Catching Up.....

It seems like I spend a good amount of my time playing catch up.  This time there was a lot of catching up on the eight hour time change from our vacation.  (I tried to post this earlier with Live Writer, but it seems to have a mind of its own these days.  Thank goodness Blogger is working for me now.)

We flew to NYC and spent three fun packed days touring the city.  One of the highlights was the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial.  It was a VERY emotional display.  To see the faces of all of those who were lost that day, the "missing" signs that were posted on the buildings and fences,  as well as items donated by the families (cell phones, watches, personal goods) really made you recall that day all over again.  They have done a beautiful job on it and I highly recommend a visit there if you get to New York.

Plane's point of impact.

Stairs used for many to escape.

Large quilt with photos of those lost that day.

Wall after wall of photos of those who lost their lives that day.

From there we bid farewell to NYC aboard the Queen Mary 2 for a very relaxing transatlantic crossing.

Eight days later we saw our first sight of land as we arrived on a bright, sunny, warm day in Southhampton, England.

Our dear friends met us at the terminal and we made the journey to their home in the English countryside where we would spend the next six days.

Their garden is beautiful and is just coming into bloom.  We loved seeing the flowers and all of the lush green everywhere.  We were graced with the typical British weather - rain, hail, winds and sunshine - all in the same day!

Wisteria

Pink Clematis

Of course the crazy Californians relished the sight and feel of water actually falling from the skies.

We took several day trips including a visit to Flatford Mill where John Constable's The Hay Wain was painted.  Does the sight look familiar?

We even rented row boats and rowed up the River Stour for lunch at the Boathouse.  Of course, we encountered a good downpour along the way and looked like drowned rats when we arrived!

The time passed quickly and it was soon time to fly back home for family events.  The day after we got back we had our first three graduations of the year.

Life is beautiful!  Since this post is long enough, I will do another post on a couple of things going on - including the gorgeous mini quilt that I received from my ALQS9 partner.