Everywhere - More People!

The husband-wife relationship has brightened. I attribute that to keeping my mouth shut since most of the trouble happens when I open it.

Anyway, yesterday, we had the fun of an out of London tour. We checked with the hotel concierce and they set us up with Evanevans.co.uk/ as our tour guide. The tour is an early anniversary gift from our kids. It was appreciated very much because there is no way we would have done this on our own. It will always be remembered as the highlight of our time in the United Kingdom. Thanks Marie, Karla, Chris, Kim, Tony, Klint, Calli and Kris!

After catching a cool taxi ride to our pick-up point we stopped by a great smelling fast food place (smelled like roasting turkey) and waited for the tour bus. It was called Pret. (oh! a website!) What great food! Sandwiches and breakfast breads were what I noticed but they also have salads and dessert style goodies too. The sandwiches are great for picking up and taking to work. I wished that we had picked out a lunch to bring with us on the tour. If Pret does not sell all their sandwiches at the end of the day, they give it all to charity. No day old sandwiches, no sell by or use by dates on the items since they are made on fresh bread, fresh each morning. I was impressed. They have a little booklet in their store that gives pointers on eating good and healthy including some really good quotes! So I stuck one into my pocket and am sharing information from that.

I wondered if they were in America, but their booklet says:

"Pret does not want to franchise, so please don't call us and ask for a franchise because we don't. We really don't. We don't like to franchise so we don't."

Not sure if they franchise or not, I see a website....with, usa site... contact us, hmmm.

They also have this:

"We're always looking for new, homemade, delicious, natural ingredients. Do you have a friend or neighbour who makes something that you think would be great at Pret? Anything from jam to sausages? Please let us know or get them to cal us."

One of the quotes in their booklet:

"The idols of today are unmistakeable--- self-esteem without effort, fame without achievement, sex without consequences, wealth without responsibility, pleasure without struggle and experience without commitment." Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Sacks

Pret is great! It has ideas that are really working towards fast, fresh, healthy lunches. Good stuff!

Our first stop was Windsor Castle, the home of the Queen (who was away visiting in Scotland). It looks like a fairy-tale castle to me. But then I have this idea in my head from childhood stories and movies. It has sparked a desire to read about England's history, especially the leaders in England's history.

Off to the Georgian Baths. These were built by the Romans during the time they ruled England. (Sorry, not good on remembering dates.) We saw lots of decaying stones and the baths were green with algae.

The Roman's worshipped and sacrificed to a goddess here too. I wondered about the sacrifices. I wondered about the slaughter stones I saw people laying their hands on. I got the creeps thinking about them being slaughter stones. I remembered reading about the Roman's sacrificing unwanted babies to their gods. Something weird, I thought I could even hear babies sceaming and asked my husband if he could hear that. He had not heard anything until I pointed it out then he said, "Weird." I know ---it's my wild imagination. I didn't really care for this part of the tour.

The baths made you wonder what sort of things went on in them. They claimed some came here in ancient times for the "healing waters." I looked at the water and thought, I probably get sick if I touched it.

Anyway, they have built new baths now and one can arrange to spend nights there and use the baths that are pools filled with hot water from under the ground. We have hot mineral springs in Alaska that I have had the pleasure of soaking in before. The Roman's health actually faded using these old baths since their pools were filled with hot water coming in through lead pipes which we saw!

One hour beyond the baths was Stonehenge. On the way there our guide pointed out the gigantic chalk drawing of a horse in the distant hills. That is impressive and also makes you wonder who did and how did they do the drawings. I tried to get a picture but the bus was not stopping along the way and I got a picture of a blurry tree. One of many blurry trees since this trip began.

Stonehenge is a wonder. All that is related to this site makes one wonder. I wonder what, I wonder who and I wonder how. The rocks are called blue rocks. They look grey now but they say if you were to scrape the rock it would be blue. We could not get up close to the stones but only look from a distance. There are lots of birds there.

Could all these things be what is left of the peoples that were the result of the sons of God having babies with the beautiful daughters of men? This was briefly mentioned in the Old Testament in Genesis before the Great Flood. That makes more sense to me than people taming wooly mammoths to drag these stones 240 miles from Wales to this site. That's a long way for so many stones for little people. (I was amazed at the little suits or armor we saw at the Windsor Castle.)

"When men began to increase in number on the earth and the daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days---and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." Genesis 6:2-4

In my own little opinion, I don't think that little people could make all this stuff, but "men of renown" could.

We have not been to the Tower of London yet where Queen's heads did roll. I have seen London Bridge from a distance and we plan to make a trip of seeing the Tower and the Bridge before we leave here.

Tourism in England is alive and well everyone! There are so many people everywhere we go! A shuttle driver told us that London has 9+ million people living here but he felt that this number would dwindle since everything is so costly for living here.

Cheers!

We made it to London.

The flight over was great since I got to fly over in the same plane and beside Doug. I have to comment on all that. Doug was being sent to London in first class and so when he went to purchase a ticket for me (mileage) he didn't realize that he was being sent that way until he went to pick out our seats. Of course he wanted to sit with me, since I am his wife, but he probably would have had a more peaceful flight if he didn't sit by me. Having said that I should also mention that I guess we are having "too much time together" problems right now.

Anyway, back when he went to make seat selections for all the flights he saw that he had first class seats,(or business first if flying to UK) and I had coach seats. Some of our flights ended up having to be on different planes to begin with, that was to be expected since Doug's workplace purchased his tickets and he was using our mileage accumulated to get a ticket for me.

After all was settled it turned out that I was able to accompany him when I had finally told him I won't travel unless we travel together or in my other words "I won't travel unless he pays through the nose." I am a most horrible woman it turns out. I see that about me when I make demands such as that. I would have been perfectly happy to stay at home this whole time, let me mention that ---in my own defense. My weak flesh feels as though I should defend myself as I sit here in the hotel all alone. I admit, without embarrassment, that I am a weak person.

