While the storm clouds gather
Far across the sea
Let us swear allegiance
To a land that's free
Let us all be grateful
For a land so fair
Let us raise our voices
In a solemn prayer
God bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
Far across the sea
Let us swear allegiance
To a land that's free
Let us all be grateful
For a land so fair
Let us raise our voices
In a solemn prayer
God bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
God bless America,
My home sweet home.
-
Lee Greenwood
Thursday 3 September
Where has the time gone? It feels
like just yesterday that we arrived in Los Angeles (not knowing what sort of
hellish red eye special awaited us!) and began the trip that took us to Kansas
City, New York City, Chicago, St Louis, Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga,
Knoxville, Bristol, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Hilton Head, Atlanta and now back
to Los Angeles.
Today’s already been a long one,
and that’s without taking into account the 14-hour flight back to Sydney. My
alarm went off at 4:15am, we were out the door at 5:00am, dropping the car back
and getting over to the airport for our first flight in a month.
It was late morning in Los
Angeles, and we spent the afternoon out at Santa Monica Pier, eating at Bubba Gump’s
and enjoying our last few hours on American soil. Bubba Gump’s does amazing
seafood, and their Coronarita, a mini
Corona beer dunked in a margarita, is something I haven’t found anywhere else
in my travels. It’s becoming a sort of tradition to eat there on the last day
of a trip. The food is really good.
The Coronarita |
Here at LAX, it looks like there’ll
be at least a minor delay with our flight, due to delays on the aircraft coming
in from Washington, D.C. The thirteen-odd hour slog home is never fun, but I
must say I’m looking forward to being back in Australia. Home is where the
heart is, after all, and being away for any length of time makes me very glad
to be an Australian.
It’s been strange taking flights
today. The last time we flew before today was August 4 from New York City to
Chicago, nearly a month ago. Since then, we’ve covered just under three
thousand miles on the road, from as far north as Milwaukee, Wisconsin to as far
south as Atlanta, Georgia and the South Carolina coast. Before I shut down, I
wanted to get this one last blog in and say a few things:
A giant thanks to everyone who
opened their homes and hearts to us. It’s hard to not keep coming back when
there are so many amazing people who want to hang out. I’m glad I got to see
the girl I think of as my American sister get married – and what an
unforgettable ceremony it was. The week
in Chicago was probably my favourite week of all. It was great to catch up with
a lot of friends there. Matt and Jaimie get extra special thanks for that.
Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean
were awesome at Arrowhead Stadium on the second night of our trip. Bristol
Motor Speedway was deafeningly awesome. Baseball with the Bal’s in New York
City made me laugh so hard. The White Sox ball game with the all-you-can-eat
dinner beforehand was great, too. All the historical places we visited have
quenched my thirst for the time being. All the beaches and pools, waterslides
and lazy rivers…I rediscovered how much I like to swim. Man, did I eat some
good food. Some ordinary stuff, too, but it was far more good than bad.
Thanks to everyone who read this
blog. Obviously there’s a few of you out there, as my entries here are
averaging 45 views per day, which is pretty awesome.
Thankfully, in a little over nine
months I’ll be back, and I’m already excited to be at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway for the one hundredth running of the 500-mile race, and back to visit
all my friends. You guys are what makes coming here so much fun.
America, it’s been a blast! Can’t
wait to do it again! Until then…
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