A weekend in Stafford

In late October, we headed to Stafford, England to spend a weekend at a Landmark Trust building to celebrate Alex's 40th this year with his very close mates Trevor and Mick, and their wives, Jo and Sarah.

It was a fabulous weekend in a very cool location (on a farm where pheasant hunters wander about with their guns, flat caps, pipes and tweed jackets - really!) where we had a weekend that included a black-tie evening and a relaxing walk through the country side.

Unquestionably, the highlight of the weekend was evidence of the mid-life-crisis that is 40...Mick drove his BMX cycle across the front lawn of the estate...not realizing that about 1/3 of the way down was a wall built into the landscape, about 5 feet high (originally for the purpose of keeping livestock from wandering off, intentionally 'invisible' so as not to interrupt the landscape), that he couldn't see until he was flying face first into the ground. Fortunately and perhaps miraculously, Mick wasn't injured (which was a good thing because it would have taken Alex and Mick quite a while to stop laughing long enough to take him to hospital!)

Here are a couple of films from our weekend at Ingestre Pavillion:

Lanzarote continued

I'm still trying to catch up on photos - so a quick entry to complete our trip to the Canaries, a week after which we spent a long weekend with friends in a Landmark Trust house in Stafford, England.

But to continue from the last entry...We explored Lanzarote with friends Janelle and Rory (who live in Switzerland) who joined us mid-week for our remaining days in Playa Blanca. It is interesting to me how beautiful something as devastating as volcanoes and lava can be. The scenery was just spectacular.

It is no wonder that Planet of the Apes was filmed in this area (not on Lanzarote, but a nearby volcanic island very much like Lanzarote). At times it is eerie and spooky and yet it is so beautiful at the same time.

We went to the national volcano park, explored the coastline, and took a camel ride! We enjoyed delicious meals and friendly locals in Playa Blanca in the evenings. We visited the home of artist Cesar Manrique, went to the Cuevos los Verdes which holds a secret I cannot tell - but it is worth the trip!

We enjoyed several seaside breaks for lunch and a beer or two and drove all around the island just enjoying the breathtaking views.

And we managed to get in two nights of karaoke until the wee hours of the morning (we left Lanzarote with a touch of hangover :) Janelle and Rory were great company and we thoroughly enjoyed this unique holiday with them.

Lanzarote - part one

This month Alex and I had a getaway to volcanic Lanzarote (formed about 35 million years ago), the easternmost of the Canary Islands (about 80 miles off the west coast of northern Africa). Lanzarote is a Spanish speaking island is particularly popular with both British and German tourists.

We spent the first couple of days relaxing and poking around Playa Blanca where we stayed (on the southern tip of the island). We found a place to buy our groceries, checked out the local restaurants and, of course, the pubs and night life.

Here is a film of our first couple of days which include an afternoon at the Laguna De Janubio (next to the salt pans which produce about 10,000 tons of salt per year) and El Golfo, both of which offer simply amazing views and crashing surf. Also included are views from a quick drive around the southern part of the island which looks almost lunar (1/3 of the island was devastated by volcanic eruptions which began in 1730 and continued for six years). It has only been in about the last 30 years that

The next blog entry will provide some more information on this beautiful island, its history, and a film of a couple of days of tourist activities and fun with friends who joined us mid-week.

A Day in Marlow

In mid-September Alex and I headed to the UK for a short weekend - I with my 'peeps' from FAWCO region one, and him for footie. My Saturday included a photo workshop which ended with a boat ride along the Thames. Enjoy!