Rodgers Annual Beach Vacation 2012

There were 25 of us at the beach this year--me and my four siblings, our spouses, all of our children and my older sister's three grandchildren.  Sadly, Mom and Dad, the people who started this traditional family event a half century ago, could not be with us because of their health.  We stayed at four condominium units at the Pyramid in Ocean City, Maryland, where we have been vacationing since the mid-1970s. 

It was warm and sunny all week.  Mostly, we relaxed on the beach, read, played cards and cooled off in the ocean for hours each day before gathering for dinner in a different unit each evening. 

About half of us spent a couple hours on the bay side of the peninsula windsurfing, sailing, paddle-boarding and kayaking one day.  The next day, the wind was stronger, so Peter went back on his own to windsurf and enjoy the stiff breeze. 

We have certain traditions, which include putt-putt golf one evening, joint celebration of summer birthdays, dinner at a restaurant by the inlet on another, sparklers on the beach, girls' shopping another.  Everyone goes to dinner and goes to the beach for sparklers, but the other activities are optional.  (I have no interest in recreational shopping, so I skip that one.) 

Baker taking a nap on the beach

Of course, the young children are the delight of the vacation.  This was the first time we met Baker, Cindy and Mikey's second child, who is now 5 months old.  Haiti, Rick and Julia's daughter, is almost one and Cooper, Baker's big brother, is three.  Kes is the youngest niece at age five.  (Rick, who was the first baby at the beach, is the oldest at age 30.) 

Cooper swimming (No, he does not have an off-center bindi; it's just misplaced suncatcher paint from the previous evening's arts and crafts activities.)

Cooper started swimming by himself in the pool one day, which thrilled both him as well as those of us who saw him.

Rick, Julia and Haiti had to leave mid-week, and the rest of us checked out on Saturday morning (July 28).  We are using Dad's Taurus station wagon.  The air conditioner stopped working east of Cambridge, and then Peter starting hearing noises.  At one point, we had to pull over when we saw smoke puffing out of the hood.  We let the serpentine belt cool down and finally made it to Hagerstown, Maryland, where we found a Sears auto repair shop open at 6 p.m.  The good news is that they were able to get a new compressor and are now installing it (as of 4 p.m. on Sunday).  The bad news is that they will probably not be done with the job until Monday morning.

Beth Ann, Rich, Liv and Jared also stopped in Hagerstown, at the same hotel, after dropping off Kirsten at BWI for her flight back to Florida.  On Sunday morning, we transferred luggage from their car into the Taurus to make room for Matthew and Katya to ride to New Philadelphia with them.  Katya has an appointment at 8:30 Monday morning for Rich to extract her wisdom teeth. 

The time I had planned to spend with my parents has been eroded by transportation difficulties, first with the delayed and then cancelled flight out of JFK and now with automotive mechanical failure!  We should make it home to New Cumberland by early afternoon on Monday, July 30, if we are lucky.  The four of us fly back to Sacramento on Saturday afternoon.  School starts soon!

More photos:

Haiti crawling in the wet sand

Katya reading to Cooper

Katya, Kirsten and Cooper listening to Kes reading all by herself for the first time

Katya and Baker

 

 

 

Cooper and Kes (front) and Haiti, Charlie, Cindy and Baker rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Michael's "Quest for the Shirt."  The four-year bet is that Terry buys Michael a $250 Pirates shirt if/when the Pirates have a winning season.

 

 

Haiti with her Pirates sign

Matthew, Jared and Katya at the putt-putt golf course

The 10 cousins:  Jared, Michael, Katya, Kirsten, Matthew, Kes, Rachael, Olivia, Rick and Cindy

Katya on the beach at night with a sparkler

 

Adventures Getting to West Virginia . . .

On Wednesday morning, July 18, we woke up around 6 a.m. (1 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) at Rob and Susan's home in Kingclere, took showers, grab bananas, packed the rental car and left around 7:15 for London Heathrow Airport.  The trip there went smoothly, as did check-in and security.  The flight to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport was uneventful, although we did arrive a few minutes late due to queues for take-off at Heathrow. 

Upon exiting the plane, we knew we would have no time to spare in getting to our 2:55 flight to Pittsburgh.  American Airlines realized this also, as we were greeted when we disembarked and given a bright orange pass allowing us to move to the front of the lines at immigration, customs and security.  Of course, that didn't make our luggage come off the plane ahead of anyone else's, so we had to wait about 15 minutes at the luggage carousel.  By the time we arrived at the security line, we had 30 minutes to departure, and I knew that our gate was at the very end of one of the terminals.  Unfortunately, the woman managing the queue spoke English as a second language, and she was a long way from fluency.  Finally, we convinced her that we needed priority.  After picking up my stuff on the other side of the x-ray machine, I dashed ahead of the others. I made it to the gate with about 20 minutes to spare and just in time to hear a gate announcement that the plane which was flying from Pittsburgh had been diverted to Buffalo, New York, because of bad weather, so our flight would be delayed a few hours! 

The time of departure was listed as 5:00 p.m.  I sent the first of several texts to Beth Ann, who was meeting us in Pittsburgh, to report the adjusted estimated time of departure.  Before 4:00, it changed to 6:00 and then quickly to 6:45; we decided we'd better get some dinner.  We went to the food court in the next terminal, where we ate and watched the dark storm clouds which had been approached over the previous hour finally break loose with torrential rain, reverberating thunder and jagged bolts of bright yellow lightning.  There was very little activity at any of the gates that we could see through the large windows or on the runways. 

