Applebee's

Spinach and artichoke dip.... Holy smoke this is devine!

I savoured every single morsel ot if.

"The Last Supper" HA

Our Last Brekky in the USA

I LOVE Manhattan Bagels! Wow, are these ever good.

OK, to be honest, this was really lunch. We slept in today.

Jonathon is so funny. Despite the time we arise, the first food in his mouth HAS to be something breakfast-y. Lucky for me that list includes bagels! : )

Olive Garden

Dinner tonight is at the Olive Garden.

"Oh man. I forgot how good the salad and breadsticks are here."

I can't get over how S P A C I O U S restaurants are in the U.S.

Full Moon

Independence Hall at night

We were watching the moon tonight because the last New Year's full moon occurred in 1990 and the next won't be seen until 2028.

Independence Square

Driving into Philly to visit Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed in 1776: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..." A country founded on God. I'm so proud to be an American!

The U.S. Supreme Court met here between 1791-1800.

Mrs Potsie & Potsie at Independence Hall

I can't help but reflect on the fact that Benjamin Franklin himself walked right here. He was appointed the first Postmaster General of what would later become the The United States Post Office Department. He also founded The American Philosophical Society right here in 1743. The members continue to meet at the very same place today.

I am standing in Independence Square where the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was read. This document unified the colonies in North America who declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. These historic events are celebrated annually on July 4th, Independence Day.

Green Machine

I was so happy to find "Green Machine" at Starbucks.

No one would ever believe something with algae, spirulina, broccoli and spinach would taste soooooooo good!

Rifling through tourism brochures

The Liberty Bell

We hopped over to the Liberty Bell Center.

I won't ever forget the names Pass and Stow thanks to the movie "National Treasure."

I had to ask one of the guards why Pennsylvania was misspelled on the bell. He said, "Actually, the name Pennsylvania has six different spellings and all of them are correct. William Penn, for whom the state is named, wrote his name with a single "N." It has been corrupted over time to include the second one.

I was singing songs in my head while I stared at The Liberty Bell - "Let Freedom Ring" by Martina McBride and "I'm Proud to be an American" by Lee Greenwood.

The Bell was created to commemorate the golden anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original Constitution. It speaks of the rights and freedoms valued by people the world over. Particularly forward thinking were Penn's ideas on religious freedom, his liberal stance on Native American rights, and his inclusion of citizens in enacting laws. The quotation "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10, was particularly apt. For the line in the Bible immediately preceding "proclaim liberty" is, "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year." What better way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty?

Garden of Eden Road

"God, you never cease to amaze me." We are staying about 30 minutes outside of Philly in Delaware. I think God ordained it that way so that we could see THIS sign.

I'm thinking the "Jewish Community Center" explains why the bagels are so good here.

US Flag Truck

There are heaps of U.S. flags here - on buildings, T-shirts, spare tire covers, waving proudly in the wind, etc.

Living overseas makes me treasure the stars and stripes even more.

Manhattan Bagels

We slept in until 10:30 this morning. Ahhhh, that felt GRRRReat!

I have to confess, Manhattan Bagel is now my favourite bagel shop on the planet.

This must be an authentic Jewish bagel store. It was decorated with the Star of David and dreidels like this one. It is a four sided spinning top played with during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Guess where we are going for brekky tomorrow!

Robbie, thank you for the snowflake pendant. I LOVE IT!

Dinner at Biaggi's

Dan, Ang, Levi, me and Jonathon went to dinner at Biaggi's.

I wish the waitress had realized that olive oil was smack dab in front of Levi's face. Doh!

Levi asked his mom if he could come over to me. I was absolutely THRILLED!

This salad had goat cheese, avacado and beets in it. The Aussie's eat beetroot on burgers, in salads and as a vegetable. It was a little reminder of my life in Oz.

At DIA

We are headed for Philedelphia, PA today. HOW FUN! We haven't been there in ages.

Jonathon had a cup of joe at Caribou Coffee in the Denver International Airport (DIA).

He has turned me into one of the nerd herd. We are both hacking at our laptops.

We hunted for black Crocs all over CO and NM. I was so happy to find them at the airport.

Lunch at Oakleys

We were supposed to have lunch today at Bella Panini's. Unfortunately, they are now only open for dinner. Double Doh!! We went to Oakleys instead.

We sure do miss hanging out with Dan & Ang. We have two decades of memories together.

Food and friends ALWAYS equals fun.

Poor Jonathon ordered his very last breakfast burrito. I know we are catching a flight in a couple of hours, but I have no idea where we are headed.

Oh, good gravy! This is one of the BEST buffalo burgers I have ever eaten. Phenomenal!!!!

Dinner at Tonya's

Tonya had Robbie, Mom, Jonathon and me over for dinner tonight.

Tonya with her daughters Sophia and Mariah

This bing/dark cherry salad was a recipe from Tonya's grandmother. I had to restrain myself not to lick the bowl!

Tonya's son Nick, me, her daughters Addie and Sophia

Evergreen used to consist of weekend cabins back in the 1930's and 40's. There was no running water during those days so people had to go and fetch it from the creek. The builder of Tonya's house built it over a spring! A clever bloke's design prevented him from having to get out in the Colorado cold for his H20!

Frannie at C.B. Potts

Frannie, my beloved sister (forget the word in-law, she's my sister!) was in Colorado to spend the Christmas holiday in Colorado Springs and Boulder. We met her family at C.B. Potts in Flat Irons for lunch.

Frannie and Tina

I was so excited to see Jesse and Denise (Frannie's sister) again. The last time we were together was at my brother's funeral nearly eight years ago.

Mama & Papa

I SURE DO LOVE YOU MOM!

Elk on the Side of the Road

On our way home, there were elk grazing in Robbie's neighbor's yard. This fella' is about five feet away.

Tina & Robbie at Starbucks

Robbie & Tina at the Starbucks in Flat Iron's Mall.

Sunset in Colorado

We sure do miss the magnificent sunsets behind the Rockies.