Weekend trips with friends

Oh my.  Where to even start with this weekend.  Well, I can tell you where I did start – with a nap.

We have started the season that I have most been looking forward to since we moved.  The time when all our friends and family get to come visit.  Don’t get me wrong, Adam & I love our time together and we’ve found all our trips exciting, every time we return from somewhere, I think I declare it my favourite place yet.  But we are eager to share it with all of you.  This summer (and into the fall), we’re running what I’ve dubbed ‘the Powell Bed & Breakfast – where sometimes breakfast is actually served.’

First to test the amenities were Richard & Ginny.  They volunteered to work out some of the kinks in the service – caffeine addicts, you’ll be glad to know, we now own a coffee machine thingy which I’m sure I could read the instruction book to figure out how to turn it on if you wanted some of that black liquid stuff.  They also have created the ultimate list of how to see the UK in three weeks (if you don’t mind not sleeping for that time) – believe me, it’s not possible, they’re going to have to come visit again...November’s looking empty, guys. 

So this weekend, we did the Bath / Stonehenge / Salisbury tour.  I think we’re about to perfect this one.  It really is one of our favourites.  We again did the Bath walking tour so we could see all the architecture.  Our tour guide this time was more into literature, often quoting writers from Bath or giving us insight into colloquial phrases which originated from activities occurring in Bath history.  And just because you haven’t seen Bath pictures from this trip with our new camera, here’s a couple to enjoy.

Oh, I forgot to mention.  We’re in the middle of a heat wave.  Well, it’s probably the end now.  It’s been upper 70’s – mid 80’s for the last week & a half.  And I’ve only gotten rained on twice in that time.  I’m thinking about making Richard & Ginny move in with us. This is the best weather we’ve seen since we’ve lived here.  Needless to say, the British faithful flock to every park, beach, outdoor sun loving area they can find in weather like this, so in most of these photos you’re going to see people in swimsuits laying on grass.  We know we’ve been here awhile, because this no longer seems strange to us.  In fact, I kinda wanted to join them.

From Bath, we went to Salisbury.  This time we kinda happened into a cathedral tour.  It had already started with several other tourists when we joined.  Hope they didn’t mind the extra tag-a-longs.  It was so informative.  Did you know that the main spire lean slightly – it’s about 2 feet off center at the top.  Our guide said not to worry, in 1400 when they first noticed it, some engineers went up tied some cloth from Virgin Mary’s robe around it and it’s only moved a couple of inches since (she also mentioned that in the 1970’s they took off the cloth and added a steel rod and seismic measuring devices- you decide which you think works better).   And, Greg, you’ll be happy to know that I now have a picture of the outside of the cathedral.  As it wasn’t 35* and raining, we took our time to get the perfect shot (read that to mean, your brother loves his new toy and thank you for helping me pick it out, but could you get him to learn how to take pictures a bit faster???).

And our last stop of the day.  Stonehenge.  Whoa! Crowds.  The bus tours were out in force that day.  We were a bit nervous when we drove up that we wouldn’t be able to get in as the line was as far back as we could see.  But, Adam & I are Royal Oak members they let all four of us through the members line which was WAY shorter than the group & general admission line.  We got in and they were out of English audio guides.  The options were Italian, Danish, Japanese, and Czech.  Since none of us spoke any of those languages, we were going to skip the audio guide, but then I noticed a cart to the side where people were returning guides on their way out.  A few minutes of rummaging later we found two guides.  Adam & I had already listened to it, and honestly, I just wanted to sit in the sun by this point, so we were good with letting Richard & Ginny listen while we wandered around.

Please excuse my hair...the wind was a gusting that day!

After all the walking and sightseeing, sleep came very easily Saturday night.  Sunday morning Adam made us breakfast tacos.  Which in hindsight probably isn’t the great treat for our Texan guests as it is for us.  They can go to a dozen restaurants back home which serve breakfast tacos.  I can only go to one...the Adam café (known for their hamburgers, breakfast tacos and pan grilled chicken).  We then hit the road again for Tintagel Castle.

