A Guest Dispatch from Dianne

I have to recognize Lance’s filial sacrifice. He generously devoted almost all of his school break to accompanying me to places he had no particular interest in visiting. Time is the most precious gift we can receive from our adult children, and I will always be grateful for our three-week Megatrip. I couldn’t have done it without him! For one thing, I would never attempt to drive on the left. And although I am perfectly capable (well, not perfectly!), I appreciated a helping hand on stairs without banisters, getting in and out of boats, and lifting luggage into overhead compartments.

But one thing about travel with Lance: There will be trains.

Lance has been fascinated by trains since before he could talk—apparently a residual passion from a past life. As a result, I’ve visited train museums all over the world: Riga, Madrid, and Spencer, North Carolina, among others. This time, my Sydney friends drove us about ninety minutes to the small town of Thirlmere to visit the NSW Rail Museum. It was one of the best, by the way, with an extensive collection of massive steam engines on display. Five stars.

Isn’t Thirlmere a cute name? Australian place names seem to fall into two categories: very British, reflecting the colonial heritage, and very much their own, reflecting Aboriginal languages. Among the latter are Cooinda, in the Outback, and Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney.

In pursuit of trains for Lance and architecture for me, we spent an afternoon visiting four recently opened Sydney Metro stations. We admired both the design and the technology. Props for the impressive execution of both.

Lance also took an additional Opera House tour without me, this one backstage in the main theaters. There are two main theaters and several smaller performance spaces. Between all the theaters, some 1800 performances occur per year. The building’s unusual shape creates some interesting challenges for set design. For example there is no wing space, so many sets are stored below the stage-level and brought up via a massive lift.

Trains for him, architecture for me, and three weeks together. I think I got the better end of the deal.

Lance would want me to tell you that our time together has come to a close. But not for long. Lance recounts P.A. school one rotation at a time, starting 11/5/2026 and running through graduation on 11/16/2026. Don’t miss Series 22, not a trip to any place specific, but a trip through time.

Lance also wants me to thank you for your time. I know he always appreciates you continuing to follow along.

He’ll be back soon. Thank you for letting me take over for a bit. It’s been a pleasure.