Auckland to Ridgecrest

Kokako on Tiritiri Matangi

Air New Zealand Nov 8  The aircraft was a new 777.  Interesting features: The safety message was a video featuring characters from The Lord of the Rings  - funny and riveting.  The bathroom had wallpaper which was a bookshelf with very interesting titles on the spines of the books such as how to fly airplanes, Nude Skiing in New Zealand by Seymour Butts and Stargazing.  Each seat had a video touch screen with a huge number of viewing choices.  The eleven and a half hour flight flew by.  ;).  At LAX we found Norelle Shlanta waiting for the same flight to Inyokern.  She gave us a ride home from IYK and it was fun to catch up.  Ellen Janetzko met us at home with breakfast for the next morning.  Good friends! Gracie was in the house when we got there but she was not at all happy to see us.  She pouted all night and half the morning but is now back to her usual cuddly purring self.  Sheryl promises to give me blog lessons so the quality of my blogging should improve before the end of  the year!  I am going to send a few photos at a time of our sailing before we had internet access.  By the way, nearly all the superb bird photos are by Barry.