Quick Successions: New Mexico Edition

Friday was my birthday. It's a hard time a year to have a birthday if you revolve around school. We started class this week and we were tired and stressed from trying to get used to a new schedule. My boss made me a chocolate cake and I ate it with my colleagues. Brian and Hannah brought me flowers at work. Brian and Hannah also made me a mint ice cream brownie. I was able to talk to my sister and my friend in Utah on the phone. While I was talking, Brian and Hannah went to sleep and didn't wake up until about 8 p.m. That was too late to go to dinner so we finished the pot roast I made earlier in the week, ate the brownie and called it good. Brian ordered me several pairs of shoes online and let me pick the ones I wanted to keep. The best was a pair of black sandals. I wore out my old ones this summer. I had them for three years, so they had a good life. On Saturday, we returned the rejected shoes and then went to a birthday party for a 2-year old in Hannah's nursery clas...

We ended up in St. Louis at the end of this week and so we decided to go into the Gateway Arch and see what the zoo had to offer while we were here.  What a great summer this has been. So sad that school starts for Brian and I on Monday.   You can see me in my white shirt and Hannah in her lime green one at the base of the arch. Here we are looking over the city from the top of the arch. Picture with mom. Picture with dad. The inside of the arch at the bottom has a visitor's center. We ate at this restaurant. Brian and I watch Food Network sometimes and this was one of the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives profiled. The food was good.  Here are the pictures for the zoo. It was hot at the zoo, about 100 degrees, but we managed okay. My favorite animals at the zoo are the giraffes, Brian likes the elephants, and Hannah said her favorites were the flamingos. I was so excited that in St. Louis we saw a cardinal. I don't have comments a...

We rode the train back down from Scotland on a Saturday. It was crowded and much less pleasant than the weekday ride up. When we returned to King's Cross, we had a little time, so I talked Brian into pulling our bags a mile a so in order to see the Charles Dickens museum on Fleet Street. Dickens was born in Portsmouth, but he lived in London as an adult. This was the house he lived in for a few years after he became famous. The museum staff let us stash our bags while we walked through and we took a few photos of me kickin' it in Charles' house. He would have needed my help. He had about 10 children. His sister-in-law was actually named Mary and she lived there and helped out.  I liked that there was so much blue china in the house. I would not say I collect it, but I have quite a few pieces. This made me glad that I have my amazing laundry system at home. Dickens was a famous writer, but he was also a famous reader. He traveled and read his work and he also re...

We left for Scotland from King's Cross Station. This is where Harry Potter left to go to Hogwarts. This is not the station they used in the movies, but it is the one where people go to get their picture taken as they make use of platform 9 3/4. I got Brian just before he went in. :)  The train ride was very pleasant. We rode in the club car (where they sell the food) and it was quite quiet. The train went through several other places including York and Newcastle (where Lydia moved with Mr. Wickham after their scandalously patched up marriage in Pride and Prejudice).  The ride took a little less than four hours.  There are a lot of statues on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Some of my favorites are of David Hume (above) and Adam Smith (below). Hume was a philosopher and Smith was an economist. Smith is also buried in a cemetery that Brian and I happened upon in Scotland. Brian kept wanting picture in these booths. I could figure out what they were for. He sai...

The second day of the Castle Conference is an afternoon off. The organizers always offer a bus tour, people can find their own way, or they can stay behind. In the past, Brian and I have taken a day trips to Brighton and Portsmouth. This year, we went to Hastings.  While we were there, we toured Hastings Castle. William of Normandy ordered it to be built in 1066 before he actually fought the Saxons in a place a few miles away called Battle. Storms have weathered the sandstone walls and the French have attacked it a few times, but it is still pretty cool. Here I am sitting on a rock on the castle grounds. Here's a better picture of the ruins. King Brian entering the great hall.  Hastings is also home to St. Clements' Caves. Apparently the British people didn't like taxes any more than their American cousins, so they smuggled goods into their country for years and years to avoid tariffs. The caves have also served as a "lover's lane," a ...

The conference we go to every year is held at Herstmonceaux Castle. This is a Tudor building. It is unusual as a such because it is made of brick, an uncommon material at the time. It was constructed for comfort more than defense and was home to one of Henry VI's treasurers. For several about 30 years it was a Royal Observatory (1957-1988), but now it hosts Queen's university's study abroad program (Canadian university). One of the scholars in our community works at Queen's University and he arranges for the conference to be here. The castle has been in several movies and was part of a Harry Potter sweepstakes promotion.  There are a number of very fine statues on the grounds. Some are permanently installed and others are for sale. They are too expensive for me, but I like them.  Here is the observatory. There is a pretty good wikipedia entry about the Castle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herstmonceux_Castle The conference lasts three days....