Day 103- Friday Back home at last. What a wonderful journey! Arrived back this morning and met by the kids and taken to breakfast at a favourite cafe at Bronte- Swell. Finally went to the hairdresser after 15 weeks this afternoon. Beautician tomorow morning at 9am. "Pearl Fishers " tomorrow night. Family slide show on Sunday pm, work Monday 8 am. Looking forward to vegemite toast for breakfast. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best! [View Full Entry]

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Day 101- Wednesday My bag is packed and I'm ready for the shuttle to the airport as I have had to check out of my hotel room. Luckily ING Direct banking have a free internet cafe across the road. You just have to buy a drink. It is rather cold and windy in Chicago today and I am attired for a long flight to Sydney...with bare legs and sandals so am not suited to wandering the streets marvelling at the beauties of this great city as I had planned. I have finished my 6 weeks in the USA in the same [View Full Entry]

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Day 99!- Monday I'm regrettably now awaiting the shuttle to Newark airport for my final domestic flight...to Chicago for two final nights of opera. Then home on Wednesday and back to work next MOnday. Only when I focus on specific places and events dp I realise how much I have done and how long it has been. The scary part is that I am still having a wonderful time...I guess when the travel bug bites it gives and insatiable appetite for not just more of the same, but better organised next time. Oh dear. Saturday evening I went to " Chicago [View Full Entry]

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Day 97- Saturday After Thursday evening at the opera I decided that I needed to smarten up my appearance considerably if I was to be worthy of the seats I had booked. Unfortunately I am the victim of the various circumstances of my travel.... I posted my opera- going gear from Cambodia to Chicago ( in an attempt to lighten my load , since I would not need those garments in Asia!)- but it has not yet arrived and in addition my shoes were nicked from my hotel room in Bangkok. I had the perfect pair of multipurpose , comfortable yet [View Full Entry]

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Day93- Friday This is a quick update. More later, but no time to spare. Travel is really a hectic pastime! Tuesday evening I flew to NY after spending the morning at the Getty Centre. Wonderful place. Then taxi to the airport.Arrived after midnight at hotel. This one is really cute. Quite small and friendly. Tiny room but clean and cosy. In 49th between Broadway and 7th Avenue. Chicago , one of the shows I hope to squeeze in is playing across the street. And St Malachy"s, the actors chapel is opposite! It is an amazing location...walk away from Broadway to 9th [View Full Entry]

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Day 92- Monday Yesterday we flew from Colarado to LA where we were met by Connie's sister (No 6!), Cathy and her two lovely daughters, Sophia and Anna. They live south of the airport, about 30 minutes in good traffic, right near the beach ( broadly speaking , Redondo beach) . The girls, like the rest of the family are heavily into sport and , most interestingly what is known here as "Junior Lifeguards" or nippers/ surfclub in Australia. They trained, qualified and did surf patrol during the summer vacation. But they don't seem to have a Sunday morning program of [View Full Entry]

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Friday- Day 90 When I finally awoke about 9am on Friday morning, Murt, Connie's stepmother announced that since this was my last day in Minnesota I should go and have breakfast of doughnuts at a special local place. Connie and Nora wanted to have a last day together and see Connie's own mother, Flo ( who came to visit us at Dolls Point about 4 years ago.) After that we went sightseeing around the district before dropping Rollie off at his golf club . More sightseeing and shopping...lunch and then we all got together to go to the baseball. Minnesota twins [View Full Entry]

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Day 90- Saturday Our trip to Boulder has been booked as long as our overall package...for the purpose of visiting Connie's number three sister...Colleen, mother of Kat, whose company we enjoyed in Chicago and then Boston. Connie merely said that it was a university town near Denver , perhaps similar to Armidale. All I could imagine was a single rock, presumably in the middle of no-where, like a desert. How wrong could we be! After flying across the praries, with only occasional signs of activity we reached the airport. In the distance ahead, we could see the Rocky Mountains. Collen col [View Full Entry]

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Day 89- Thursday Yesterday was the first day when we needed a jacket...it is definitely getting cooler. But there are many more stages to come. I would love to come back in the real winter. It sounds amazing here. The lakes freeze over and of course everyone skates and does cross country skiing around the city. In due course the lakes become so frozen that the local newspaper announces that it is OK to drive your car on the lake. In addition, people put little huts out there so they can do lake fishing after cutting a hole in the ice. [View Full Entry]

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Day 88- Wednesday We have been having a very welcome rest and some family time here in Minnesota, staying with Connie's father and step mother. They have a lovely home here on the shores of LAke Owassa, about 15 minutes from downtown St Paul, twin city with Minneapolis , across the Mississippi river. Connie is the second of Rollie's 9 children, 8 of whom are girls, with names starting with "C". Mert has three additional children. There are 25 grandchildren, 20 of whom live nearby. Connie's 3 are the eldest, and the youngest is 5. Many of the children come here [View Full Entry]

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