For those not quite as up on their Arthurian legends as I (now) am, Tintagel is the rumoured birthplace of the noble King Arthur and was protected from evil by Merlin the magician who lived below the castle in a cave.  However, the more I read prior to the trip, the more people dispute the association of King Arthur with Tintagel.  How dare those sceptics think that the guy didn’t pull a sword out of a stone!  

Despite any disbelief in its history, Tintagel is well worth a visit as it has some of the most beautiful views of the Celtic Sea.  The castle is on a headland that is virtually an island, connected to the mainland by a slim finger of land – if you come visit, sturdy shoes are a must! Over the centuries much of Tintagel castle has fallen into the sea...okay, maybe a parachute is a must too.  Made me feel real safe as Adam & Richard just casually wandered to the edge of the cliffs...  The water immediately surrounding the castle is turquoise green, caused by the slate/sand around Tintagel which contains elements of copper. The rocks also contain various metal ores in small amounts: a few of these were mined in the Victorian period, but much more so in the mid-twenty century as it was realized how strong the rock was as a roof surface.

For lunch, we just had to eat Cornish pasties as we were in Cornwall.  People over here are particularly picky about their pasty and all that goes in one.  According to the European Commission, who awarded the Cornish Pasty Protected Geographical Indication status (doesn’t that sound official), diced or minced beef, onion, potato and swede (turnip) in rough chunks along with some "light peppery" seasoning is the only appropriate fillings.   The beef is generally skirt steak.  The use of carrot in a traditional Cornish pasty is frowned upon, though it does appear regularly in recipes I've seen.   All-in-all, they’re pretty tasty!

From there, we packed up again and heading to Land’s End.  It’s the most westerly point on mainland England.  It is a beautiful experience.  The Atlantic Ocean goes on for miles and the terrain is interesting for climbing.  We had a good chuckle at the stereotypical English on their beach vacation.  They was a group with their dog, sitting on the benches overlooking the sea drinking hot tea from a Thermos and eating ice cream, all while bundled in jackets & long pants.  Yep, British Summertime at its best!

Our final stop of the day was St. Michaels Mount.  The Mount, as the locals call it, is a tidal island about 400 yards off the shoreline. Meaning that when it’s high tide, it’s an island and when it’s low tide, you can walk to it.  My colleagues, upon me telling them what I was up to in the coming weekend, decided I was going to make the news as the crazy American who couldn’t read the tidal charts & I’d be stuck there all weekend.  I later found out that they do have a boat for just this purpose, but luckily, we did read the tidal schedule properly and made it to and from the island without incident.

On the island is a large castle turn church turn fortress turn family home.  The first stone church was completed on the island in 1135. The next 60-200 years, a different guy claiming to be king seized the island from each other until the church took it back in 1550ish, after the dissolution of the monasteries, as a safe haven for the persecuted – King Henry couldn’t read the tide schedule??  In 1588, the Mount beacons were lit to warn of the arrival of the Spanish Armada to the mainland.  The St Aubyn family came in 1647, when Colonel John St Aubyn was appointed Governor of the Mount following its surrender of the Mount to Parliamentarian forces. Twelve years later he purchased the island and properties and it became his private home. In 1954, Francis St Aubyn – father of the fourth baron – gave St Michael’s Mount to the National Trust, retaining a 999-year lease for the family to live in the castle.  I bet their rent goes up in 2953 when they have to renegotiate the contract.

Flaming Torch

You might be aware that the summer Olympics are this year.  And they’re in London.  And the UK is pretty dang excited about all of this.  Part of the build up is the torch relay.  The Olympic organizers have come up with this crazy path through the country which they claim takes the torch within one hour of 95% of the population.  It’s travelling by foot, plane, boat, train, hot air balloon, horse – there are even rumors that it’s going on a jet pack, though that doesn’t seem all that efficient (or safe) to me.  There are 8,000 torchbearers participating & it’s taking about 70 days to weave its way through the nation (which coincidentally would be about how long it would take you to drive to all the places the torch is going because of the quality of the roads around here!).

