More Londontowne....

If you ever are given the opportunity to 

escape your "work-a-day life"

and travel

Here is a tip...

try London first.

Not just because 

I've been there.

But, 

because

it 

is 

easy

for 

Americans.

And 

we do love

easy don't we?

This is 

Windsor Castle...

Home of the Queen

She wasn't "in"

as you can tell be the 

flag they were flying that day.

"Her flag"

only flies when she is in...

Yes,

tourists look the same 

all over the world...

Personally,

I like the little 

"crown" detail on top of 

her  coach-lights....

Maybe I will fashion a couple of those for my 

front lights out of papiermache'....

Not allowed through the front gate,

we had to go around the side to the 

"Pions Entrance"

(that's ok, I wouldn't have it any other way)

Below is a

slot (technical term)

through which they would 

shoot arrows, or weapons of any sort.

The small cross section is so that you can 

pivot your bow and arrow to the sides.

Not all enemies would be kind enough to stand 

straight in front of the slot apparently....

Now,

this surprised me...

a tropical oasis on the south flank 

of her castle...

Truly lovely...

Security was everywhere,

but not in an imposing way....

I felt quite safe.

The view is incredible..

the castle is on a small rise,

surrounded by flatlands.

Quite defendable I would imagine.

Below is an alien....

(that's what I call it anyway)

No!

I didn't get any closer,

I watch the Doctor

(Dr. Who)

and am aware of what aliens might do if bothered.

Below, a relative of the queen I would presume...

We were not allowed in this area either,

as you can see

it is being guarded...

As with any old house, 

one must constantly do repairs...

See the scaffolding on the right of this photo...

even the Queen has repairs...

And who doesn't want to have their picture taken with the

guards....these two shy middle-schoolers, my guess..

They don't allow photos to be taken inside the castle,

so back on the bus....

and a lovely bus it is...

Next time,
"Bath"
where we will smell sulfur,
eat fudge
and be grateful for indoor plumbing...
smiles...

Goin' on a Road Trip....

Yes,

we are headed out of town for a couple of days....

a long couple of days....

very long...

really long...

This will be the scenery....

for a lot of hours...

But I can dream...

of this...

And this...

Even this....

And these are the men I would choose to be with...

Because they are....

My buds....

and...

Like to go where I like to go.....

like here....

and most of the time,

 when I am here,

I look up at this...

Fun times...

I am missing me some

 beach time this year....

and don't see a way

 to get there anytime soon.

But this weekend,

I will be able to see 

a Cin-City Reds game

in person!

Yeah!

And eat cheese conies....

and visit some sweet in-laws...

so life is sweet....

smiles

Maybe it was the 14 and a half Diet Cokes......

Or maybe it was the 14 and a half hours in the car.....

Looking at this..

Heck, I don't know for sure....

it is all a blurrrrrrrr at this point.

But I know one thing,

I was terribly road weary....

I had driven, ridden, ate, drank, daydreamed,

pottyed, laughed, yawned, mapped,

and consumed interesting views....

We had been in the car....forever.

I had begun to get really scared,

as I had been the one who insisted that we not stay in an

ordinary place. I had insisted that we should cruise down the

Delmarva peninsula, because I had not seen it in over

20 years.

What if this place was a pit (as in arm).

What if the "Psycho-dude" met us at the door of the

quaint little inn?

What if there were bugs in the cottage we had paid

extra for......

What if we were in fact lost...

14 and a half hours of driving will do that to a person.

A storm was threatening as we drove down the 5 mile long approach

road, I was envisioning unpacking the car in a lightening riddled downpour.

The middle-aged woman who met us in the entry hall was distracted, and busy...

waiting for another couple (crazy enough to pick the same place, maybe?)

Finally, she led us around the corner to the cottage.

The rain was holding off...

We hurried to get our bags in.....

took off our shoes....

and went out onto the screened in porch.......

and this is what we saw.....

It was golden...

surreal....

other worldly...

thick as honey...

humid as a steam shower....

and

it appeared to suspend reality...

we watched from the porch for a few minutes,

and then walked to the end of the freshly made dock...

I captured as much as my tired soul could handle...

I will post more,

but it was life changing for us both...

we had trusted at one point that it would be worth

the effort.

It was..

Planning a trip...

We are....

leaving for Cape Cod, family reunion on Thursday....

2 days up.....

2 back...
I haven't seen the ocean all summer...

very stressful, to say the least....

If I could live anywhere, it would be within sight of the waves a-crashin'...

The reunion will be fun...

hectic.....

sad....

fast....

However,

the return trip is to be one of adventure...

I haven't been to the Delmarva peninsula in 20 years.

Not sure where we will stay.

only that we will be near the ocean,

maybe even in it.....

Can't Wait!