Back at the gate, we waited and waited as the skies cleared.  I was feeling really exhausted by 7:00 (when the latest ETD was listed as 8:00) as I had not slept on the flight from London.  Flights were being cancelled, but finally it was announced that our plane had departed from Buffalo!  Shortly after 9:00, we boarded with the other tired passengers, most of whom had also been on a previous transatlantic flight.  After we were all settled in, the captain came on the the PA system to announce that we would be delayed slightly longer because the flight attendant was close to exceeding her maximum hours-worked allowance and another attendant had to be found.  To complicate matters, the pilot and co-pilot had to get the plane to the gate in Pittsburgh before 10:45 because after that, hours worked by them would exceed FAA time regulations, so if a flight attendant couldn't be located quickly, the flight would have to be cancelled entirely!

There were no happy campers as everyone trooped off the small plane a few minutes later to line up to make arrangements for flights the next day.  I was third in line for one agent, but I waited at least 45 minutes to make it to the desk.  I really have no idea why each change of itinerary took so long, although I understand that the task was complicated by having to issue vouchers for hotels, meals and taxis.  By the time I talked to someone, there were no direct flights available at all the next day (Thursday, July 19), and the earliest we could depart from La Guardia would be 6:00 p.m., with routing through Washington, D.C.!  In addition, the agents could not find any hotel rooms because so many flights had been cancelled all afternoon and evening, so I was told to check with the hotel desk by the luggage carousel and inform the people there that American Airlines would cover the cost.  (When I went there a while later, I was told there were no rooms and, unless I had a voucher, which I had not been given--even though I had asked the AA agent about this and been assured I would not need one--I would have to pay myself.  Of course, this was a moot point because of the lack of vacancies.)

Fortunately, we had purchased travel insurance, and while I was waiting to get to the front of the line and then waiting another 15 or 20 minutes to get new tickets and meal and taxi vouchers, Peter was calling the insurance company.  While the insurance representative was very helpful, she also could find no hotels in New York, so she helped Peter book a rental car when we decided our best option would be to drive the 450 miles from JFK to New Cumberland despite our exhaustion.

At 1 a.m., early on Thursday morning, we were on the road (after having picked up food to go with one of our meal vouchers).  We used the GPS on Peter's phone to navigate out of the New York City area.  Unwisely, we had programmed it to avoid toll rolls because I didn't want to use the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  The result was that we also did not use any toll roads around the city, so we took a somewhat direct but slow route, crossing through lower Manhattan, going through the Holland Tunnel, and taking the not-so-scenic route through some of the port, manufacturing and warehouse districts of New Jersey before finally getting back on the freeway.  We took turns driving for a while and then all slept in a McDonald's parking lot somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania for a couple hours in the middle of the night.  Otherwise, we only stopped for gas, snacks and drinks and kept on driving through the early morning mountain fog.  Finally, we arrived at Mom and Dad's house, but, of course, we had no key, so we hopped back in the car and drove for 10 minutes to Fox's in Chester to get Dad's key.  By now, it was nearly noon and they were getting ready to have lunch, so we came back to the house and took showers and relaxed (well, I cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, but at least I was no longer sitting in a car, on a plane, or in an uncomfortable chair in the gate area at JFK).  Peter slept for a few hours. 

We arrived back at the assisted living/nursing home facility before 5:00.  A luau and entertainment were scheduled for that night, and the staff set up one of the family rooms for us for dinner.  Afterwards, we joined the other residents and staff outdoors for music and dancing from Hawaii and the South Pacific.  There were three performers.  The main guy, originally from Samoa, played guitar and the ukelele and drums and sang songs from Hawaii or with Hawaiian themes.  He was very upbeat, musically talented and humorous.  Joining him were his two young adult children.  His beautiful daughter did several hula dances; she also played the drum while her brother performed dances with flaming swords.  The two of them also did hula dancing together.  Some of the staff were cajoled into learning a hula dance, and two of them actually did quite well.  The entertainment lasted about an hour.  We were amazed at the high quality and authenticity, but Dad told us that Fox's routinely provides this type of entertainment. 

(We realized we made the right decision to drive to West Virginia, because we started receiving recorded messages around 5 p.m., during dinner, informing us of flight delays because of thunderstorms in Washington!)

We left shortly after the entertainment and came back to the house, all collapsing into bed immediately.  This morning (Friday, July 20), Peter and I were up before 6:30.  I had a lot to do including five loads of laundry and packing of all the sheets, towels, kitchen items and other things we need at the condo in Ocean City.  Peter had to wash and clean the station wagon, get the topper on the car, and fix things such as the drain on the patio, which was functioning so poorly that heavy rain created a wading pool on the concrete and was overflowing into the garage.  Matthew spent many hours working on his online algebra course.  (Katya, of course, spent many hours playing a game on her DS--serious addiction problem!)

Finally, we had everything ready by about 3:30 and went to visit Dad and Mom.  Dad was having dinner, but it wasn't yet dinner time at Mom's facility, so Mom, Katya and I went to the family room with the fish tank and, since there was a TV available, Katya turned it on.  We ended up watching a few episodes of "Friends" and some other show after that.  Dad and Peter joined us there.  The staff brought Mom's dinner to our TV venue.  She didn't eat much because she was much more interested in the programs!

We came back home about 7:30, ate dinner and took care of last minute details.  Now, everyone is sleeping and I am going to join them.  We plan to get up about 1 a.m. and drive all night and through the early morning to Ocean City.  Hey, we can always sleep on the beach!  Besides, we have experience now with the Atlantic Coast-West Virginia northern panhandle night trek; we will just be doing it in reverse 36 hours or so later!

Last Days in England

James, Rob, Immie, Peter (top), Susan, Toto and Matthew Brown

We are enjoying our last night in England relaxing at Rob and Susan's house after another wonderful dinner.  Last night we played Scrabble; Susan won.  This evening we played a game called Articulate, males against females.  Of course, the girls won!

