England part 1

Hey there cyber world & friends. Cam & I just returned from England and I've got lots of posts to put up. We went with Cam's parents & stopped at Tony's school after we landed. Here's a few shots from that campus, a boarding school with lots of playing fields and historic buildings.

 

The school included a really cute bridge that connected it to the small neighboring town. Picture a very typical country town outside of London. The wind was brisk, but the scene was exceptionally green.

 

 We picked up our CANAL boat Sarah and immediately started hitting some locks. In total during the first week, we opened and closed 150 locks! That may not sound like very much to many of you, but trust me when I say my muscles felt each one. Here's a shot with Cam at the helm & Tony winding down a lock gate while MaryEd swings open the other door. It took teamwork, and we had quite the team.

 

One of the best things about this trip was the pace. Picture walking, but a bit slower. We got to hang with the wildlife including some really big swans. These were some "swanlings" that had not yet turned completely white like their adults.

 
The serenity of the evenings and sleeping while it rained waking up to fog & cool temps was very relaxing. We generally would eat lunch or dinner at a different pub alongside the canal. You aren't allowed to travel while it is dark, so you are up when the sun is. Cam took this self portrait.

 We did lots of locks, but MaryEd did them all. She was a trooper and this shot captures one of the staircases of locks. These were kind of easy because you can walk between locks. Many times, she would walk ahead and make sure the following lock was ready for the boat. Like I said, we made a great team. Stay tuned for more canal and English countryside shots.