mncepitt

So we got up a little later than expected, packed the car and kissed the kids goodbye and headed back to Hobart. The trp was only about 3.5 hours without stops and was quite uneventful. We did battle some rain on the way as the temps are cooler and the north is getting a reasonable amount of rain. Getting into Hobart about 2.30ish (we stopped for lunch on the way) we drove around a bit trying to find the hotel which is hidden on a side street. The hotel is quite nice and heritage listed. We then wandered over to the Hotel Grand Chancellor to book into the Conference and then detoured to look around the town for an hour or so. Then we headed back to the hotel where we settled in to have a ... read more

Hello World! The Pitts made it to Tasmania! So here I am on day 3 in Tasmania sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen in Ulverstone typing in our Travelblog. Day one of the adventure was driving to Cairns leaving by 7am in order to get to Cairns, achieve a couple of little goals and catch our flight Cairns to Sydney by Virgin Blue. No adventure here of course. A smooth and reasonably quick flight. Sitting in the airport at Sydney then catching the next flight Sydney to Hobart. First night was at the Argyle Motor Inn. Love it. We had a ‘cottage’ which is really half a converted house. We had 2 bedrooms, kitchenette, Lounge etc., Very spacious and comfortable. The people at the Motor Inn were also very nice and accommodating given ... read more

Hi all Well here we are coming close to the end of our time in the US and missing those babies H-E-A-P-S!! (sorry about the caps!) Yesterday we made a decision- (because the airlines we flew - and most of you know which ones - were a little rough on our luggage) we are going to have to replace Nicola's suitacase - the handle is splintered, half of the make-up crushed and zips that will not work any more so we went up to Macy's (hehehe) and have found the one we are after and will go back tomorrow and actually buy them. This will also allow us to also have an extra suitacase for all the shopping - bear in mind we have already sent home 2 very large boxes of goodies home too!! We ... read more

San Francisco Monday Hi All, well as you saw last night we arrived in San Francisco, so today we went looking around the city. It is quite interesting, not at all like Brisbane or Sydney. Many old buildings with a truly old feel (given that much of the city was rebuilt after the 1906 Earthquake). We visited Macy’s (Claire I lost your cousins details somewhere and although I did go to the Lingerie Dept I couldn’t find her) and yes did buy some goodies (you should see my jeans!!) We saw lots of fire engines rushing around the city…..and the grates in the middle of the road seemed to smoke although we have not yet come up with an accurate reason but we seem to guess it might be something to do with the fault lines ... read more

Hi gang Wow what a day. It seems that today has been more like a da and a half because it was so busy!! But what a fantastic day we had. I started my day visiting this most A-M-A-Z-I-N-G school which is like a "practice school"attached to the University of Southern California Channel Isles. I spent several enlightening hours looking at this wonderfully bi-lingual school and checking out the school environment including their Pre-school facility. What can I say?? I really enjoyed looking around and getting lots of ideas. Their "Home Ec"unit is attached to the Music section and they share a facility which they call a Diner. They are looking at changing the cafeteria food and so much more. They are also teaching the students bi-lingually which means they run a 50/50 program which changes ... read more

Hi All Now we are all packed and ready to go. One more night at home and then onto the Skytrans plane. Hope it is the Dash 8 - a little bigger than the usual fare. Remember to check this site each day - you never know when we will upload images and stories. Cheers ... read more