Counting down the days until our next adventure...

Earlier this week while on the Manly Ferry, we were finally able to take sunny morning photos of Sydney Harbour, a cruise ship, another ferry and Harbour Bay Bridge.

There's an app we often use to calculate between two dates.  I must admit I probably use it everyday for one reason or another.  If this free app, Time and Date, could be of use to you, please click here.  Enter the dates you'd like to calculate and voila!  Easy.

The Sydney Opera House appears to be a floating island.

This morning, contemplating upcoming travels sent me into a tizzy of unbridled enthusiam especially now that prior worrisome factors are behind us.  Here's a few calculations made from today's date of March 31, 2017 that we're anticipating for the remainder of 2017 using the above app:

22 days -  Cruise from Sydney to North America (24 days)
48 days -  Cruise from Vancouver to Alaska (9 days)
57 days -  Flight from Seattle, Washington to Minneapolis, Minnesota
99 days -  Flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Las Vegas, Nevada
124 days - Flight from Las Vegas, Nevada to Costa Rica
237 days - Cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Valpareso, Chili on to a back-to-back cruise to Buenos Aires, Argentina (30 days combined)
268 days - Buenos Aires, Argentina (30 days - ending January 23, 2018)


Lighthouses always create an interesting photo opp.

Of all of the above dates, of course, we're most excited to head back to the USA to see family and friends.  By the time we arrive in Minnesota on May 26, 2017, it will have been (again using the app) as follows since we left Minnesota on October 31, 2012:

"From and including: Wednesday, October 31, 2012
To, but not including Friday, May 26, 2017

Result: 1668 days

It is 1668 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 4 years, 6 months, 26 days excluding the end date"

Wow!  That's hard to believe!  We won't have seen our three adult children, their partners and our six grandchildren since they visited us in Hawaii during Christmas time in 2014, a total of 875 days (as of January 2, 2015 when most of them left Hawaii).  That's a long time.


Beautiful scenery.

As for son Richard who lives in Henderson, Nevada, we won't have seen him since January 3, 2013 when we sailed away on our first international cruise. Its been a total of four years, six months and four days since we've seen Richard and its slightly longer for sister Susan who lives in Las Vegas.  Richard wasn't able to join us in Hawaii but as with the others, we've all stayed in close touch over these years. 



Sandy beach on a sunny day wasn't populated early in the morning.

Between Skype phone calls, interaction online and chat in Facebook and email, we've been able to stay in touch with all of our family members and friends.  Had the Internet not been available, a journey such as ours would have been heart wrenching, if not impossible.


Across the bay from the ferry.

Instead, we anticipate seeing everyone and spending as much quality time together as their schedules allow. Of course, we're excited, as is evidenced by our frequent calculations of the number of days until we arrive.

In the interim, with sun finally shining here in Fairlight/Manly with the after effects of Cyclone Debbie hitting our area last night.  The cyclone has since passed leaving a wake of destruction in its path.  Also, check out this video of a shark that made "landfall" during the cyclone which Aussies are now calling "sharknado!"


The Sydney Opera House took on an entirely new look in sunshine, especially after our own opera experience at the world famous venue.

On a more serious note, please click here for details regarding Cyclone Debbie.  We pray for the safety and recovery of the many citizens who suffered the ravages of this destructive storm that hit Queensland this week.


Perhaps this was a tourist helicopter ride?

Today brings us partially cloudy skies with snippets of sun peeking through.  Should this continue through the day, a sightseeing expedition may be on the horizon.

Happy day to all!

_______________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, March 31, 2015:

There were several refrigerated cases with a wide array of New Zealand made and Fonterra Cheese Factory made cheeses.  With cheese suitable for our way of eating, we often seek to visit cheese factories when we travel.  For more details, please click here.