Sooo, on a whim we went to Australia and New Zealand with Ciel. Tera had to teach so she could not go. You see, Ciel quit her job and has 6 months to find out what to do with the rest of her life and asked us to meet her in the southernmost place I have ever been. It was delightful, the trip of a lifetime. She booked us on a hike, the Routebourne trail, that was a bit of a trial as I really messed up my knees and feet, but what a trip! The country of NZ is absolutely delightful. One of the highlights was staying with Hugh and his parents in a barn in the middle of nowhere eating on  Royal Dalton and drinking out of Waterford. His cuisine was divine. I got to see albatross, little blue penguins, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and kookaburras. And Keas. 

The only downside was that I lost Wolfgang a month before. He was my heart cat, I will always have a tug in my heart when I think of him. But in the mean time before that we came to love little Raven, the cat with the face injury, who beat all odds and was raised with dogs so she thinks she is one.

My little cats and dogs are my loves, they sustain me through thick and thin. We also bought Sir Peregrine, our Basecamp Airstream, and I can't wait to get our to explore with Doug, my other heart love. I just have to remember that they are my focus, and forget the disaster that is the USA right now. We all have to come together and defeat the hate, care about each other, and be more informed. Life is just one adventure after another, or we might as well give up.