Home at Last!

Home at Last!

15 countries, 5 continents, 39 flights, 124 beds, 2 mountains, 24 islands, 1 major illness, several weird creatures eaten, god knows how many gallons of alcohol consumed and roughly 61,387 miles covered by plane, train, automobile, tuk tuk, moto, canoe and one very faithful little camper van!

SeaWorld, Busch Gardens & Miami

And another!


The view from our balcony in Miami.


Weeeeeeeeeeeee!


The awesome Sheikra ride at Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay.


Who wants their tummy rubbed?!!


Shamu does the 'Free Willy' special!


Shamu gets ready to soak the crowd of shrieking children
(and Japanese tourists!!)


King penguins lording it up in their artificially created snow dome.


Dolphin acrobatics at the SeaWorld Aquarium.


No, not a large floating blob but a very rare and placid manatee
(also known as propeller-fodder, hence the rarity!!)


Chris tries out the cowgirl look!


The dolphins at the underwater viewing area in Dolphin Cove.


Ben feeding Flipper at SeaWorld!


Flamingos in the pink (har har!) at SeaWorld, Orlando.
Late January 2007.

Vancouver & Whistler

Canadian lake views as we returned to the USA.


Action man! Ben after a hard day's boarding.

One of the many gondolas taking skiers and boarders
up Blackcomb and Whistler mountain.

Around Whistler village.

Linda and Chris looking trolleyed before even going out on
Chris's birthday! Too much champagne!!!

The view from our apartment in Whistler village,
complete with balcony, heated pool and covered hot tub!!!

Our team in full flight with 'musher' Matt at the controls!

Chris takes the controls while Ben enjoys the ride!!

Mush, mush! Dog sledding around Whistler's back country,
Chris's birthday, 18th January 2007.

Well, it had been a while so here's Chris cuddling
something cute and furry, other than Ben!!!

View from the apartment windows.

Where we stayed with Linda and Stephen in Whistler.

Giddyup Rudolph!
Sleigh ride round the ski field, Grouse Mountain.

Chris posing by the cable car atop Grouse Mountain.

Views of Vancouver and the Burrard Inlet from Grouse Mountain.

Canadian wood carving up on Grouse Mountain.
Vancouver, Mid January 2007.

I still don't know what this shop was selling
but the sign certainly made you stop and look!

Canadian entrepreneur 'Gassy Jack' after whom Gastown,
the oldest part of Vancouver, was named.

Seattle

Up on the Space Needle one day during a rather strong gale!


See, the first Starbucks store! Told you!


The very first (of MILLIONS) Starbucks at the market with its original

(and apparently rather risque) saucy mermaid logo!!


The famous Pike Place Market, location for 'Sleepless in Seattle'

and if you're really lucky they might throw a fish at you!


The Space Needle at night, all 605 feet of it!
(and yes, it does look like a flying saucer on the top there!)


Ben and Jimi compare riffs on Broadway, Seattle!


Continuing on with 'Dead Celeb Day'! The graves of superstar Bruce Lee
and his son Brandon. Mystery still surrounds both their deaths.
Lakeside Cemetery, Seattle.


Kurt's Park next door, where fans pay their respects.


The house in which troubled Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain
took his own life in 1994, Lake Washington, Seattle.


Deep below Seattle's streets!


Amazing Underground Seattle Tour where in

the late 19th century they rebuilt the city a whole storey

above the original and left the old buildings below!

Full of freakish fun!
Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe! Waterfront, Seattle.

Fabulous friends! Tim, Christina, Chris, Ben and Troll!
The Fremont troll under the Aurora Bridge, Seattle.

An incredible interactive working guitar sculpture made up of
500 instuments! The EMP, Seattle.

The fabulous EMP: Experience Music Project and Sci Fi Museum,
Seattle, early January 2007.

Seattle's famous landmark The Space Needle.
Built for the 1961 World's Fair and seen on Frasier's credits each week!