England's North

About midway through our stay in England Susan and I made the decision to concentrate our travels in the north.  We did have a long list of places in the south we had hoped to visit -- Stratford, Bristol, The Cotswolds, Cambridge, Dartmoor -- but having only three-day weekends to travel we decided instead to save the south of England for a later visit.  Here are a few highlights of our final few weeks.

It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.

Learning how they made millions of bobbins every day for the thousands of mills was fascinating.

We learned that a moor is a featureless, barren felltop.  Or in American, it's a cold, windy mountain crest where it is easy to get lost.

 

We watched canalboats using locks to climb over the Pennine Mountain range.

Closer to home we hiked in Arneside and Silverdale, but...

...we obeyed the speed limit.

An old cemetery by the sea not far from home.

England!

We watched England beat South Africa at Cricket.

It was a short match-up.  8 hours.

Twice, I took an early train to London.

To give sourdough workshops at Selfridge's, one of London's poshest department stores.

There were whole rooms just for watches that cost 10,000 quid.

Workshop 1: Fermentation.

Workshop 2: Dough.

We are going to miss Lancaster.  A lot.

Bruno teaching Sue how to make long distance phone calls.

On the canal at the end of the block.

Sue and John launching a daring rescue of Dexter's soccer ball from the sewer.

I know it is an advertisement.  For what though?

I agree.

We sail off tomorrow.  Back to Meadville in a week. (Also the canal at the end of the block. In Lancaster where it is always sunny.)

We would be remiss if we did not give a big shoutout to the UK - US Fulbright Commission who not only made all this possible, but also encouraged us to live among the English.

Hip Hip Hoorah!