Australia 2010
Well, here we go - once again off to our favorite spot in the world, outside the US! Now, what, pray tell, does Christmas have to do with another foray into that great continent down under?
Well, you may have noted that right below the TV where Patty and I watch the news almost every night, is an emu caller, a didgeridoo, and a handsome koala proudly holding the Aussie flag!
Here's a little better picture of the setup ---
Now you can't sit there night after night and not begin to ache to once again visit that great country, and those great people, and so here we are once again heading back, this time limited a bit by Patty's insistence that we not leave those grandchildren for more than 4 weeks.
We left Savannah on Saturday morning 1/9, which turns out to be a smart move given the current airport screening delays -- many fewer business travelers! On out to LA where we enjoyed having dinner with John Ulmer, and those two great young men, Brian (19 and a freshman at Georgetown), and Kevin (17 getting ready to wrap up his successful Junior year of high school). They both look great and it was something for these two young men to take out a Saturday night to have dinner with a couple of old (!) dudes from Georgia!
A leisurely day in LA, and then leave Sunday night on Air New Zealand for Auckland where we then catch a connecting flight to Perth, also on ANZ, losing a day and arriving on Tuesday 1/12. Their Business Class lounges are outstanding, whenever you fly those folks. Great Kiwis, great service! HOWEVER, I've decided that when Thomas Edison made that now famous statement that "All progress is change, but all change is not progress", he had had a premonition about the Business Class seating changes from large comfortable recliners to a pod configuration that's not ideal for big old Yanks, now being used on ANZ. Well, we made it, picked up our Falcon RX6 4-door, and were off for Peppermint Grove, where we are the guests of Corinne & Tony Barton. Try Week 1, and remember to click on small photos to bring them up to proper size, and then the back arrow will return you to your previous position. Cheers!