National Trust
HAM HOUSE, England
When Bryant is out of the country on a deal for work, I find myself doing one of two things with my lonely evenings: (1) on-line shopping, or (2) biding my time watching old Cary Grant movies. Guess where Bry prefers me to indulge? This past business trip, I came across a Cary Grant movie …
WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER, England
The White Cliffs of Dover are said to be one of England’s “most recognizable landmarks”. 300 feet in height, and nearly 10 miles long. And majestically white. They are the closest point in England, across the English Channel, to mainland Europe. In fact, on a clear day, you can see France from these cliffs. Over our …
YORKSHIRE DALES, England
To prepare the family for the Yorkshire Dales we listened to James Herriot’s novel, All Creatures Great and Small, en route. The children got lost in the anatomically correct terms appropriately used in Dr Herriot’s short stories, and slept most the drive. But Bry and I were taken – both by the book and by the Yorkshire Dales, itself. We stayed two weeks in a cottage found …
BEATRIX POTTER HOUSE, Lake District, England
The Beatrix Potter House, ‘Hilltop‘, located in the Lake District, is indeed found atop a large hill. I wanted to rent bikes to explore the heralded north country. And the family indulged me for a day. Auntie joined us. Three adult bikes, one child tag-along, and a trailer for the boys. ‘Have you ever fancied the view from the …
STOWE GARDENS, London, England
Situated just north of London, in Buckinghamshire, lies the beautiful Stowe Gardens. As National Trust members (yes…it’s worth the anual fee), we took it upon ourselves to visit many of the National Trust sites, while in England. And Stowe Gardens was our first visited. This 18th-century garden has 250 acres of lawns and lakes. 40 temples …
Ireland
Primary school let out for one week. The children attributed it to Halloween. The borough attributed it to half-term. Either way, we packed up our backpacks and flew the family to Ireland. In E’s words, as she closed our day with prayer, I am off to “dream of all the things we can do and …