Have you Heard This?

Visited the Heard Museum in Phoenix—dedicated to the arts and cultures of the Native peoples of the Americas. Very interesting. Particularly liked the special exhibit on TC Cannon. Here’s his self portrait. He is in the American Indian Hall of Fame. 

Learned quite a lot about the various tribes of the Southwest and their sad histories. 

Loved this 30-foot glass and clay art fence by two Native artists, one from the Isleta Pueblo and one from the Santa Clara Pueblo. All of the colors hold special meaning. 

Sweet, sweet Sedona

We left Tucson behind. We enjoyed lots of golf and hiking and the warmest January on record. Almost too warm. We are now in beautiful Sedona with Bruces for more hiking. Have already had breakfast with the Dunns. 

This is the view from our house. 

And here we are on the West Fork Trail. A nice hike of 5.5 miles with rock hopping the stream 11 times. 

Me and my Saguaro

We had a good hike in the Saguaro National Park East today—5.6 miles with about 700 foot elevation gain. It was in the 60s today, good for hiking. They have had an overly warm January.  New records may be set this weekend as the temperature heads toward 80. 

Ahh, the Warmth!

Well it sure has been perfect since arriving in Tucson—sunny and in the 70s. We’ve been on the golf courses and the hiking trails. And it’s always terrific to spend time with Kathy. 

Last Stop

Spent a nice day in Brisbane. Our last stop before arriving in Sydney on Sunday. Rode the Ferris wheel and got a nice view of the downtown, or as they like to say, the CBD. 

And a bonus—the Kusawa exhibition was on at the Gallery of Modern Art, and it was free!!  We got to go in the Infinity Room. Visits are limited to 45 seconds!  The queue was only about 20 minutes. 

Her other works are interesting too. 

So, on to packing. 

Solomon Islands

We arrived at Guadalcanal, site of fierce fighting from August 1942 to February 1943. They just held a 75th year commemoration. Lots of wreckage of both Japanese and American ships and aircraft—so much so that the bay is known as Iron Botttom Sound. 

The SI gained independence in 1978, but they’ve been through tough times. Things are calm now. 

We visited the compound of a traditional SI family. Really a subsistence life style. We learned of their foods (yams, taro, cabbage, and some pork) and cooking techniques, and how they construct their huts. The men wear loin cloths (made from fiber of trees) and the women grass skirts (topless). The children are adorable. 

The narrator was the patriarch whose English was perfect. His mouth and teeth were stained red from chewing betel nuts, as are those of most adults. And the streets and sidewalks have stains of red everywhere from where they’ve spat!!

More PNG

Still in PNG, visiting various islands. Rabaul was the sight of the largest Japanese base in the Southwest Pacific during WWII. Probably 100 ships and 200,000 men were stationed here. 

Relics of war. 

We visited the Bita Paka Cemetery, home to 1000 graves of Australian & Allied soldiers.  We were given flowers to lay on the headstones. 

On all the islands, the people are extremely cheerful and smiling. 

The symbol of Kitava reminded me of the NM column capital. 

The traditional mode of transport and the modern.