Santorini, Greece

We landed on Santorini about mid-day and decided, in order to be efficient and minimize our time in the airport, that Brooks and I would go get the rental car while Eric got our bags. Unfortunately, Eric's US drivers' license expired on his birthday, so I've been the primary driver on our trips this fall (definitely not our "normal"). I found the rental desk and Brooks and I walked over. The older gentleman attendant had his feet up on the desk, hands clasped behind his head, his eyes closed. Hmmm... I cleared my throat. Nothing. I said hello softly. Nothing. I laughed at myself as I coughed and said "well, HI there!" quite loudly. He opened his eyes slowly and then rubbed his face and sat up. Then he got up and walked around the desk to stand with us and put one hand on each of Brooks's cheeks and patted his soft baby skin and grinned at him. I was so proud of Brooks for not freaking out! This man was great. He was expecting us, knew our names, and informed me in heavily accented English that he had already personally installed the car seat in the rental car that we were assigned. He assured me that yes, in fact, it would have a full tank of gas (I was pleased, but wasn't this standard?). It was adorable. After several funny conversations about spousal roles - he was clearly a traditionalist, offering to wait on the paperwork and insurance until my husband showed up! I quickly volunteered to handle that myself as I was to be the driver... Ohhhh, he said, with raised eyebrows. After much more playing with Brooks, this new friend drew us a specialized map to our hotel with instructions that included my personal favorite - "look out for the downed giant cactus!" When Eric finally came and paid, he escorted us all three of us to the parking lot and pointed out our car, and then said - will you be here a moment, I want to get your baby something - a big big chocolate bar! Do you like chocolate candy?

While he was gone, we loaded everything up in the trunk only to discover that there was in fact, no car seat. I'll skip all the back and forth that we went through, but basically when he came back with a tin of chocolate treats for Brooks, he remembered that he had given the other model just like this one to a gentleman who needed a car for a short rental yesterday. He had actually prepped our car for us two days earlier and just mixed up which one was ours. That was good news, though, because that meant there WAS a car seat on the island with our name on it, he just had to find it. Off he ran apologetically to try and locate the other car and carseat.

Good thing Brooks loves steering wheels so much. We plopped him down in the drivers seat and he happily flicked switches, turned on hazards and lights and the radio, even tried opening the car doors (I sort of wish he didn't know how to do that!) and pulled the sun visor up and down over and over again for the next half hour. The rental car man came back and said, it will be just ten minutes, they're driving it over for you right now. I'm so sorry. Five minutes later, he came back with a large bottle of cold water for us, and said, I'm so sorry, just 15 minutes more, he's on his way right now. If this man had not been so completely precious, it might have been a bit annoying to start our relaxing island get away in a rental car parking lot, but the weather was warm, we had water and chocolate, Brooks was happy, so we said hey... so what do we wanna do in Santorini? Given how jam-packed our trips usually are, it was actually nice to shoot the breeze and know we couldn't really do anything else at that moment.

We eventually got the car seat, got on the road, and I re-learned how to drive a manual car, only stalling once on a steep hill (right beside the downed cactus)... I squealed aloud at that moment and Brooks said "Mama scared". Dada laughed at this and prompted "was Brooks scared, too?!" He nodded seriously, "Yeah, Brooks scared, " to which Eric laughed long and hard.

We drove through several small towns and villages, and my overwhelming feeling was "where are all the people?" I had expected Santorini to be hopping, given that it's one of the top destination islands in Greece. Well, we hadn't realized how incredibly seasonal the tourist business is there. By mid-October, most of the restaurants on the island and many of the hotels have already boarded up for the winter. We struggled to find a spot for a late lunch after checking in, and the BnB owner could only recommend a place on the beach. So we headed down to the beach and sat under an umbrella listing to the Mamma Mia movie soundtrack play over and over again. Our waiter was delightful so we ventured to guess that perhaps he was tired of this CD, already, after hearing it over and over again? Actually, NO! His girlfriend had just brought it back for him last week from the USA... I believe we accidentally hurt his feelings. We assured him that we liked the songs too (we did!), but that we imagined that he'd been playing it for a while. Oops. That meal was overwhelmingly flavored with Meryl Streep and Colin Firth. We laughed over movie scenes that each song brought to mind.