It was actually sunny today.  Susan and I went into Newbury to run a couple errands and then walked along the banks of the Kennet, where serene swans swim on the smooth, dark water.  Later in the afternoon, James did some hedge trimming, and Peter, Susan and I helped with raking and carting away so that the four of us could fit in a bit of tennis while the skies were clear.  The courts were a bit damp.  Considering I was borrowing a racquet, wearing Katya's shoes and playing on a surface I was not used to, I didn't play badly, but Peter and I lost to James and Susan in a tie breaker.

We need to pack up tonight and leave the house at 7 a.m. on tomorrow morning (Wed., July 18).  We fly into Pittsburgh and will stay in New Cumberland for a couple days, visiting my parents and packing for the upcoming beach vacation.

Isle of Man, Nottingham, Silverstone and Kingsclere

Isle of Man countryside

On Wednesday morning, July 11, we set off to explore parts of the Isle of Man after stopping in at the office of the company who had made a grave monument for Anne, Peter's mother, who died in 1978 while the family while was living in the Isle of Man.  After learning that the gravestone had been placed by the church wall where her ashes are buried, we drove off to West Baldwin and St. Luke's church to find the grave.  The skies were clear, the air was warm (although the breezes were a bit chilly) and the rolling countryside was divided by centuries-old walls made of the stones cleared from the fields.  Herds of white sheep made bright dots on the vibrant green pastures.  Crofts--farm houses or cottages--in this sparsely populated rural area hide behind hedgerows.

Anne's grave at St. Luke's

St. Luke's is a quaint country church with a cemetery on two sides.  The Browns attended this church when they lived for a year in a house down the road, and Anne loved the view from the churchyard.  We picked wildflowers and put them on her grave.

Peter at Tynwald

We drove by the first house Arthur, Anne and the three boys lived in for the first year they were in the Isle of Man on our way to Tynwald Hill, a underwhelming, terraced, man-made mound where once a year, on July 5, the two houses of the legislature for the Isle of Man meet in the open air.  Here, all laws are promulgated and special petitions are received.  Tynwald claims to be over 1,000 years old, and thus the oldest continuous parliament in the world.  There is a small museum adjacent to St. John's Church which provided some interesting history of the contributions of the Vikings to the government and culture of the Manx people.

Our next stop was Peel, where the castle on St. Patrick's Isle--connected to the mainland by a causeway--dominates the view along the waterfront of this small city on the west coast of the Isle of Man.  The mouth of the Neb River is crossed by a lock which creates a small marina filled with fishing and small pleasure craft.  We walked around the walls of the castle and then bought lunch at a take-out cafe above the beach, eating at a table with views of the castle, the sandy beach and the town.

boats in the marina at Peel and the Castle

Next we stopped by Ballaleigh, near Kirk Michael, the house where the Browns lived after moving from West Baldwin.  We walked along the mucky paths from the road down into a wooded valley, stopping at a small glen below Spooyt Vane (White Spout), one of Anne's favorite places on the island.  We all skipped stones on the surface of the stream.

Spooyt Vane

In the town of Kirk Michael, we saw the house where Granny Brown lived, a couple blocks away from the church.  The cemetery surrounds the old church on three sides.  Although there is no marker, we found the area where Peter's paternal grandparents are buried.

We drove further north along the west coast to the town of Jurby, where Arthur worked manufacturing various things.  The area has changed since the mid-1970s, but we located the new premises of Jurby Junk, a second-hand store full of nothing other than, well, junk--and an assortment of cats.  We had hoped to see many tailless Manx cats, but this was the only place where we spotted just one.  The place reeked of cat urine.  Shadowy, narrow aisles were lined with shelving, packed floor to ceiling with cast-off china, glassware, trinkets, and other things of little value.  Amazingly, Stella, the friendly owner, has made a living off this enterprise for decades. 

Matthew, Margaret, Katya and Peter in Ramsey

From Jurby, we drove east to the city of Ramsey, where we met Margaret Jones, a long-time friend of the Browns and a life-long resident of the Isle of Man, and Geoff and Eileen Crellan, who lived in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) when Peter and his family did.  We all had dinner a nice restaurant, Harbour Lights, and entertained each other with stories of living and traveling abroad.

The highest point in the Isle of Man, Snaefell (at 2034 feet), was shrouded in mist as we drove by the summit on our way back to Douglas where we relaxed at our hotel apartment, enjoying the view along the promenade from the windows.

The next morning (Thursday, July 12) was another sunny day!  We packed the car by 10 a.m. and then walked around the waterfront of Douglas before visiting the Manx Museum, which has informative displays on the history of the island.  I was particularly interested in the development of the island as a tourist destination during the Victorian Era and in the influence of Viking invaders.  Fascinating were the cases with hoards of shining silver coins and ornaments which were buried by Vikings for safekeeping.  Most of these hoards have been discovered fairly recently, and it is estimated that there are many more to be found.

gardens, fountain and Victorian buildings along the promenade in Douglas

At noon, we went to Nobles Hospital on the outskirts of Douglas to visit Phyl Partington, who was there recovering from a viral infection.  She actually seemed to be doing quite well and was expecting to go home the next day.  Like Margaret Jones, she is an old family friend.  She was pleased that we stopped by to see her.

Peter putting flowers on his mother's grave

We drove up into the hills one more time, having purchased a bouquet of sunflowers for Anne's grave.  After our visit to the churchyard, we drove down to the waterfront to board the ferry for our 3:00 departure to Liverpool.  I slept almost the entire journey; the sea was flat calm.  After navigating our way out of Liverpool, we drove on the motorways to the Peak District and enjoyed the Derbyshire countryside we passed through on our way to Beeston in Nottingham.  We arrived at the home of Peter's brother Mike, his wife Louise and their children Hannah and Simon after dinner and relaxed in the sitting room.  When Simon started talking about his plans for the next day, Matthew became quite enthralled and couldn't resist inviting himself to join Simon and his friends for a day of paint-balling in the woods.

