We discovered the most beautiful place to stop just over the border from Victoria in NSW. It’s not an ocean view, it’s not in the forest, but it is sustainable and pastoral. On our way to a family Christmas gathering we stopped for one night in the Down to Earth Farm Retreat. We stayed in … Continue reading Down to Earth Farm Retreat, Sarsfield NSW
Travel
Follow my adventures visiting friends and family around the world.
Carpe Diem
Pluck the day. Not seize it, but simply pluck it. I must force myself to open my eyes to the beauty around me. I arrived Down Under last week. They didn't require any tests, or even proof of vaccination, The trip was grueling but uneventful. No delays, no bad weather no missed planes. I flew … Continue reading Carpe Diem
Legs 3 & 4 to Australia, March 2-3-4 2022
I woke up in the Sonesta Airport Hotel, where Delta had put me up when I missed my flight to Syndey. I’d had a nightmare about missing my flight in Syndey, never thinking the problem would be LAX. Refreshed and hungry, I went down to breakfast, but they weren’t open yet. I was stuck where … Continue reading Legs 3 & 4 to Australia, March 2-3-4 2022
First Two Legs of an Extra Long. Austin, Texas to Melbourne, Australia Flight
The first leg: Blow by Blow, Austin to LAX I was riding in the car with my daughter to the airport. I’d been watching the weather in Sydney, worrying about the rain, worrying about catching my flight from Sydney to Melbourne. My daughter said, “Don’t worry Mom, if the rain stops your flight, you can just stay … Continue reading First Two Legs of an Extra Long. Austin, Texas to Melbourne, Australia Flight
The Big Leap
Tree Frog we found at the Wilson Reserve in Melbourne I'm more nervous than this little frog as I prepare to leap across the enormous pond. I've been burrowing through piles of paper work for months trying to get an exemption for a visa to Australia. It was hopeless, I might as well have been … Continue reading The Big Leap
Renaming and Reorganization of my Blog
My blog Visionsfromtwocontinents started, December 11, 2017. That’s five years ago.Now it has a new, easier name, instead of writing visionsfromtwocontinents.blog, you can just look for patsysblog.com Back in 2017, a pandemic was something that only happened long ago, during WWI. In my book Visions from Two Continents: cover I published a letter my uncle Charlie wrote … Continue reading Renaming and Reorganization of my Blog
HOME
A map of Wisconsin with Door Peninsula in red. Minneapolis is my home city, but HOME is Door County, WI. Not a city but a peninsula of small towns and preserved woods, surrounded by Lake Michigan. The picture featured on the blog is a arial view of Sturgeon Bay, one of the largest small towns … Continue reading HOME
The Jab
I got the jab, 9 weeks ago in Australia. It was AstraZeneca, the only vaccine then available in Australia. I wanted to be vaccinated before I caught my flight to the USA. We stopped by the local Clinic, they said, “The vaccine will be available after Easter break.” We called after Easter, still no vaccine. Some friends … Continue reading The Jab
The Last Leg Home
The sun was just beginning to rise, and clouds loomed over the city of Los Angeles, I put on a highly rated mask for the rest of my trip. It was not comfortable. The plane landed in LAX I got off and went through customs without a hitch. I'd rested during the long 12.5 hour … Continue reading The Last Leg Home
Getting a Covid Test to travel to the USA
At 12:30 I said we needed to get going to get my Covid test before traveling. I had called Delta in Sydney earlier and they told me all I needed was a negative result on my phone within 3 days of travel. It was now two days before my international flight. I asked at my … Continue reading Getting a Covid Test to travel to the USA
Visions from Two Continents 