Great read Pete
I started with binoculars (similarly enjoyed surfing the sky and following the constellations) and recently moved up to an 8" Bintel dobsonian. Had my first sight of Jupiter tonight and a nice closeup of the moon. Going from binoculars to an 8" is a big leap, so needless to say I'm still buzzing from the experience, particularly seeing Jupiter. In terms of the bits to get with it, I think Al's suggestion is pretty good, throw in a moon filter perhaps. If you can manage it, go for the 10".
Cheers,
Henryk.