I went to check where were the references to Cleo's golden statue and found it only in Cassius Dio LI.22.3

22 After finishing this celebration Caesar (Augustus) dedicated the temple of Minerva, called also the Chalcidicum, and the Curia Iulia, which had been built in honour of his father. In the latter he set up the statue of Victory which is still in existence, thus signifying that it was from her that he had received the empire. 2 It had belonged to the people of Tarentum, whence it was now brought to Rome, placed in the senate-chamber, and decked with the spoils of Egypt. The same course was followed in the case of the shrine of Julius which was consecrated at this time, 3 for many of these spoils were placed in it also; and others were dedicated to Jupiter Capitolinus and to Juno and Minerva, after all the objects in these temples which were supposed to have been placed there previously as dedications, or were actually dedications, had by decree been taken down at this time as defiled. Thus Cleopatra, though defeated and captured, was nevertheless glorified, inasmuch as her adornments repose as dedications in our temples and she herself is seen in gold in the shrine of Venus.

Whereas here is the text Kamm was referring to in Appian BC,II,102:

[102] ... He (Caesar) erected a temple to Venus, his ancestress, as he had vowed to do when he was about to begin the battle of Pharsalus... He placed a beautiful image of Cleopatra by the side of the goddess, which stands there to this day.

Calpurnia, by saying that Kamm first proposed the idea of a gift from Cleo and than gave it as a fact, I just meant to notice the fact that while talking of the statue, he first asks "Was it actually commissioned by Caesar or did Cleopatra actually bring it with her from Egypt as a gift to him in his capacity as Roman head of the State? She was perfectly capable of deliberately cocking such a snook at Roman society..." (BTW, I love his witty style!). Then in the same paragraph, but a couple of senteces later, he says "Caesar’s location of the gift, beside the goddess mother of the Julii, though unprecedented in republican Rome, was at least of genuine religious significance". To me it sounds that from a proposition he passes to state that the statue was a gift as a fact. I didn't wanna be too picky! ;-)

Heraklia, I did not check in Cicero relating to Cleo's statue... wonder what HE had to say about that! ;-)

And you are absolutely right, how could a monarch be absent for a long time from her country and still be in charge? What sources state that her staying was a continue stay?