WINDING DOWN

Hi everyone
We're back in California and staying at my cousins in Elk Grove which is just below Sacramento.  The weather is hot,99degF but the interesting thing is in San Francisco it's only 65F  not much warmer than home!  Today we went with the family to an Indian Cassino about 40 minutes drive from here where they have this HUGE  (yes huge again) buffet for about $11.95 - it has so much variety - Asian, Italian, Mexican, American.  Fruit, deserts - just everything.  We walked through about 10.30 a.m. and the cassino was quite busy but an hour or so later it was REALLY BUSY.  Apparently a lot of the Asian gamblers are bussed in.   Casinos in California are owned by Indian tribes, as gambling is illegal, and they are the only ones allowed to operate cassinos.
After brunch we stopped at some stores - tools, furniture etc, picked up Neil's new glasses - $280.00 for new glasses which at home would have cost about $700.00!
Back at my cousins we sad by the pool, enjoying the heat  - until it got too hot.  THe meat is on the bbq being smoked for dinner and it's just a nice relaxing time after so many hours and days traveling and then trying to remember where we've been and what we have seen.
A few observations.
It was lovely when we arrived back in California to see food growing again after days spent in New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona.  Made me realize how much i had missed seeing food growing.  We've even seen a few cows and sheep - just like home!
Food is cheap even though Americans are complaining about the increase in prices and especially gas prices.  Chicken breasts about $2-3.00 lb - - we pay about $5.00 minimum a lb.
Gasoline is $3.50 or there abouts a gallon - cheap by our standards.  We can fill up the car (a dodge) for about 50-60 $ - would be double that at home and probably more.
Variety here is certainly the spice of life.  Have LOVED shopping. So much to choose from,especially clothes and food.  Building products from stores like Home Depot/Lowes - are only a 1/4 or 1/3 of what we pay. But i guess the upside for NZ is that we only have 4million people so we don't have the crowds!
Neil has his car parts which we brought yesterday from Sacramento Ford -a tad heavy so i think we're going to need another suitcase.  I've been back to the Outlet Mall today!

No photos today unfotunately.

See you all tomorrow, only a few days left.

Jane and Neil