I was not up on Friday morning, July 13, before they left on their adventure, from which they returned intact, excited, tired and filthy but unharmed (despite the inauspicious number and day of the week) except for some small red welts from close-range hits.  The rest of us spent this drizzly day relaxing and preparing for the party Mike and Louise were hosting the next day in celebration of their recent 50th birthdays.  (Actually, we did most of the relaxing and Louise did most of the working.)  Before dinner, a couple who are good friends with Mike and Louise dropped by with a gift.  We enjoyed talking with them, particularly the man, a quite interesting and entertaining army chaplain who bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Bean.

Katya and Matthew acting out "wreaking havoc" for Mike, Simon and Louise

Shortly after they left, Tim and Desmond arrived.  After dinner, we decided to play a game called masquerades (charades in America).  Some people were reluctant, but in the end we all enjoyed ourselves and had a few good laughs.  Matthew and Katya were quite amusing in their cooperative effort to get the others to guess the phrase "two abreast."  The winners, however, were Hannah, Peter and myself!

Mike, Hannah, Simon and Louise in their backyard

On Saturday, I was one of the later arrivals for breakfast the next morning, but we soon cleared the table and began bustling about getting ready for the large party that was planned.  Louise had made an abundance of food for lunch, which was followed later by at least half a dozen different homemade puddings (desserts for Americans) for the first wave of guests, which included her older sister Claire and most members of her family.  Claire's granddaughter Elsie, about age 2, was a delightful, exuberant girl who picked me for her new best girlfriend.  Luckily, the clouds had cleared and the rain had stopped, so the garden party Louise and Mike had envisioned became a reality.  Rob and Susan and their youngest son James as well as Uncle Peter and Aunt Helen were among the guests.  Everyone had a wonderful time, and it was too tempting to eat entirely too much of the delicious food.

By late afternoon, everyone except for family had departed.  We re-grouped, cleaned up and prepared for the second wave of guests, who arrived around 7:30 for a barbecue.  Even though the rain had returned and the air had become chilly again, the precipitation was intermittent, allowing for the grill to be used outdoors.  Most of the Browns congregated in the sitting room after eating (for me, because it was warmer there) and watched DVDs of converted cine films from the Brown boys' childhood.

Peter and Helen as well as Tim and Desmond left.  Susan and Rob went to the B&B they were staying at, leaving James behind to sleep in the house crowded with us and Claire and her family.  After getting another load in the dishwasher and cleaning up the buffet table, we all went to bed, leaving the rest of the kitchen to be cleaned the next day. 

Peter, our kids and I got up late the next morning (Sunday, July 15).  After eating breakfast and spending some time with the others, we packed up the car again and headed south.  On the way to Rob and Susan's house, we stopped at Silverstone Circuit, the race car track which is home to the British Grand Prix, where the Formula Student competition was taking place that weekend.  It is a testing ground for the next generation of world-class engineers. The competition challenges university students from around the world to design and build a single-seat racing car, which is then put to the test at this famous circuit.

Rob, Susan and James had already stopped there but had left shortly before our arrival.  We were told that if we parked and quickly made our way to the Copse track, we would see the final event of the day.  So we made our way there and then waited in the stands, shivering in the cold (at least it was not raining right then), for 45 minutes, with the kids badgering us to leave.  Finally, at little before 3:00, the first car of the staggered start emerged from the starting line and began to roar around the circuit, the driver maneuvering between rows of green cones and red cones, attempting to reach the highest possible speed without hitting any of them (a penalty of 3 seconds per cone, we learned).  The young people sitting behind us had designed this car, which was followed by three others.  Each driver made 11 laps before returning to the start, where another driver jumped in to do an additional 11 laps.  Because of the staggered starts, it was not clear who was in the lead most of the time.

Unfortunately, the race had to be temporarily stopped before any of the cars had reached the finish because Number 3 (the car designed by the students behind us, from Hertfordshire University), which was attempting to coast to the finish, had to stop after a burst of steam spewed out from the rear of the vehicle.  We left before the race resumed.

We had a lovely dinner after we arrived at Rob and Susan's house near Kingsclere.  The four adults took a walk afterwards along the roads and footpaths near their home before relaxing in the sitting room before bed.

We had hoped to play tennis this morning (Monday, July 16), but the rain has resumed and has been incessant all day.  Immie and James were both off to work after breakfast.  Our kids chose to relax and work on some summer reading for the next semester.  Rob, Susan, Peter and I visited the nearby Highclere Castle (where Immie happens to work in the marquee tea room).

Highclere Castle

This 1000 acre estate has been the country seat of the family of Earl and Countess of Carnarvon since the late 17th century.  The first Earl of Carnarvon was Henry Herbert, who was given this title by King George III.  The current residents are the 8th Earl of Carnarvon (George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert), his Countess and their family.  The Jacobean-style mansion was remodeled during the early years of Queen Victoria's reign by Sir Charles Barry, the architect who had just finished the Houses of Parliament.  We toured the beautifully designed and decorated rooms on the ground level and first floor of the castle, most of which had family portraits from the last three centuries through the present, including works by Joshua Reynolds.

In the cellars, the former servants' quarters and working areas, is an Egyptian exhibition, based on the excavations of the 5th Earl who, along with his archaeological colleague Howard Carter, discovered the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922.  The 5th Earl was an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist, who started in 1907 to sponsor and take part in the excavation of tombs in Deir el-Bahari (Thebes).  Financially strapped after World War I, the earl was ready to stop his excavations but was persuaded to support Carter for one more season, the result of which was the discovery of King Tut's tomb.  There were actual artifacts from various excavations on display, many of which had been found in the castle in the 1980s, as well as reproductions of some of the most spectacular items from King Tut's burial site and treasury.

