Farewell NZ, Hello America

Here's that wonderful Kiwi humor again.  Their famous rugby team is called All Black, so Air New Zealand has painted some of their planes all black.  We flew this one from Wellington to Aukland.

We absolutely LOVED New Zealand and hated to bid it adieu.

Catching a few hours of horizontal sleep on the 11hr journey from Aukland to L.A. was worth the upgrade price.

Our first glimpse of America was through L.A.'s far reaching smog.  Oh my.  The contradiction to New Zealand's clean air, water and environment was immediate.

Next stop - Dallas/Fort Worth - the 4th busiest airport in the world.  It is considered an airport city and has its own zip code.  Our sleepy, swollen eyes found this sight to be equally unattractive.

Back home in Chapel Hill now, we share a continued appreciation for what we have right here in our own backyard.

Birds sing courting songs while trees burst with buds and blossoms, and the forsythia proudly announces that spring has sprung!

May the joys of the new season come your way soon!  

Thanks for traveling along with us on this grand adventure.

James, Jane & Judi