Indiana - The Boys are back together!

Leaving New York was never going to be a fun experience - especially when you have had limited sleep! So Jordan and I checked out of the Washington Jefferson at around 5am and headed to Penn Station, just in time to catch the crowds (all night clubs close at 4am) includes the highly intoxicated and homeless - wow what a sight!







Boarding our train to Ronkonkoma (Long Island) at 6.16am it wasn't long before I was laying down for a quick nap. The flight to Chicago was quite good (apart from the US $50 charge for excess luggage) although Jordan did express interest in pulling down the emergency latch in the emergency isle which did get a few immediate passengers worried.





Parting ways with Jordan at around 11am (as he was heading back home to Campbellsville, Kentucky) I headed towards the exit to catchup with my mischievous younger cousin Tommy. It had only been a week and a half since I last saw him and his older brother Theo but the three of us together - I knew I was going to have an enjoyable 2 days.

With the sun beating down on us, we all headed straight to the "beach" which is actually Lake Michigan to enjoy some interesting sights. Tommy and Theo quickly introduced me to their friends and it wasn't long before we were all playing sports in the sand and relaxing.

At around 5pm after dropping Theo at the house to head to work, Tommy and I headed to his parents house (Tom & Jan) in Hobart, Indiana for dinner (and what a feast it was too)... Heidi (Tommy's younger sister) and her boyfriend arrived and it was quite a gathering with the sun still high in the sky Tom, Jan and I reminisced about the Family Reunion and chatted about a return visit to Australia.

Tommy and Theo live in a place called Gary, Indiana which is actually where Michael Jackson's family home is - although I was told it wouldn't be recommended going to see the MJ house after dark, so after driving the streets of Hobart, Tommy and I headed back for some well earned rest.








Recharging my batteries to approx 11am this morning, I headed downstairs with Tommy to learn about their business sign writing. Active Signs has been trading for over 50 yrs and is one of the major sign companies not only in Indiana but in San Diego also. After showing me how things worked, Tom put me to work helping print the signs for an order.


At around 2pm after a quick stop at the local Westfield "mall" to pick up some more luggage! Tom and I then headed out to his local golf course - I can say local because not only is it just down the road but he is there working on his game almost daily and knows everyone by name. It is a beautiful course with manicured fairways and greens and although it may only have 9 holes (due to a massive flood wiping out the back 9) the fact that you are one of a handful of people playing sure makes up for having to play the same 9 twice.




Tonight the family will be taking me out for dinner which is really nice and later Tommy, Theo their room-mate "Bull" and I will head into Hobart to checkout the local bar scene and also look at an open air band festival - so it should be quite a late night - again!

Tomorrow after a few quick stops, I'll be flying to Cali-fornia (specifically San Diego) yee haa! to catchup with my "energized" cousin Barbra. During the 5/6 days I'll be heading to the 4th July festivities as well as trying my hand at Bikram Yoga which she is a massive fan of.

Alright - Short and sweet I know... update you guys all again soon.

James.