U.K. TRIP #1: Vacation Highlights

United Kingdom from NASA's Aqua Satellite. Credit: NASA

In mid-June for 9 days we toured the U.K. starting in Edinburgh, Scotland and taking the train to York, England, and ending in Windsor. From Windsor we drove to various castles and museums. Here are some of the highlights. The coming blogs over the course of the next monthwill highlight each stop!

1) Great being at the Langdon house B and B again in Windsor, England.Last year we befriended Paul and Sonja, the owners and it was great to see our old/new friends again.
2) We'll take you back through Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace- and the return of the screaming ghost.We saw different rooms that were not open last year! More on this in later blogs.
3) Cliff Richard's Concert was AWESOME!!
 Because Cliff has been singing since 1958, there were a LOT of older fans. I (Rob) LOVE Cliff Richard and have since the late 1970s.  When we were sitting in the car waiting to go to the concert we saw a woman using a walker with an oxygen tank attached to it- that should give you an idea of the concert goers... and Tom said "what have you brought me to?"
4) Edinburgh, Scotland was nice- the Apex Waterloo was great. Great room, service, clean, centrally located.
5) Edinburgh Castle- it was good, but we liked Holyrood House better. There was a special dog tribute in the Castle (more later). Holyrood is the current Queen's summer palace.  People should do both.
6) Recommend the Mercat Underground vault tour in Edinburgh-  It was very cool, and fascinating and we saw a ghostly shadow.
7) The Witchery "Murder and Mystery Tour" in Edinburgh - was fun, entertaining and informative. www.witcherytours.com
8) You'll soon read about a special dog, immortalized by the people of Scotland - and the very inspirational cemetery where he's buried.
9) We got to see Rob's old friend Bob and Kristen (who moved to England from the states for work) and their three cool kids while dining and touring York
10) Took a climb to the top of a massive and ancient cathedral- built over Roman ruins from 71AD
11) Hever Castle- A must for Tudor fans... and Rob ran into a special and historic ghost that was unexpected.
12) Sudeley Castle- Original Home of  one of Henry VIII's six queens. Gardens were amazing and we'll take you on a tour. 
13) We'll also take you into a brand new museum that houses the remains of one of Henry VIII's war ships - half was preserved in sand for 500 years, brought to the surface and a museum was built around it. It opened this year!
14) Trains were great. (One thing we didn't realize was that the Train tix also worked for one connection on the Tube in London- we didn't read the ticket).
15) Flights; Delays, missed flights, and a dinner challenge NOTE for others: It took about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to get through Customs at Heathrow and again through Security to get to the connecting flight.
16) Hertz Rental car- perfect.  *Note to GPS users- sometimes it will take you through 1 lane roads, farms, fields, and closed roads. Yeah, we experienced all that... so we finally opted to use road signs and ask directions. GPS is really great for city driving and as a map back up.

Today is Our 4th Wedding Anniversary!

Today marks four years that Tom and I have been legally married.
  On June 26, 2009, we got legally married in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Because our marriage wasn't legal in Maryland at the time, we had to go to the nearest state where it was legal. That was Connecticut. It took a little work and some good friends to make it all work out.
  My (Rob) brother Doug suggested Bridgeport as a good city to get married in, and he contacted his friend (the mayor of Bridgeport) who recommended a restaurant to have the post-vow lunch.

Mike officiating our wedding as our best man, Jeff looks on

 Our friend Jeff was our best man, and he drove up to Connecticut with us. We all remember the drive- it was a Thursday night and it took about 9 hours (instead of 6) because  of really bad traffic, lane closures, construction, etc. We got to the hotel and crashed. The next morning, our wedding day, we got up early and checked out City Hall before it opened, a nearby park where we  planned on getting married, and the restaurant  where we planned lunch.
     Our friends Mike and Amy Bettwy flew to Connecticut. Mike married us - but it wouldn't be in the park. We met Mike and Amy at City Hall where Tom and I got our official marriage license. We remember how wonderful the City Hall clerk was when we got the license. 

