… to the Taronga Zoo …

… via the Sydney Harbor EcoHopper, a small ferry/sightseeing boat. We spent Wednesday morning sightseeing in the beautiful Rocks area, visiting art galleries, craft shops, and the fascinating Rocks Discovery Museum. With exhibits focusing on the original aboriginal population, this free museum also has 5 or 6 short films about the area, the building of the Harbor Bridge, and the wooden streets of Sydney. Wood was used as the best possible road surface, and still survives today in parts of Sydney, submerged beneath layers of asphalt. In one small area on George Street road crews relaid a section of wooden road just so it could be viewed by visitors as it was.

The park offered a never-before seen tableau: the backs of the Last Supper participants. Only Judas was missing.

 

The jacarandas are magnificent down by the harbor, turning the ground purple with their falling petals. Nearby a fine feathered friend took a stroll.

 

We also happened on newly-installed lampshades on a side street.

 

The bright, sunny, 90-degree weather lent itself to a visit to the Taronga Zoo; we hopped on one of the small ferries for the 15 minute ride across the harbor.

 

Usually visitors take a cable car to the top of the Zoo and work their way down from the summit to the exit. However, because of high winds, the cable car was out of service, and we had to trudge slowly uphill in search of wild animals.

The Zoo is lovely, but the animals were somewhat sparsely scattered, so there was lots of walking between sightings. We were mostly interested in native Australian animals, and did see several platypuses swimming and kangaroos lolling around in the heat, one of them exposing his, uh, souvenirs to the sun. A koala rested in a treetop.

 

I did make a friend in the gift shop! Other interesting local species were the echidna, looking like a lovable hedgehog, and the emu, who seconds after I snapped this pic, totally disregarded the sign about staying on the path, coming over to check us out. 

 

The Tasmanian Devil exhibit seemed empty, as did other exhibits, some of which were being renovated. We eventually made our way to the exit just as the Zoo closed at 4:30, and caught the ferry back to Circular Quay.

Tired from the day’s heat and walk, we collapsed next door to the hotel at The Basement with a burger and chips, washed down with some local cider. Aahhh!

… to Sydney …

… to revisit the best parts and discover some new things.

We arrived in Sydney around 8 am on Tuesday at the Marriott Circular Quay in the heart of the CBD, or Central Business District. Waiting for our room, we cooled our heels in the lounge on the 30th floor, with spectacular views of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge.

   

Firmly ensconced in our room with a bridge view, we set out on foot to find Lee’s bench, an aboriginal masterpiece painted by 10 members of an artists’ collective from Keringke which we saw on the Grand World Voyage in early 2012. We found the Spirit Gallery in the Rocks area without much trouble; it was only a short walk from the hotel. Somewhat surprisingly, the bench was still there, and will shortly be on its way to Carnegie, Oklahoma, to take up residence with the Hardens. 

Mission accomplished, we walked around the shops in the Rocks, finding easily the same places we had gone in 2012. The hotel is in a very good location, a short walk from the docks where the ferries, cruise ships and day cruises pull in.

We headed back to the hotel, stopping at the Customs House behind the hotel for a half pint and pizza for dinner. Time to catch up on our sleep - we were in bed by 7:30! 

… down under …

… to visit all manner of unusual animals! Koalas, platypus, kangaroos, wallabies … for starters. At LAX waiting for our 17-hour flight to Sydney I am pondering how we leave California at 10:30 pm Sunday night and arrive 17 hours later on Tuesday morning, at 7:10 am. Hmmm… Also need to check out the time zone difference for our many family members lest we be receiving calls at some ungodly hour. After a few days in Sydney, we will be boarding the Holland America Oosterdam for a cruise to Melbourne; Hobart, Tasmania; and then several stops in beautiful New Zealand.

