Happy New Years!

We are hoping 2012 is as good as 2011...Cheers everyone!

Sitting here watching the tele and New Years celebration at Sydney Harbor...AWESOME...so many fireworks coming off the bridge, so many viewing areas...really from anywhere in town...Nanc and I agree the best we've ever seen and they just go on and on...Hobarts are going off as I write this, I can hear them outside...just looked out the window and saw some exploding over the bridge...The finally in Sydney is Spectacular...The whole bridge is like a waterfall of fire and now there are fireworks going off everywhere overhead...WOW I AM SHOCKED ITS SO GOOD...15 full minutes...God, its 2012...how'd we get here...I am 60 years old and at the bottom of the world in Tasmania...how sweet is my life!! No resolutions or predictions...I'm just thankful for my family, my current circumstances and my health...cheers to everyone and Happy New Year!!!

The Taste of Tassie...on the Music side.

T shirt says it all

Playing the HurlyGurly very medieval

Top is Shawntastic and his brother FamousShamus.

Adam Coussens Band...they are awesome!

Good young artist.

I would kill myself

So funny.

Music from the dark ages.

Cool Country

Aussie Army Band - Tas.

The boys and 3 suckers.

This guy needs practice.

Way off the beaten path.

Broken Dreams...very funny.

Great moves

These kids were so pysched with a$50 in the case...

We have heard everything from a medieval band to the Australian Army Band Tasmania...the music has been exceptional and we've noticed the new generation of Aussie artist are fabulous and ready to Rock. The Buskers have kept us laughing and laughing...some times we are shocked to see the crowds these guys get...huge and people stay put and watch the full hours worth of highjinx...a couple guys are so good I wouldn't be surprised to see them on TV or in the Movies...Shawntastic and his brother FamousShamus...they had Nanc and I rolling in the aisles. Irish brothers...hope I get to see them again. Today as we passed outside the official area we noticed 3 kids, 2 playing guitars, 1 singing and one doing somekind of twirlyball...anyway as we passed by we decided to put some money in their hat...as Nanc approached some passing guy threw a $50 bill into there already full collection plate...these kids were shocked and thanked the guy all the way down the street...bet the kids are back tomorrow! The music alone has been worth coming...

Mt. Wellington

This tower was also ugly so they put a hard plastic shell around it and now people use it as a backdrop for photos...awesome!

The observatory...great view and lts of ingo what your looking at.

We climbed to the top.....from our car.

Nice sights along the way.

Easy to get around...good walkways and terraces for viewing, and picture taking.

Great scenes....boulders and brush.

Over the bridge hang a left and your in Lindisfarne where we are staying.

On the top of the world Ma!

These people are crazy...Capital C!

Hobart is a small town but including all the burbs their are 200K people here.

One of 2 towers...this is the ugly one.

Making her way to the views.

sad...just like the indians in the US

It's all in the balance.

One of the must-do's in Hobart is making your way by car, bus or foot up Mt. Wellington to the summit. The mountain is the prominent backdrop of the city and most of it lies on its slope. Over 3000 feet above sea level it is a fast and steep ascent. The countryside heading up is beautiful and lush and only thins a little right at the top. The summit allows a 360 degree view of lots of Tasmania and the surrounding islands. There are 2 outside walks with terraces and an inside observatory with lots of info about what your looking at. We picked a perfect day to go...warm, no wind and blue sky, blue water and fluffy white clouds. The payoff is the views and the pictures are fantastic. Some days I just have to pinch myself to believe I'm am where I am! Enjoy.

MONA - Museum of Old and New Art - MONA

This collection of art has to be the most eclectic in the world...Rich man David Walsh has funded, collected, built and now runs this private museum and art center. There are no moral police here, so he's free to except anything and everything as art...this of course opens new avenues to so many unusual artist and their art. Mona is a gallery of beauty, whimsy, eroticism and repulsion all together under one roof...The Snake will delight you, the White Library will make you smile, Bit.fall will amaze, Cloaca Professional you'll find disgusting and C_nts and other Conversations will have you talking to yourself.

The Snake...easy to see from a distance, upclose not so easy...you could wander for a day looking for a snake.

