Well readers,when we left our fearless adventurer he was at LAX in the Alaskan Board Room. By stint of great perseverance he went from a sitting position there (courtesy of his 30 day membership of American Airlines lounges) to a sitting position on a smaller US Air flight to Philadelphia, to yet another lounge to a still smaller plane to State College (still seated). Landing at State College PA took place on time at 10.54 pm, some 30 hours after getting the cab from Petersham, and was a testament to the resilience of the hero's ie my - posterior!

Having tried unsuccessfully on two occasions to set up the shuttle to the poetically named Sleep Inn, I had a very positive result in booking a Cab online, and within a few minutes it was whisking me to the hotel. On check in they informed me that (a) they had sent the shuttle and (b) that the smoking room I had booked (my mistake) was read. When they checked for a change I would have had to change rooms twice, and at 30 hours and counting my appetite for complication was at an all time low, so I said, how bad can it be and said I'd settle for what I had mistakenly booked. How bad?

Disgustingly bad. The corridor reeked of stale smoke and every atom in the room was on the verge of lung cancer. I managed to get to bed, but every waking moment was filled with that God awful stench. And after practically falling asleep standing up en route, I was finding it hard to sleep, so there were plenty of waking moments!

As usual, just as I was in a good sleep it was time to get up, as I had agreed to meet Charles for breakfast at 7 at the Nittany Lion Inn. I was still gagging at the stink, so on the way out asked about a change. Oh joy, oh bliss. Overnight there had been a cancelation and so my new best buddy Dan let me move my few merger possessions immediately to a room that only smelled of room-ness instead of death on a stick.

A fifteen minute walk took me to breakfast with Charles and then we were met by Valentina and Claudio , two of Charles' colleagues from his sabbatical at the university in Verona this year. We went for a drive to bask in the glorious autumn colours, the rolling hills of Happy Valley and the picturesque buildings which have survived since the late 18th century. Some were revisit actions , like Boalsburg, to which I had cycled during my sabbatical here, and others were chances to see new sights, like Bellefont and Bellville. We revisited the Amish market, which seemed to Charles and I to be less thriving than our last visit- an impression that was reinforced by the blank windows and for rent signs in the other heritage towns. No matter how stretched they looked, there were plenty of US flags, and plenty of thanksgiving and Halloween decorations on display.

Valentina was relishing the driving, which was just as well because her dean, Luigina had decided to stay at a place called Brush Mountain Lodge - a long way out of town, and Valentina had driving duties!

Valentina dropped Charles and I off in Dontown State College, and after a pretty ordinary bowl of chilli at The Diner, we parted ways for a few hours. I took the chance for an hour's sleep and a call home and some emails, and Chas worked on his conference paper with the three Italians.

Nancy Tuana had organised an evening out with Paul and Marilyn Begley, Charles Burford and I, and Nancy and her new husband Charles (hence the use of Charles Burford's surname).

We spent a lovely evening at the Kamrai Thai and Sushi ( know - the combination?) in an area where conversation could be shared just as easily as the dishes. New Charles is a charming man and he and Nancy are obviously very happy together. We caught up on work, on hobbies like wine (Old Charles) and hunting (Paul) and on life in general. Now the blog is rounding out the day as the last embers of energy flare up and die and I head to bed. More later.