Friends and family at the restaurant wedding ceremony

     After getting the license, we went outside to the park. overcast skies threatened rain, so we went to the restaurant and called the small bunch of friends who insisted on driving hours from Massachusetts to be there.  It was going to be just us, Jeff, Mike and Amy - but I let some friends in New England know (since we were up there anyway). BTW-We planned a reception in the backyard in September for everyone to celebrate with us.
   The staff and manager of the restaurant were incredibly accommodating. They knew we had reservations for 12, but didn't know we'd be getting married there!  They put us in an area, and pulled a large curtain around it, giving us a large "private room." The restaurant is "Ralph and Rich's" and we urge everyone to go there: Click for Ralph and Rich's Website.
     The ceremony was short and perfect. Mike did an amazing job. Tom and I each read our own vows, and of course, we both cried during them. It was an amazing day. That was four years ago, and we continue to grow in love with each other. We have amazing canine children (we never thought we'd have 4 dogs), great family and friends.

  

Help Save Africa's Rhinos: Donate your old GPS Unit Now

Did you know that Rhinocerouses in Africa are still being slaughtered for their horns?  Rhinos are fast becoming extinct, and a Washington, DC area resident that we were "introduced to via facebook" is leading a charge to stop it. 

   Scott Lope (via facebook) ~  is requesting people send him their old GPS Units (now that many smart phones have built in GPS, we didn't need it anymore, so we donated it).  They are being delivered to anti-poaching rangers. Scott said, "This is a REAL chance to help save the few remaining wild rhinos in South Africa from certain death at the hands of poachers." Please  dig out those old GPS units, ask your friends for theirs. 

For the mailing address: Scott Lope c/o Animal Warriors, 206 Causeway Drive, #66, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

Help prevent this from happening

A Short: "It's Monday" Commercial to see

I usually don't relate to commercials or promote them, but this "It must be Monday" spot for Excedrin (appropriately). Considering it's Monday, you may want to watch it to feel better about your own Monday!

(Link: http://youtu.be/i7ZdHAw_b6g)

Rob's 2 Cool Nephews

Brian as JFK

Scotty as "Gronk"

My (Rob) younger brother and his wife have 2 sons who are some of the smartest and most witty kids around. They love
   The first two are of Scotty and Brian dressed up for a "dress like a celebrity " day (something I love doing, but always as a superhero). Scotty dressed as a football player known as "Gronk" (I had to look it up). For those of you like me and Tom: "Gronk" is Robert James "Rob" Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989),is an American football tight end for the New England Patriots of the NFL.   Brian dressed as a young, casual John F. Kennedy.



The boys are into space, sports, cars, superheroes, reading, school, video games, the beach, and more. They each have their own sense of humor, and their favorite cartoon characters are "Hoops and YoYo." They introduced us to those two characters and we all send each other cards with the characters (all have funny sound recordings). Although we live 300 miles away, we keep up with their adventures through Facebook posts, emails and calls. Here are just a couple of recent pictures of the boys.
   The third picture is from the Pawtucket Red Sox game in Rhode Island. My brother, sister-in-law and the boys went to the minor league baseball game there to celebrate Father's Day. The picture is of Scotty and Brian with the PawSox mascot.

Hello from Dolly

Our friend Elvina calls our Dolly, our 8 1/2 year old Weimaraner, a "classy lady." We agree. We think that Dolly is one of the most beautiful weimaraners ever, and has very dainty and lady-like facial features. She's super-smart, knows lots of vocabulary words, is loving, trustworthy, affectionate and regal! I thought that this picture I took really made her look that way, so I had to post it.

Hello from Franklin!