Also of interest was the life and work of the 5th Earl's wife, Almina Victoria Maria Alexandra Wombwell, the illegitimate daughter and heir of Alfred de Rothschild, an unmarried member of the prominent Rothschild family.  She was recognized particularly for opening Highclere Castle and subsequently a hospital in London and providing medical care for officers recuperating from wounds in the First War World.

Secret Garden, Highclere Castle

The gardens around the castle, even in the rain, are beautifully designed, and colorful summer flowers are in full bloom.  We enjoyed a stroll before driving to have lunch at a pub, Carnarvon Arms.

We have been spending the late afternoon relaxing.  Even though it is the middle of July, Rob started a fire in the stove, and in the sitting room it is warm and cozy.

Oxford, on to Liverpool and the ferry to the Isle of Man

Peter by an old hangout, the Lamb and Flag Pub

On Tuesday morning, after breakfast, we went of the Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology near St. John's College.  The oldest museum in Britain, started in the 1620s with a small collection of paintings, was recently totally remodeled and reopened in 2009.  The new exhibition spaces are laid out well.  We all set off in different directions to explore, meeting up near the entrance 45 minutes later.  The others chose to roam around Oxford, so I stayed at the Ashmolean for another hour and a half by myself, sticking mostly to the archeology exhibits.  (Peter was so delighted to be in Oxford, telling me he could live there.  I looked at the skies and pointed out that I could not.)

I was thirsty, so I went to the cafe to get a drink.  People were sitting around enjoying cups of hot tea, but I wanted something cold.  There were bottles of moderately chilled Diet Coke.  When I approached the cashier to pay, I asked if I could have a glass of ice.  The response was a polite "No, we don't have ice."  But the expression indicated that she thought I might be an alien from another galaxy. 

The kids and I had a delicious and inexpensive lunch at Taylor's, across the street from the alumni rooms at St. John's while Peter went to fetch the car at the lot on the edge of the city.  (It's pretty much impossible to park downtown.)  He had loaded up the car by the time we met him, so we set off for Liverpool to catch the ferry to Douglas in the Isle of Man.

view of Liverpool from the ferry

The drive through the sodden countryside, skirting around the major cities on the motorways, was uneventful and we reached the right dock in Liverpool after getting directions from a passing dockworker on the street.  I thought his accent was thick, but then I hadn't yet experienced the accent of the Isle of Man!  It's a good thing Peter was at the wheel, because I couldn't understand a word of what the man who directed onto the ferry said!

The ride on the Manannan across the Irish Sea was smooth and the ferry was comfortable.  When we went to the lower passenger deck to purchase a hot dinner about 45 minutes before arrival, we found that the cafe was closing.  The very nice people made pizza and lasagna for us anyway, and it was delicious.

beach and Promenade in Douglas, Isle of Man

We arrived at the dock in Douglas about 9:45 p.m.; the sun had not yet set.  We found our hotel on the Lock Promenade, the Town House, easily enough.  We have a large and lovely apartment overlooking the promenade and the harbour in a beautifully maintained Victorian.  After we settled in, Peter and I look a walk along the promenade and through the sunken gardens.  The waterfront street and buildings are lit up with white lights for blocks and blocks.  We also walked on the next street back, which was quite quiet in the late evening.  This is known as the "tine," according to our hostess, which Peter translated as "town."

Peter by the Jubilee Clock on the waterfront

Out in the harbour, the Refuge for Seafarers which was erected by the city at the prompting of Sir William Hillary, the founder the Royal National Lifeboats Institute, who was inspired to create this organization after seeing so many shipwrecks from his home in Douglas.  The refuge on a small island looks like a spooky castle at night, lit up eerily with blue lights.

London and Oxford

On Friday, July 6, we arrived in London and made our way through heavy traffic on part of the Northern Circular, finally getting to the home of Wendy Sykes and Don Fisher and their children around 7:00.  Wendy had prepared a delicious dinner of gnocchi, salad and sausage, and we enjoyed this feast along with lively conversation.  Katya was happy to watch the telly in the sitting room with Don while Matthew bonded immediately with their youngest son Wil over gaming.

On Saturday morning, under dreary skies, we set out for downtown London, having decided that museums would probably be the best choice because of the forecast for even more rain.  We took the underground to King's Cross Station and decided to surface instead of changing to the line for South Kensington to see if there were any signs of the sun.  While the sun was not visible in the gray sky, at least it was not raining, so we decided to walk around for a while.

Across from King's Cross Station is the triangular-shaped building which used to house the Bravington jewelry store through the first part of the 20th century.  Peter told us some of his maternal ancestors' history in this area of London.  Unfortunately, the building is presently being renovated and is covered in scaffolding.

Peter, Matthew, Katya and Sherri in Russell Square with some sunshine!

We were walking toward Covent Gardens and the market there.  Near Russell Square, we passed a man distributing flyers for a bus tour.  Peter pointed this out and I took a brochure, not because we wanted to ride the bus but because Peter had noticed that it had a large map of the major tourist destinations in London.  I was delighted with this as I was getting frustrated with flipping pages in the London A to Z guide, a very detailed book of all the small lanes and streets which seem to change name at every intersection, essential for finding particular addresses in obscure places but not the most useful manual for an overview of the city.  At about the same time, sunshine started peeking through the dark ceiling of clouds, so I was more cheerful.

Street with shops and restaurants approaching Carnaby Street

After getting properly oriented, we decided to walk to the Holborn Underground station and ride to Oxford Circus to have lunch and do a bit of shopping along Regent, Oxford and Carnaby Streets.  Emerging at the corner of Regent and Oxford Streets, we were greeted by drums and cheering and a mass of people.  We soon found out that the Gay Pride Parade was passing by on its way to Piccadelly Circus.  Taking a side street off Regent to escape the crowds, we were window shopping and people watching when the skies suddenly darkened and umbrellas popped up as the rain began (again!!!).  We had just stopped to look at the menu of a restaurant on the corner of Carnaby, so we made a quick decision to eat there.  It was crowded but the food was good and the rain had ceased by the time we finished.  We walked to Piccadilly Circus and went in Waterstone's, a large bookstore nearby, because Katya wanted to purchase a diary.