The Olympic torch came through Bristol last Wednesday morning.  We got up early (5 am to be at the location at 7:15 for the torch relay at 8) to see it.  There is one ‘iconic’ landmark in Bristol: the suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge.  The idea for the bridge was first announced in 1754.  By 1831 (yes, that is 77 years), they had raised the money to start building the bridge and receive all the necessary permits for construction.  We’ve never claimed the move fast over here!  Work began on one tower but the project was dogged with political and financial difficulties and by 1843, with only the towers completed, the project was abandoned.  Nearly 20 years later when the project was back on track financially, and the protesters were distracted with something else, construction began again.  The primary designer/engineer had died in this interim time, so they hired someone new to complete the project.  The new guy had to put his little spin on the bridge which makes the two sides just a little different.  In 1864, the bridge was finally completed and opened to horse and foot traffic.  148 years later, this bridge carries nearly 12,000 cars a day (for 50p each).

In the lead up to the torch route through Bristol, there had been hype for weeks as to who would carry it across the suspension bridge.  The radio & paper said they couldn't announce who would be carrying it as it would cause a security concern.  There was speculation from famous Olympians and Paralympians who live near Bristol to local and international celebrities – I mean, if Taunton could get Will.i.am, surely Bristol could squeak out someone I’d heard of. 

So in eager anticipation, with Richard & Ginny (in from the US) and our other 5,000 Bristolian friends, we stood at the bridge Wednesday morning. 

We however, did not wear the appropriate torch celebration attire.  Wish I knew where she got those!

At 8:15, the torch finally got there...it took a wrong turn somewhere earlier in the day & got lost.  Adam & I both stared at the woman carrying it as she passed us, but we didn't know who she was.  So we asked the woman standing next to us - she didn't know either.  Rebecca Pantaney, the torchbearer, won Ladies Team gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in badminton. I don't know that it was the security risk that the city thought it would be.  I’d show you a picture of Ms. Pantaney running with the torch, but just as she passed us, the woman in front of us leapt in the air to take a picture and I all I got was the other spectator’s head & no Olympic moment.  But, this clip of the fireworks on the bridge with the procession should give you a good idea of what it looked like.

Once the entourage that accompanies the torch passed, we walked about half a mile to the end of the relay route in the city - the torch didn't know the short cut & took the 3 mile path to get there - and got to see it again.  By this point, the crowd had thinned a bit and we could see much better.

Only 60 days to go!

Working Man

Today was Adam's first day at work.  He wouldn't let me take the standard 'first day of school' picture with the backpack & lunchbox, so I just pestered him while he ate breakfast & tried to drive off.

Being a man of so many words, I've heard that his first day was 'okay, it's hard to sit still for that long.'  If I find out more, I'll let you know.

(auto)FOCUS!

My wife is amazing.

(for many reasons, here's just one)

I've wanted a camera for ... ever.  Really.

We had a camera.  It wasn't great.  It was okay.  But we're in Europe.  We're seeing alot of cool stuff.  Really cool, really old, stuff.  Stuff we'll only be able to see once.

Then Amanda surprised me with a brand new Cannon EOS Rebel T3 Digital Camera with way more accessories than she should have.

I'm pretty excited about it and can't wait for our next trip (I couldn't wait before I got the camera either, just for the record).

All the same, here's a few pics from the first few weeks with my new camera.

The aforementioned amazing wife.  Even if she was mocking me a bit at the time, she was still the first picture with my new camera.

Our 747 for the trip back to the UK.  What a big plane!

Our first walk upon returning to the UK (or getting out of puppy jail, depending on your point of view).  We were all pretty excited.

The neighbor has a blue tree.  Amanda decided it was a blueberry tree.  We might need Grandmother Gordon to come over and explain things to her.

Another adventure in the local park area.

Daisy likes her rawhide...or Ginger's rawhide.  She doesn't really have a preference.

Anyone need a wheelbarrow?  It might be missing a wheel, but I'm sure with a little duct tape & WD40, we could get it going.

This morning's walk.  Or run in her case.  This dog has more energy than we know what to do with.

The community gardens.

My artistic side!  It never ceases to mystify us that things grow out of rocks and concrete here.  Guess that is what happens when it rains every . single . day.