 Franklin, our 9 year old dachshund loves to sit in the sun and soak it up, so he's been enjoying the warm weather lately. Now, if he'd only catch that second mole digging up the backyard instead of barking at it! :)

More Backyard Work!

lined the beds with small pavers

Tom continues to organize, plan, refine, construct, and beautify the backyard. Last week I put up a couple of pictures of some of the stuff that he was doing, but it wasn't completed. Here are some of the pictures of the finished projects. He lined the beds with stones that run along one fence, and around bushes and trees. He's done an amazing job!

Tom's homemade English garden

from the back fence looking toward the house

Happy birthday to Rob's Mom

Mom still loves her coffee!

Happy birthday to my (Rob) Mom. She turns 86 years old today. Of course, she lives 400 miles away, so cards, presents, and calls have to suffice - because she won't travel. Many of you know that my mom has dementia, and she can be onery (to put it lightly). As she's grown older, the person she was isn't there a whole lot.
  She's always been very feisty- and it's the Italian in her. She comes from a Boston Italian family. She's very talented with cooking, baking, sewing, making her own drapes, clothes, etc.; painting, drawing, yard work, etc. Over time, those things have waned as she has, but she's given a lot to a lot of people. Her condition makes her moods swing from high to low, and cause her to get argumentative when there's no argument, so it's difficult to talk with her and have a lucid conversation, and not get hurt by some mean things she says. But, she's still mom underneath. Happy birthday with love,  Mom! 

Some days mom  acts like she's in outer space! :)

Dad and Mom in 2006 (dad passed in 2008)

Mom at the White House

Dog Day Photos

Dolly

Every now and then I like to get a picture of each of our kids and post them all together.
Dolly, the Weimaraner always looks regal in her chair.
Sprite loves to sleep - especially since he's 16 1/2 years old. He sometimes wears tee shirts to keep him warm, since he gets cold (even in the summertime) from his kidney failure. Poor little guy.
Tyler (the black and tan) loves cuddling with all of our kids and jumped up on a chair with Franklin here.
There's nothing like the love of a dog!

Sprite

Tyler and Franklin

Video Blog! - How to Tell Time in Italy

Here's a short and funny video on You Tube that our friend Cathy sent to us: How to Tell Time in Italy. Enjoy!

LINK: http://youtu.be/mHyRCeKxhss

Go see the Man of Steel! It's Awesome!!!!!!!

Henry Cavill- an Amazing Superman!

We saw "Man of Steel" yesterday, and in my opinion, as a superhero fan for more than 40 years - Henry Cavill is the perfect Superman. The director really captured the humanity of the character, and the emotional bonds he has with his Earth parents, the Kents, and his Krypton parents. The scenes of the young Clark Kent being bullied choked me up. He held back doing anything to his tormentors and stood his ground. In one of the first appearances of Clark, he does get back at an adult bully is a fun way.

   The LA Times said in an article: Henry Cavill trained hard. For five months before filming began, and continuously during the six-month shoot, working to turn his body into something more powerful than a locomotive, a physical specimen that looks like the work of computer enhancements but isn’t. Read the full LA Times Article
Amy Adams made the perfect Lois Lane- determined, gritty, impulsive and fearless. General Zod and Faora-Ul were convincingly evil. I thought Russell Crowe did a great job as Jor-El, too.
For the official movie website:  MAN OF STEEL OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Superman and Lois Lane (Amy Adams)

  
GREAT BOX OFFICE NEWS: According to ScreenDaily,  Man of Steel has done great overseas already! 

Spurred on by Wednesday’s record opening day in the Philippines, Warner Bros Pictures International’s Man Of Steel bursts into 24 markets day-and-date with North America. The Superman tale debuts in the UK, Mexico and South Korea and grossed $1.7m on its first day in the Philippines to set a new industry opening day mark. **

  IN THE U.S.:   Man of Steel Speeds to $21 Million Box-Office Debut; Superman Flick's Opening Day Looking "Staggering" 

 Clark Kent and mom Martha Kent

  I can't wait for the sequel.
  
For a great Behind the scenes video (13 minutes long) SEE BELOW or 
CLICK THIS LINK:   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/?ref_=sr_1