Thanks, Chicka!! This is his life-long dream, and as much as I joke about it, I'm truly happy for him. :)))) DH took up the plane for his 2nd flight yesterday! He flew for about an hour and 15 minutes. Then he found out from the crop dusting place just north of here that he can park his plane there! So much more convenient, and he has a runway at his disposal - as long as he "keeps out 'the way of the crop dusters," said the owner. LOL He made his 3rd flight when he moved the plane over there from where he landed it down the road earlier in the day. He said he had a rough landing thanks to the warm air conditions, so he'll refrain from making afternoon flights from now on. WHEW! :D He's already talking about going this morning. I'm plugging my ears and "lalala-ing"! LOL I looked over and saw the ol' neighbor guy watching him fly yesterday morning. He flopped his arms in amazement and disgust - at technology as a whole. LOL!! I was able to get 2 fuzzy pics (zoomed all the way in) and a movie before the batteries went dead on the camera. I just have to remember to watch him either with the lens or without....not both. LOL Easier to keep him in view that way. :D Brenda

emerald..thank you for posting. I just read your thread...my goodness you have so much strength on your journey. I am wishing you the best of luck and will continue to follow your story as well. Here are some pics from the past couple days. We just finished the second day of riding. Lovely weather today . Did 50K yesterday and today. DH was riding quite fast in front today and missed a turn. I didn't realize it till a bit had passed. We waited and waited in town and he finally showed up ! What a worry I had for a couple of hours ! All is well and he won't ride so far out in front and alone again . start of the ride at the hostel in Vienna on the 30th: some of the many riders...we are 50 strong ! It includes 3 folks who are riding with their arms as the " wheel turners...a bras ...as the French say. A wheel chair like affair for one and the other two have their legs braced out in front of them...and use cranks to turn the tires..all 3 had polio as children. the center of Tulln, yesterday where we spent the night in another hoste..it is the rose city...I didn't get enough pics of the roses...they are astounding !! And the fragrance... DH all set to start his first tour ! Tulln is also noted for their strawberry fields ...yum !! new friends at dinner tonight. the remains of one of the 2 Flammkuchen...it was fantastic ..arugula, pesto and prosciutto the Danube path...Velo 6 picture from the dorm roon where we are staying tonight in Klems Austria. the wide and beautiful Danube. that's enough pics ;) WIll keep you posted as able. So different from my previous tours but really really fun !! And such great new folks...we have already been invited to stay with the couple on the right of the pic at their 30 acre vineyard in NZ...we get to pick grapes too. c Thank you all for your truly lovely and encouraging notes. c

How tragic, and I can certainly understand your sadness. I think you should make the marker and take it there. The words you chose are lovely. That's a very nice thing to do. And what if someone from the family does come? Can you imagine how meaningful it would be to them? I'm sorry.

SOCKS!! We were at the same place...its the Featherdale Wild Animal Park...(we were on the way to the Blue Mountains as well!)... Nicole...we had beautiful weather..60's at night 70's during the day...our apartment wasn't air conditioned so I'm glad the weather cooperated...Sydney doesn't have the humidity that some places do...It was awesome! Australia has 17 of the 20 worlds deadliest snakes...the animal park had the number one deadliest the Indian Taipen...whoa....there were lots of people swimming at Bondi and Manly beaches...in fact Hugh Jackman has a home on Bondi and had to pull his teenage son out of the undertow the day AFTER we went...DARNIT!! My roomie woke to find this on the crown molding on her ceiling one morning...I got a broom, knocked him down and smashed that sucker not knowing whether he was friendly or deadly! the nice thing I enjoyed was NO MOSQUITOS!! We slept with the windows open...no SCREENS!! Socks, we hired a personal tour guide for the day and did Featherdale, then on up to the Blue Mountains...the places he took us in his car a bus could never get to and the views were spectacular! then to finish off the day we walked thru the rainforest and rode the incline Railway! we old ladies were pretty bushed after that day!! Ded...I rode business going down and had a seat empty next to me on the way back!! My buds were in the back going and coming...it was not a pleasant experience for them...but they did it for me so I owe them the world! I had about year to prepare for the trip...we have crews laying over there everyday and I have a friend who has gone 5 times...one of my last flights I worked before going I had a family from Sydney on my plane coming to the states to visit relatives...they were a wealth of information... I'm sorry we didn't go to New Zealand...there WILL be a next time! My hubster chose to stay behind and man the homefront...now he's wishing he had gone! This is ARCHER...He is the mascot of Featherdale...he was abandoned by his Mama and the park raised him...He even has a FACEBOOK page...LOL