Friday, November 8 through Sunday, November 10, 2024

This morning we needed to finish off the rest of the food supplies we laid in at the beginning of the week. Mark prepared the final Full English Breakfast including beans, but lacking the tomato and mushrooms normally served. As tomato growers ourselves, the sad specimens provided at these breakfasts are rarely eaten, at least by us. The sausage and bacon on the other hand is always delicious. 

We did some preliminary packing and then turned the car towards Leyburn and a final stop for some stocking stuffers and a bottle of wine to take with us in the car for Saturday evening. Friday is Market Day in Leyburn, so the traffic around the square was busy. We were forced to park in the public lot a few blocks away from the Market Square and hoof it back. After purchasing some wine at Campbell’s we dropped in again at the Posthorn Tea Shoppe for a slice of Victoria Cake and a cup of tea before taking our leave and going towards Gunnerside.

This time we drove the high road, over the moors and through the army firing fields. Catterick Army Barracks is located just outside the City of Richmond, and this area is used for troop maneuvers. The Catterick Base is reputed to be the largest Army base in Europe. Similar to Bellevue’s relationship to Offutt AFB in Nebraska, Richmond provides a ready market for Catterick personnel and lots of economic support.

We dropped down through the village of Grinton and then followed the Swale River passing the Dales Bike shop. There is a lot of biking in this area of the Dales. In 2014, the Tour de France even held their opening stage here and the peloton went riding across the moors and over the bridge at Grinton. 

We journeyed on again through Reeth, past its church and market square and followed the Swale along, eventually reaching Gunnerside. Our goal was the Kings Head Pub for dinner. Faithful readers may recall that our first stay in the Yorkshire Dales National Park was at Gunnerside and Burnside Cottage, a small guest house directly across from The Kings Head. That previous stay was the start of our love affair with the Yorkshire Dales. This pub is fairly unique; it closed down around 2015, but the community was so lost without it, they founded a non-profit group, raised the necessary funds and purchased the pub. They cleaned it up, ran it themselves for a few months, and then secured a tenant to run the operation. There is a note in their menu telling patrons that occasionally shares of the community organization come up for sale and urging anyone interested to purchase a share if they become available.

We arrived just at opening time of 4:30, and ordered a pint of ale and a pint of cider. Dinner service begins at 5:30 and we then ordered: Deb a steak pie with chips, and Mark a sausage with mashed potatoes. Both were served with a separate dish of steaming hot vegetables. The food was delicious, and, as this was Friday night, the pub was beginning to fill up with villagers and travelers enjoying a beer and a chat. We took our leave and then proceeded back up over the moors in the pitch black night towards Askrigg and our home base.

Arriving safely, we finished our open bottle of wine and began our preparations for the next day’s travel, We were mostly packed and into bed by 10:00.

Saturday morning we had a cup of coffee, started the dishwasher for the cleaning crew and placed our baggage back in the Nissan for a long day’s travel. We were out of Brook Cottage at 9:02 AM and on the road. We drove back through Leyburn and stopped at the Posthorn for breakfast, an egg, bacon, sausage with toast and a nice cup of coffee. Finishing up, we bid adieu to the Yorkshire Dales for this trip, and pointed the car towards our next destination. Our first taste of how bad the traffic was going be was in Thirsk.  For those of you are are ‘All Creatures” fans, both of the shows and the book, this is the real hometown of “All Creatures.” The Clock in the Market Square was covered in poppies, the symbol of remembrance.

We headed southeast to York, arriving at the ring roads to this metropolis around 12:30 and spent nearly 45 minutes battling traffic to get around the city. Weekends are just an excuse for the English drivers to get out and clog the roadworks. We fought our way towards Hull, crossing over the umber River on the huge suspension bridge then turning southwest back towards Lincoln for a stop at the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral, on the grounds of which their is a large bronze statue of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Wed left Lincoln just as the sun was setting in the west and pushed south towards our final destination of the day, Headington, joust outside Oxford. 

We arrived at our hotel,The Black Boy, at 6:30 PM, exhausted but glad to see some areas of England we had not visited before. The unfortunate name of the hotel honors a famous British racing horse, and the pub in the hotel is festooned with a saddle, some bridles, and other paraphernalia strewn about. We moved our overnight bags into our room, opened our remaining bottle of wine, and had a cocktail before heading down to the restaurant for our 7:30 reservation. Deb enjoyed a nicely cooked halibut with chips while Mark had a nice piece of salmon on a bed of lemon tanged rice. 

After dinner we trundled up the steps to collapse in our bed for our last night in England. Sunday morning, we loaded up and drove to Heathrow Airport, only missing the car rental drop off exit once! We turned in the car at Enterprise without any further delays and, after driving over 750 miles, we gladly took their shuttle into the terminal. This day, Sunday, in England is Rememberance Day, akin to our Veteran’s Day, and at 11:00 AM, throughout the country, bugles sound and everyone stops what they are doing and stands in place for three minutes of silence. Some other unknowing tourists, especially the ones who do not speak English, moved about, not realizing the solemnity of the moment. This was a silence that would never be heard in the USA for anything that far back in history.  It was inspiring and took both of us by surprise.  When we first came in, not realizing what was about to happen, we asked an agent a question and were hushed with a stern look.  After the silence was over, we were helped by the same agent who was so friendly and gracious.

When the silence ended with another flourish of the bugles over the loudspeakers, the bustle of the airport returned. We checked our bags and headed toward security and our assigned gate. One pleasant note; Mark was traveling with his walking stick, as his back troubles cause him pain while walking for any distance. Not once, but at least five times, employees asked if he needed assistance, perhaps a wheel chair or a ride to the gate? We declined and  made our way to the United Airlines Club for a glass of wine and a quick bite. At 1:30, we boarded our 767 and taxied down the runway towards home and the end of our time in England and Ireland.

 

The nine hour flight was uneventful, the food marginally better than the flight over, and we landed at Chicago O’Hare right on schedule. We collected our bags, waltzed them through Immigration and Customs and then boarded the inter-terminal train to Terminal 2 and our last flight of the day. Again through security where chaos reigned. Deb was sent through the scanner twice, the second time shoeless because the security person didn’t hear her state that she had a replacement knee, thereby setting off the alarm. Mark was warned that he could not have a cloth handkerchief in his back pocket as it showed up on the “moose ears” scanner and he should know better. All in all not a warm welcome.

We made our way to C concourse and soon boarded our final leg towards home. Incidentally, although Mark was offered assistance five times in Heathrow by helpful employees, not a single offer was made in Chicago. He was actually questioned about having collapsed his walking stick to slide it along the scanner belt in security. A sour coda to a great trip. Abigail was waiting at Eppley to ferry us home, help us with our luggage up the home steps and leave us to reunite with Poppy the cat. We had, at this point, been awake and traveling nearly 22 hours, and we fell into a deep sleep (stupor.)

As we look back on the trip, it was, except for the last day, a wonderful time to see friends, enjoy their hospitality, and to visit some of our most favorite landscape.  We are also glad to be home and, even though the future of the political landscape may be daunting and scary, it is still home.  

Wednesday, November 6 - Thursday, November 7, 2024

Mark awoke at 7:00 AM GMT which is 1:00 AM Omaha time. After making his coffee, he logged on to the NYT site and depression set in. The NYT site was not yet finalized but the Orange felon was in the lead, and it seemed likely that both the Senate and the House were turning Republican. By the time Deb came downstairs, it was mostly over. Now there were two depressed foreigners, moaning in their morning coffee. Deb was alternately sobbing and ranting. Too early to start firing off emails to her friends and family, we sank even further into our depressions. What are we going home to? How could our countrymen choose a convicted felon over a lucid, well-spoken female?  Where is the sense? Where is the outrage?

Eventually we talked ourselves into getting dressed and heading out into the day. We can’t change anything; we cannot even change our airline flights as the tickets we bought were non-changeable and non-refundable.  After Mark prepared a full English breakfast, this time with beans, we finished our coffee annd climbed into our Nissan to go out to greet the day. 

Our travels took us first to the village of Reeth, where we made the purchase of our annual 2025 calendar to hang on our kitchen wall. then we stopped at the village information center and picked up a book on the Yorkshire Dales. We visited with the two ladies on staff - both were afraid to bring up our election, but when we did, they quickly said “What were your countrymen thinking?” Their concern was for the rest of the world, not just us. We discussed NATO, the ladies’ objection to BREXIT and the rightward turn towards isolationism throughout the globe. It was refreshing to learn that not the entire world was bonkers!

Next we wandered out behind the building and found ourselves in The Reeth Community Orchard; a small garden area with apple trees, some wonderful benches upon which to rest, a neat lawn and some cuddly hedgehog wood sculptures. Very peaceful; it reminded us of our small garden on Pierce Street and all we are trying to do there. Slowly and erratically our spirits are lifting.

