UK Graduation Trip in Photos - Part II

We moved on from London to the picturesque Cotswolds. We rented a cottage in the lovely village of Blockley, right outside of Chipping Camden. It was about 5 km from the village of Snowshill where I stayed with my parents and sister when my sister and I graduated from Clemson all those years ago.

 Our little cottage in Blockley.  It was wonderful with pheasants and huge fat pigeons visiting every day.

These are the ruins at Kenilworth - one of my favorite of all tourist destinations.  This is the great hall.The floor would have been at the bottom of the windows and then the servants would have made preparations down below . 

Kenilworth

Very old grafitti.  I normally detest grafitti but I do like seeing where people from ages past have "left their mark" - I just don't want people to continue to deface buildings.  What a grouch - I know.

The River Avon behind Warwick Castle

My favorite guys on a bridge on the Avon.  So peaceful.

Ruins at Warwick.

                                  Warwick is a medieval castle built  by William the Conquerer.  During its  950 years it has been owned by 36 different families plus four different crown periods under six different monarchs. It has been involved in countless battles and wars including the War of the Roses and Hundred Years War and it eventually came to be a country home before being a National Historic Property.  Winston Churchill came to visit here as a young man and the castle has a dungeon where torture was carried out in the middle ages.  It is a fascinating place to visit.

Many pheasants wander freely at Kenilworth. Pheasantries are common in England.

UK Redux

 We took our two sons to England as a graduation celebration for our eldest son Keegan.  A photo journey will follow broken into several parts: 

We started in London and this photo is out of order but I put it first because we used it as our Christmas Card!  It was taken in Castle Coombe, which is sometimes called "the prettiest village in England." It almost looks like a dollhouse. "Eagle-eyed" people might recognize the bridge from the movie "War Horse."

This is the Tower of London. Many famous people were kept prisoner here including: William Hastings, Anne Boelyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, Jane Rochford - all beheaded; the two little Princes Edward V and the Duke of York who were mysteriously murdered; Thomas Cromwell, Sir Thomas Moore and Anne Askew who was tortured for her Protestant beliefs as well as hundreds more who suffered unmentionable horror in this building.  This tour is one of the most incredible tours back in time in all of England and will make you want to re-study your English history.

Traflagar Square - a model of Trafalgar's ship. The square has many wonderful fountains and statues as well as a countdown to the London Olympics for this summer!

The lovely river Thames at Warwick - more Warwick photos later

Keegan and Sean particularly liked the World War II museum. It is hard to believe this war was only less than 70 years ago.

We stayed the the Bentley Waldorf Astoria.  This little gem of a hotel is hidden in the Knightsbridge  Kensington section of London near Harrods and Chelsea.  For us Princess Di fans, it is the heart of her famed "Sloan Ranger" territory. 

It was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and her Cavalry were riding in her honor. It was really spectacular.

More Tower of London.

A Londoner commuting to work.  Love it!

No explanation needed.

Overlooking Tower Bridge and London Town. 

Day one in London. Great day....

I'm Back

For the few of you that read my blog, I took some time off from posting due to life events.  Primarily, I planned my mother's wedding, keeping up with teen schedules with SAT and ACT tests, work and farm renovations! 

Mom's wedding to Charlie

Look for upcoming stories about Merida, Mexico; Panama City Beach, Florida; Wisconsin and Washington, DC in the coming days.

Cheers!

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Flowers at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), University, Mississippi

Sightseeing in Your Hometown

I've lived in some of America's largest cities (Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Atlanta) and now my family lives in a small town outside Atlanta called Newnan, GA.  For years, Newnan was often-recognized as the hometown of country music superstar Alan Jackson (his momma lives near us), and deceased humorist Lewis Grizzard was from nearby Moreland, Georgia.  Many of our friends were shocked that we CHOSE to move to a 40-acre farm from bustling Pasadena, California and leave our 1908 Craftsman Bungalow.  But we did and we have never looked back.

To me, small towns offer the opportunity to really get to know your neighbor.  When you go to the grocery, it may take you twice as long because you have to stop and chat with friends in every other isle.  But even little ole Newnan has not been immune to the influences of the outside world. Alan Jackson's song "Little Man" was written about his sadness over the changes taking place in our downtown retail area, where local businesses surround a lovely square with a stately 100-plus year old Courthouse standing sentry in the middle.  Independent businesses and restaurants have been struggling against the influx by box stores and chain operators.  We still have many independent businesses but like everywhere, it is tough to make it.

Newnan's Courthouse is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation including new copper roof

Small towns still remain some of the most fun places to find entertainment. Whether going to the town honky tonk to listen to locals jam, independent coffee houses for poetry slams and concerts or community art associations festivals and shows, small town life is rich with talent. 

This past weekend, we attended a local concert called "Inspiration in the Park" sponsored by Newnan Presbyterian Church.  It is hard to believe so much talent is running around loose on the street.

The "Men of Cornerstone" quartet sang inspired old-timey Gospel songs that stirred the soul and had the crowd clapping along.  They started their set with an acapella version of the National Anthem and had a lot of fun on stage.

Newnan's beautiful Greenville Street Park and Ampitheater was the perfect venue.  The day threatened rain but it never materialized.  Newnan Utilities gave water to the crowd and old-fashioned church fans and a wind provided by the Lord kept it cool.

