Our travels in 2016 took us to both 0 degrees Latitude and 0 degrees Longitude, although not at the same time.  We actually crossed the Equator several times during our cruise of the Galapagos Islands, but the picture below was on dry land in the mountains of Ecuador.  Doing 0/0 at the same time would have been in the Gulf of Guinea in the tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, which was not attractive.  The three month offset let us do it in two nice places.

On the Equator near Quito, Ecuador in March 2016

On the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England in June 2016

In March we took a National Geographic small ship cruise through the Galapagos Islands, on the Equator in the Pacific Ocean 600 miles west of the Ecuador mainland.  The Galapagos have hundreds of unique species, and were a major contributing force in Charles Darwin’s conception of evolution.  Coming and going we toured the Ecuador cities of Guayaquil and Quito.

Zodiak and our Ship

Blu-Footed Boobies

Male Frigate Bird

Paula the Hiker

Galapagos Sea Lion

Galapagos wingless Cormorant

Sally Lightfoot Crabs

Marine Iguana

Giant Tortoise

Red-Footed Boobie

Sunset at Kicker Rock

In early December we visited San Francisco for an early holiday celebration with Jane, Bill, Kathy, Roy, Bob, Nancy, Josh and Katie.  At Katie’s we saw our first hybrid holiday tree (Christmas and Hanukkah) and witnessed the lighting of the Menora.

With Jane

With Kathy

Bob and Nancy

Jane and Santa

Katie, Kathy and Josh

Lighting the Menora

We visited family in Boston in April and September.  Scroll over the pictures to read the captions.

Ellie the Goalie

Apples in the Fall

More Apples

With Tim and his family in Connecticut

Scott, Brenna and Alex

Dan and Paula dealing with their technology

In August we spent a wonderful couple of weeks in Western Australia for a Conference and some touring.  We had been to Queensland and Sydney a few years ago, but this was the first time to Perth, the “outback” and the Margaret River wine country.

Stalking kangaroos on the Joondalup golf course

Found some

Tours of last operating Bordello in Kalgoorlie

First things first….Australian coffee lessons

Ancient yarrah trees

Sunset over Indian Ocean…next land is Africa

Lots of unique flora

Wave Rock

Paula enjoying Lake Ballard

Downtown Kalgoorlie

Great wines near Margaret River

World’s longest fence

Some included stray emus

We were in gold country

Outback vista

Note multi-meter flood depth markers

Super-Pit Gold mine – 750,000 ounces/year

World’s longest golf course…Nullarbar Links

Illegal Two-Up game in the outback

Paula and more unique flora

Great Southern and Indian Oceans meet … Anarctica to the left and Africa to the right

Some of these folks have too much time on their hands….

Smaller “Road Trains”

Mainbreak- famous surfing at mouth of Margaret River