So what put me into this mood?

Me, myself and I.

After we got into London yesterday --- (as I was saying) early in the morning we met Gatwick Airport and all those people! People. People and more people. Did I mention the people? Yes, people of every type bumped and brushed against me there.

It was hot and we had all of our luggage and no connections to the hotel we were to go. (Because of a traveling email problems Doug could not confirm with the " transportation service people" where they should be when we got into London). Poor Doug got it all figured out while I kept a watchful eye out for anything suspicious and our luggage, as we read to do in all those airport security posts. While I stood and waited I was shocked to see Gatwick airport's security walking about loaded with guns and ammunition, not holstered let me also say, but at the ready for any disturbances.

We had a pleasant ride on the Gatwick Transit, or Rail. Our first glimpses of London left me with images of lots of close together brick buildings and moss growing on them. We had sunshine and not the rain that I have always pictured London to be gloomy with. Green and sunny here. Right now the sun is shining but every so often we see a heavy rainshower with sun still out.

Things are expensive here. Food prices here where we are always surprises us. I think I will continue with a "Food Costs Way Too Much To Eat It Diet."

When we got to our hotel we did not have a room because we got in way too early so they graciously (thanks Hotel Service People) stored our luggage and we took a taxi to St. Paul's Cathedral to hear their Sunday service. I have wanted to hear a boys choir in a cathedral and I got it. It was not just a boys choir, but it was a children's choir, although I saw some adult's in it too. They were having a communion service while we were there.

To help keep this post from being too long I will say that the rest of the afternoon was great. We walked down to the Thames Path from there. Saw the London Bridge from a distance. I did not want to walk all the way to the bridge since we were walking back to our hotel too, which was many bridges in the opposite direction.. .many, many, many bridges away.

I saw The Tower of Big Ben, Winchester Cathedral, the London Eye, and of course the Thames River. Things I never, ever dreamed of seeing.

More another time.

Cheers!

Galveston, Texas

Picture of downtown Houston as we drove out of town, South. (Notice me... "south">

We rented a car soon as Doug got out of his meetings yesterday and took a drive down to Galveston. We drove and drove down I-45 and got to the end and found access to the beach. (Lots of places to access it but have to pay 8.00 to park there!) Finally found a free parking spot and we were right on the beach.

It was sort of cloudy and with the AC going it felt like I should grab a sweater to get out next to the windy ocean,but I opened the door and swoosh in came the humid heat! I love it!

We walked down to the beach and I took off my sandals and got into the ocean. It is the warmest ocean I have ever experienced! It was impressive. I wish my whole family could be here to enjoy it...maybe someday!

Doug and I taking a self-portrait. I am just about too short to make it into the picture. We had a beautiful sunset and then we stopped by Landry's Seafood House in Galveston and had a great seafood dinner. YUM YUM!

Today, after Doug finishes up work related stuff, we still have one more day to use the car before we give it back, then we will pack and be on our way again.

Houston has been great!

Waiting Patiently

(Picture was taken flying out of Seattle, Washington.)

I see on wunderground.com that at home they are still getting lots of rain, at least in the Valley where we live.

After we got down here we heard that there has not been much rain in the Houston area and that they needed more to replenish their water supplies. We were excited to watch a lightning storm here that brought lots of rain that night and most of the next day. Lately in Alaska there have been more lightning storms but not like what we saw down here! We turned off the room lights, opened up the drapes and ooo'ed and awe'd over each flash of light. So much power there! Too bad it cannot be caught and saved! Figure out a way to stick a tall lightning-grabbing rod to our electric cars then ---zap and thunder--- charged batteries!

Sarah Palin (YIPPEEE) is doing good in the political races so far! I was happy to read that in USA Today. We voted Absentee before we left Alaska. I have not heard if Ballot Measure 2 passed or failed yet.

I have been enjoying Omni Hotel's pool-side here. I almost burned myself being out there too long on Tuesday! Doug is in meetings all day and when he gets out wants to be outdoors too. Yesterday we went down to the pool and he went swimming and then fell asleep out in the evening sun while I waited for him and watched ants crawling all around the patio blocks. It is so nice to be warm! The ants can't be out during the day, the blocks are too hot, so they come out in the evening.

I brought two beading projects with me to work on while I wait for Doug each day but I still have not even touched them. I have enjoyed being in this luxury hotel very much!

Yesterday I sort of had to wait a while for Room Service to get my pizza up here. First I was positive they forgot my order. I called them after I had been watching a movie and noticed that it had been over an hour since I called them. My tummy was reminding me of the time by then too! I called and asked, "So how's that pizza coming along?" She says, "Just about done, M'am, it will be on it's way up in about 15 minutes." Quiet as I looked at the time. "15 minutes?" "Yes M'am." "Well, it's getting so close to dinner I am going to cancel the room service order." "Do you want to talk to the manager, or will you wait another 15 minutes?" I just could not give up the thought of eating that hot pizza. "Okay, I will wait."

I got busy reading, emailing and surfing. (I love having my computer here with me.) Soon my tummy knocks and says, "Hell- LOW????" I checked the time. "My word! It's been over two hours!" Just about that time the Food Service MANAGER calls, "Hello M'am, did you order pizza?" I very cooly, calmly and collectedly said, "Yes, over two hours ago." "We are so sorry," he began, "first we lost your order then we lost your room number and then the girl says she knows your last name began with "V" so we started calling guest rooms."

Anyway! I finally got pizza, free. I also got a free complimentary breakfast.

So, I get a free breakfast this morning --- all for waiting so patiently.