My dad and stepmom, just left after a two week visit with us. Dad adventurously rented a car and drove 1400 miles without an incident! They spent a week up here in Whitehaven participating in our weekly activities and exploring some of the Lake District as well. Nathan was happy to have another male to kick the soccer ball, watch him at practice and take him to the driving range. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather left when they arrived and just returned yesterday.

Knowing that weather can't prevent you from exploring over here we headed out for a picnic to a waterfall at Wasdale Head.

Dad, Margaret and I took a day trip to Keswick to see Castlerigg Stonecircle which is smaller than Stonehenge but similar in purpose and look. Dad said he could check that one off his list and didn't need to see the infamous Stonehenge.

They got to experience a nailbiting soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea for the Champions League Cup televised from Moscow. The game went into over time and then a shoot out with our team, Man U, on top! Can't leave England without one of those experiences.

On Friday afternoon just after school, we all drove south to the Cotswolds in the midlands of England. Unsure of where we were going, Julieanne had told her friends she was spending the half term break in the "Cotton swabs" which of course they had never heard of. The Cotswolds is an area that spans about 78 miles, mostly farmland with open plateaus known as 'wolds'. It's been inhabited about 6000 years with well preserved quaint towns and villages that thrived because of the wool market in the Middle Ages. The buildings and countless stone walls are all made of the signature honey colored Cotswold stone.

On our one and only sunny and dry day we checked out Warwick Castle, great Medieval castle belonging to The Earls of Warwick, heavyweights in England's brutal political battles. One of the most famous Earls was Richard Nevill, known as the 'kingmaker' becasue he was supposedly so powerful he helpd depose Henry VI and Edward IV. Another Earl executed Joan of Arc. Though the castle had many artifacts that were impressive the kids weren't enthralled with 800 year old tapestries that king whoever had touched.

They did enjoy that it was a hands on type of place because a wax museum filled the rooms with historical figures and scenes. We were there during a jousting tournament so the place was teeming with folks in period costume. The coolest part was the gi-normous catapult! They had people inside these giant wheels (think hamster wheel) powering the catapult before it's launch. During the Middle Ages when seiging a city, a favored launch item was dead, rotting pigs as they of course stunk to high heavens and spread disease if they happened to land in a water supply. Nice.

As influential as Shakespeare is even today, his town, Stratford Upon Avon, we enjoyed the least, not because of him but because of it's touristy feel. The kids enjoyed the baby swans that entertained us during our picnic and the buildings were really cool. Like my fasination with our Cumbrian sheep, I was real impressed with the thatched roofs. Strangely enough they were outlawed during Shakespeare's day because of fire prevention.

If the kids weren't impressed with Queen Anne's bed, then they weren't going to be that enamured with green colored 'healing' water in the 1st century Roman baths but we still went. Mr. Engineer, Dennis, was intrigued by the complexities of the excavated Roman baths.

No doubt a highlight was just taking little hikes from town to town in the Cotswolds. We took the public footpaths which are just public right of ways that take you beside farmlands and through sheep pastures (like walking through a land mine) beside lazy rivers, and beautiful flowers.

This picture of the kids came from Bourton on the Water which the guidebook described as ruined by tourism. If they think this is touristy they would cringe at the sight of Gatlinburg or Myrtle Beach!

On our drive home, we stopped in Oxford to visit Magdalen College where, family favorite, C.S. Lewis was a professor. Unlike US universities, Oxford is made up of 36 colleges dispersed throughout the city. The 'campus' of Magdalen College had a deer meadow, canal with canoes, walks, grassy quads, gardens and of course majestic towers, halls and buildings. Strolling through there in the misty rain sparked some good conversations witht the girls on careers and colleges. Unfortunately for Na all he will remember is throwing up near the entrance since he had a stomach bug that day. (Driving home in the rain throwing up every hour and a half isn't so fun but he was a trooper!)

Did you know that in the back of Dennis 'dreams' he would love to be a professor? Thinking back on readings about Lewis and his inspirational group of friends, The Inklings, made the college more 'alive' for Dennis. He would be a great professor!

While Nathan recovered the rest of the week at home, the girls helped our church with a holiday kids club for a nearby village. The Vacation Bible School style club was a real hit and the girls were glad to be a part of it.

Reluctantly, they all returned to school Monday for the final 6 weeks. It was an especially good break connecting with the kids.

Thanks Dad and Margaret for putting up with our late departures each day and meandering through cities. We had a fun visit!