Lol! I can't believe you lot actually started a thread on the odyssey! John, I'm so sorry I didn't get myself organised enough to sort something out about meeting up with you and some other old mates...as matters turned out, I didn't have the internet access I'd hoped, and couldn't sort out a meeting in time. Colleen, you're another I'm so sorry I missed, along with Mike H and a few others. Next time - either in LA, or in Southampton!
Fortunately, even if the mountain didn't quite come to Mahommet, a crew of mates did make the trek out to Disneyland at *very* short notice (and how difficult was it to get them to go there...not!). Don't know if the Blue Bayou has ever heard such a racy, informative lunchtime conversation...perhaps that's why the waitress couldn't keep ahold of the plates!
From Paul, Boz, Gavin and Patrick in London, to Senan Molony and his family in Dublin, to MAB, Ro and the Winship family in NY and Eric, Bill and Parks in LA...it wasn't meant to be a Titanic Trek, but my travelling companion Jill thought you were all superb. She's gone so far as to say that all of you 'made' the trip. I wouldn't have thought London, Dublin, NY or Disneyland in their natural state could be improved upon, but having all of you there, for welcomes, farewells, and mucking about town proved me wrong...you all made what would have been a great trip even better.
Photos will be forthcoming...am just sorry I didn't get a chance to shoot MAB unphased in the midst of cyclone winds, as the camera would have been whipped out of my hands. And Eric...I should have guessed the reason you gave for not getting in the tea cups was just an excuse to situation yourself to get good shots of Bill spinning the thing nearly off its hinges. And it's safe now to tell me about 'California Screamin'.'
Just as important as the fun was the input and the touching base on various projects now afoot - all done with laughter but with some seriously interesting ideas and data being tossed around. Am so glad I had a chance to run the images by you lot, as you identified important elements that I wasn't aware of.
Now to bond with the family and hope the wind stops so I can enjoy some serious beachtime before I get back to the serious stuff...
Thanks to everyone for being so generous in so many ways. And particularly to the goldenhearted Ro - she knows for what and why!