Our next stop: Marriott Circular Quay, where we will rendezvous with our friends, Bev and Alan from Sydney. World travelers, they will not have far to go to join this cruise! We’re already  missing our friends, Lee and Troy Harden, aiders and abettors of the trip. Just a few days ago Lee broke her ankle badly and had to cancel the trip she must be off her ankle for at least 6 weeks. We will miss you, Hardens!

Hope the flight goes smoothly; I forgot my good luck flying pin, a winged heart made by Stefano in New Orleans. I’ve substituted a Mullanium pin with an airplane, a compass and a map, plus a winged heart! The compass and map could come in handy…. except on closer inspection, the map is of China, a bit off our course.

… to a jewelry making class …

… taught by Bob Hazeltine, legendary Master Bench Jeweler, and the former Department Director for the Gemological Institute of America's Jewelry Manufacturing Arts. Bob teaches silver- and gold-smithing, as well as classes on casting, wax carving, enameling, soldering and fabrication, stone setting methods, repousse, engraving and mold making. He works with both beginning and advanced students, and has recently mastered blowing glass.  He teaches at the Santa Fe Jewelers Supply store, after giving up the Hazeltine School of Fine Jewelry to concentrate on glass-blowing.

Frank and I took jewelry making classes from several different silversmiths back in the 80s. We started in an evening program through Montgomery County Public Schools, and moved along to two or three other instructors. After acquiring all the basic equipment needed to pursue silversmithing as a hobby, we began having children. It was incredibly exciting to get back to the basics with a teacher as patient and interesting as Bob, especially after the sensory overload of silver jewelry that is Santa Fe.

Between 9:30 and 4:00, with an hour and a half off for lunch, we each completed one ring, using a small butane torch. We learned so many techniques and tricks from Bob that our work will never be the same. Bob is a stickler for details, and carried the finishing touches far beyond anything anyone else had ever shown us.

  

 

Good father that he is, Frank’s ring (bottom) is for Mia.

We returned to the hotel to pack and get ready to leave beautiful Santa Fe. It has been an adventure to remember!

One of the memorable details is chile (the local spelling). Chile is served in every restaurant in the Santa Fe area. The customary question is, “Green or red? Or Christmas?” (A mix of green and red.) Our response is usually, “Which is hotter?” And surprisingly, the answer varies. But it is all hot by East Coast standards.

Almost every supermarket parking lot sports large propane tanks hooked to what looks like large barbecues or smokers. We were lucky one day to see what turned out to be a chile roaster in action. This is the prime season for chile roasting. People buy large burlap bags full of red, green or mixed chile peppers, then carry them out to the parking lot for roasting. The roaster dumps the bag into the cage, latches the door, and turns on the flame. It takes about 5 minutes to roast a batch, with the peppers popping and spitting seeds, while softening and browning. The roaster periodically spritzes the peppers with water during the roasting. (Some people are better roasters than others.) The roasted peppers are dumped into a plastic bag, and returned to the customer.

  

A customer filled us in on what happens next. He “sweats” the peppers by leaving them in the sealed plastic bag for a few hours. Then he drains any liquid, peels the outside skins, and places the peppers in batches in plastic bags in the freezer. The trick is to roast enough peppers to last until the next summer. Most people don’t make it, running out in January or March. It was local flavor we loved.

… to do everything …

… we haven’t had time to do so far. That meant mainly things in Santa Fe. For starters, we hadn’t yet seen the museum in the Palace of the Governors, or made it to Packard’s, the flagship high-end jewelry store which is going out of business after 75 years.

So we took the hotel shuttle to the Plaza, and headed immediately for the Native American vendors who sell their wares under the Palace of the Governors portal (the shaded porch in front of the building). It was fun looking and talking, and making a few purchases. The great-grandson of Maria Martinez, the world-famous potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo, sells his pottery there. Only the highest-quality authentic crafts are permitted.

