Professional Summer Sports in Adelaide

There is much more to the Adelaide professional sports summer than cricket. In December, less than a block from our house is the Australian car racing.

And there is professional tennis with two warm-up tournaments for the Australian Open. For two weeks we have not one but two Adelaide International Tennis Tournaments. Djokovic will win the first week and Soonwoo Kwon wins the second week on the men's side. The ladies winners are Aryna Sabalenka and Belinda Bencic. On the day we attend, we watch household names World #6 Janik Sinner play Sebastian Korda and World #2 Danil Medvedev play Karol Karchanov.

As the Aussies say, "It's all happening here in Adelaide." In addition to the cricket, car racing, and tennis, the world professional bicycling season begins in Adelaide. The Tour Down Under is a big deal. Phil Liggett is in town to commentate, just like he does for the Tour de France.

This year's TDU begins with an individual time trial. The time trial is staged with its start across the Adelaide River Footbridge. It ends on the riverband just below. Damien and CJ attend. 

We are at the start of the time trial.

And we are at the finish.

During the week we visit the TDU Village.

What a way to begin the year.......and we have the Aussie Open on the telly! It's truly is all happening here!

The Australian Cricket Season 2022/2023

We returned to Adelaide in time to catch the second half of a T-20 World Cup doubleheader match, the important half: Australia v Afghanistan. Why the important half? Because Rashid Khan plays for Afghanistan and the Adelaide Strikers and Carol loves him. 

We attended three more T20 World Cup matches including the semifinal. The most fun was Pakistan v Bangladesh. Adelaide Oval has rarely rocked so enthusiastically.

Next up at Adelaide Oval was a One Day International between England and Australia. At 50 overs per innings it is a match two and half times longer than a T20 match.

Meanwhile the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) was underway with the Lady Strikers playing well at times and not so much at others. We love watching women's cricket. They play the same game but the women are more expressive.

A funny thing happened on the way to the WBBL championship.

The summer of cricket continued with Australian Test cricket with two matches with the West Indies followed by three against South Africa. We got the Windies at Adelaide Oval.

Local favorite, Travis Head scored a career high 163 as Australia destroyed the Windies.

While the best Australian players were tied up with the duties of the national team playing red ball (Test) (unlimited overs) cricket, other Aussie men and internationals were playing the T20 men's Big Bash League (BBL). 

The Strikers tease us throughout the season. They begin with three wins, followed by horrible losses. Then Striker bowling bowls as no team ever! Striker bowling embarrasses the Sydney Thunder into the worse offensive performance in BBL history, all out for 15 runs! How bad was this thumping? The match was over before our best bowler, Rashid got an opportunity to bowl!

Again, the Strikers go into a funk. They announce Rashid will be departing early for the South African T20 league. In his last game the opposition set a massive 229 run chase (a team record for them) the likes of which the Strikers have never achieved. The faithful have no hope. But then, a miracle happens! Matt Short one of our opens gets a century, a ton, a 100 runs and the Strikers win.

Three opening wins, two more victories of historic proportion, and the Strikers don't make the playoffs. Perhaps the most inconsistent T20 cricket team of all time.

In addition to this live action there is daily men's and women's T20 cricket, and four Australian Test matches on television. 

The Pink Test is played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. During COVID when spectators were not allowed, the organizers of the Jane McGrath charity day decided to sell virtual seats since the real ones were not occupied. The concept was a brilliant fund raising idea and continues. Our Pink Test Seats with Jane's husband and retired Aussie bowling great, Glenn McGrath.

During the season, CJ finally took the Adelaide Oval RoofWalk and was able to "fly" over the Oval. Look ma, no hands.

Homeless in America - Charleston, Golf, Hilton Head - October 2022

Between the sale of our home in Florida and return to Adelaide, South Australia, we spent a homeless month in the US. CJ was impressed with his 3-day PGA tour school instruction. 

In Charleston, South Carolina we visited Fort Sumter, the place where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired. It is a shadow of its former self.

We caught the ferry to Fort Sumter from Patriot's Point, the home of the World War II aircraft carrier Yorktown, actually the second Yorktown of World War II the first one having been lost at the Battle of Midway.

We also visited the museum of the CSS Hunley, the Confederate States ship that was the first submarine to sink an enemy ship. The first picture shows one of the six hand crank propulsion stations. The second picture shows the stern and propellers. Hunley was found in 1995 by an organization founded by author Clive Cussler's NUMA. It was raised in 2000 and now being preserved in a museum. The remains of her crew were laid to rest in an amazing ceremony with full military honors in Charleston on 17 April 2004. Tens of thousands of people and 6000 reenactors participated.

St. Augustine, Florida - August 2022

 

On the weekend of our 40^th anniversary, we visited St. Augustine in search of Ponce de León’s Fountain of Youth. Never did find it. Guess we’ll just grow old with the rest of you. We did find good restaurants and Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. CJ cannot pass up a good fort.

We dine the first day at an excellent Spanish/Cuban restaurant. It has multiple family-operated locations throughout Florida. Columbia is very good. It is a huge restaurant with great service somehow getting food and drink to a large group of diners from multiple bars and adequate staff even in these post COVID times.

On the day of our 40th Anniversary, we dine at Collage, a small, quaint, upscale French restaurant. Dinner is marvelous, the perfect special occasion dining location.

Florida Keys - June 2022

The trip to Key West is 475 miles. There are over 67 keys in the archipelago.

The 100-mile drive from Key Largo to Key West is one of the most relaxing drives of all time. The scenery is magnificent and between the scenery and atmosphere, drivers seem be overcome and chilled by it all. Few places in America can one observe cars mostly doing the speed limit or even driving under it. On this drive, everyone is chilled and soaking up the atmosphere of the ever-changing Key’s scenery. Few are driving over the posted limit and those who are not by much.

Each island is unique. The bridges connecting them unique. In places, old bridges have been turned into fishing piers. In others, they are part of a walking and bike trail. In one case only a part of the bridge has been refurbished and it leads to a little island which has a restaurant.

The first afternoon in Key West we lunch at Waterfront Brewery. It has decent pub food and craft beer. We decide on Cuban cuisine for dinner dining at El Siboney which is excellent. 

A popular gathering place with good views is Sunset Pier.

Dinner our second day is at Santiago's Bodega. This is a tapas restaurant with great food and an even more impressive selection of wines by the glass. We share 8 glasses of wine from around the world; all excellent!

We wished we could have gone to the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson but one must book significantly in advance and this was a spare of the moment get away.

We drove to the Keys through Orlando and Miami. We return through the Everglades across the Tamiami Trail. Unfortunately, we do not have time to stop for tours.

With an overnight in Ft. Meyers, we return on US 19 through St. Petersburg and Crystal River.