Hi Finn,
Well the conference is now over and we head back tomorrow morning. We first fly to Miami in Florida and then hang around in the airport until we catch the flight to London. I've then got to hang around in Heathrow for the flight home. I can't wait to get back!!!

I haven't been to this planetarium, I just thought it was a nice picture :-)

I've met a lot of nice people from the US and have made useful links for my job. As a result I'm likely to get an invitation to talk at next year's meeting in Philadelphia. I may have to pay my own way over but as Uncle Trevor lives in Philadelphia I should be able to stay with him. It also means I can go later and come home earlier. There is also the chance of a trip to Ann Arbor in Michigan to talk at the University of Michigan. It seems what I am doing at work is really new, nobody else is doing it in the English speaking world.

More importantly this will not be 'till next year and I can spend time at home again. These trips are not as much fun as they used to be as I miss the three of you a lot. I'll see you Saturday lunchtime.

Love Dad
X X X

Dear Finn,
The meeting is held right next to the aquarium and they apparently had a very rare seahorse born there yesterday. I haven't been in, too much work, but it was on the television.

It should be Thursday by the time you see this which is the last day of the conference. It all finishes at lunch tomorrow. I went to the graveyard today. I was huge with all the tombs above the ground. Still no vampires. I have got these two funny marks on my neck though and seem to have gone right off garlic.

I'll send you a last message tomorrow.
Love Dad
X X X

Hi Finn,
Well at least it is now cooler. It's raining though. I was out for lunch with people I know to do with divers I see (lawyers) today and then went to a meeting. I've just been to eat in the veggie cafe I got to. It's called "Old Dog, New Trick" and plays fantastic music. They are getting to recognise me now as I'm there every day. It reminds me of the Red Herring. Their pizza tastes just the same. My only problem is that they have a great tofu dish but have been out of tofu since I found it. They've just run out of my favourite beer now too. Time to leave soon!

More conference talks tomorrow so I'll be busy all day with that. I hope to visit the cemeteries on Thursday. All the bodies are in tombs above ground so they are really spooky.

I'll let you know how things go tomorrow.

Love Dad
X X X

Hi Finn,
It was a full moon last night and New Orleans is famous for ghosts and vapires! I saw...
...nothing :-(
This picture is supposed to be of a vampire but we all know you can't take a vampire's photo.

It was good to speak to you and Feargus today. Now I miss you all the more. You've got to promise me that you'll be good and help Mum. Anyway it's yet another day closer to me coming home.

Love Dad
X X X

Hi Finn,
Well I'm now in New Orleans. It's hot, damp, dirty and noisy. At least some of the noise is Jazz. I've been at meetings all the time so haven't seen much yet.

We flew down in a specially arranged plane. It was old, rickety and scary. It felt like it was held together by sticky tape and string! The flight attendant was so old that it looked as though he needed a walking frame to ge around. He had clearly been very fat once as the skin on his arms would flap around like loose shirt sleeves every time he reached out for something. Boy was I glad when we landed!

The food is supposed to be good here but I haven't yet seen this. As I've been in meetings it has all been pretty poor. A crowd of us went out last night. We 'phoned to check that they did vegetarian food and were told "yes". When we got there the food was a salad of lettuce, cucumber and two tomatoes. I was so disgusted I left without paying (or eating). Tonight I'm going out on my own to a proper vegetarian restaurant so I'll be in a better mood tomorrow.

Hope you're having a good weekend.

Love Dad
X X X

Hi again Finn,
Well after a day of lectures I missed the big dinner last night and went to a pub for a mushroom sandwich and a beer with my book. Much better than spending time with a bunch of boring doctors. It was hot here yesterday, 85 F. It isn't even this hot in New Orleans! I head there later today. We have a morning of lectures then catch a plane to New Orleans. There are so many people that they have chartered 2 planes especially for this!

The biggest problem I've had is the food provided at Lilly. Vegetarian option means taking the meat off your plate. This is one of the reasons I went out last night on my own. Still in New Orleans the food is supposed to be better. One odd thing is that I heard that there is a Zen Abbey in Hexham! We'll have to check it out when I get back.

I'm missing the three of you and look forward to getting home. I may not be able to send a message untill late, for us, tomorrow as I'll have to find internet access in New Orleans. I will send more messages though.

Love Dad
X X X

Hi Finn,
Well the trip over was long! I didn't arrive until almost midnight and the last bit was on a small plane that only held 30 people. This flight took 38 minutes. The hotel is in the middle of Indianapolis. The city seems really boring. Apart from these dunes on the shore of thge lake there is nothing but flat countryside.

Today we have lectures most of the day. One of my friends from work, Allan Young, is out to lecture here so I'll just sit at the front making rude faces to try and distract him :-)

I'm going to bed really early (7:30 last night but that is after midnight back home) and I'm up very early so that I don't get too used to this time zone.

I'll keep sending you messages. Look after Mum and Feargus for me.
Love Dad
X X X

Hi Finn,
I've made this site so I can send you messages when I am in America.
I will put up new messages everyday if I can.

Love, Dad
X X X