Interior courtyard at the Victoria and Albert Museum

With this mission accomplished and the weather uncertain, we opted for museums for the rest of the afternoon.  We took the Underground to South Kensington Station and then split up.  Katya went in the Natural History Museum; Peter and Matthew chose Science, and I entered the Victoria and Albert Museum. Our plan was to get together again at the Underground Station entrance next to the Science Museum.

I hadn't spent an appreciable time at the Victoria and Albert for a few decades, so most of it seemed brand new to me.  The collection of gold and silver service is amazing in terms of the number of pieces on display as well as the size and ornamentation and history of many of the items.  The darkness of the tapestry room did not obscure the rich tones and fine detail of the huge wall hangings from the 15th and 16th centuries.  The rooms with cases of jewelry from as far back as the Etruscan period through the most recent designs in gemstones and precious metals are truly dazzling.  Old manuscripts in another section include a first folio of Shakespeare's work.  The temporary exhibits I viewed were also exciting, particularly one entitled "Britain Creates 2012: Fashion + Art Collusion," with large works, each created by two artists, with themes related to the London Olympics.  Some were multimedia pieces while others incorporated unusual materials.

Britain Creates 2012: Fashion + Art Collusion:  "Arch"

I left the Victoria and Albert, of course, when it was announced that the museum was closing.  I thought it was 5:00 so I decided to cross Exhibition Lane to enter the Natural Science Museum, which was scheduled to close at 5:50.  However, I was stopped at the entrance and told the admission was closed for the day.  Slightly confused, since I thought that the last entry was at 5:30, I headed next door for the Science Museum, where I enjoyed the temporary exhibit on Alan Turing and some of the other exhibits, including one on alchemy and another on materials and their characteristics and uses.  I stopped briefly at the Listening Post installation, which incorporates online communication, displaying uncensored fragments of text, sampled in real-time, from public internet chatrooms and bulletin boards.  It is a visual and audio sensory overload experience!

When the announcement for the closing of the Science Museum was made, I left to meet the rest of the family outside at 6:00.  I found Katya, who said that Peter and Matthew had gone to look for me.  I couldn't understand why, since I was on time--or so I thought.  However, my watch had stopped, the Science Museum had closed a half-hour later than I thought it would, and it was actually 6:30.  Actually, the lifespan of my watch battery was phenomenal, since it had been put in the casing in early June.  Something about my body usually kills batteries off in a couple days at most, so I have come to rely on my cell phone for the time, but I haven't had service since I left the States on June 8!

Katya and Wendy watching the movie

This all made us later than we had anticipated in getting back to East Finchley, but the folks there are pretty laid-back, so it wasn't a problem.   They ordered Thai food for delivery, and we enjoyed it while watching a very good Irish movie called The Guard.

Despite the likelihood of rain, the four adults set out at 11:30 on Sunday morning to take a walk in Hampstead Heath.  The drops began to fall just as the car was put into park.  We waited for the intensity to lessen and then set off up the path.  The part we explored is made of beautifully maintained gardens which are part of the former London estate of Lord Leverhulme (the millionaire William Lever of Lever Brothers cleaning products).  Many flowers were in bloom, and, of course, the greenery has not suffered from the wet weather.

We returned to a feast of roast lamb, roasted potatoes and vegetables before settling in to watch the gentlemen's final at Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon along with the rest of the country.  Of course, the Scottish Andy Murray was favored by everyone in the room except me.  It was an exciting match, however, particularly the first couple sets.

It wasn't until afterwards that Peter remembered that Stella and Peter Wood were expecting us for dinner at their home in Oxford!  Dashing out the door after quick farewells, we got to their home just before 8 p.m.  Luckily, Stella had prepared a cold meal, so we hadn't ruined everything!  We enjoyed the meal and the conversation.  They are doing well and were intimating that they might visit us in California sometime soon.  We've obviously been taking advantage of the hospitality of a lot of people this summer, so it would be great to reciprocate.

We drove to Peter's old college, St. John's, where we had rooms booked in the alumni housing.  They are quite nice and the bed is comfortable.  Watching all the strenuous athletic activity earlier in the day must have worn me out, because I was quickly asleep.

Peter, Matthew and Katya in the gardens of St. John's

We had breakfast in the dining room this morning (Monday, July 9) and then visited the alumni and the admissions offices.  An admissions officer spent quite a bit of time talking with us about the criteria and process.  Katya is not interested in Oxford, but it is one of Matthew's top choices.  After a wander around St. John's, including visits to the centuries old library and the lovely chapel, we had lunch at a place Peter used to frequent when he was working in the engineering department, before going to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museums a few blocks away.  As soon as I entered, I wondered why we had not visited before.  The Natural History, with its array of specimens and fossils and minerals and other items, gives a very good overview of biology, geology, paleontology and other subjects.  The exhibits are arranged in rows of cases interspersed with a few large dinosaur replicas.

The Pitt Rivers Museum is entered through the Natural History Museum of Oxford.  As soon as you walk in, you realize that you are in some place different and special.  The entire museum has dim lighting and is filled with old-fashioned glass display cases.  Suspending from the ceiling three stories above is an old sailing vessel.  A large totem pole looms in the back.  It's like stepping back in time to the late 19th century.  There is no path to follow to see the exhibits and they are not arranged in chronological or geographic order; rather, they are grouped by their use or how they were made.  Baskets, for example, comprise one exhibit and the examples come from all parts of the world and various periods in history and are made of a wide variety of materials.

