Letters to Larry

I've added a new blog to my 'Other Interesting Blogs' list.  It's called Letters to Larry.  Most posts are letters to Larry Rudolf during his time stationed in Vietnam during the war.  These letters have been transcribed and posted to the blog by his family.

I haven't read most of the blog yet, but I find it an interesting peek back at life in the United States during a tumultuous time in America's history.

Australia on Short Notice

It's been awhile since my last post, for semi good reason.  It is a bit ironic that I start with telling some of my earliest memories about my relatives from Australia, and then unexpectedly leave a week later to Australia.

Late on Friday, almost a week after the prior post, I get word that my Australian grandfather passed away.  It was both expected and unexpected.  He had been in poor health for a few years, but stable until that day.

He passed away late on our friday, I bought the ticket late on Saturday, and I left mid Monday.  I arrived late morning on Wednesday, and spent Wednesday fighting jet lag and working on both a eulogy and the photo slideshow used during the luncheon of the funeral.

I spent two and a half weeks in Australia, and unlike last year where I spent every waking moment either visiting relatives or playing tourist, I was able to do fairly normal things.  I felt more like I was living there and less like I was vacationing.