teen idol Nelson, Hawks included three songs in the soundtrack. Before the big showdown, in the jail house, Martin sings "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" (which contained new lyrics to a Tiomkin tune that appeared in Red River) accompanied by Nelson, after which Nelson sings a brief version of "Get Along Home, Cindy," accompanied by Martin and Brennan. Over the closing credits, Martin, backed by the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, sings a specially composed song, "Rio Bravo." Nelson later paid homage to both the film and his character, Colorado, by including the song "Restless Kid" on his 1959 LP, Ricky Sings Again.



I'm displaying the lyrics in case you want to sing a long!

My Rifle Pony and Me Duet w/ Dean Martin

Sun is sinking in the west The cattle go down to the stream

The red wing settles in the nest It's time for a cowboy to dream
Purple light in the canyon that is where I long to be

With my three good companions just my rifle pony and me

Gonna hang my sombrero on the limb of a tree

Coming home sweet my darling just my rifle pony and me

Whippoorwill in the willow

sings a sweet melody

Riding to Amarillo

just my rifle pony and me

No more cows to be ropin' No more strays will I see'

round the bend she'll be waitin'

For my rifle pony and me

For my rifle my pony and me

The movie features a great duet with Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson....

(Sing Louder)

Here's my pick for the week:

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