REFLECTIONS

Sunday, May 6....Ridgecrest

Son Ed commented on my first post, below, asking what do I wish we'd taken and what do I wish we'd left behind.  Here goes:

What I did not need to take:  (Earl will have to speak for himself)

Skirt and dressy tops and jacket

Dressy flat shoes

Flip Flops (hostel was the only place we shared a bath)

Laundry line...everything dries fast on a radiator or a towel warmer

2nd pair of walking shoes...I used them but not necessary

Sewing kit 

Hair Dryer (most places had them)

Cotton socks

Glad I took:

Some duct tape wrapped around a pen

Scissors (in checked bag)

Spork (combi spoon, fork, serrated edge)

Computer for blogging

Tights to use as underlayer...perfect weight, not bulky, dried fast

Wool socks, needed another pair

Starbucks instant coffee...which is very fine Arabica grounds, not freeze dried

Wish I'd taken:

Business type cards with our name and email on them

More wool socks

Better rain jacket, I ended up using Kate's

2nd umbrella, hard to share my small one

Cell phone that worked in UK...ended up buying one in Scotland.

We had a car for most of our journey, so luggage weight and amount was not the crucial issue (except all B&B rooms are upstairs).  

Another reluctant traveler.....

Thanks for asking, Ed, because I've been meaning to reflect on those special things that happen just when you need them to. Plus the people and events that seem to be planned to increase faith that no matter where on earth you are, the Lord will test and bless you.

1. Sunshine amidst rainy season

2. Friendly folks at info booths...airport and all over

3. The Snowies who invited us in when our car broke down

4. Fun young tow truck driver, got us safely to Glasgow airport

5. Andrew at Avis in Glasgow, had been told to give us smaller car, but when he saw three of us with luggage, upgraded to nice diesel Pugeot. Then helped us extend rental in same car for a week.

6. Bowman Bus company on Mull Island, found and delivered our jackets we'd left on board.

7. Iona Hostel, John, can't say enough good about his gracious hospitality.

(and thanks, Cat Gipe, for recommending it)

8.  Ian, the beadle-or church officer- at Dunkeld Cathedral. Could do a whole story on him. He was there late to open church for a concert. Took both Earl and I back into museum to talk about his work there as a stonemason. Showed photos of his opening the crypts after a flood for the first time in centuries to find gold studded coffins of royalty, not been seen since for centuries. Let us stay for the concert rehearsal, the music resounded of the high beamed church and warmed our souls.

9. "Jane" as Anne Brennan called her, the British-voiced navigation system on the Peugeot.  None of this nasally "recalculating" when we'd goofed up. No, Jane would say in melodic British accent: "If possible, make a u-turn"; and, "At the next roundabout, take the second exit", as though she was suggesting scones with our cream tea....

10.  Thank you, Lord, for the trip. Although Earl and I have traveled, it was always on PCS orders, or for work, business, family connections, or very local, short breaks.    Hats off to all of you, especially Peggy! who take off for journeys to far away places, with exotic cultures and traditions.  It takes energy, money, patience, and sometimes perseverance to see the world.  

We are so glad we went and hope to travel more. One can easily grow into that recliner, get old and lose the sense of adventure we had when younger.

 









 
 
 



 

Parting Shots

 May 1, 2012


Drove on the M40 from our B&B at Lighthorne Heath (south of Birmingham, north of Stratford Upon Avon) into London.  Great six lane divided highway and we waited til rush hour subsided.  Found our hotel near Heathrow, returned Avis car, then back to the tube to meet Kate. She showed us all through RADA with at least 4 floors of theaters, rehearsal spaces, classrooms and green rooms.  The halls are filled with photos (Joan Collins, Glenda Jackson, to name a few.) Sculpted busts of George Bernard Shaw and Sir John Gielgud. We saw very hard working undergrad students in studios, practice rooms. Kate's housemates were both there, one, Valeria in the design studio and the other, Nikka, working at the cafe. So good to see this place that has nurtured the world's finest actors.

Kate and Earl in front of British Museum

With all our time spent in Scotland, really seeing London will have to wait. But we did want to step foot into the British Museum.  Just the first floor Egyptian, Assyrian and Greek treasures could take weeks to absorb.  Someday.....Lord willing, we can take the time we want there someday. Earl did get to the Petrie Museum, just down the street, for a short look. According to it's p.r.:
The Petrie Museum houses an estimated 80,000 objects, making it one of the greatest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology in the world. It illustrates life in the Nile Valley from prehistory through the time of the pharaohs, the Ptolemaic, Roman and Coptic, the Islamic eras.

The real Rosetta Stone which provided the key to understanding Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

RAMESES II

Ozymandius....

Parthenon model in the Greek exibits

After touring RADA, British Museum and the Petrie, Kate took us to a nearby College Pub for some great food and our goodbye meal. We feel so blessed to have been with her there.  
We hugged goodbye on Tottenham Court and went to our separate Underground Stations.  Again...all's well that ends well.

      


                   Off at the end of the line, Heathrow Terminal 5.  Goodbye London, have a great and safe Olympics. Enjoy the Queen's Diamond Jubilee; thanks for your hospitality.