Back Home

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We are now back home, so this will be our last travel blog entry. We arrived at Adam's parents' lovely home in Newport Beach--which made the re-entry rather cushy. The first thing we did when we entered the house was raid the kitchen. We ate cheese, almonds, and I had a lovely Pinot with Adam's mom while Adam had a good IPA and his dad a scotch. It felt so decadent. We spent the days shopping with Beverly and loafing about the house. Of course jet leg was a problem, causing us to give up and get up one morning at four and watch the sunrise. I ran along the beach a couple of times. And one morning we went out for a grand fishing trip (my first) and caught squat. Well, Adam caught a bat ray but cut it loose. I think it is the night times that I love here the best--although the days are great. Cocktail hour would be followed by a delicious dinner, usually outside looking out at the water. To celebrate our birthdays, Beverly and Steve took us out for a fabulous dinner at Lido Deck where we each devoured the courses paired with wine. Cheese plate here was one of the most interesting and delicious I had ever had. (Can you tell I missed cheese?) And the desserts--photos follow--were exceptional, too. Here are some pictures of Adam's parents and us enjoying our homecoming.

And here is a brief recap of our travels this summer in numbers:

51 days traveling together
42 days traveling in Indonesia plus 9 days together in Newport Beach, California
40 days eating either nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles), and/or fish. And I'm sure each day we had rice.
20 days on beautiful islands
18 giant manta rays that we saw all in one dive
15 days without running water
14 dives
12 cities stayed in for at least one night (Jakarta, Sengigi, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, Komodo Islands, Labuanbajo, Makassar, Tana Toraja, Kandidiri Beach, Bomba beach, Ampana, Palu)
5 days on a live-aboard ship
8 books read
3 times playing Grabble (3-0 Adam)
2 writing residencies afterward—Adam to Ragsdale and Charlotte to VCCA, both for about two weeks. (I'm at mine now, and Adam will be at his next week.)
1 time the dive boat didn’t find Adam and his team.
1 time Charlotte danced on the bar (birthday night!)
Numerous encounters with critters, but only two where Adam jumped on furniture or dove onto the floor.

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Photos

The Princes!
Beverly, Steve, Adam, and Charlotte on the patio.

Steve in His Natural Habitat
At the boat fueling station.

Charcuterie Plate of Chocolate
Yes, each little section is chocolate something. Smores, fudge, caramel with chocolate, etc.

The Fish that Got Away
See it? Yes? It's right there. A sting ray.

In Their Natural Habitat
Adam and his mother shoe-shopping.

Comments

[mama jean]

back home
Home sweet home. "There is no place like home." Absolutely love having you back in TN !