Not a Walmart in sight...

Welcome to part deux of my Dartmoor post. Today we're going to talk about the stop we made in the village of Okehampton on our way to the park.

Yes I do realize Okehampton begins with an O.

Which is why I have a Plan B-

L is for Lydford Gorge

In general, when tooling around the UK, if something is a National Trust property or is in the hands of an organization known as English Heritage then it's worth a stop. If you don't know what the National Trust is hop to this post for an explanation.

We had planned to make Okehampton our first stop because we'd read a little bit about the castle that sat there once upon a time.

Technically the castle is still there.

Or what remains of it anyway.

It's origins are Norman and it dates all the way back to the 11th century.

I do love that these bits of history are not plowed under to make way for strip malls in this country. Oh I'll confess there were days when I lived in England that I missed the convenience of strip mall shopping...

Bright clear sunny blue sky days were never one of them.

It's possible to learn a new normal.

Even when you're over 40.

A helpful gentleman doling out the headphones recommended we stop at Lydford Gorge as long as we were in the neighborhood. He said there was a beautiful waterfall which we had trouble imagining but we took him at his word and headed that way.

We passed an interesting building once we got into the village of Lydford and decided to check that out first...Lydford Castle-

...which was actually Lydford Prison.

Yikes.

The description said it was the most heinous medieval prison around...

Weren't all medieval prisons heinous?

Look at me with my big smile standing in the heinous medieval prison.

Apparently the little village of Lydford was at one time a booming place.

It appears in recorded history as far back as 997.

Can you get your head around that because I have a little trouble getting my head around that?

Time to find that gorge...

The landscape didn't suggest waterfalls but then we saw the steps.

It was a long, long, long walk down.

And steep.

As in straight down.

And on that long steep walk down your thoughts become occupied with the long steep walk up.

But it was pretty and in a way this particular spot made us think of home and The Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Thoughts of home in a foreign country always catch you off guard.

We needed lunch.

We stumbled upon this little pub called The Bearslake Inn near Okehampton.

Oh my word.

Is there anything more charming than a thatched roof?

I think not.

I could have stayed right here for a while but someone was anxious to get to Dartmoor.

After all, there were moors to be hiked and sheep to be chased and wide open spaces calling our name.

"After a day's walk everything has twice its usual value."

~George Macauley Trevelyan

If you'd like to read more from the blog challenge click the A-Z button on my sidebar.

Exit here for the Wednesday Hodgepodge-Vol 22

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge...if you're visiting today from the A-Z blog challenge you'll find today's letter in question #8.

Everyone is welcome to join the Hodgepodge today and every Wednesday...the more the merrier! Here are my answers to this week's questions-

1. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time or have a significant conversation with two people?

I like the idea of talking to a lot of people but I think in reality I usually end up having conversations with just a few. Define significant.

2. What objects do you remember from your parent's living room?

The living room was sort of off limits to us kids so we didn't spend a lot of time in there unless we had company or there was a special occasion. It wasn't that we were forbidden from being in there but the room was always neat as a pin and full of nice things so we didn't hang out in there on any sort of regular basis. One thing that stands out would be the end tables which were Japanese and shaped like a cube. When my parents would go out my older sister and brother would turn the stereo up to LOUD and my younger sister and I would each stand on an end table and play the part of go-go dancer. Hi Mom! Did you know this before you read my blog today?

3. Do you hog the bed, steal the covers, snore?

I am only guilty of one of these behaviors....if you're my same age or close to it then you know I'm not stealing covers because hello-I'm always hot. And I think my hubs is more of a bed hog than me. He likes to be close when we're sleeping but did you read what I just said about the joys of mid-life? That just leaves snoring. So I guess that answers that.

4. Speaking of Easter dinner...what is your favorite way to cook/eat lamb? Or does just the thought of that make you squeamish? If you're not cooking lamb what will be your entree du jour on Easter Sunday?

I love lamb. We ate a lot more lamb when we lived in the UK because it was so available and not as expensive as what I have to pay here. I love rack of lamb and if that's on the menu in a restaurant I'll order it. I've never actually cooked it myself.

My favorite lamb dish to prepare at home would be grilled lamb chops. I usually brush them with a little olive oil and add some garlic and rosemary. Yum! We also like to have the butcher butterfly a leg of lamb and then we grill that with similar seasonings. I am hoping to serve that for Easter dinner this year. Most years we have a baked ham which is also good.

