-Hey everyone, I am in Queenstown now. What a beautiful town! It sure is expensive though and crowded. My first experience with traffic in New Zealand. Sorry, I haven't updated in a few days. I have been busy. Also, thanks again for the messages. I want to respond to everyone individually but it has been difficult to do so. Please forgive me if I have missed you so far. Lisa's 40th party was a blast! I have pictures of everyone dressed up, but they aren't uploading right now. I will try again in the next town. So, the set up was top notch. John and Lisa had a guy come in from a local restaurant to cook all the food. He grilled salmon, beef, prawns, calamari, and huge crawfish! Yum, yum. John presented a very nice slideshow of Lisa over the past 40 years and a video from her family back home. Lisa had this great cake that looked like an American flag blowing in the wind. I met all of their great friends. They were so much fun. Everyone was dancing by the end of the night. The kitchen scene still cracks me up. Picture this huge bar height table top just every inch covered in bottles of alcohol. People would just stumble in and look around for a bottle that they recognized and just grab it. Too funny. Anyway, needless to say Saturday morning came quick and we struggled all day. I helped them clean up and then napped on the couch. John, Lisa, Max, and I drove up to their lakehouse in Queenstown that night, watched a movie, and headed for bed. Saturday was glorious! The view from the house is just wonderful. We headed out to hike the Moonlight trail in Queenstown, about a 4 hour hike. As we were going I discovered that I broke my camera when I dropped it in the dark the night before. Ugg! So, no one could fix it in town so Lisa rigged it with a hair tie. Good job Lisa! The hike was great! No one around, just us and nature. We were quite tired by the end of it and hurried to grab the other car and headed for the local pub for a rewarding beer. That night we had six other Americans come over who are studying in Christchurch. John cooked some great venison and other things on the grill. We sat around and enjoyed some great conversation. Yesterday, we started out the day by playing 8 holes of golf. Of course I was all talked up and didn't play to well. However, my excuses were plenty. No golf shoes, using John's clubs, no driver, haven't played in a long time, etc. The course was great though and we had a great time. The fall leaves were beautiful and the course ran along the Queenstown lake. Then I rushed to the airport to pick up my friend David. He had a long day of flying and needed to take a shower. So, we returned. John and Lisa decided to stay one more night. David and I took a tour of town and then got some fish to make dinner. David can really cook so we had a lovely meal. Another long night of drinks and great talks. This morning we all met the other Americans for a big breakfast. Then John and Lisa left for home. David and I tried to do the Shotover Jet in town but it was closed for the day. So, we drove to Arrowtown to see the old gold minner's town. Another beautiful day. Just a lot of sight seeing. Tonight we are headed into town for a nice dinner. John and Lisa will probably read this too, but I want everyone (including them) to know how much I appreciated their hospitality. You two are such good people and I feel lucky to have met you. You knowledge of traveling and the world is facinating! I felt after you left today that I was saying goodbye to family members. I already miss your company (and Max too). I have never felt so welcomed by another family. Thank you for everything you did and I hope to remain life long friends.