Tearful Thursday

The day has arrived, 'Blipping' early today as we will lose eight hours once we are airborne.
Everybody very subdued this morning, tearful goodbyes to the very lovely Janet last night who was up and away for work at 05:30 this morning whilst the rest of us were sleeping.
This followed tearful goodbyes at Richard and Linda's yesterday, (Janet's parents), Sam and Josh have grown fond of them since we arrived and consider them as their adopted grandparents and it was good to see Ron again, (Janet's brother).
There is not much more to add following yesterday's Blip, it has been a wonderful three weeks, not a single day has been wasted, every day has been it's own adventure.
Each of us has done what we wanted to do, for me I have surfed and paddle boarded in Hawaii and 'body' surfed at Huntington Beach. Clare went to her brother John's wedding and visited Hawaii, all of it. Joshua saw his 'American' train, five engines and over one hundred wagons and visited Ontario Mills. Samantha visited the La Brea Tar Pits, the Zombie Apocalypse Store and loved everything as did we all.

Today's photograph is four images that capture our holiday;
Janet & John's Wedding
Swimming in Waimea Pool, Hawaii
Las Vegas hotels/casino's
Death Valley

Despite everything we have seen, done, experienced and enjoyed the highlight for me remains what we came for, Janet and John's wedding. If we had arrived on the 02nd and flown home on the 06th I would have been content. Instead we have made new friends, we have a new "extended" family and experienced all that has been 'Blipped' over the last twenty-one days.

This has all been possible in part to our friends at the 'House of Tut' who took in half of the animals for the holiday even though they already had the school chickens + their own + new cat!
Most importantly we thank Hanna, John, Mark and Clare's Mum and Samantha and Joshua's sorely missed Granny. Clare and I could have afforded the family holiday to the mainland US, Hanna's legacy allowed us to visit Hawaii and enjoy all that we did. Hanna wanted Samantha and Joshua to travel and experience different things - Samantha and Joshua are coming home with memories that will last them a lifetime.
Lasting memories; A vast country full of extremes, warm friendly people who go out of their way to welcome you to their country. A country not 'paranoid' about security, it took us twenty minutes to pass through Immigration Control.

But "Home is where the heart is" so it's back to family and friends, work, school and university, the things that make up the normality of our day to day living.
We are leaving having promised to keep more in touch, a plan of the way ahead for the 'estates' and the promise to return in 2>3 years.

So long California-Hawaii-Nevada-Arizona, it's been great.