back to running around

 

These are sweet neighbor kids who come to church with us.

 E is an active guy.  while walking the dog, he ran, playing with the dog, and slipped, falling and cutting his head on the curb.  hence a visit to the urgent care on a Sunday evening. 

  He lost one front tooth.  stay tuned for the next posting where he has lost the 2nd one. enjoying many watermelons this summer. 

 our summer Saturdays were often busy!  We cheered on friends at their water polo game.

 hiking Cougar Mountain.  This was a fun new trail to me.  we explored starting at the Harvey Manning trail head.

 here's a rare site:  if he's hungry enough, he eats BBQ chicken.  the stake carnival was nice.  lots of friends and food, and games for the kids.

12. Stonehenge and Windsor

Stonehenge:  We were there!!!  next is Easter Island... or Tahiti... or Guam, or just a hotel in CA with 4 pools.... not sure, but I think its a sign that you had a good trip when you come home from one vacation, and you're already planning the next vacation:) 

 above, this aerial view is a picture of a picture.  We didn't take a helicopter tour.

Again, it was great to be among the first visitors of the morning.  We were in the ticket line when they opened.  Our experience was much nicer than the Rick Steves' travel guide we watched in preparation, when there was a chain link fence surrounding the site. yuck.  Instead, we toured a new visitor center with lots of good information, then we rode a bus 1.5 miles to the site.
These stones were arranged in 2000-3000 BC (= PREhistoric)  there are also other nearby burial mounds and prehistoric monuments.  Theories abound.  The stones came from Wales, by sea and river, over 150 miles.

Windsor Castle was our last stop before returning the rental car.
We walked through one richly decorated room to another and another.  Inside the castle walls, it's like a mini-city, including a beautiful St. George's chapel.  We saw a neat doll house, where every little item worked, but was miniature sized.
So now we know where the royals are when we see them in the news: Kensington, Buckingham, or Windsor.  I guess there are many other royal residences, but it was neat to see those three.
I liked this photograph of Queen Elizabeth and her grandchildren, I presume, though I only recognize Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Our hotel was near the airport.  Mom and I walked to the local neighborhood Tesco grocery store.  We picked up produce and buns as well.  I love airplanes flying just above my head.  lots of energy there.

 courgettes = zucchini.  thanks Mom for sticking to your guns about eating healthfully even when it's not the easiest thing to do.

  

Sleeping through the night wasn't easy on the trip, with phone calls coming in (sister C, or Uncle C, or bishopric looking for a closing prayer), or jet lag, or a flooding bathroom, as seen below. ugh.

 

 hoorah for Pret-a-Manger salads!

 The airplane ride was long.  We slept on the way to England, but on the way back, we read, did Sudoku, watched TV, and ate - they fed us warm food 4 times!  quite different than domestic flights.

11. Bath

We arrived at Bath in the afternoon and walked all around the town until dark.   Jane Austen lived in the town.
We checked out the local real estate market.  this little gem is only 2 million pounds.

In the downtown historic area, all the buildings look like this.  "Although the Romans founded the city when they discovered the only true hot springs in England, it's popularity during the 17t and 18th centuries coincided with one of Britain's most creative architectural eras."  Georgian architecture.  this particular spot is the Circus.
We heard seagulls, as if it is a beach town.

 The Romans put Bath on the map in the 1st century when they built a temple here, in honor of the goddess Minerva.  The Romans gathered here to socialize, worship, and bathe. 
Above picture is the Bath Abbey, behind the Roman Baths.
the statues and pillars belong to the 19th century. 

 excavation relic:  "mustachioed, Celtic-influenced Gorgon's head"

 I like maps.  here you can see how the Roman Empire (the red highlighted areas) included part of England! wow.  a great distance from Italy.

 thinking of you at home:  Here's Luna the moon goddess.

 you can see clearly the effect this mineral dense water has on the stone channel

 I drank the water from a spout!  it was warm.  and not green.  The water in the baths is green because the baths are now exposed to direct sunlight and there are no longer any bathers, causing movement, so these are perfect conditions for algae to form.

dinner at a "small and slightly twee" spot.

we took an evening walk across Pulteney Bridge.

 another good AirB&B.  cheers for towel warmers.

10. Stratford-upon-Avon

We were the first ones of the morning to enter Anne Hathaway's cottage.
beautiful gardens here.

Dad was excited to stand in the doorway where William Shakespeare had crossed many times, and likely kissed his sweetheart - Anne.
She was 7 years older than him. it is believed that the families were friends, and that Anne and William grew up together.  she was educated, and could read his poetry.  it was healthier for her to stay here at the cottage than to go to London where Shakespeare was writing and directing his plays.  They had 3 children, but no living direct descendants.

some plots are left fallow to let the soil rest.

again, we see the thoughtfully trimmed walking path in the grass, while the surrounding areas were allowed to grow taller.

ok, besides the photographs, i did buy another souvenir to remember this trip :)

Shakespeare's birthplace. 

this window is special.  Visitors carved their signatures into the glass.  "It became traditional for pilgrims to etch their names into the glass as a symbol of their visit."

this picture shows how you could rent just a mattress, if you didn't mind sharing the room with others in the same situation.

such detail to every garden space.  inspired me to come home and work in my own yard.

actors reciting any play requested.  they were very dynamic!

thinking of you, E!
This was a fun town to visit.  :)  pleasant and happy.

Shakespeare's New Place is the site of the family home that he bought.  the house is no longer there, but gardens and sculptures mark the spot.  the first lines of many of his sonnets were lovely to read.  "So are you to my thoughts as food to life, Or as sweet-seasoned showers are to the ground".

Mom pointed out a pretty border of aster flowers.

this is an intricate knot garden.

The Holy Trinity church next to the River Avon

England is a very civilized country in many respects.  I've wondered though, when i go camping, if i need to keep the eggs cold?  Why do Americans have egg drawers in the fridge?  who is right...  eggs in the fridge, or in a non-temperature controlled shelf display?