Flyover of the UK - Mission Accomplished

We got back last night and the main goals of our trip were accomplished.  We saw new friends and old.  We met 2 great nieces for the first time AND we did a lot of interviewing live relatives about those who have died.

Our first two days were spent with Andy and Jake in their flat in Islington.  Unfortunately Miriam is working way too hard in all part of Europe so we missed seeing her.  We toured St Paul's with Andy and the three of us walked to the top for spectatular views.  Blog post to follow!

We spent a night with Rod's good friends Anne and Dave, who we have not seen for 14 years.  Where does the time go?  We had never met their youngest Laura, who just turned 17, and we reacquainted ourselves with Katie and their dog Kiera.

Then a wonderful trip to the North to meet Olive and Winter, and we took the obligatory trip to the beach in South Shields, where the wind was strong, the water was cold, and we dipped our feet into it. 

And we photographed grave stones and houses where family lived, only getting shouted at by one current occupant, who calmed down when we told her Rod's Aunt and Uncle lived there 27 years ago.

We went to the British Museum while in London, and Saltwell Park in Gateshead, where the family spent many Sunday afternoons.

Obviously this is a picture blog post, and a picture is worth a thousand words, so this is a really long post.

More to follow.

Jet lag and Melatonin

I don't get it. I am wide awake in London at 4am, UK time, and 11pm East coast time. I took a Melatonin on the plane last night and slept for a couple of hours on the plane, napped for two hours, got up to sight see, ate dinner at 9pm and off to bed at 11pm, all UK times. I probably should have taken another Melatonin last night as well. Is there a residual effect from Melatonin? So it is still working on my body?

My body SHOULD be wanting to sleep, right? But my mind is racing. I followed updates from Fenway, and cruised Facebook, and tried to get my twitter feeds updated. Sox won, so I just tried to fall asleep. It probably is unwise to go for a walk at 4am in an unfamiliar neighborhood in London although the street is lined with coffee shops so give me 2 hours more of this and you know where I will be, right?

One of my thought tangents during these wee UK hours, has been about jet lag and the times when I have been really tired and jet lagged. Traveling to Chiangmai to visit Bee last year was the worst for sure. Luckily she put her arms around us and guided us through those unfamiliar streets. London in 1979 to visit Dau with Mom and the three "little" boys was pretty bad. Norway in college, London after college with Nancy and Pam, etc.

My red eyes back from the West coast while at Intuit were not debilitating. I always said to people who questioned my sanity on this last one, "I would rather be tired for one night at home, than sit in a hotel room for one additional night, wishing I were on the red eye".

I am not anxious about this, since I sort of understand the language although it is British English. I know where we are headed today, and have my Oyster card to get around on the tube and buses. I am just curious about why me, why 4:15 am? And I am really curious about whether Melatonin works or not?

BTW my ever so supportive husband just said to me in his sleepy daze "You are supposed to be trying to get on the new schedule!". This coming from someone who took the French language brochure at St. Paul's Cathedral yesterday in his jet lagged state. The attendant handing us the tour listening device asked him which language and when Murg said, English, the guide said "You have the French brochure!". I guess they are used to jet lagged tourists. We go back there this morning to finish our tour.

(Murg=Rod)-topic of another post

now for a few more hours of sleep. . .
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:London, uk

Bee's Buzz around the World

Bee's graduation from Long Island University/Global College(LIU) was this past Thursday. It was a glorious sunny day. The morning ceremony was the pomp and circumstance portion of the day. In the afternoon all 20 students from Global College presented aspects of their senior thesis, to their friends and family. It is amazing what these 20 young people have done already in their short lives.

For her graduation I made the quilt in this photo. It is titled "Bee's Buzz Around the World". The color of the background represents the saffron color of the monks' robes. The peace flags are the 5 countries she studied in. The picture is of her at a meditation retreat with Burma in the background. The world picture has the logos from the two colleges that she attended, appliquéd on the picture of the world. The pewter bees are from Danforth pewter, a Vermont company. The elephant is a print from a linoleum block that Bee made in girl scouts in 5th grade. Elephants have been a theme in her life forever. I recently learned how to make a block print, and on the back of the quilt are two blackbirds. Blackbirds are the mascot of LIU.


It was a cathartic exercise to design her wallhanging in the weeks before her graduation. The time flew by and she packed a lot into 4 years. She made some lifelong friends at both Hampshire and Global College. She grew academically and personally. She learned to be more flexible, and she confirmed what it is she will contribute to the world. She buzzed the world, and spent the last five months in Brooklyn finishing her BA, while learning to navigate the NYC area.

Her internship was at a Friends agency in Newark, which focuses on immigrants' rights.

