Here we are in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is where we started out over 10 months ago. You might think that, having been gone for almost a year, we would feel a little unfamiliar in these surroundings. But, we are so accustomed now to not having a clue where we are and how to get around, that what feels strange here is the fact that it IS all so familiar. We see a sign that the road is closed at the railroad tracks ... and we know the backway to drive around! Wow! In our RVing life, I'm often afraid I won't know my way home after going to the grocery store.

Mom picked us up at the airport - what a switch, we've picked her up so many times! The next day we visited Jim's folks. And his sister came down to visit from West Palm.



52 years of marriage - and still in love. Jim comes from a good line!


Then, Sunday night we had plans to see best friends. First we picked up Emily - she's the painter - the one who painted the picture of us that hangs over our bed in the RV. You can tell by her surroundings that she's the artistic type! Look at this gorgeous back yard. We don't see anything like this in Arizona.



Then we met up with Chris and Richard at our favorite watering hole.



Mom got out a map and explained to us where she just went in Antarctica. Starting in Ushuaia, Argentina then to the Falkland Islands. Then her ship, the M/V Orlova crossed the Antarctic Convergence - a line in the Ocean where the cold Antarctic water meets with the Atlantic Ocean. Next stop South Georgia Island with millions (no exaggeration) of penguins.


Richard was particularly interested in how she communicated with the Russian crew since he's been studying Russian in preparation for his upcoming trip to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other cold places. Emily recently spent 2 weeks in a cottage in the South of France painting the countryside. Chris L. has 2 new grandbabies and so she visits closer destinations like Minnesota and Maine. And you thought we were travelers!

Now it's Tuesday morning and ... Thank God! ... Dick is taking Jim kayak diving. This poor boy has been a fish out of water for too long.



Me and Mom are off to our conference. I'm not sure if there will be computers there for me to use or not. I'm leaving the camera with Jim. It may be a few days before another posting here.

Hi Chris and Jim:
Nice pictures from the Billabong!
Here's a link to a Moscow webcam across from my hotel.
http://webcam.mdmbank.ru
Stay warm...
Richard