Well, before I visited the States I always thought that was some sort of patriotic Hollywood invention, something you didn't see in real life. But I was wrong. So wrong.
After 10 days driving around Florida, the amount of American flags erected everywhere seemed almost absurd.
They are not only found in front yards but also in shop fronts, car yards and restaurants. That's a whole lot of pride. Some of the flags flapping in the breeze were so enormous they could cover rugby fields.
But as we drove up to the St Petersburg home of Tim's relatives Dianne and Mark, I spied a flag which warmed the very cockles of my heart.There in the middle of suburban Florida was the cute New Zealand flag, a little piece of Down Under pride flying alongside the stars and stripes.
Dianne is a Kiwi at heart but she has lived in the States for longer than I've been alive. We could still hear a hint of the good old Kiwi accent though and both our hosts were more than happy to spend that first evening reminiscing about the Aotearoa.
After 10 weeks in impersonal hostels it felt so good to meet people who understood my Kiwi sense of humour and my desire to get my hands on a jar of Marmite. Next stop: We spend the day at Tampa's Busch Gardens, the legendary inspiration behind The Simpsons' Duff Gardens.
Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.
Find out about the United States.
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