Cockle Bay

We drove to Lauren’s house this morning, and she drove us to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains. The drive was beautiful and much more relaxing than my driving myself. The slowly winding road gained elevation, as we passed small towns and open spaces.

Arriving in Katoomba, we went to the Lost Bear Gallery. Lauren’s friend was showing some recent art work. We stepped in the gallery, and Jody’s charcoal sketched leapt from the walls. Despite the dark colors, the images were light; several renditions of kangaroos and a serious looking wombat. Mixed in, she had cockatoos, which fly freely all over the place here, as well as landscapes from a recent trip to France. My favorite pieces were in a series fo koalas. They were painted on material that I couldn’t quite identify. Jody Graham happened to be there, so Lauren introduced us. She explained the process by which she made the paper that the koalas were rendered, noting that she had stitched them in places to symbolize the precarious nature of their existence. She was absolutely lovely to speak with and frank about her process. I immediately took a few pictures and sent them to my niece, who’s currently in art school. We wandered around the gallery for quite a while, admiring the works on the walls. (https://jodygraham.com.au/contact/)

As has become our habit, we had lunch on the patio of the Conservation Hut. Since the 1960’s, Blue Mountain Conservation Society members have been meeting here. It has since been rebuilt and serves still as a waypoint but also has a delicious cafe. We ate our lunch overlooking the Blue Mountain range, which extended to the horizon. Years ago, I had read or been told that the blue haze comes from the oil in the eucalyptus trees; however, Lauren corrected me. She indicated that the blue hue floating over the mountains is actually a phenomenon resulting from the color of the eucalyptus leaves. I searched the google and found a variety of answers explaining the science behind the color. Basically, my explanation feels like it makes the most sense: they are the way they are because that’s how they are. Feel free to look into it and get back with me.

We drove out to Lincoln’s Rock, which is a sandstone perch above the Jamison Valley, in the Blue Mountains. The walk was short from the car park, but the views were incredible. It felt as though we were surrounded by bush, stretching endlessly across the undulating mountains. Cliffs dropped precipitously to the valley below, and eucalyptus (gum trees) created a solid canopy across the vista. The area is named for Australian mountaineer Lincoln Hall, who lived in the area for quite a while. It was only named Lincoln’s Rock in 2013. Apparently there’s a book about him and his trek to summit Mt Everest, after which he almost died. Although he survived Everest, he tragically died from asbestos exposure, and the rock was named in his honor. Before that, the overlook had creative names such as Flat Rock, Wedding Rock, and Honeymoon Rock.

We rounded out the night, meeting some of Lauren’s friends over dessert. Not a bad way to end a day.Read more