5. Let's throw some politics into this week's mix...oooooohh....Do you know the whereabouts of your birth certificate and when was the last time you had to produce it to prove you're you?

I know precisely where my birth certificate is and I've had it out as recently as a month ago. Hubs company did an audit of their insurance program and all dependents had to prove they were legal dependents. This involved handing over my birth certificate along with our marriage certificate. I know many companies are doing this now. We also needed our birth certificate to obtain visas and work permits in the UK so we've actually had ours out quite a bit in recent years.

6. As a child, how did people describe you?

Talkative.

Very very talkative.

And if you're my mother you might answer talkative and stubborn.

7. What do you complain about the most?

I am not a complainer by nature, at least I try really hard not to be. If I have to give an answer I'd say it's a toss up between the way my body is rebelling at growing older and the yahoos in Washington DC.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm once again using today's random space for my A-Z blurb. If you want to read all my A-Z posts to date (and why wouldn't you?) then go here.

K is for Kew Gardens.

Situated in southwest London these amazing gardens are over 250 years old and definitely worth a visit if you're spending time in the UK. I've been many times and there is always something to see and enjoy but, today I'm going to share just a few pictures from a fabulous exhibit I saw at Kew way back in October of 2005.

A kaleidescope of color.

It wasn't called that but it could have been.

The famed glass sculptor, Dale Chihuly, created a series of spectacular designs which were then spread around the 300 acres of gardens as well as inside some of the glass houses for which Kew is known. This was the first time I'd ever seen any of his work up close and I was an instant fan. Since then I've seen more pieces in several famous hotels and museums. Coincidentally my husband took this next picture just a couple of weeks ago at the Atlantis Palm Hotel in Dubai.

His work is easily recognizable and absolutely beautiful, especially when viewed up close.

Chihuly is a native of Washington State.

If you have a chance to see some of his creations, definitely go.

I love these blue herons-

...and the gorgeous color of the glass trumpet flowers-

and this extraordinary creation...

This ended up being more about Chihuly than Kew but rest assured, any day spent exploring Kew gardens is a good day. This special exhibit just made our visit doubly nice.

To read more about the A-Z blog challenge click the button on my sidebar

J is for I'll give you three guesses...

If you're here today looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions you'll find them at the end of this post. First things first...my A-Z challenge post...click the button on my sidebar to read more.

J is for Jersey

How can it not be?

I don't really think of myself as a Jersey girl even though approximately one third of my life has been spent living in various parts of this state.

What is a Jersey girl anyway?

Nails done, big hair, tight clothes, popping gum and foul mouth?

That's the stereotype isn't it?

And if you happen to have your own reality show then maybe that definition fits.

But me?

Not so much.

Not at all in fact.

And its also not true for most of the 'Jersey Girls' I know.

I grew up in South Jersey and have lived two different times now in North Jersey. North and South Jersey are seen by the 'natives' almost like they're two different states. The first time I lived in North Jersey I'd hear friends say they were going 'down below' and I always wanted to ask 'down below where?' I figured out pretty quickly they were not referring to the Mason Dixon line. Going down below meant they were headed somewhere south of the imaginary border that separates the Northern part of the state from the Southern part of the state. South Jersey feels the influence of Philadelphia while North Jersey feels the influence of New York and they are most definitely not the same thing.

Do people in NJ have an accent?

Of course, but generally its not as harsh as television likes to portray it.

Generally.

ahem.

I will tell you that no one says Joisy unless they're joking. And speaking as someone who has lived a few places around the globe, everyone has an accent.

I get asked at least once a week if I'm from the south.

I love the reaction when I say yes...South Jersey.

Since I'm educating you on the finer points of a real Jersey girl here are a few things I've observed and we'll see if I qualify...

Jersey girls love their families-check

Jersey girls love the 'shore'...check

We could call it a beach if we wanted to.

Jersey girls love 'The Boss'-check.

I shouldn't need to say it but I will...Springsteen is "The Boss"

Jersey girls know their exit-check.

You might need to be a Jersey girl to understand that one.

Jersey girls know how to confidently navigate their car around a circle-check

Circles are known as roundabouts in other parts of the world.

Jersey girls know where to get a good bagel-check.

Jersey girls don't pump their own gas-check.

Very happily checked I might add.

Jersey girls know there is more to the landscape here than the industrial and sometimes questionable bit you see as you go up and down the turnpike-check.