That evening, we went north on the island to the beautiful village of Oia. This is the place where tour buses drop off cruise ship tourists by the thousands each evening to see the sunset and window shop in the expensive little boutiques. It felt like quite a leap from our beach-side village on the southern part of the island. When we arrived and found parking, we realized that some obviously non-locals were heading away from the sunset and we were afraid we had missed the beautiful "sunset over the caldera"... Thankfully the light diminished slowly and we savored quickly.

Brooks and Eric had fun running around in this churchyard/plaza at the top of town. A wedding was taking place inside that evening, and we happened upon the spot about the time that the photographer was snapping pre-ceremony shots of the happy couple. The guests mingled on the courtyard and there were lots of kids running around burning off some excess energy. It was really charming, and I loved the balloon arch in the official colors of Greece! :)


We were clearly too late to capture the sun-kissed town in its gloaming glory, but I liked the views of the town's evening lights twinkling on...


After the darkness had fallen, we chose a restaurant and had a yummy, creative Italian meal overlooking the water... It was a nice night, despite the lack of views.

The next day we went for a gorgeous hike for several miles along the edge of the caldera. We took a thousand pictures that day but in an effort to limit the insanity, I'm posting only my most FAVORITE! :) The white on top of the peninsula just to the left of Eric is the village of Oia.


The hike ended up being a bit longer than we had planned (we did lots of circling through the different towns we passed, trying to find our way up, on, and through) so we ended up having to cut it short and turn back. We tried to get a taxi from the side of the main road, but all of them were full... In the end, we hitch-hiked with a lovely Greek woman whose little car seemed like it might not handle the weight of two and a half extra people. In the course of the 10 minute drive, we were able to determine that she was a Christian and we had a nice very slow conversation in broken English about her work as an educator. It was a lovely interaction and I was SO grateful for her taking pity on us and stopping. Yes, the thumb out signal is universal in Europe, and no, we probably didn't look all that threatening!

Later that day after a rest and a bite to eat, we tried to enjoy the beach. Eric was brave, but I stayed comfortably clothed on my beach chair and enjoyed my book while they ventured into the chilly waters. On first pass, Brooks declared the water entirely too cold for his liking. Can you see that Eric is trying to dip him into the water and he's doing reverse ab curls to keep every part of his body out of the ocean!? Too funny! Smart kid! :) He did eventually go under, but they weren't out there long.


That evening, we went back to Oia, to try to actually see the sunset and to enjoy this beautiful little town a bit longer with some daylight. Brooks and Eric strolled together while I took lots and lots of photos and enjoyed the views.


Just one of the dozens of azure blue domes that mark the Orthodox churches on Santorini, particularly in Oia.


Brooks loved being on his own two legs as we meandered through the village. Lots of steps, lots of people, several friendly street animals. What do doggies say, Brooks? "woof, woof!" and a moment later, "Hello, Friend!" No, Brooks, that's a Doggie, not a friend... "Hi, Doggie!"


This is the picture postcard view that many people recognize as Santorini. It really was that beautiful!


We didn't book ahead as we weren't sure what we were looking for food-wise, but we eventually stumbled upon this lovely restaurant that we had seen the night before. They had one PERFECT cafe table left - reserved but unclaimed - so we got to have these primo seats in which to watch the sunset over the caldera and sip yummy beverages and eat delicious food... There was a ridiculously tasty cheesy pastry appetizer drizzled in honey that was to die for!


The sun sets behind clouds as one final fishing boat returns to its harbor.


Our last morning on Santorini, we drove up to a mountain monastery in the center of the island, and looked down from the very tip top to beautiful views and water all around us. The monastery itself was peaceful and quite, save the winds and a few clucking chickens in a nearby pen. We saw a half dozen or so other visitors, but the monks were all out of sight. Even the gift/book shop was unmanned, there was an honor system box to pay for what you took. I could imagine that being a great retreat space for people wanting to get away from it all.


The monastery church was open, a tiny little room, with some simple stained glass and these beautifully carved wood chairs that looked like thrones lining the walls all the way around... I admit that when no one else was in the church, I tested the acoustics with a few hymns. Nice! :)


Part of the way down the mountain we had to stop the car and check out these views. We were dizzyingly high up, and it was so beautiful even with the hazy air.