Totally blank.

Cloaca Professional...fed at 1am and 4pm daily...poops at 2pm everyday! Place smells like crap!

water, light and timing spells out a different word each cycle.

C_nts and other Conversations...140 vaginas in plaster...boy these things sure vary...YIKES!

Mona evolves...this is the poster child.

Pigs raised in Utopian conditions are used as tattoo canvas...when they die they are skined and sold as art...PEACE!

Nancy peering into the mind of man.

Anal Kiss...don't ask!

MOTHS...beautiful.

What appear to be seashells are actually human organs.

Living Tim...poses like this for hours.

A mototcycle case...with a motorcycle inside.

Obama on pigs skin...bet he'd love this!

Not sure if you'd call this good, bad, or ugly..it really depends on what you bring in the door with you. But I will say this, if you ever get to the bottom of the world and want to see something special come and see MONA for yourself...David Walsh is either a madman or gifted beyond genius...decide for yourself.

Tasmania...

     Made it to the airport in Melbourne and caught our flight into Hobart...the land mass of Tasmania as we flew over was much greater than we'd expected. The airport is a very small affair and simple to negotiate...everything is right there, meaning baggage and rental cars...
     Got our car and now I'm hoping Vee's driving lessons will pay off...I haven't driven on the left side of the road since 1997 when I was in Australia last time...it is a bit tricky, everything is backwards...Vee's advise (which really helped) was just remember long rights and short lefts when you turn, roundabouts go to the left and when possible find another car to follow (let the Aussie's lead you)...so now the only thing I need to get use to is keeping track of where I am in my lane, this is harder than it looks. My 1st drive with Ken (within 2 blocks of their house) I smacked my sideview mirror against another cars and broke it...I was lucky I didn't smash in the whole side of the car! There sat Ken just as relaxed and easy going as ever, I of course was a nervous wreck...God I had already smashed there car and in only 10 seconds, not a good start. Anyway, after a couple days I think I have this down a little better...Nancy is now riding with her eyes open instead of tightly shut.
     Our 1st day in town was a little walking, a little driving and some exploring...kind of easing our way into Tasmania. We arrived the day after Boxing Day and all the restaurants were closed...we ended up buying some microwavable food from Woolworths and eating at the Orana House. Our walk was great, we found the little local community of Lindisfarne (just around the corner) and a lot of what was available in our area.
      On the 28th we got up early and ready for our day...The taste of Tassie starts today and the Sydney to Hobart big sailboats should start showing up today...we wanted to be there for the finish and get some pictures. We found the park and ride after a couple attempts (a lot of streets are one way here, so when you miss the turn there is a big loop you have to do), and decided to walk down to the wharf area where all the action is. We walked thru the area the boats will arrive in and watched them erecting the winners stand...lots of action and excitement...The Taste of Tas is just down the way and very easy to find, just follow the aroma of food...if its grown in Tasmania it is here and cooked to whatever style you can imagine...it looks to me like the specialties here are endless, fish, beef, lamb, pork and even kangaroo. The food was a tad expensive but we've found that to be true throughout Australia...by a tad I mean 40 - 50% higher than in the States...you don't have to tip but even without it still cost more.
     After checking out the food (most important) we wanted to find the entertainment venues...there is lots of music and street performers during the week and we hope to enjoy ourselves with lots of this and a little of that. We love all kinds of music and most of these street performers are either amazing or very funny...we love to laugh.
     The central business district (where the Taste Of is happening) is not very big and is surrounded by residential areas on one side and the Derwent River on the other. We took a little stroll up into one of the neighborhoods and found it to be very quaint and inviting. Nice homes that seem to fit perfect with the area and town.

wharf area

community center

museum

happy camper

B and B

cool street scene

music lover

work boat

genetics

large crowds

families enjoying the day

rockin grandma

red on red

bean bag park

big venue

Tall Ship

Frenzy Fish House

     Hobart will be a great base for us to discover Tasmania...our plans for the rest of today and tomorrow are to listen to some music, eat good food and be on hand when the winners arrive this evening...tomorrow more of the same and come back and check out all the boats that will show up while we are sleeping...