We had a good trip, fairly uneventful and smooth going. We made a few stops for some fun along the way to break up the drive; we were on the road for 9 days. It’s good to be back! Lakeside feels like home after being gone for 3 weeks and on the road for such a long time. Things are more familiar than when we first came - getting around is now easier with the car and we kind of know where we are going.

We are trying to settle ourselves back in… There is much Christmas activity here now, concerts, house tours and the like - ‘though we are in a bit of a time-warp without our familiar traditions, weather-cues and such, we are keeping busy experiencing all the new and different things here. This is a happening place and it’s amazing how quickly the days disappear. The weather is nearly perfect and it’s very pretty in many places. The challenges of daily living kept us very busy for the six weeks before our trip! We met some very nice people immediately. Other foreigners are very friendly and there is a bond that stems from being a newcomer in a foreign land, no matter how long they’ve been here, they still remember. Of course, we are a little younger than most ex-pats, so we are a curiosity to some! Everyone here has a story and most are more than happy to tell it…