The museum began with the donation of approximately 18,000 objects to the University of Oxford in 1884 by Lt. Gen. Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers.  He stipulated that a building be constructed to keep and display them by their function or "type."  The museum now has about 1/2 million objects, and they are displayed as he requested, even though this method is not preferred by curators of archeological or ethnological collections today.

The lowest level is an open court, and the next two levels are galleries which look out over it.  Matthew was particularly fascinated by the upper gallery, which displays shields, spears, swords, daggers, firearms, archery equipment, armor, axes, blowpipes, clubs, boomerangs, knives, harpoons, animal traps and other weapons.  I was surprised to learn that he had a great familiarity with many of the specialized forms of weapons, an expertise which he has gained through web searches spurred by his interest in Dungeons and Dragons and other games.  (Yikes!)

The lower gallery houses more benign and domestic displays of such things as containers, medicines, toys and games, jewellery and body art, feather-work, bead work, tools, and items made from recycled materials.  In the open court, there are baskets; items made from ivory, bone and horn; masks, ritualistic items and items used for magic; pottery, textiles and clothing; smoking paraphernalia; writing tools; and navigational instruments as well as other displays. 

Tim, Matthew, Peter, Sherri, Rosemary, Helen, Katya, Desmond and Mike

We have just returned to our rooms now after a wonderful dinner party at Brown's Pub across the street with Tim, Rosemary, Desmond and Helen Bravington as well as Mike McNulty, son of Ali Sykes McNulty, one of Wendy Sykes' sisters.  (Their mother, Barbi Sykes, is a first cousin of Anne--Peter's mother--and her brother Tim Bravington, for those of you not familiar with all the family connections.)  It was great to see everyone and have a chance to chat. 

Poole to London

We checked out of our rooms at the Royal National Lifeboats Institute mid-morning on Friday (another dark and dreary day) and then were joined by the Browns and Meadows from Cape Town for a tour of the RNLI at 11 a.m.  The RNLI, which trains and supplies voluntary rescue crews, boats and equipment at sea and on waterways in England as well as lifeguards on beaches, is funded entirely by legacies and contributions.  This is in contrast to the U.S., where the Coast Guard performs rescues and provides emergency assistance at sea while local municipalities and agencies hire lifeguards for public beaches.

The training facility in Poole is state-of-the-art, as are the various watercraft and the equipment used for rescues.  The RNLI has over 31,000 volunteers, the majority of them trained to answer a page and be at one of the 235 launch sites within 10 minutes.  The organizations averages 22 rescues a day and extends its services to 100 nautical miles from the British coast at a cost of £385,000 a day. 

Volunteers taking a swimming test in gear

We saw volunteers being trained in the large wave pool, where complete darkness, thunder, lightning, and helicopter recovery can all be simulated.   At the end of the tour, we had an opportunity to use the simulator for operating a lifeboat from the bridge, which was truly amazing.  It was equipped with all the navigational and monitoring devices of a real lifeboat.  We managed to kill off a couple of crew members who had jumped from a disabled tanker which was on fire before rescuing some others.  The weather became worse, with confused seas, snow, zero visibility and then fog.  We flipped and self-righted a couple times and narrowly missed collision with gunboats, submarines and ferries before returning to the harbour.  Luckily, none of us became seasick.

Peter at the helm on the bridge in the lifeboat simulator

The 10 of us had a filling and delicious lunch at the restaurant at the RNLI College before parting ways.  We headed for London, where we got delayed in horrendous traffic on the Northern Circular route but finally made it to the home of Wendy Sykes and Don Fisher in East Finchley.  Around their large kitchen table, we chatted and feasted on gnocci and salad (and sausage for the carnivores) before dispersing throughout the house.  Matthew and Wil talked about gaming and checked some out online while the rest of us watched an American television crime show, The Criminal Mind.

It's now Saturday, with no sign of the sun, but we plan to go into the city anyway to explore the sites.

Fifth of July fireworks

Mike, Katya, Sherri, Matthew, Ali, Peter, George, Helen, Polly and Uncle Peter (with the neighbor's dog Harriet)

Helen prepared a wonderful feast last night.  There were 10 of us for dinner:  Helen and Peter; their daughter Ali, her husband Mike and their two children; and the four of us.  Afterwards, we walked to the Poole Quay to see the Thursday night fireworks set off from a platform in the harbour. 

Rain, Rain and More Rain then, finally(!) sunshine

On Tuesday, we had lunch with Susie, George and James Brown, then tea with Jane Hammond, and, finally, dinner with Uncle Peter and Helen.  We only had to drive for 15 minutes from the Hartz's home to Rob and Susan's house in Kingsclere near Newbury.  Rob is currently in Japan on business, Rosie lives and works in London, and Immie was at work so not at home.  We had a pleasant chat in the sitting room, then a delicious lunch.  Susie had to go off to work, but, since the rain had temporarily ceased (although there was no sun in sight), the rest of us decided to take a walk on some of the country roads and pathways.  At first we stuck to the paved road, but then George and James led us through the woods and along fields on rain-soaked, mucky routes.  Of course, they had on wellies (rubber Wellington boots), but we are not traveling equipped with this essential gear for England. (In fact, neither Katya, Matthew or I even own wellies!).  I had the good sense to borrow a pair before we set off.  Peter had on leather shoes, so he managed, but the kids' tennis shoes were dirty and wet by the time we arrived back at the house.

Jane Hammond and Peter

Our next stop was in the little village of Upton in Wiltshire to visit a long-standing family friend of the Brown's, a schoolmate of Anne's.  Jane Hammond (and her husband Noel, now deceased) used to take in the Brown boys sometimes during short holidays from boarding school in England when it was not feasible for them to return to East Africa.  She now lives in a lovely old three-bedroom cottage within walking distance of her old farm, which one of her step-sons now runs.  Still spry and engaging, she told us about her children, grand-children and 14 great-grandchildren!  Through the rain, we walked to her old farm and paid a quick visit to Alistair.

