Roman Bath

Roman Bath, England You can't go wrong with UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as Bath, England. Bath is a beautiful city with so many attractions; e.g. The Crescent and The Circus, Jane Austen sites and Bath Abbey. The well-preserved Roman Baths are a must-see. Thought for the Day: The saying "Getting there is half the …

Hand Cart

Avebury, England The sight of this old hand cart reminded me of the classic Radio Flyer Red Wagon I had as a kid. Well, sort of. My metal wagon had a handle and four wheels too, just like this cart. My wagon is probably buried in a land fill somewhere, totally "recycled" by now. This …

Church Pews

Abbey Pew - Bath England People were much smaller when this church was built over 500 years ago -- they could fit into the narrow space between the partititons. What I found interesting was the "need" for those partitions. Some form of "social distancing"? Thought for the day: Whatever you are, be a good one.Abraham …

Croquet

1950's croquet set The history of croquet is long and storied, going back to the Middle Ages. Today's game of croquet was introduced to England in 1852 by Ireland who called it "crooky". The game's popularity spread and became a primary social activity of England's "leisure class" by 1860. The game's popularity spread around the …

Drive Carefully

We were exploring Hadrian's Wall in northern England, the most northern border of the Roman Empire. The small town of Brampton was our destination for the night. At the outskirts of town, where the speed limit dropped from 45 to 30 km/hr, I found this sign. It had obviously been altered ... neatly, not vandalized. …

Bobby’s Helmet

The bobby's helmet rested on the corner post of a lonely bench in back of Beatrix Potter's home in England's Lake District.  The bobby (slang for English police officer) was no where to be found. The rainy day did nothing to discourage visitors to the site; there was a steady stream of hardy souls wandering …

St. Peters Church, England

About thirty miles west of London and just south of Newbury in Hampshire County on highway A339 is the small village of Headley.  Very quaint. It seemed as every business in town was named "Headley"; e.g. Headley Tyre, Headley Stud and Headley House.  Even the church had the Headley name on it, but I found …

Steventon, England

The Church of St. Nicholas, where Jane Austen's father preached and she worshiped as a child, is located in a rural setting near the small town of Steventon in Hampshire County, England.  Jane Austen was born in 1775. The original structure of this church was built centuries before Austen's birth.  I marveled at the still-sturdy …

Salisbury House and Gardens

Hard to believe I was in Des Moines, Iowa when I took this picture.  The Salisbury House is an exact duplicate of the King's House (owner's name, not title) located in Salisbury, England.  The vegetation, layout, grounds and even the weather made me think I was in the UK. Carl Weeks, who made his fortune …

Petanque

Petanque?  "What the heck is petanque?", I asked the chap at the bar during a mid-afternoon break of touring Bath, England.   He and his mates were getting very worked up over opening night of Bath's Petanque League.  Between fight songs with his petanque team mates, he tried to explain it.  It sounded something like …