Thursday, September 1, 2016

Long Day

It has been a few days since I have added anything to my blog.  My excuse is it has been a long day and a couple of days to recover.  Where to start…..

We left Norfolk on Sunday (August 28) early afternoon.  We were lucky to meet with Dan, Alaina, Dayna, and Anne in  Omaha where we had an early dinner with them.  It was a wonderful afternoon eating, chatting, and ended with some time on the playground at Elmwood Park.  It was a little bit of a warm day, but by the time we got to the park, the temperatures were starting to cool some.

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Anne and Lottie looked so cute in matching outfits. 

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A little swing time in the park

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Spider girl?

After a lovely afternoon, Katie and I headed for the hotel and an early bedtime.  Tomorrow starts early and will last for many hours.

Monday was the official start of our adventure. We were at the airport in Omaha by 7:15 AM and checked  in for our flights to Los Angeles.  We went from Omaha to Las Vegas and then to Los Angeles.  A few sights from the air:

 

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Departing from Omaha, shortly after takeoff.  See you in about a month!

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I had to take this picture.  We flew just south of Ashland, NE, the home of Dan and Alaina and their two daughters.

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I am always interested in watching the terrain we fly over if the weather is clear.  This is Bryce Canyon in Southern Utah.  The terrain is so varied.  From 36,000 feet, you get a really nice overview of the variation.

We arrived in LA early afternoon.  We went through the drill of claiming our bags from Southwest Airlines (our favorite domestic airline), getting the LAX Shuttle to the International Terminal, and then rechecking our bags with our overseas flight airline, Air New Zealand.  The only issue we really had was the top handle on Monty’s bag was broken and no opportunity to shop for a new bag.  But mission was accomplished, we got our bags checked, and ourselves checked in for our overseas flight.

Our layover was about 10 hours…….we filled the time, with a nice (really nice) lunch.  All of the eating places are after security.  We found a place called III Forks.  It had white table cloths, real glasses, excellent food and not busy.  Nice place to kill some time.

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The clock in the main concourse was worth a gander for a while.

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It is animated with dancers, and lots of moving gears.  Fun to watch for a while.  It isn’t always a clock…later it was an underwater scene with divers.  Of course the people-watching in an airport is always fun.  But eventually our flight was called and we boarded our Air New Zealand Boing 777.  We like this airline because of their premium economy seats.  Very comfortable, with lots of room to stretch out.

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Twelve hours, two meals, and some sleep later we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, where we changed planes for our last flight, into Brisbane.  Roy (Monty’s brother in law) met us at the airport and brought us to Manly and the Willie home.  Total time from leaving the motel in Omaha to their home was 38 hours…..no wonder we were tired.

Now as I write this it is September 1st, the first day of spring  (still August 31 in the US).  We got a good nights sleep and have been out for a walk along the bay. This is a mangrove swamp at low tide.

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We are glad to be here and will probably be more adventuresome after our body clocks get totally adjusted.  Until next time!

5 comments:

  1. I remember those long trips from my days in the USAF and I was a little less senior then. Rest up and enjoy. Norfolk is still here although fall is starting to creep in, welcome respite from the humidity. Don't get run over by any 'roos. Chuck and Laurie

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  2. Spring on Sept 1. Heresy.
    Had to look that up. Sure 'nuff. Maybe Australia doesn't have any astronomers.
    Wonder what they call the Spring Equinox. Oh, "Spring Equinox".
    Wonder if Christmas is on Dec 4. Did you miss Labor Day?

    C&L. Would that be a Skip to My Roo?
    Bob.

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    1. Only if one is too slow to get out of the way!

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    2. It would be skip to my roo only if her name was Miltilda and she did the waltz!

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  3. Just got home from some time at Oregon coast and will be doing some catching up with your adventures.

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