Back in the car, we headed south for Poole.  We checked in to rooms at the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), right on the water.  Our rooms are large, comfortable and relatively inexpensive, with large windows giving views of the water and the recently completed Two Sails Bridge, a drawbridge which, when raised, has the appearance of two tall masts with slender white sails.

It is only a short walk to Peter and Helen's four-story flat near Poole Quay.  We went to their home for a delicious dinner, with sushi for appetizers, and enjoyed catching up with them.

On Wednesday, we left the kids on the own at the RNLI (with the idea that they would work on their summer assignments for school) after making a quick shopping trip to a superstore called ASDA next door, which is part of the Wal-Mart chain.  We needed a SIM card and a few toiletries.

We drove northwest to the small village of Evershot to visit Barbi Sykes, one of Anne's cousins and the person who introduced Anne and Arthur in East Africa.  She suffered a stroke a couple years ago, but except for having some weakness in one leg and needing to use a cane, she appears to be doing well.  She has live-in help and one of her children visits every weekend.  She broke her arm earlier this year and suffered some nerve damage which has affected her right hand.  Fortunately, she is left-handed, which means she can still draw and paint.

She took us to lunch at the historic Acorn Inn in town, just a short walk from her old house.  The gourmet meal I had, spinach risotto with warm goat cheese and watercress, was colorful, delicious and filling.  Barbi enjoyed the same while Peter failed to finish the enormous ploughman's lunch he ordered.

Afterward, we went back to her house just before heavy rain began to fall.  She and Peter caught up on family news and I talked about our recent travels in Japan, South Korea and Russia.

mute swans at Abbotsbury

We left after tea and headed to Abbotsbury Swannery on the southern coast of Dorset.  It has the only managed colony of mute swans in the world, with about 600 swans.  Originally run by Benedictine monks of St. Peter's Church at least as early as the 14th century (as a source of meat), the large lagoon called the Fleet is an ideal site, sheltered from the sea by Chesil Beach to the south.  The swannery was used by the monks until 1539 when the monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII.  It was then purchased by the Strangways family and has remained in their ownership through fifteen generations up to the present day.  In addition to swans and cygnets which just hatched a month ago, the lagoon is home to thousands of other birds, including Canada geese, moorhens, gulls, avocets, ducks and oystercatchers.  We had a chance to participate in the 4:00 feeding and listen to a very informative talk about the history of the swannery and the habits of mute swans in addition to admiring the birds and their habitat.

The skies had cleared by the time we left Abbotsbury.  (It was a shame that we didn't have more time as the village and the remains of the monastery looked like great places to explore.)  Back in Poole, we found the kids lazing away the late afternoon in their room.  The four of us walked the few blocks to Helen and Peter's, where we watched Andy Murray win in the quarter finals at Wimbleton before having (in recognition of America's Independence Day) pizza followed by Rocky Road ice cream.  Taking advantage of the clear weather, we took a long walk along Poole Quay afterward.

St. Mary's on Brownsea Island

The weather forecast for today (Thursday) was as good as it has been since our arrival in England. Despite gray, dreary skies, we hoped for a respite from the rain and drizzle and caught the 10:00 ferry to Brownsea Island.  This destination was particularly exciting for Matthew since it is considered the founding site for Boy Scouts since Lord Robert Baden-Powell held the first camp-out for 20 boys here in August of 1907.  The island is now part of the National Trust so is well-preserved and managed.  We stopped first at St. Mary's Church, not far from the Castle and grounds (which are privately managed and not open to the public) and the ferry dock.  A very pleasant woman explained the history of the structure and played the organ for us.

peacock on Brownsea Island

The green lawns of this eastern part of the island are home to a number of peacocks and other fowl.  Even though they are exotic and not native to the area, we still enjoyed their beautiful, iridescent feathers.

The visitor centre has displays about the history of the island, including its use as a strategic defense from attacks from the sea, and the various owners through the centuries, as well as hands-on exhibits about the local flora and fauna.  Volunteers were eager to share information. We walked along the cliffs on the southeast side of the island, which offer great views of Poole Harbour and the Purbeck hills and cliffs.  From the South Shore Lodge, we walked down to the pebbly beach, where we found chert, flint and other interesting rocks as well as chards of clay conduit pipes, probably washed up or dumped rejects from the pottery formerly located on the western shore.  They created a colorful mosaic of reds, ochers, tans and brown beneath the eroding clay above the shoreline.

Matthew, Peter and Katya on the south shore of Brownsea Island

We reached the area where Baden-Powell held his first camp for boys and where Scouts and Guides still have camp-outs.  There is a memorial stone and a trading post nearby.  Matthew was delighted with the opportunity to shop to pins, neckerchiefs and patches.

We then continued our circumnavigation of the island, passing by the abandoned pier for the pottery as well as the remains of a village and vinery.  We made out way around the muck to reach the lily pond in the woods near the center of the island, where white and and pink waterlilies were in bloom.  Passing by the marshlands and through the woods, always careful to avoid the mud, we reached the eastern side of the island, where we enjoyed local Dorset ice cream before spending a bit of time looking at and listening to birds in the lagoon and wetlands which comprised the northeast part of the island.

Western headlands from the ferry

The ferry back to Poole was, to our delight, not direct, but took us by Sandbanks, to the mouth of the harbour, and past many small islands. The captain provided an entertaining and educational narrative as we took a winding course to avoid the sandbanks in the shallow harbour.

Peter and Helen's daughter Ali, her husband Mike and their children Polly and George (who also live in Cape Town) are arriving today, so we will have a big family dinner this evening and then watch the Thursday evening fireworks from the quay.

Peter and Matthew by a statue of Baden-Powell on Poole Quay