[matthew]

Me! And I've already got my visa, so it's too late to stop me.

I think I mentioned this before, but with an April-May time frame. Well, the long-delayed trip is finally happening.

I'm leaving Toronto 50h from now - Saturday the 28th - and will be arriving in Sydney on Monday July 30. (It's a long flight!) I'll be in Sydney for almost a week, Melbourne for a day, and Adelaide for five days. While in Adelaide I'll be visiting my mother's home town of Port Broughton so that she can be laid to rest in the family cemetery, which will be a good conclusion to my time in Australia.

Port Broughton provides a bright spot in the journey, too -- even beyond being able to meet and visit family that I haven't seen in twenty-two years. While I was doing research for my trip, I found a website that says Broughton's "In the Mid North of South Australia". That cracks me up every time I read it, even though I know exactly what they mean.

I fly out of Adelaide, arriving in Los Angeles forty-five minutes later, with a two-hour stopover in Brisbane. Time zones are funny things, because I'll still be 17 hours older when I get to LAX.

After five days in Los Angeles, it's back on a plane for the final trip home, arriving three weeks and four hours after I leave.

I will have sporadic computer access while I'm away, so I'll be able to check in from time to time.
I know I'll be passing through some people's towns, and I'd love to meet up if the timing and placing works out. The best way to get in touch with me over the next few weeks will be at matthewpiers (at) gmail.com.