It is the Garden State and I've got the fox, deer, and bear in my back yard to prove it.

Hmmm...I guess there is a little of the Jersey Girl in me after all.

And now...here are the question's for this week's Hodgepodge.

Don't even think about not coming back here tomorrow (Wednesday) to link answers.

Remember...I'm from Jersey.

I might know people.

1. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time or have a significant conversation with two people?

2. What objects do you remember from your parent's living room?

3. Do you hog the bed? Steal the covers? Snore?

4. Speaking of Easter dinner....what is your favorite way to cook/eat lamb? Or does just the thought of that make you squeamish? If you're not cooking lamb what will be your entree du jour on Easter Sunday?

5. Let's throw some politics into this week's mix-oooohhh...Do you know the whereabouts of your birth certificate and when was the last time you had to produce it to prove you're you?

6. As a child, how did people describe you?

7. What do you complain about the most?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Here's a little pre-Hodgepodge random...it seemed appropriate-

Eye on I

I need to talk about some other goings on around here besides where our travels have taken us these past twenty+ years. Since it goes against my nature not to carry on with the alphabet challenge I'm going to attempt a little bit of both here today...how about a game of I Spy?

I spy...Home Improvement.

Yes we are still in the middle of multiple projects around here.

I'm not going to post pictures until things are more complete but you should know that at one point on Friday I had the tiler here, someone else arrived to measure for the new shower doors, still more people turned up to deliver the furniture we'd ordered for Daughter1's bedroom, and our lawn guys decided the yard needed tending at that precise moment too.

It was like the perfect storm only it involved trucks in our driveway.

I spy...a Tennessee Volunteer

a whole 'nest' of them in fact...

...in Red Square

Hubs arrived home Friday after a week in Moscow with this matryoshka doll...isn't it funny to think Moscovites know the Vols?

I do believe they are working to embrace capitalism.

That's hubs on the left standing with a dear Russian gentleman who worked for my brother in law when he was living in Moscow not too many years ago.

They've stayed in touch and hubs was able to spend some time with him on his most recent trip.

I spy...the last (hopefully!) remnant of snow in our driveway.

How pathetic is that?

I spy...ice cream.

Coconut-yum!

Eaten at an outdoor table under sunny skies makes it taste even better.

In case you're wondering-the pup had plain vanilla.

And because I know some of you would be disappointed if I ended this post without a travel blurb here you go...

I is for The London "Eye"

Oh I love clever.

Most people visiting London take a spin on the Eye.

You can't miss it...a ginormous Ferris wheel like structure sitting beside the Thames. We have taken many a spin with many a house guest and I guess 'spin' isn't really the right word. Technically you are moving in a circular motion but it takes thirty minutes to go around.

Whew, we're high.

The pods are nice and roomy and they're not crammed full of people...you can move around and see the city and beyond from every direction.

If you happen to be in London on a crystal clear day the views from the Eye are pretty incredible....

Even my mom joined us one year...

that's the top third of her face in the corner there.

I think the photographer was focused on the view.

Which is fabulous....

On a day like this one, not so much....

As long as you're in the neighborhood might as well give that crazy bungee thing a whirl...this would be Daughter2.

Of course it would.

Do I even need to say it?

I heart London.

Really I do.

If you'd like to read more from the blog challenge click the A-Z button on my sidebar.

Off with her head

I hope you're hanging in there with me as I travel through the alphabet during the month of April. We're up to letter H so we're about a third of the way there.

A third?

That's all?

Really?

Really.

H is for Hever Castle

And Henry the VIIIth who was one heck of a husband.

I'm back in the county of Kent with today's letter H.

Daughter2 graduated from high school back in 2008 and my mother came to the UK to celebrate with us. We spent one day visiting Hever Castle which was Anne Boleyn's childhood home.

The oldest part of the castle dates all the way back to 1270 but it was in the 1500's that the Tudor residence was added and it became Anne's home.

Somewhere along the way the castle passed into the hands of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

Mind that gate now girls...

Decades passed (centuries actually) and in the early 19oo's the Astor family put some money and some time, but especially some money, into restoring the castle and grounds and creating the gardens and lake. Upkeep on a castle does not come cheap ya know. The house has been open to the public since 1983.

Gorgeous gardens sit on what was once marshland.

William Waldof Astor had a large collection of Italian sculpture some of which you can see if you visit the Italian garden.

There is also a walled rose garden which contains over 4000 plants, many water features and even a fountain whose design is based on Rome's Trevi fountain.