Stay tuned as she lives out her values in whatever she chooses to do. I am one proud mama.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lake Champlain flooding - and our afternoon checking it out

Murg and I just drove around the Champlain Islands looking at the impact of the worst flooding of Lake Champlain ever. Last night at 9:30 pm, when we drove across the route 2 causeway, it was one lane and we drove through up to 8 inches of water at some points. In the middle I said "I wish you were driving" to which he said "me too" and I got mad at him, but not really.

We rode our bikes down there today in the day light and took some pictures which will be posted in the future. Later we decided to go out again to buy a dessert wine at Snow Farm (yummy) and to visit the Green Frog for the first time this season. We were both in a wandering kind of mood, which drives Bee crazy, but suits the two of us fine. We then drove to the Grand Isle Ferry to see what damage had been done there, continued to Hero's Welcome in North Hero, which had just closed for the day. We continued to Alburgh, and bought ourselves a treat and caffeine to keep us awake. On to Rouse's Point, and then south to where the main street in Plattsburgh is closed because of flooding. We stopped at Gus's for a Michigan Red Hot, and then home via the Plattsburgh to Grand Isle Ferry. Mind you, our initial trip was for wine, and gift shop shopping.

This is why we are happily married. We both love to go with the flow, a tiny bit of planning and open to different suggestions along the way.

We laughed earlier in the day about our different learning styles and how different we are in general. This always precedes the conversation where we marvel once again that we found each other 26 years ago this week!

The flooding is horrific. Some summer camps are totally flooded, and some primary residences are totally flooded. Coniston looks out on more lake water and there is more water in the lawn out front, but we are lucky. At one point today I flashed back to winter blizzards where I long to be snowed in. I would not mind being flooded in here for a short period of time. I love to be nestled in with no place to go.

It is the calm before the storm you might say, as we look forward to Brooklyn and Bee's college graduation, England to see family, friends and meet two great nieces, 35th college reunion at Middlebury and then Alliance Nebraska for memorial service for Uncle Chuck. This is all in the next month. Why is May/June always so crazy?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Children's librarians should like children

Rant alert!

Today I went to the library to see Ed Emberley. Who remembers him? I asked his wife when his first book was published. 1961!

While there I witnessed an interaction that makes me sad. The event was for 1-5 grade and one mother had two older children and a 3 year old.

The Children's librarian almost did not let the family in. The three year old tolerated 30 minutes of the hour program. At this point she started getting fidgety, but was making no more noise than other kids, or to be honest, some parents talking.

At this point the Librarian came over and in a loud, not library voice, said "You must take her out now!". I was embarrassed for the mother and child.

I wonder if the mother had been a privileged Caucasian McMansion (yes I am using that as an adjective) mother, whether the Librarian would have confronted the mother.

Some of my good friends are librarians, and they are excluded from this comment. In my experience librarians are rule followers, and many of them appear to not like their job. They appear cranky and angry.

This librarian today was just looking for the 3 year old to be a 3 year old. Does she want this child to enjoy the library and have a positive experience? I think Children's librarians as a pre-requisite should understand and like children, and understand parents and multiple children families. And they should not intentionally embarrass children or parents. Ok, I often live in an ideal world.

Rant over!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Birkenstock Time

For most of the summer, I wear a variety of birkies. As soon as it gets warm enough out they come and I have a hard time wearing anything else. Concurrent to that my earrings that are miniature Birkenstocks also appear.

I actually jumped the gun last week, and put them on one morning. I had to go back and change into winter shoes, because it was below freezing later in that day.

You should know that every morning I stand in front of my earring rack and chose my earrings. During the summer, I almost always put on my mini birkies. In fact, I have three of them. I once told someone that these are my favorite earrings and will be heart broken if I ever lose one. She took off one of hers right then and there and gave it to me. I have never lost one of them although I came very close at one time, which was a previous post.

So, even if the weather gets a little cold, I don't care, it is Birkie Time!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I Love Mayfair - Saturday May 7th

For those of you unfamiliar with this term, Mayfair is our church sale which happens the Saturday before Mothers Day. Many of my Mothers Day gifts came from this sale and I treasure them.

There are books, white elephants, collectibles, baked goods, jewelry, etc.

R and I ran Mayfair our first year in the church and got to know many different groups in the church. It was a great thing to do in our first year because we had no idea how big the job was.

It is a big HUGE community building activity as people discover items that belonged to another church member. This is where you can buy your summer reading, or a gift for an upcoming holiday or birthday.

I love it for a bunch of reasons. I love watching all generations have a good time. I love to watch the stuff collect, and more importantly, watch it leave. I love to hang out and watch the church make money, and I love the joviality of the day.

We cannot be there Saturday, but I am helping out on Friday in White Elephants.

Happy Mayfair! It is not just about making money for the church, it is also about making community.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad