White Cliffs of Dover

We were able to borrow a car for a week and as we considered our options of where to go we agreed on one spot; the white cliffs of Dover. Our family enjoys getting out in the beautiful world that God has created and this seemed like a perfect fit for us.

Maybe someday they will come back as adults and get a picture in this same spot.

It was not simply cliffs that you gazed at from the trail, this shot of a descending green valley on the edge of the cliffs was enchanting.

Here is a clear shot of the cliffs with a glimpse of a noisy distraction/entertainment that was coming. Hint: can you see the yellow thing?

Decades down the trail of life will we return to these cliffs? I can almost picture it; Becky and I returning with white hair (truth be told, I would have no hair at all).

Although it was a delight to watch rescue training, the proximity of this roaring beast marred the peace and tranquility of these colossally quiet cliffs.

You've sung the lines, "Don't build your house on the sandy land..." Well, here is the second verse, "Don't build your house on the chalky cliffs." Look at the remains of a once lofty and proud house that has fallen.

Stolen out from underneath me!

Have you ever heard someone say, "It was stolen out from underneath me?" Well, I know more of what they feel when they say that. In my case the bed was paid for but my nap was stolen out from underneath me. Since our flight leaves for Los Angeles on Tuesday, we have been selling all our furniture through the British equivalent to Craigslist.

This Sunday afternoon I was enjoying the last dregs of my nap when Becky jolted me out of bed. She was nearly pulling the sheets out from underneath me as she directed me to dismantle the dear bed. Within twenty minutes the bed was gone.

Our first "goodbyes" have been to our furniture. Though our rooms are empty our minds are furnished with many memories from our time here.

Through International Customs...On Accident!!!

We enjoyed looking down at this port from the white cliffs of Dover. You can see a stream of cars getting onto a ferry in this picture. A steady flow of these ferries were going and coming across the English channel. It was great to see this international port from the cliffs but we hadn't planned on going on a visit until...

We took a wrong turn on one of the roads and before we were able to turn around we found ourselves headed on a one-way road leading on to one of the Ferries.

Even with GPS (SatNav as they call it here) you can still have the craziest time trying to interpret which exit to take on their roundabouts. Well, this time we interpreted it wrong and we soon found ourselves at a guard booth.

We had to explain to a guard at a gate that we had entered on accident. By that time there was no way to turn around so he gave us this Owl pass in order to let us through the gauntlet of customs that lay ahead of us.

"Customs: SLOW"

We followed the signs that had the picture of the owl and finally made it out of customs. I hope that is the last time we have to go through customs without making the international trip.

Mystical Chapel built into wall of Castle

5 Signs that left us laughing

No What? If we had found this sign outside of a restaurant we would have been relieved to

save ourselves a few pounds. Yet we found this sign by the edge of a road out in the middle of nowhere. Apparently English cows have become prime-time entertainment for the youth.

I did see an article recently on the rise of road rage in England. Maybe it has something to do with the choice of violent wording for their road signs.

This seems like a creative way to prevent the tossing of gum on the ground; make a small but special hole for it on the top of your trash cans and put it right by the ashtray hole.

You may have difficulty in reading the small print on this sign but let me give you the jist of it. Apparently this particular one-way street has a problem with people driving the wrong way. This sign notifies people that this behavior is unacceptable UNLESS you receive permission from the Police Constable to "proceed against the one-way traffic." I don't recommend driving against traffic on a narrow one-way street, but I guess if you get permission you can blame the police if you die in a crash.

On a Sunday evening we attended Evensong (church service where much of the liturgy is sung) at a beautiful cathedral. There were many grey heads and no young children beyond our girls and a couple boys from an Asian family. My guess as to the absence of children is that it may have something to do with putting them in the Crypt on Sunday mornings.

Best Playground We've Ever Been To - At Leeds Castle

A visit to the castle wasn't cheap but admission included more than the castle. Check out this playground that Natania and Claire and, yes, even Daryl enjoyed!

A Zip Line

A Whirlymajig thingy

(the second picture of the whirlymajig catches a glorious

childhood delight on Natania's face if you look close enough)

A Tire Swing and a Giant Maze

Leeds Castle

A visit to England seems shortchanged without a visit to a castle. Becky and I had visited a Castle in Wales but the girls had not seen one. So we shelled out our shillings and spent the day at Leeds Castle. Here are some photos and highlights.

Knock and you shall enter.

King Henry VIII

The more I learned about this iconic figure of the British monarchy I was reminded of what the Roman Emperor Augustus said about Herod the Great, namely that it was better to be Herod's pig than his son. In the case of Henry the VIII you simply did not want to be his wife; several met questionable deaths when they were failed to bear him a son. Medieval chivalry was not always as romantic as we have made it out to be.

Bed Bath and Beyond for the Middle Ages

This last picture is of an essential "beyond" item in a castle; a rat trap.

View of Leeds Castle from our picnic spot

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks for 8 Years

Tuesday night, we went out to dinner with the girls for our anniversary. We ate at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, one of the oldest pubs in England and located in the town next to us. The girls surprised us with homemade cards wrapped in homemade wrapping paper, and a paper kite that they had secretly been working on during they day. That is probably one of my best memories from the evening. Seeing how excited they were and being genuinely surprised by their thoughtfulness! the other best moment was when the Sticky Toffee Pudding came... oh man, the whole meal was great, but that pudding made me want to run home and look up the recipe! i'll probably check with my sister as i remember her making it several years back and it was delicious then too.

At the end of the evening, we drove by the St. Albans Cathedral; it looked so beautiful lit in the night sky. Our camera makes it seem much lighter than it was, in reality it was hard to get clear photo. It was a beautiful end to a special evening.

Our 8th Anniversary: My Wife's Smile

Today is the 16th of August, 2011 and it marks Becky's and my eighth anniversary. As a celebration of our marriage and in gratitude for my beautiful bride, I am posting one of my journal entries from last month.

On a breathless July evening in England, Becky and I went for a walk. There was not a hint of wind and the temperature, if there was a word to describe it, would tell of something between cool and warm. We ducked out of town and strolled up the hallway of swaying giants that leads through Rothamsted Park. We passed under the leafy branches like a bride and groom walking beneath an arch of swords.

Passing from the soft hue of green bathing the arch, we opened a kissing gate and walked into a weary field. There we watched an unfurling blanket of mist tucking the field in for the night. We walked apart, each of us immersed in the solemn serenity that accompanies such unearthly twilight stillness. Then we drew near through the misty veil, doubling the delight of the experience as we shared it together.

Becky and I walked on, captivated by the blanketed field. A large manor house stood off to one side with an iron rooster gazing down on our dreamy delight from his pinnacle. It was as if we were lingering in a dream trying to allow the misty scene to settle so we could recall it when we awoke.

Tinged with the slight sorrow that comes from the knowledge all such dreams much pass, we headed back to our flat. As we strolled by a patch of willows dozing in a nearby field, Becky spotted a fox. We watched as it scampered around and whispered off through the grass. Moments later we noticed a pair of foxes alternately frolicking and resting in their sleepy field. They paused, staring at us as we looked back; mirrored stares.

To use a phrase that Claire surprised us with the other day, the beauty we behold was so bright that “it stung our eyes.” Our very souls had been refreshed by this evening amble. As we passed back through the arch of swords on a now damp sidewalk, I mentioned to Becky how exquisite the pleasure was that I enjoyed in her company. And then it came like the glorious flames of a sunrise, lighting up the then dusky evening; Becky turned and smiled up at me. The holy delight was as much in her eyes as it was in her lips. Her countenance was layered with meaning.

If I were an ancient theologian I may attempt to draw out the meaning of her look by searching for the literal, metaphorical and spiritual meanings.

As it was, I was able to glean from her holy treatise several revelations. The first was a pure delight in the love she recieved from me. Secondly, her eyes gave a lyrical look that sang of her own vivid love for me. The third I perceived to be a stream of admiration and respect. Beyond these three was a mixture of other sentiments coming from the mysterious depths her heart. My soul smiled up at God expressing gratitude for such an undeserved gift I had received in Becky. Turning this gratitude towards her I said, “such is the greatest smile that a man can experience on this earth."

Oxford!

We have a co-workers car this week to use and Saturday we drove to Oxford! we walked around the town a bit; it's busy right now in the summer season with tourists. Then we drove over to The Kilns, where C.S. Lewis lived. we almost didn't find it because our directions were not adequate, which would have been very disapointing as this was one of the main places I really wanted to see. We hadn't made an appointment in advance to see the inside of the house so we viewed it from the road and then walked around the nature reserve / pond next door, thinking about woodland creatures and St. Annes and Belbury (from That Hideous Strength) As we were returning to our car to leave, we met a local resident and started talking to him. He told us we should knock on the door since we'd come from far away. We knew it was by appointment only so we said it was ok, we didn't want to bother the permanent residents. In the end, the neighbor (who as out walking his dog) ended up seeing Stan, who turned out to be none other than the director of the C.S. Lewis foundation (who owns the Kilns)! He was there in Oxford finishing up a three week summer institute program they hold triennially. The C.S. Lewis foundation is based in Redlands, California! (where my grandmother lives) We had a nice conversation and he let us see more of the grounds. What a pleasure!