Brooks LOVED being behind the wheel of our rental car. At one point that day, we sat on a bench overlooking the caldera, talking about our lives and some of the lessons form the last year, while Brooks played in the parked car just behind us. He was very excited to discover the horn, but perhaps decided it was a bit too loud, even for him.


Our final stop was to the southwestern corner of the island, to check out the lighthouse and admire the sheer cliffs down to the water. I was a bit nervous about Brooks tripping and tumbling over the side of the mountains to the water below, so he spent most of the time on Dada's shoulders which, as you can see, he loved!


I love this photo of the three of us. It was so windy up there, but Eric still - amazingly - worked his timer magic and got a great shot of all three of us.


Brooks decides he's had enough of this fun. No more pictures, guys, please!!!


After this shot, we jumped in the car and headed north again to a vineyard where we had a wine-tasting and some amazing views of the caldera in the afternoon light. It was a gorgeous spot. Our BnB host had told us that many visitors have their wedding receptions there. I was glad for the experience, but I can understand why the world imports Greek feta and olives and Italian wines - I'm not a wine snob by any stretch, but I think we both liked the Tuscan and Chianti wines from Italy better.

We finished our last evening by heading up to the "white icing" tips of Oia which you can see above us in that last shot. The roads in Santorini aren't straight or smooth, and while I hate to admit it, I'm not as skilled at stick-shift driving as I'd like to be. All that said, we were about 2 miles from our turn-around point, and probably 30 minutes from when we needed to turn in our rental car, when Brooks threw up everything we'd put in his stomach that day. Projectile. It was a mess - the stench of sour strawberry yoghurt permeated the car and I pulled over as fast as I could. We went through almost an entire container of wipes (63) trying to clean up Brooks and the carseat and the car. Actually, once we got everything wiped down, the car really looked okay, but I was so thankful that this happened our last half hour in the rental, and that someone else would be responsible for removing the smell. Brooks was perfectly fine, once again, now that his tummy was empty and we had no more incidents for the rest of the trip. I admit that I looked at him like a ticking bomb for the plane ride home, but he was cheerful and happy and vomit-free as usual. Maybe it was my driving...

I loved Greece, despite some challening set-backs and I adored Santorini in particular for the long slow days of relaxing that it allowed. I think I'd enjoy visiting the island again in high season, but then perhaps not. Maybe the cool fall days of a sleepy beach town are the way that I should remember it.

Boys, I had so much fun with you!! Thanks for a great trip!

Holy Trinity Brompton - Carols by Candlelight

Tonight was the first of two nights of me singing some of the most beautiful songs in the world. I am in the HTB Christmas Choir and we have 5 carol services over three days this weekend. The organ, the orchestra, professional soloists, an exceptional enthusiastic conductor, extremely polished readers, glorious candlelight and greenery, an enormous live Christmas tree, the expectant congregation... all beautiful aspects to this festive, reverent night. I just loved it.

One of the folks from my pastorate teased me after the 7:30 service tonight - "Boy, SC, you just *hated* that didn't you? Torture, huh?" Apparently it was pretty obvious I was having the time of my life up there. I mean, how in the world could I sing "All Glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace!" without grinning!?! :)

The congregation sang these hymns with us:
Once, in Royal David's City
The First Nowell
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Faithful

Every one of these hymns has a beautiful soprano descant on the final verse, most of which I had never heard before. So beautiful... I feel like an angel getting to sing these high notes, especially when I can hit the high A's! :)

And we sang the following anthems...
Adam Lay YBounden (Ord)
And the Glory of the Lord (Handel)
The Star Carol (Rutter)
The Three Kings (P Cornelius)
Midwinter (Chilcott)

The final anthem, Midwinter, was a newish setting of the traditional hymn In the Bleak Midwinter. The second half of this song just moves me so much that, even though I've been singing it for WEEKS in rehearsal and around the house, I still get choked up singing it every time. I teared up in both services tonight! I think it's the combination of music, lyrics, dynamics, accompaniment ... all of it. Here are my favorite lines -

Angels and Archangels may have gathered there.
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air.
But only His mother in her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part.
But what I can, I give Him - give my heart.
Give my heart. My heart.

I love that I get to wake up tomorrow and do this all over again! Wish you were all going to be there so I could smile at you from the soprano section.

Greenwich, England

The first weekend in October Eric, Brooks and I spent our Saturday exploring one of London's neighborhoods/suburbs - Greenwich. South of the Thames and east of the City, this part of London used to be a distinctly different town with its own royal palace, but now it's hard to tell where London stops and Greenwich begins.

The day began with a beautifully clear fall morning and the weather eventually progressed to blustery, gray and wet, but it didn't slow us down. We enjoyed visiting the Maritime Museum's Nelson Gallery and learned all about his victory at Trafalgar. We toured the Royal Observatory, checking out the Prime Meridian and some amazing telescopes and early time-pieces. I really just loved being able to take Brooks out of his stroller and give him free reign on great big stretches of grass to go explore to his heart's content. It was a fun, sweet family day.

Our stroll began on the five foot walk - a path on the Thames that's, yep, five feet wide - and Brooks was fascinated with the boats skimming by on the water.


We did lots of running and playing chase on the central lawn of the Old Royal Naval College.


We also toured the elaborate Painted Hall and the college Chapel, both designed by Christopher Wren.


We took a break to eat our sack lunches and have Brooks fill us in on what he thought of the Chapel... :)


The Royal Observatory, perched on the prime meridian at the top of Greenwich Park, is the place from which all the earth's time is measured (ie, Greenwich Mean Time). The Observatory was founded in the 1600's to help sailors find their location at sea.


I love their 24 hour clock...


You can measure your own foot to see if it meets the standard measurement.


Brooks, straddling the hemispheres...


Views of the Royal Naval College, the Thames, and downtown London from the top of the Royal Observatory.



Momma and Brooks strolling and enjoying the fall color...


Running around like the Energizer Bunny in Greenwich Park.


Uh-oh! Why did the lights go out?!


All tuckered out on the Tube on the way home...

Eric's birthday

Eric's birthday on September 30th was a relatively normal day - he promises me that he doesn't mind low-key birthdays. We did do some special things over the weekend, however, and have a few fun memories and photos to share...

Eric's sister Molly and brother in law Trace left that Friday, so Saturday we just hung out around our flat and played in the garden. Mama and Brooks stop to smell roses...


This was also the morning of teaching Brooks to "head the ball" when he laughed and squealed with such delight (see the video below). Here, Brooks and Dada head over to the fragrance garden to check out all the rocks... When we say goodbye to London, I will really miss this garden being just steps from our front door.


That afternoon, Brooks went with his Dada to pick out his birthday present - a toddler bike seat and helmet for Brooks. Actually, I'm not sure who enjoys this present more, because with it - everyone wins! Dada gets to exercise with a really fun companion, Brooks gets wear a HAT and ride a BIKE - oh, the joy!!


and check out the world around him at a new height, and Mama gets a few minutes of quiet around the house. Win - win - win! Eric installed it immediately - which was a whole event in and of itself as Brooks got to go downstairs with Dada and see where the bike lives!


As soon as it was ready, they were off for their first ride. Mama was a little bit sad not to have her own bike to go with them... hopefully in the spring! According to his Dada's reports Brooks loved about the first 90%. By the end, he was saying "All Done" and "HOME!" quite a lot, but I do think he enjoyed it - check out the grin on his face when they got home!


That evening was the Auburn vs Tennesse game so we donned our orange and blue and walked over to BoDeans, an American BBQ restaurant with big flat screen TVs and the NASN (North American Sports Network) to cheer for the Tigers. We discovered the London Auburn Alumni club upstairs (it wasn't hard to pick them out!) and they gave us some shakers and various Auburn-y things. We had a great private booth table for the whole game but the volume was turned down on the nearby TV so during every great play, and a lot of near-misses, we scared the Brits nearby with our enthusiastic cheering. They were all understanding though when they saw all of us - including Brooks - absorbed in the game.


Brooks also discovered stickers during the second half when the game started losing it's novelty. I love this expression on this face...


We were glad to have food and toys to distract him, but he made it to the VERY end of the game.


We saw the whole broadcast, closed the place down, and headed home at midnight with another WIN for the Tigers (one of the only ones left for the year)! Thankfully we had planned ahead and given Brooks an extra nap that evening, so while tired, he wasn't a complete zombie. Or maybe he was...


Sunday was a good day as well, and we went to our favorite burger joint with the Grizzles, our dear friends and neighbors. The kids had a great time riding home on their father's shoulders.


We did group bath time - so fun! We decided this shot would be good for their rehearsal dinner! ;-)


We finished the night watching Wedding Crashers with them. You know when there's a movie that you're completely repulsed by the very thought of and then you finally watch it with the right group of people and it's actually quite amusing? Well, that was us and Wedding Crashers. Ben and Heather have most of the one-liners in that film memorized, so it was a hoot seeing it with them. We fell on the floor laughing several times. I recommend it - with a few caveats - when you're in the mood for something light and silly.

Eric's actual birthday fell on a Tuesday and we had home group that night, so I baked a cake to take along. Actually, there's a story here - Eric had said "No big party, please" so I took that to mean that he didn't want me to make a big deal out of his birthday with our pastorate. That afternoon, I saw an email from him to his mom, referencing the fact that he'd had a good mellow birthday and that he was looking forward to birthday cake at pastorate!! ACK! I haven't made a cake!! So what do I do when I need a yummy recipe fast?! I call my mom! Brooks and I had a lot of fun baking a scratch birthday cake that afternoon... Brooks learned about the sifter and the hand-mixer.


And once the cake was baking, he got to lick the bowl! :)


He loves hanging out in the kitchen...


While it doesn't look very good (the candles burned down too fast while I was trying to get them ALLLLLL lit, and melted into the buttery chocolate frosting!), it was pretty yummy, I must say. I think Eric's not so sure.


All in all, it was a good laid-back way to celebrate another year, and I'm glad we had so much time together over the birthday weekend. We love you, Eric/Dada!! :)

Fender - Wheeler reunion!

Eric's youngest sibling, Molly, and her husband Trace came for a visit in September and we had a fantastic time hanging out with them. They arrived on a red-eye flight into Heathrow and Brooks and I were both so excited when they showed up at our front door. While Brooks napped that afternoon, I had a wonderful time of catching up and good connection-conversation with both of them. Actually, a part of me was a bit afraid that Eric would be jealous that he'd missed all of it! That evening, I spent some time helping them get oriented to our neighborhood (ran errands, found the grocery to buy lunch stuff, etc) and then we shared a low-key dinner at home when Eric got home from work.

Much of their time in London was spent zipping around public transportation to visit museums and top sites at a pace that would have been tough to match. The next day, Brooks and I hung with them in the morning through the highlights of the National Gallery and then a picnic lunch on Trafalgar Square with Eric before pointing them in the right direction with Oyster cards and tube maps and heading home for naptime. That night we had dinner together and then introduced them to the joy that is the Chocolate Waffle!

Thursday, they took a train to the Cotswolds and we stayed behind to do real life. But Friday morning, we rented a car and drove up to pick them up and have some non-city tourist adventures with them. We really enjoyed the car time and a chance to catch up... the month or so before that had been pretty packed, so it was nice to just decompress for an hour or two in the car. We met up with them easily (they were patiently waiting for their late transport!) and drove on straight to the BnB.

One of the things that I love about traveling around Europe is the abundance of Bed and Breakfast options available pretty much anywhere. Large cities, small towns, rural areas... with the right resources, you can find a homey welcome most anywhere. This BnB was memorable because of our hosts. An older English couple who had spent several years living in the US, they were eager to discuss the US, the economy, the election, pretty much any topic that could be safely broached. Usually, the BnB check-in schpeel is about 5 or 10 minutes - getting info on us, telling us about the house, giving a tour (what you can use, where you can find extra blankets, etc), showing us the room and bath, teaching us about unusual plumbing. For her, it was almost a half an hour. While that normally wouldn't be too big a deal, we were hoping to just drop our bags and keep going into Bath so we could see a couple of sights before dark. When she found out that we'd be continuing on, she described a Bath park n ride system in great detail (really? How bad can parking be in a town the size of Bath?) She drew us detailed maps on how to get back to her place from Bath after dark. It was funny - charming, odd, cute, and just a bit annoying to feel trapped by this friendly, eager, talkative host.