  

  

Browsing done, we went inside to check out the historical exhibits in the Palace and the adjoining New Mexico History Museum. The Palace of the Governors, built in 1610 as the local seat of government for Spain, is the oldest government building in the US. And Santa Fe is the oldest capital city. We now know more about New Mexico’s history than anyone outside the state should know. My favorite was an exhibit on Karl May, a German who wrote the most popular novels about the American West – without ever having been further west than Buffalo, NY. He was a petty thief, who during one stint in the “Workhouse” was made administrator of the library, giving him an opportunity to read travel books. He quickly made a list of the books he planned to write, and did indeed later write some of them. The worldwide popularity of his works was astounding! No photos were allowed.

By this time we were famished, so we walked to Tia Sophia’s, a Santa Fe breakfast and lunch institution. Lunch was authentically New Mexican, complete with red and green chile.

  

  

We checked out a few shops after lunch, then made our way to “Packard’s on the Plaza.” Packard’s is renowned for both traditional and contemporary Native American jewelry, pottery and textiles. Many display cases were already empty as a result of their going out of business sale. It was sad to see the end of an era.

We wandered back to the hotel, and decided not to brave the crowds for the burning of Zozobra, or Old Man Gloom. A big Santa Fe event each fall, a large effigy is burned at dusk to celebrate the end of all of the bad things from the previous year. We watched the celebration on TV.

… to Taos Pueblo…

… after revisiting a morado in Abiquiu for more photos. Morados are churches built by the Penitentes, a secretive order of the Catholic church which believes in self-punishment, including flagellation. Because of their extreme beliefs, the Church attempted to suppress the order. Morados are quite common throughout New Mexico and, for some reason, they’re usually picturesque!

We were on our way to the Taos Pueblo, closed earlier in the week for special tribal coming-of-age ceremonies. Taos Pueblo is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US. The pueblo sits in a high mountain desert oasis, close to the city of Taos.

Taos Pueblo flourished mostly because there is a river running through it (actually, more of a creek), bringing clean water for drinking, irrigation, and even pottery making. The water flows from a sacred source in the mountains, known only as “Blue Lake.”

The river flows between the “North House” and the “South House,” two multistory structures over 1000 years old. They are individual homes built side-by-side and in layers, with no connecting doorways.

  

The pueblo today looks much as it did centuries ago, except for the addition of doors. Like Acoma, access used to be via ladders through roof openings. The rooftop access provided light, and served as a defense against intruders; ladders could be withdrawn, making access impossible. The village also has drying racks for making jerky, drying beans and other vegetables, and tanning hides. Many homes also use hornos. Some are storefronts to sell native products like pottery, leather goods, textiles, and many different kinds of food, including fry bread. 

  

  

The pueblo buildings are adobe: earth, straw and water molded into bricks, stacked and fastened together with more adobe. The interiors are white-washed, and the roofs supported by large beams. We were fortunate to step inside a house, and found it to be surprisingly spacious, light and well-furnished.

  

  

There is no electricity or running water, and the interior rooms depend on skylights for light. Many houses use the original fireplaces for cooking, although some use wood stoves. The exteriors are plastered each year with fresh adobe.

The pueblo has a pretty church, San Geronimo; built in 1850, it’s one of the newest buildings in the village and a National Historic Landmark.

  

After a quick lunch at a Blake’s LotaBurger (Frank had the Lota Burger, while I opted for the smaller Itsa Burger), we went from old buildings to new, with a tour of the Earthships we saw earlier in our trip. Up close, these houses are even more fantastic. The pictures speak for themselves.

  

  

Next stop: the Millicent Rogers Museum, a collection of southwestern jewelry, paintings, pottery and religious artifacts. Millicent owned enough bracelets to outfit an army! She also dressed in traditional Navajo clothes – whipped up for her by her favorite New York designers! She was quite a character. The museum’s gift shop is a treat in itself, filled with museum-quality southwestern jewelry.

  

We had a nice New Mexican dinner at JoAnn’s Ranch O Casadas Restaurant in Espanola. Wonder where we will get sopaipillas when we get home ….