The Eagle Has Landed

What better way to start my retirement than a trip back home to New Zealand.  The journey was its usual less than fun ordeal featuring a van ride rather than a puddle jumper from Asheville to Charlotte due to "equipment failure" in two PSA planes, a bloody uncomfortable flight from Charlotte to LA in a plane equipped for midgets and a more than decent flight from LA to Auckland.
It took quite a bit longer to get out of the airport than it has previously - I had some muddy shoes with me which I decided to declare to the Min of Ag - the inspector took one look and said I was OK but it had taken me 20 minutes to get through the queue.  It would appear that these little darlings are here, too.

Georgia gave me a quick guided tour of all the new chunks of motorway that have gone in here.  Pretty impressive - I'd imagine that the committee meetings aren't as many as they are in the US.  After a gargantuan late breakfast / early lunch mostly consisting of bacon & egg sandwiches at Nonie and Dave's house, we finally made it to my new home-away-from-home on top of a cliff in Red Beach.  The photo is the view I would have now if I were to stand up.  There's a vertical 50' drop the other side of the fence and the most enormous rock shelf to the left and Red Beach to the right.  I am now going to take a walk on Red Beach and then go to bed, it being 7 pm (1 a.m. in Asheville).

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