Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Portsmouth - Home of Sherlock Holmes
This shingle beach is in Portsmouth. It was a town I wanted to visit because of its prominence in literature - the home of Sherlock Holmes. And it's the site of a lot of maritime history. It was a tough visit, though. We got there late in the day. It was very hot, and our non-air conditioned hotel put us on their top floor facing the sun. And the window would only open 1 inch - I guess they wanted to keep people from leaping out of the window. In the morning, we found a large and nasty-looking bug in our daughter's bed. Shudder. But, hey, the beach was interesting.
Labels:
Boise,
England,
Portsmouth,
Sherlock Holmes
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Brighton Coast
We stayed in Brighton two nights and what an interesting place. It's on my list of places I want to see again someday. It was HOT when we were there. We stayed in a boutique hotel in one of the happiest neighborhoods in Brighton and would do it again. Great characters at the hotel, generous, kind, helpful, charming and fun! Can't believe all the niche shops that go on and on in Brighton.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Copper Scarecrow Thingy
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Roman Bath Yucky Green Water
My daughter posing in front of the bath under the open air, which they explain is why the water is green. The sunlight encourages aglae to grow. There are signs all over that say, "don't touch the water," and them most kids do. They also offer a free drink of the water at the end of the tour, and they warn you it will taste like metal - we passed. But Jane Austen fans know the importance of the Pump House and the alleged "healthy" qualities of the water.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Laundry Led Us to the Royal Crescent
The famous Royal Crescent in Bath - which we found by accident because we were looking for a place to do laundry. We found the Spruce Goose laundry facility, and my Dad parked the car just up the street - right in front of the homes. I like this picture because it shows some of the famous Bath stone in less-than-makeup-perfect shape. I wondered when we were there just how the stone was kept clean. Do they blast it? Use acid cleaners? I never did find out.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Off to Bath - the Old Mill Inn
This is the water wheel at the Old Mill Inn in Bath, England. A delightful place and the restaurant there was one of the best meals we had during our trip to England. We heard some story about how the wheel was going to turn the restaurant for a "revolving restaurant" attraction - but that since the river sometimes flows fast, the turning would have made diners nauseous. I don't know if that's true, but it is true that the wheel squeaks.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Hampton Court Maze
Here is the middle of the Hampton Court Maze, which is listed as the biggest, or oldest, in the world - I can't remember which. We let our daughter lead for part of the way, but she kept taking us in circles. It was fun. The maze was built as a place for contemplation. The big compass arrow swings around every once in a while to further confuse. This is the maze featured in the Jerome K. Jerome classic, "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)."
Labels:
Boise,
England,
Hampton Court Palace
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Covered Walkway at Hampton Court Palace
This is another feature in the massive palace gardens. My daughter ran though it several times, even though it was a hot day. When we visited England in May of this year, it was their hottest May since some time in the 1700s.
Labels:
Boise,
England,
Hampton Court Palace
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Hampton Court Palace - We Were Wowed
Walking into Hampton Court Place - near London. Lots of history here, and a lot of it ugly stuff - and examples of decadence and over-the-top-ness like I've never seen before. More info here. This is actually a modest entrance, I think, compared to the buildings, grounds, art, gardens, "royal rooms," and kitchens inside. There were several groups of uniformed school children, my daughter mixed in with one group while touring inside.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
In the Peacock Garden at Warwick Castle
My daughter wanted to get a picture close to one of the castle peacocks. First, she chased them around. Then, she figured out that if she just stayed still, they'd come close. There was also a show/display of birds of prey. They were well-trained and flew over the crowd many times, buzzing our hair.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Warwick Castle Courtyard View
These are the living quarters inside Warwick Castle, much of this is a later addition - when society uppity-ups lived here. This view is from Guy Tower. There is a sign at the base that warns there are 300 steps to the top so be sure you are fit enough for the trip. The sign did not specify that the steps were the size of a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, in a winding stairwell that only one person could possibly use at a time, and most of the stairs were in total darkness. Once you start up, you can't go back down unless there is no one behind you. Guy Tower and the coordinating Caesar Tower are war fortresses, with lots of arrow keyholes. I love it that much of the countryside is still farmland.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Silly Relatives
One of these two is a relative of mine. You can guess. More of our adventure at Warwick Castle in Warwick, England. We spent hours here. Next, I'll show you the view after climbing one of the towers. The towers are true medieval, and it's true that I wanted to go back down before I got to the top - but it was not an option.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Revisiting our England Trip
I'm going to share photos of our trip to England earlier this year, since we're not going to be traveling much for a few weeks with school underway. We took a lot of pictures of old buildings because here in the U.S., we just don't have any buildings this old - unless they are Native American artifacts or crumbles of structures. This is Warwick Castle. The first section (not this view) was started around 1080. This is the entrance and it's creepy. This whole castle was built as a war machine. The entrance has lots of "murder holes" - where boiling water was poured on those not welcome, or they were shot with arrows. Once inside, the cheery courtyard made the place more friendly.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Multnomah Falls
This is Multnomah Falls. You can see this right along I-84 in Oregon, and it's a nice rest stop - including a restaurant and gift shop. There is also information about Native American legends about the falls, including how if you look at the water just right, you can see a young woman. There are also pictures of a wedding on the bridge when a huge chunk of rock fell from near the top. You couldn't even see the wedding party through the resulting splash. Amazingly, no one was hurt - they just got wet.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Haystack Rock and a Sea Garden
The "greenery" in front of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach is called a sea garden. It's full of all sorts of creatures that I can't identify, along with ones I can - like starfish and mussels. Volunteers bring out education boards and put up sandwich boards letting people know what areas they should avoid walking on so creatures aren't damaged.
Labels:
Boise,
Haystack Rock,
Oregon Coast,
starfish
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Columbia River - Close Relative of the Boise River
This is the Columbia River - which we'll continue driving along to Portland today. We're in Hood River, Oregon - a hot spot for windsurfing. And with high temperatures in the 90s today, I'm sure they'll be out. The Columbia and the Boise River are connected. The Boise runs into the Snake River, and the Snake feeds the Columbia - which ends at the ocean. Our drive here was hot even with air conditioning in the car. It was 104 in several spots in Eastern Oregon. Multnomah Falls and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry are on our "to do" list today.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Time for a Road Trip
We'll be heading for the Oregon Coast this weekend, and sharing our journey here. This is the only "road" photo I had in my stock of pictures. Heading this way would be the wrong way to Oregon, in fact, exactly the opposite direction. This picture is on the road heading East into Boise. We'll head West out of Boise.
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