Four-ex gold

Saw four exhibitions today.

The first was Sculpture By The Sea. Took a cab to the Tamarama end of the annual coastal spectacle, the driver twice asking why I wasn't going for a swim, and headed Bondi-wards.

Have to admit SBTS '14 didn't thrill me. Too many similarities to previous years and abstract works evoking nothing.

There were exceptions, though -

Dodged a few disorderly, boisterous, utterly typical groups of schoolies and their harried minders ("I don't want to be at the front", "Anastasia farted!", "Where are your shoes?").

Further exceptions -

Made the most of being in Bondi by also photographing half a dozen pieces of graffiti -

Witnessed a road-rage incident. A dude jumped out of his Volvo to fight a pedestrian. Fortunately, the pedestrian's mates broke it up quickly (rather than piling in). Dunno what triggered it.

While waiting for the clock to strike 12 and breakfast menus to become lunch ones, I quaffed a pair of these $5 champs.

There must be a job vacancy at Ravesi's as three pretty girls with bright eyes and resumes dropped in while I was there.

No pics from my trip to deli diner Lox, Stock & Barrel as I was busy wolfing. Had...

Homemade brisket pastrami, Russian coleslaw and pickles on rye. Cauliflower, avocado, chickpea, corn, radish, rocket, fennel and almond salad with orange, chilli and ginger dressing. Fifty Lashes.

As the grandson of a chef and son of a splendid cook, let me tell you it was some of the tastiest food I've ever eaten.

Caught a 389 to the CBD and hopped off at the Australian Museum for travelling exhibition "Aztecs", about which SC had raved.

It featured plenty of genuwine artifacts like these -

Replicas/recreations -

Words to live by -

A step pyramid you could enter -

Surprises, e.g. that common folk kept miniature temples in their homes to worship at -

Demons imprisoned in stone by Aztec sorcerers -

And even graf -

The section on the Spanish "conquest" left me with mixed feelings, as such things usually do.

But damn, the background music had an infectious rhythm! Danced on through the great gift shop as I didn't wanna be lugging a bag.

Had to walk to Books Kinokuniya for "22 Panels", based on Wally Wood's "legendary cheatsheet" (their description) -

Each panel was interpreted by a different Aussie cartoonist. Cool concept, eh?

Only snapped a couple of my fave examples. The second is by Roger "Torkan" Fletcher -

Suffice it to say it's worth a squiz - in the Wedge Gallery - and won't cost you a brass razoo.

Next, I hoofed it to the National Maritime Museum in Sweetie Darling Harbour for -

'Twas fascinating to learn what our fledgling navy got up to in The Great War, with the defeat of Germany's SMS Emden by HMAS Sydney an obvious high point.

Reluctant to call it quitsville yet, I wandered over to Chinatown, passing these on the way -

Checked City Amusements for new cabinets and didn't expect to see -

Guess that's what the kids are into now ;-)

Eventually took a taxi back to Randwick. Can't remember how the subject arose, but the cabbie was a fair-dinkum expert on Woody Allen. We mainly discussed "Blue Jasmine".

That's all I got, friends. Not bad for a 30-degree day, I reckon. Just as well I applied sunscreen before leaving the flat!

Thanks to Marillion's 2009 acoustic album "Less Is More" for helping me bang out this epic entry.

Poignant NMM shot not from "War At Sea" -