The singers from "The Greater Jehovah Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir" had people in awe of their vocal power.  They were something to hear and I hope to have the opportunity to hear them give the glory again.

People of all ages enjoyed their outing in the Park!

For the first time, a hispanic group performed at the concert series and the "St. George Catholic Church Hispanic Chorus" had a large and enthusistic following.  The crowd welcomed them warmly, and if they didn't understand all of their songs, they did reconize their final number "Cielito Lindo". (Ay, Yay, Yay, Yay...)

One of the crowd favorities is "The Newnan Chapel Male Chorus". Under the leadership of the twin Hussie brothers, this incredible group of men introduced an additional young male lead singer that had the crowd on their feet.  They played a couple of old favorites and a medley of new and standard classics.  These guys are a party in and of themselves.

The talent was rounded out by the incredible "Georgia-Indiana Mountain Gospel Quartet".  This quartet, comprised by husband and wife Dave and Debbie Webster and husband and wife John and Lalla McGhee, sang their plaintive traditional mountain gospel tunes with an authority and professionalism that left the crowd wanting more.

Happiness is a dip in the local fountain!

I encourage you to go sightseeing in your hometown too.  Naturally there is lots to see in the great big world and that is my passion.  But when you are home, take advantage of the jewels offered around you.  See what you have through the eyes of others and visit your town as if you are an outsider and you are likely to wish you could move there all over again!

No Wonder College Costs a Fortune!

So our family recently returned from our Spring Break-a-thon tour of SEC colleges and it was quite something!  If only I could go back to college again for the Univesities today are almost like resorts unto themselves - I'm exaggerating, of course, but visiting college towns and campuses is definitely a fun trip.

We started, after a weekend in New Orleans, in the lovely town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home of Louisiana State University (LSU Tigers).  We enjoyed an thorough information session, where we learned any word that ends in the letter "o" is spelled "eaux" in Baton Rouge - as in Geaux Tigers!  They take their Cajun heritage seriously there.  We were told a story "or fable" (not sure of the veracity) about legendary Louisiana Governor Huey Long.  Back in the 1920s, Long knew LSU needed a new football stadium but there was no money for one.  So he petitioned the legislature for funds to build a new "dormitory" - wiht an open air center middle section for "crops" that was about 100 yards long' had rooms around the circumference and "classroom" seats in the stadium.   May be a bit of a tale, but it makes for a good 'ol Southern story!

Both of our boys were very impressed with LSU and Keegan was relieved to know that he got the physics requirement out of the way this year as they do require it for admission - yikes!

We took a luncheon break at the famous Chimes restaurant (campus location) at the recommendation of our Pastor Harry Barrow ( a HUGE LSU fan and alum).  We enjoyed incredible blackened shrimp remolaude, crab fingers and alligator. Then after lunch, we had the dorm tour and saw Mike the Tiger lounging in his multi-million dollar abode.

We left LSU very encouraged and were on to Oxford, Mississippi.  See you there next.

The Big Easy, Redux

Our College Road Trip started with a side venture to one of the world's great destinations, New Orleans.  We drove from Newnan and only had 24 hours in the Crescent City, but our family packed quite a bit of adventure into our short time there. 

After checking into one of our usual family-friendly hotels, the Hilton Garden Inn, we headed into the heart of the French Quarter for some meandering and food.  Normally, we scope out all the hot restaurants and old favorites including Susan Spicer, Emeri Lagasse and Galatoise.  We still miss our perennial favorite, the local hangout Uglesiche's.  It opened in 1924 and was destroyed in Katrina.  Their cookbooks are wonderful and work very well. This trip we were craving oysters and Cajun appetizers and we stopped first in a restaurant called Remoulade.  Owned by the same folks who created the venerable Arnaud's, Remoulade is just as delicious but more low key.

They could't even wait until I took the photo before snagging one of the oysters!

We enjoyed oysters, shrimp bisque, gumbo and turtle bisque at Remoulade and then we sauntered back out into the Quarter.  I took my requisite photo with the Big Ass Beers to Go guy

Still hungry, we stopped for barbecued oysters at Royal House Restaurant. Oh my gosh, These are crave-worthy and I think we will have an oyster roast at our farm soon because we can't wait until a return visit to New Orleans to enjoy them again!

We also had marinated crab fingers, po boys and red beans and rice.  Yum!

The next morning was Easter and we went to church at St. Louis Cathedral.  While we are not Catholic (we are Presbyterian) we have been to weddings in this incredible cathdral which is the longest continuously operating chuch in the US - since 1718.  We got there early and it was a good thing since it was SRO.

After church we shopped, bought some art and went to one of our favorite places for brunch,

Restaurant Stanley.  They have a sister restaurant, The Stella, that is also incredible. Restaurant Stanley is right next to St. Louis Cathedral and down the street from Cafe DuMonde.

Before we headed out of town, we attended one of New Orlean's ubiquitous parades - the Easter Parade!  It was a gas and the participants tossed all kinds of stuff from the floats including of course, beads.  We have now been to the Rose Parade and Easter Parade this year...we'll see what else is on tap the rest of the year.

We called this young man "The King of New Orleans" because he represented the cool, preppy sophistication of Southern Gentility that we know and love.  We met him earlier and he was great. 
On to Baton Rouge!