Joe was very lucky to survive this horrible experience.

Joe, we hope you can get over the inconvenience as soon as possible.

The second was another great show in Melbourne where we went to the Atheneum with Bruce and Jill to see a tribute to Eva Cassidy.

Followed by a night at the very chic, Chin Chin.

Apart from these thanks to Paul & Shivaun (further representation for the O'Maras), Luke & Sarah, Nat & Anthony (further representation for the Fosters), Mandy called in on the way to another party, Nikki & Chris (further representation for the Prices) Paul, Liv and Jeanette (and Stuart in spirit).  And then there were the usual culprits; Kate and Ellie

We took over the pub with a wonderful night of food, wine and chat.  A great memorable night for Steph.

Thanks all

Sorry for the standard of photo - phone not up to light conditions.

Mel & Mark took the long journey using the Subaru to go via Violet Town, to visit Mark's mum, and then Ipswich to visit his sister, Tash.  Dave flew from Canberra on Saturday and Marg & Steph finally arrived by a late Tiger flight from Melbourne (fog delay).  They reflect how luck they were as the following day the ash cloud made its presence felt, closing Melbourne airport.

Steph, Mel & Mark stayed the week (flying back to Melbourne between ash clouds) and then Marg & I had a couple of days to ourselves before heading off to drive back to Canberra.

After a 12 hour day of driving to Scone from Noosa, we then followed a very interesting route around the back of the Blue Mountains (Denmac / Lismore).

On the way we had a run around the Mt Panorama circuit at Bathurst.  For a person who really hates the car racing, Marg was in awe when we saw the circuit and realised the skill that these guys must exhibit in getting around this track in October each year.

Back to Canberra and so starts another adventure.  Will report on that later.

From Monterey it was into San Francisco for 5 nights.  We had a fabulous time here, a great city enjoyed the sights and loved the food.  In fact the food has really been a pleasant surprise for most of the trip, much better than I remember.
Next stop the Napa Valley, where we spent 2 nights.  A very pretty valley with hundreds of vineyards.  Surprisingly though they only produce 4% of the nations wine.  Needless to say we managed to sample a few and bought a couple for the road!!
We then headed west to Lake Tahoe, we heard the day before that they had a dump of snow and that chains were required but fortunately for us the roads were clear and the weather fine. 
It is a beautiful lake, the 2nd highest in the US and the surrounding mountains were alll covered with snow.  We drove around the entire lake about 60 miles, stopping at several sights, just so picturesque and Al had a big smile on the lovely curvy roads.
From there we headed to Clear Lake and stayed at a B&B right on the lake.  Unfortunately the weather was not pleasant, it was windy, drizzly and the water was lapping the road.  Also that night we had our worst meal in the local pub, just as well we only had 1 night!!!!!!!
The next day we headed back to the coast and highway 101.  We drove through the beautiful Redwood forests, the size of them was amazing and enjoyed lovely coastal scenery as well.  A long day on the road but very picturesque.  That night we stopped at a lodge at Gold Beach which was located right on the banks of the Rogue River.  A real delight and we were sorry we weren't staying longer but had a spectacular dinner that night and a slow start the next day.

We are now in the state of Oregon and the coastal scenery is rugged and beautiful.  Next stop was in the quaint town of Florence.  We stayed in a lovely B&B and the hosts were delightful.  Our breafast that morning was a 5 course extravaganza with sight seeing recommendations included.  Lunch was not required!!
Once again we had a spectacular drive along the coast and our next stop was Cannon Beach.  We were staying in a hotel right on the beach with amazing views, although Al was a little uncomfortable probably due to the Tsunami warning signs!  We spent 2 nights here and enjoyed the slower pace.
We have just had 2 nights in Seattle, a little business yesterday and a day of sight seeing today.  We did a tour of the Boeing Factory and then went to the Museum of Flight both really interesting.  Tomorrow we have an early start and go to Vancouver by train and board the ship in the afternoon.
Hope you are all well.

Howdy y'all,Please excuse me if this update is a little scrappy- I have been awake since 3.45am + it is now 7.30pm + 2 flights across 2 countries today = sleepy Dale.

Last night I competed in the Jamaica International Invitational.  Unfortunately, again I cannot report that distances were great with an elbow injury hampering performance.

Shot Put aside, the Jamaican crowd were there for the sprints. They LOVE sprints! Mexican waves, High School races, Vuvezelas, DJ's and Jamaican flags also
made for a unique and exciting competition atmosphere. However, the highlight of the meet was undoubtedly... the bus home from the track! With a
police escort out front, the dreadlocked driver weaved through the backstreets of Kingston with one hand on the wheel and complete disregard for road rules, red lights, traffic, pedestrians and all of our lives. Despite countless near misses and muffled screams of fear, we arrived at our Hotel to a rousing applause and cheers from a bus full of gracious athletes.

There is a meet this coming weekend in South Carolina, but I am thinking I may skip it to try and get the elbow better for the following week in Tucson.

In other events, this week UGA hosted a Nationwide Golf event at their fantastic course. Unfortunately I missed the weekend action, but did get out there for a look at the Pro-Am on Wednesday. I found a cozy spot under a big pine tree and sat for a few hours just watching groups play past. To my amusement, many of the amateurs were overweight businessmen with terrible golf games; it was a nice way to pass the afternoon watching them spray countless balls across the beautiful course, even the occasional air swing!

Hope all is well back home. Assume it is starting to get cold back in Melbourne? Good to see the Gold Coast win another game, as the Pies freshen up for a big one against the Cats next week. Also, Happy Mothers Day to my lovely Mum!

Take care everyone,
Dale