by Mary Jo
I delivered my overdue book 90 minutes before we left for the airport to fly to Australia. I do not recommend this. <G> But it did mean that when an east coast air traffic control meltdown caused us to miss our flight out of Los Angeles so we had a lazy day in LaLa land, it was not entirely a bad thing.
Luckily I'd built in several extra days to allow some recovery time from jet lag, and Melbourne was worth the wait. The Mayhem Consultant and I both loved the city, which had a vibe reminiscent of Boston or San Francisco or Seattle, all cities I love. It's also a foodie paradise, which is never a bad thing! (I'm told that hot air balloons floating over the city in the morning as in the picture at the right are a regular occurrence. Fun!) 
Plus, our Aussie Word Wench, Anne Gracie, lives in Melbourne, and she's a fabulous hostess for her city. A highlight was when she took me, the MC, and Patricia McLinn, another featured American conference speaker and an old friend of mine, to the Healesville Sanctuary.