There's more... a Tudor garden, a rhododendron walk and also an area known as Anne Boleyn's walk with its collection of trees that are over 100 years old.

I like beautiful gardens in case you haven't figured that out by now.

We usually see Henry VIIIth pictured as he was in later years...

Rotund.

Apparently though, he was quite handsome in his youth and he was a powerful and charismatic man. He was also a royal which has always held a certain appeal for some women I suppose. And of course we're also talking about the 15th and 16th centuries, a time when women didn't have a whole lot to say about who they were going to marry.

If your name was Anne or Catherine I think your odds of becoming the king's wife were better than most.

Since Henry had a few wives its sometimes hard to keep the order straight.

It goes like this-

Catherine of Aragon

Anne Boleyn

Jane Seymour

Anne of Cleves

Catherine Howard

Catherine Parr

Here's another way of remembering them...

with a rhyme most English school children learn somewhere along the way-

Divorced, beheaded, died

Divorced, beheaded, survived.

Yup.

That about sums it up.

If you'd like to join the blog challenge click the A-Z button on my sidebar for info and links.

Opa!

G is for Greece

More specifically Athens but using that city for the letter A didn't occur to me until we arrived at the letter G.

Opa!

The word Opa! is an exclamation of joy, kind of like hooray.

We went to Athens one warm week in August, 2005.

Much of the city clears out in August so we didn't run into big crowds or tons of traffic which is evidently common when the residents are in town.

We stayed in a beautiful hotel beside the sea and spent much of our week right here...sitting beside this pool reading, napping, swimming and occasionally climbing the ladder into the clear blue waters of the Aegean.

The pool was salt water.

This is something you figure out when you open your eyes under water sans goggles.

Opa!

We ate a lot of Greek Salads...that never gets old.

Nor does the view.

Opa!

One thing you should know...

it's mighty hot in Athens in August.

But we forged ahead and we hiked ourselves up to the Acropolis.

Don't you kind of have to when you're in Athens?

It was hot, the steps were marble and the steps were many but look-

everybody's smiling.

Opa!

The views from that Greek hilltop?

Amazing.

They pack a lot into the space around this city don't they?

Almost half the population of Greece lives in Athens.

We also made a stop at the Olympic Stadium.

Hmmm...

Why was the 17-year old not getting with the program here?

Could it be because she was 17?

Opa!

Teenage girls can also be completely precious,

case in point...

I'd love to put us all back on that wall for just a moment.

Opa!

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Today's post is brought to you by the letter F

F is for Chelsea

Yes that makes perfect sense.

I'm talking about the Chelsea Flower Show.

Listen, this A-Z thing is a lot of work.

Besides remembering which letter of the alphabet we're on, and then actually writing the post, I'm also sorting and scanning a bajillion pictures. And I know its only Day 7 but I'm pretty sure I've already used more than my alloted number of words.

On to the letter of the day which is F.

Which stands for The Chelsea Flower Show.

Keep up folks!

I thought if I chose to blog about a Flower Show the post might just write itself.

You know... Look! Flowers!

Pretty!

My blog brain is tired.

circa May 2007

The show is held in London for five days every May on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and is one of the

premiere garden events in the world.

I attended with friends which just happens to be another great f word.

I really hope that last sentence doesn't bring out creepy stalkers in my google search engine.

When I look at that picture and see those faces I think about how we've scattered to the four corners since that day...one to Asia, one to the US West Coast, me to the US East coast and one who has made two moves somewhere in between.

The world feels so big some

times.

Besides all the purty flowers there were an awful lot of people at the show.

You have to buy tickets in advance and I think it always sells out which means they can't squeeze one more soul into this space.

It was also H-O-T so we may have needed to break for a glass of Pimms.

I haven't seen these three girls in a couple of years but they peek at my blog from time to time. Won't they be hopefully pleasantly surprised to discover they're famous?

I'm supposed to be talking about the Chelsea Flower Show aren't I?

Most of the show is actual gardens created by some very talented gardeners.

Visitors walk around and admire the beauty and creativity on display and come away with fabulous ideas for their gardens at home.

This photograph was taken in front of one of the indoor displays.

Something was precious but thanks to my stellar photography skills I am not sure now what that might have been.

Time spent at the flower show with friends perhaps?

That's special.

And a memory.

And is indeed precious.

If you'd like to join the blog challenge click the A-Z button on my sidebar for more information and linking.