Our first stop when we finally made it into Bath was the Costume Museum. Okay, clearly as a theater major this is a must-see for me, but when the guys heard that it was one of Rick Steves's top museums in all of Europe, they were up for it too! Unfortunately, the renowned Assembly Rooms in the upper floors of the building which house the collection were being used for a private function, but we really didn't have time to tour those anyway. We zipped straight downstairs to the exhibits. There was some really great stuff in this small scale, but beautifully organized museum. At the beginning was a primer in vintage undergarments, along with versions that museum goers could try on over their own clothes. We look like we're all set to be dressed, don't we?!


Trace looks particularly svelte in his hoops and running shoes!


There were lots of great bits, including one exhibit with fashions from various periods alongside brand new imitations in a more current tweaked style. It was so true that everything old does become new again!

Another fantastic room was the gallery of formal court dress. Apparently court dress styles didn't change very much - when meeting the King and Queen, it's best to stick to traditional... I picked out this curtainy one as my favorite, do you think it makes my hips look big?! :)


This was one of Queen Victoria's gowns. She was so in love with her husband, Prince Albert (she had proposed the marriage when they were both twenty!) and so crushed by his early death that she wore formal mourning dress for her remaining 40 years before her death in 1901. Someone commented that she was very square - definitely on the short and wide side.


This one, I think, was my favorite of this section ... This photo shows the back - I love the shiny silk and the feminine print, you can easily envision how the fabric would move on the wearer. And the drama of the shoulder train reminds me of my mom's wedding gown - beautiful!


As we left the museum, we discovered that the event upstairs had finished, so we got to peek through the Assembly Rooms - the places where 18th century fashionistas would come to socialize and be entertained while they spent the "season" in Bath. Lovely!

From there we zipped over to a yummy Italian place for supper, and then we walked Molly and Trace over to the spot where they were going to pick up their evening walking tour of town. We had decided it was best for Eric to take me and Brooks back to the BnB so the little guy wasn't out all night long and then Eric would come back and get the Fenders. But Brooks was feeling pretty cheeky and had all sorts of fun laughing at his own funny faces. Definitely already a bit punchy by this point!


This was the point at which we declared it was bedtime. He's saying "Nooooooooo!" :)


I enjoyed turning in relatively early and we met up for breakfast the next morning. Our BnB owner was Miss Chatty Kathy again, but the food was yummy and plentiful. We finally checked out and got on the road... a bit later than planned, but no problem!

From there we drove back into Bath to tour the Roman Baths - the city's namesake. This standard Bath postcard shot shows the main central bath, with the 1800's portico above and around it, and the lovely church behind it.


Molly and Brooks enjoyed listening to their audio guides together. Actually, I know Brooks enjoyed it... pulling hair, bumping her in the back of her head with his wand - what's not to love!? Molly was a trooper.


The hot springs that these baths were built around still pump millions of gallons of steamy water into the complex every day, using much of the original plumbing. However, the last time people bathed in this water it wasn't green. Unfortunately, the missing roof allows the sunlight to pour into the pool area, creating an enormous petri dish full of algae.


Another random fun thing about our visit to Bath was that the annual Jane Austen Festival was taking place there that weekend. Lots of folks were wandering around the city in period dress.


I kept looking for Mr. Darcy but never found him. These girls were having a nice picnic in the park in front of the Royal Crescent.


I think if I lived in Bath this is the address I'd want.


Brooks enjoyed sharing the back seat of the rental car with Molly and Trace. There was lots of laughing as we ventured from Bath to Stonehenge at least until someone fell asleep.


Confession - I used to think that Stonehenge was a bit dorky and that people who wanted to go out of their way to see it were, well, dorky. But that's until I visited and boy, was I wrong!! I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed seeing it in person. It's literally right off the highway, we had gorgeous weather, and our ticket provided an interesting & informative audio guide (including one for Brooks... he thought it was a phone and kept saying "hello?" to the voice coming from the speaker). Everyone seemed to have a great time running around this huge pasture with Brooks. In all, I'd give the site two thumbs up!



