OK, yes, lots of people have figured it out, we’re home now. Have been for a few weeks. We’ve been mostly hanging out with our families since we arrived home, making them look at endless photos.

We’ve also been trying to decide whether to travel more now or stay home. Looks like we are staying – at least for now!

It’s time I got around to updating this site. I promise to do so soon, including putting up some more photos from Europe. We’d also like to put up some photos of Melbourne and the coast, for the benefit of those we’ve met overseas.

Before I do that though, tomorrow Aimee and I are heading up to Queensland for a couple of weeks to catch up with her sisters and niece, who are now living up there

We spent the last couple of nights of our trip in Los Angeles, staying at a hostel in Venice Beach. The Bay Watch style life guard boxes on the beach were cool, but the weather wasn’t warm, so we didn’t trouble the life guards them too much. We did get a first hand look at the muscle bound freaks, watched a bit of beach-side basket ball and hired some roller blades, as you do in Venice Beach.

We did some of the other touristy stuff. We walked down to Santa Monica to check out the pier and the shops. We went to Hollywood to see the stars and hand-prints in the pavement on Hollywood Boulevard and view the sign (it looks pretty small from Hollywood blvd!). We even did some window shopping on Rodeo Drive.

We boarded our flight home with a couple of hours to spare on the last day of our 12 month ticket.

U S of A. The land of oversized everything; oversized vehicles (everybody drives around in huge 4x4s and 'pick-up trucks' made by Jeep, Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford), oversized cities, and oversized meals (and hence a few oversized people). Not only are the meals huge (you're expected to take most of your restaurant meal home in a polystyrene 'doggy bag') but all of the food is either extra greasy or super sweet. A loaf of bread or a can of baked beans will give you a sugar rush. And we were just getting to be nice and skinny!

(this one has photos!)