Let's Get Together to Send Off Alex!!

Hey, Everybody! Alex goes off to Boot Camp on March 9th! When can we throw him a party in Rocklin? I talked to him last night and he wants to see us before he goes -- let's surprise him and have some fun at the same time!

Shellie - looking at your weekends, when would it work for you? If Jeff could come too, that would be fabulous! Janet, Greg, Gus, Jen (and the boys), Julie, Laura, and Russ -- let's get some cousins in on the action!

The Boys with Grammy, Christmas, 2009

Let's Begin the Trip!

Off to Heathrow Airport (arriving at 7 am or so) and Europcar to get the rental car by myself. Did I know they were going to ask me if I wanted extra daily insurance to cover nicks and scratches, or damage to the side mirrors? No, I did not. That put me in quite a quandry, until my IOWA training kicked in and I saved the extra $84 charge by declining! Next I had to choose a car -- hmmm....big enough to keep all of our luggage hidden in the trunk, but small enough to deal with Ireland's VERY narrow back roads. Needs to be comfortable.....this Peugot is NICE! It has all of the bells and whistles I am looking for, along with a sunroof! I'll take it!

(No, it did NOT look like this!)

So, off I went, driving on the WRONG side of the road in my four-door five-on-the-floor deep red Peugot, armed with my handy-dandy map of Heathrow (which see) and then my larger map showing me the route to Oxford. (Take the M4 to the M25 --unfortunately, I ended up going SOUTH on the M25 -- which, fortunately, led me through some interesting sights!)

I had en unexpected free day because Barry had to work one more day in South Africa....so I chose to go to Oxford because I loved it so much when we went in 1997...

I had a bed and breakfast pre-arranged for the night, but the hostess hadn't sent an address or a map, just a street name and the name of her B & B. I also didn't have a detailed map of Oxford, although I had a hand-drawn map showing all of the places I wanted to walk to while I was there. It was fun to drive off without specific directions and try to find the B & B by "intuition" -- which would have worked if the B & B was on the street given to me, but it happened to be on a smaller neighboring street, so I coudn't locate it no matter how much I tried... As it worked out, I stayed in a quaint youth hostel where I could leave the car and walk to town for my day of adventures. [I had a little room up on the third floor that almost felt like an attic room in "The Little Princess" -- I half expected to be asked to do the cooking and cleaning in the morning - or at least to empty the ashes from the main fireplace.]

Anyway, I shall continue with this and that about Oxford, but for tonight, I shall bid, "Adieu!"

PS And with Shellie, I also wish everyone a very healthy and much happier 2010