July 27, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Vivid Sydney 2015 with Zeb and Eider Duck

We are so lucky! We just happened to be in Sydney, Australia for Vivid Sydney.

Light displays

This is a celebration of light, music and ideas.

Lights near Sydney Harbor

Between May 22 and June 8 2015, many buildings near Sydney Harbor and downtown Sydney have incredible light displays.

Love the light displays

Near Circular Quay, the Customs House had a constantly changing light display based on Sydney’s flora and fauna.

Lights for Vivid Sydney

Here is a sample of the light display at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Display on museum

Of course, the star of Sydney Harbor is the Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Opera House

We love the lights on the Opera House

Sydney Opera House

The light show on the opera house was beautiful and so varied. These are just a few of the displays on the opera house.

The lights were always moving and dancing, so some photos are better than others.

Opera House Vivid Sydney 2015

There were many people wandering around in the evening, enjoying the lights and sounds. This gold pig was great, and it was our first gold pig.

Our first gold pig

These lights were also very pretty.

So many lights

We really liked Vivid Sydney. We hope you experienced it also. If not and you are planning a trip to Sydney,we hope you are here for Vivid Sydney next year.

July 25, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Zeb and Eider Ride on Sydney Harbour

We are getting on a boat! This is a hop on hop off ferry in Sydney Harbour. It works just like the hop on hop buses in many cities. This ticket is good for 24 hours. Here is a Sydney Harbour National Park. This is Fort Denison. At Fort Denison, tours are available and a wonderful buffet may be purchased and enjoyed, right in the middle of Sydney Harbour. Fort Denison was built in 1855 for protection. It was probably never used for that, but it is rumored to be a place of torture for penal use. Here is the entrance to Taronga Zoo. To reach the zoo, humans take aerial lifts to reach to the top of this hill.

Entrance to Taronga zoo

Our next stop was Watsons Bay. This is a popular destination with tourists and the residents of Sydney. The many restaurants attract humans and so many seagulls. The beach looks inviting. This is the Dunbar House. This restored building provides breakfast and lunch in a beautiful setting. Dunbar House is also available to rent for special occasions. The next stop was at Manly Bay. We went into the Tasman Sea to get here.

Cliffs of Tasman Sea heading to Manly

Passing this light house, the cliffs of Australia are very dramatic.

Lighthouse on cliffs

Arriving at Manly Bay, we realized this also is a popular destination. There were hotels, many restaurants and lots of water activities.

Town of Manly

We, like many others, really like Manly Bay. We really liked this memorial to the lost ships and the lost humans. We always appreciate memorials for those that have died.

Remembering those ships and humans that have been lost to us.

Our next stop was Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour is home to the Sydney Aquarium. This also is a great shopping and dining area. We walked around and took a short refreshment break.

Sunsetting at Darling Harbor

On the ride back Circular Quay, we passed Luna Park. This is an amusement park.

Entrance to Luna Park

We did not get off the ferry, but it was dark and we really liked this ferris wheel with lights.

Ferris Wheel of Luna Park at night

We enjoyed the boat ride back to Circular Quay. We like Sydney Harbour a lot.

July 24, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Zeb and Eider Duck Meet at the Airport

I, Zeb the Duck, went with mom to Denver International Airport.

Big Blue Horse at Denver International Airport

We took suitcases and travel guide books with us today.

Camera and guidebooks inside

Here we are at the airport watching our airplane getting prepared for us.

Our plane getting luggage, fuel and lots of snacks

Where are we going today? Looks like our plane is going to Los Angeles, California.

Going to Los Angeles

OK, I am ready to go. We are now in Los Angeles, we got our suitcases, but we are not done traveling yet. My Alaska cousin, Eider Duck, is in Los Angeles too. Now we check in again and our suitcases will go to another airplane.

Qantas??

We were on this airplane for a long time, over 12 hours. We are comfortable sitting in these big seats.

Plenty of room in this seat

When we wanted to sleep, our seats reclined flat to a bed.

Easier to sleep on long flights.

Very comfortable for the Colorado Traveling Ducks and humans. Leaving the plane, we went through customs and immigration and took a taxi to our hotel. Humans and ducks walk around and look at this.

What a great bridge

Cool bridge. And this is an Opera House.

That is the Sydney Opera House!!

We are in Sydney, Australia. The humans have been here before, but this is the first for Zeb and Eider. Hope you will stay with us as we explore Australia.

July 20, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Sculpture in the Field

Zeb the Duck and Soapy Smith Duck stopped at the Arvada Center in Arvada, Colorado.

Unbound Sculpture in the Field

We walked on paths through the field near Denver looking at sculptures. Local artists did several of these works and many are for sale. We want to show you some of what we saw.

