HOME!

We're HOME!!!
Norm's crazy 60th birthday idea was a wonderful experience that we will cherish forever.
We are very thankful for so many reasons:

• precious time spent with each of our beautiful children and their families!!!
• getting to know our incredible grandchildren even more!!!
• spending time with dear friends!
• seeing the magnificence of our beautiful country and the our neighbouring country! 
• meeting many kind, talented and interesting people.
• paradise...Hawaii! Kauai!
• learning about ourselves!
• being safe and mostly healthy throughout!
• the many surprises and magical gifts this journey presented us.
• being with my wonderful husband! we didn't kill each other and I even missed him when we were apart for a couple of hours today. :)

We felt your presence, interest, love and good wishes throughout. Thank you for being there and for helping us remember. Mahalo!

End of an Incredible Journey

Our last day driving was another long drive in order to save on one hotel stay. Our reward was spending our last night in Chicago!!!  Love Hotwire!!! Got a great deal at a central 4 star hotel cross from millennium park! It turned out to be a Hilton which was cheaper than staying at most hotels outside the city. So we drove 10 hours to get there and found ourselves in the middle of football, concert and rush hour traffic!!! We sat in it for another 2 hours!  We were so proud of ourselves for staying calm and unflustered. Got to the hotel around 7:30 pm and still enjoyed the bustling, exciting city with little surprises around each corner...a classical concert,a tango dance in the park and new art sculptures. We took our time this morning since we were no longer on a schedule. A leisurely breakfast at a Chicago style diner, browsing at Barnes and Noble and another visit to Garrett's for snacks for the way home!
...one more entry to come...

Day 2 - Trek home

Did I say 8 hours a day? It was hard on our backs being folded up like pretzels for ELEVEN hours in the Little blue bug. Getting back to exercising will straighten us out.;-)
We drove out of the western part of Wendover...Utah, early this morning. The casinos are in Wendover east, which is in Nevada.
We drove past the Bonneville Salt Flats,west of the Great Salt Lake where the vintage cars must have raced. Some of the smoke of the fires was barely visible in some of the photos. You could definitely smell it. The hills and mountains of Utah and Wyoming were breathtaking, and it seemed like forever driving through Nebraska....flat farmland. We are settled for the night in North Platte, Nebraska.

Trek home!!

Spent ONE glorious day with Dale, Kingston and isla (plus 2 morning cuddles with k&I) Extra hard leaving them the second time :'(
Driving 8 hours a day, until we get back home. Winging each destination.
Arrived in Wendover, Nevada tonight..a mini Las Vegas with a vintage cars gathering. A few wildfires building in our path....
We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Our last day in Kauai

Carpe diem! Waking up to the news that my 65 year old cousin passed away in Egypt, it makes you appreciate all your loved ones and every day that you are given. He was one of my many cousins whom I admired. He was an engineer before he even started university. He an d his brothers would build unbelievable structures and gadgets out of cardboard and paper. Ramzi and I loved going to their house to see their inventions.

We had a wonderful day yesterday, trying to make the most of our time here. With maybe 10-20 good years (hopefully) left of travelling and so many places in the world to see, don't know if we'll be back this way again. Ooh, I'm getting depressed reading this...

Anyway, Norm and I took (ookoolaylay) ukulele class with a Hawaiian tyrant today. Norm learned everything I learned in 4 classes at the Aurora cultural center last winter.  And I got a couple of new tips. I don't know how Norm kept all the fingering for the chords straight...he learned quickly and now we'll be sharing the ukulele Matthew bought me until we get him a new one.We could have bought one from here but the cute girl from Edmonton who took class with us said she bought one from here a couple of years ago, but it could not withstand the Canadian climate. Besides we need to have less flying back to Oakland tomorrow.
We enjoyed the facilities here at the resort. It was relaxing not having to drive to another beach.We waded into the ocean here despite warnings that it was dangerous and we quickly understood the reasons why. The undertow is so powerful. We were both knocked over several times.
It was nice to just read and feel the breeze of the ocean as we sat on the hammock tied to the palm trees and to listen to the sound of the waves. We are finally feeling the chill feeling we could see on J&B's faces when we arrived here. The climate and the laid back attitudes would be exactly what we need to make us peaceful, Zen folks.
We drove to Poipu shopping centre to look around before our dinner date at the Tidepools restaurant in Poipu.I bought the bamboo t-shirt I've been wanting to buy for Norm.
The Tidepools restaurant is a group of huts surrounded by a moat with the most immaculate, colourful landscaping! The food and service were excellent. Norm had a succulent prime rib and I tried the ahi poke (diced sashimi) on top of a wasabi edemama paste with crispy strips of purple sweet potato..., input from Norm ...and a great cabernet from Washington. Following dinner, the light of the sunset made everything look so beautiful and picture worthy. We went crazy taking many photos.
We then rushed,(I got us lost for a bit) as we headed to Rob's Good Time Grill in Lihue to catch the end of Aldrine 's show...Norm had been googling him and we are both big fans! He was tearing up listening and watching him. He is so talented! We chatted with them and took another photo with Normie...wish we had brought the ukulele for him to sign.
We will keep journaling this way until we get home next week. Thanks for helping us document this crazy road trip. It helps us remember. Keep telling us how you are doing.We miss you but we don't miss the routine we will need to get back to very soon. Love m&n