Near the entrance/exit, some very interesting hippie types were holding what looked like an on-going, consistently futile protest, demanding that the stones of Stonehenge be "released from bondage". While I agreed that it would have been really cool to walk among the stones and not have to stay behind a rope fence, I completely understood the need to protect the site from would-be pranksters. I'm amused by the causes that some people get behind...


After Stonehenge, we headed back into the city and that night we introduced the Fenders to one of our favorite spots - Alounak, the yummy Persian restaurant.


The next day was Sunday, and we had tickets to see the Buckingham Palace State Rooms. The Queen allows visitors for only two months of the year, while she's vacationing up in Scotland at her northern castle of Balmoral and I had really been looking forward to seeing the interior of the historic palace.

Oh my!! It did NOT disappoint! From the gilded staircase to the gorgeous collection of paintings (the Queen has a stunning gallery with some masterpieces by Rubens, Rembrandt, etc), to the music room that was the recent location of Condelessa Rice's piano concert - we saw so much. I imagined waltzing into the entry hall on some official purpose like my friend Margeaux (who attended a black-tie dinner as the guest of Prince Edward). Actually, I couldn't imagine it - what happens when your car pulls up? "Um, I'd like to see the Queen, please?"

The very best part of the tour to me was the State Dining Room. It was set up for an official State Dinner - usually just one or two of those per year, for visiting heads of State. The china and silverware, the SIX glasses per place, the linens, the flowers, the individual mustard dishes (curiously absent in front of the Queen's chair - when I asked the docent in the room, she said that the kitchen knows exactly how the Queen likes her food seasoned, so she doesn't need condiments. WELL, then.) There was a special video showing the set-up and "behind the scenes" of a State Dinner. The queen herself comes and makes sure that everything is perfectly set that morning, before getting ready to meet her guests. I can not even imagine how fun it would be to see all of that in person. There are certain special uniforms for the ceremonial guards, specific songs being played by the live orchestra in the balcony at pre-determined moments, multiple members of the waitstaff whose job it is to cue the kitchen so that all is delivered from downstairs piping hot and right on time, entire hidden hallways for those who come to clear each course. It was like a food symphony!! I loved it and didn't ever want to leave that room!

The rest of the tour was just as stunning, but all I could think of for the rest of our visit was becoming Cinderella for a ball or a state dinner at Buckingham Palace. :) While I can't imagine living that way every day, I think occasionally it would be fun to be the Queen's special guest!

As expected, there were ZERO cameras inside the palace, but this is a shot of the back of the huge sprawling building, with the sun reflecting off the beautiful stone onto the garden area.


The exit took us down a trail through the wooded gardens behind the Palace and some fall colors were just starting to peek through in some spots. It was lovely.

That night, Molly and Trace played with Brooks while we slipped away for a date night. Wah-hoo! Thank you, guys!!

Monday was an incredibly full day of touring for Molly and Trace, while Brooks and I did our usual routine, puttering around the house and our neighborhood. Eric left work early that day after coming down with a nasty cold, so we got take-away Indian and had supper at the house. We love all the great ethnic food we can find in our neighborhood and we discovered Trace can handle the heat!

The rest of the week was pretty mellow for the three of us. Molly and Trace left for a whirlwind trip to Paris Tuesday morning and got back late Wednesday evening. Eric ended up staying home from work the two days they were gone, trying to breathe and trying not die from sneezing fits. The remainder of the Fenders' visit was split between them touring London and just great hang-out time at the house -

Entertaining the little guy during bathtime...


Fun at home with Aunt Molly's hat, the mirror, and the digital camera. This is the week that Brooks learned the word "Picture!"



Going for a stroll in the neighborhood...


Tickling a toddler just after bathtime is a great way to get out those final wiggles before bed!


I just love this picture of them...


The last night of their visit, after Brooks was tucked all in, we got into a wonderful conversation about marriage and family and parenthood, family traditions and "normals" that each of us brought into our marriages, and all kinds of good relational stuff. Molly gave Eric and I back and neck massages (ahhhh!) and we ate cookies and talked until the wee small hours.

Their whole trip here felt like a special relational family treat! It was awesome to have so much two on two time with them with plenty of freedom to let conversation flow where it would.

Thanks so much for coming over, guys! We love you!