Big Love by Vanessa Clarke

Tactile Visual Continuum in cast and fabricated aluminum by Bill Vielehr

Tactile Visual Continuum by Bill Vielehr

Also in aluminum by Bill Vielehr is Metal Response

Metal Response by Bill Vielehr

Kevin Robb used stainless steel to create Chop Sticks

Chop Sticks by Kevin Robb

Tetrahedralhypersphere is from oxidized steel and created by Robert Mangold

Tetrahedralhypershpere by Robert Mangold

Carl Reed used Limestone and steel to create Braced Ring with Outlier

Braced Ring with Outlier by Carl Reed

Untitled was created by Joe Riche. He used carbon steel, catalyzed paint coating.

Joe Riche’s Untitled

Fractal Echo is made of carved and sandblasted limestone, concrete and steel foundations. Nancy Lovendahl is the sculptor.

Fractal Echo by Nancy Lovendahl

Also by Nancy Lovendahl is Spiral Dance. She used painted standing dead Aspen trees, rebar and wire for this large piece.

Spiral Dance by Nancy Lovendahl

Andy Miller used copper and steel to create Cocoon.

Cocoon by Andy Miller

Second Wind by John Ferguson is made from steel. There are many more sculptures, but this is the last one I will show you today.

Second Wind by John Ferguson

There are 27 works exhibited here. Some artists have more than one piece. We think they are worth looking at and hope you do also. The sculptures will be on display until September 2015. You really should see these. For more information visit www.arvadacenter.org

July 4, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Happy 4th of July 2015

Today is the 4th of July. This is independence Day for the United States of America. This is the day Americans celebrate their independence from Great Britain. This is a huge holiday all over the United States. Many cities will have parades. Most cities will have beautiful displays of fireworks. This is a very important day for the United States. We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks and their humans, hope you are planning to go to a parade and see some fireworks. Enjoy your day as we all celebrate the independence and freedom of the United States of America.

June 30, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

We are traveling now

Zeb the Duck here. Eider Duck and I are traveling for awhile with the humans. It is a great trip, but mom is having problems getting photos in the blog posts. She bought a new traveling computer and is not doing well with it. Guess she needs more lessons. We will start posting late July. Hope you will read about our adventures then.

June 14, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Happy Flag Day 2015

Today, June 14, is Flag Day in the United States. According to the History Channel, June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution stating that the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white, and the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. Today the stripes represent the 13 original colonies and the 50 stars represent the 50 states of the United States of America. Flag Day, 2015, is also the 240th birthday of the U. S. Army. Today, the Colorado Traveling Ducks hope you proudly and properly display the American Flag.

June 7, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Congratulations American Pharoah

The Colorado Traveling Ducks and the humans want to congratulate American Pharoah and Victor Espinoza for the win in the Belmont Stakes. American Pharoah is the first Triple Crown in 37 years. There has not been a Triple Crown winner since 1978. Congratulations American Pharoah!

June 6, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Ducks and Literacy

We ducks are now a symbol of literacy which leads to knowledge. Our relatives are in a display window of a public library in the Washington D.C. area. We are so proud!

Ducks at the library

Thanks to our friend for sending this photo to us!

June 1, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Zeb the Visits Northwest Coast Art at the Denver Art Museum

I, Zeb the Duck, visited the Denver Art Museum again. I like this museum. This mom and a friend took me to the Northwest Coast Art. This is on level 2 of the North Building. I saw this mask.

Great mask

Beau Dick created it about 1955. It is made of wood, horse hair, paint, rope, and cedar bark. Then I looked a this mask, labeled Magic By the Firelight.

Looks like magic

These are big masks. This Pair of House Posts, was created by Douglas Cranmer.

I am on there

Douglas is from Namgis First Nation in Alert Bay, British Columbia. Look a this. Chief Johny Scow, a Welcome Figure from around 1900 is made of cedar and metal.

Welcome

This Welcome Figure originally stood at the mouth of Kingdom River in British Columbia. Once it held copper (a sign of wealth) in its up raised arms, signifying wealth and power of the artist’s clan. Button Blankets showed power. This one, made of cloth and buttons about 1925 is by Willie Seaweed.

Button Blanket by Willie Seaweed

This blanket showing two killer whales was worn by the artist, Willie Seaweed during a variety of dances. We also liked the other Button Blanket.

Button Blanket

Here is a Bentwood Box by Larry Rosso.

Bentwood Box

I like it. This smaller Bentwood Box is by a Haida artist from the mid 1800s.

Smaller bentwood box

This is another really tall totem.

Tall Totem

I, Zeb the Duck, look so small. Here is a suit of armor by Jimmy Otiyohok from about 1945.

Suit of Armor

This suit of armor is made of wars skin, seal skin and wood. Here is a photo of a mannequin showing the suit of armor is worn.

Wear it like this

There are so many things here, you would really like it. There is something to capture the interest of every human.

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