Next stop is over the moor and up to Tan Hill Pub for our annual visit. This is the highest pub in Britain at 1,782 feet above sea level. We stopped for a cider and glass of Tan Hill Bitter Ale and read some about the pub. No one knows how long the pub has been there, but the roads along the top of this moor have been traveled for at least 5,000 years! By this time it was nearing 3:30 PM and we decided to point our vehicle back towards Askrigg and home. It was a lovely drive and we arrived home around 4:40. We poured a glass of wine and reviewed the emails that were now arriving from friends and family. First to contact us was Abby.  She and Deb cried together until the phone line apparently got soggy and dropped.  It was so good to have contact with the good parts of our life.  Darcy’s text comment to Deb’s concern: “The most badass thing you can do now is enjoy yourself cuz goddammit they cannot take our joy” Words to endure with.

This evening we had reservations at the King’s Arms Pub for dinner, a short walk along the main road. We arrived, ordered a glass of wine and picked a steak pie with mashed potatoes and gravy side, for Deb, and a Burger and chips for Mark. The meals were delicious and we split a wonderful Eton Mess for dessert. We walked back to our lodging, started a fire in the firebox, watched a little TV and read. Our depression still lingered but we realized that friends and family were more important in the long run than an Orange Felon intent upon his tantrums.

Thursday morning we were again awake by 7:00. We showered and enjoyed the last of our scones with some jam and our coffee. Today we had a plan to head again south to try and see an area we had not yet spent any time in. We drove first to Leyburn and refueled the Nissan and then set off towards Middleham and eventually Masham. From there, we turned west and headed for the village of Lofthouse. We passed some wonderful scenery, rolling moors and steep dales. On top of the moors we passed by Leighton reservoir and then up into the clouds which had lowered to the top of the moors, producing a very foggy landscape.

We dropped down towards Lofthouse and the Nidder river, and then into How Stern Gorge. At the gorge we found a lovely coffee shop nestled into the gorge amidst some cabins. The area is renowned for its cliff climbing and caving. We dined on another burger and a tasty roast squash soup, accompanied by some Old Moot Cider and a cup of coffee. On the advice of our server, we headed toward the Scar House Reservoir, so named because you can still see some of the remains of the old town AND the small temporary workers village on the edge of the reservoir.  Absolutely stunning scenery which we had not seen before.  We then journeyed westerly towards Grassington and up to Kettlewell. Turning north we followed Wharfedale up through Bishopdale and into Aysgarth. All of these valleys (Wharfedale, Coverdale, Bishopdale, Nidderdale, Swaledale, etc.) are named for the rivers that run through them, hence the rivers, Wharfe, Cover, Bishop, Nidder & Swale. The only exception is the famous Wensleydale which was created by the River Ure. Deb supposes that Uredale is a weird name for a beautiful valley. So it is named for the village of Wensley but is most famous for its Wensleydale Cheese.  After much driving and consideration this trip, we have decided that Swaledale is still the most beautiful dale in the park.

We reached Askrigg just at sundown, set up in our snug cottage and lit a fire. We had intended to go out for the evening meal, but as we had gotten a late start and a late afternoon lunch, we instead feasted on cheese and crackers and read while watching some really bad House Hunters episodes. Deb retired early and Mark read until around 11:00. We are both reading the new Louise Penny and even she is not cheering us up but we had a lovely day, enjoying the countryside and each other.

Saturday, November 2 - Tuesday November 5, 2024

Having packed the night before, we were up and ready to go on Saturday morning. We said our tearful goodbyes and loaded our bags into Zoe’s Prius for a run into Sligo and the train station. Although Zoe and Garth had kindly offered to drive us to Dublin, we chose instead to take the train; both to see the countryside and to grant them some weekend time after the hubbub of our visit and Halloween. The train ride was very smooth and quick. The railcar we were in started out sparsely populated but, as we passed towns on our way south towards Dublin, it quickly filled up. By the time we arrived, the car was full: teens headed into the big city, travelers like ourselves pushing onward with their luggage, and perhaps a few commuters. We arrived around 12;00 and quickly found a taxi to take us to the airport. First crisis of the trip - Mark left his beloved cap on the seat in the taxi, not discovering his bareheadedness (some might say air-headedness) until standing in the check-in line in the airport!

As we had a few hours to wait, we journeyed up to the Fallow Restaurant and Lounge for a bite of fries, a sausage roll, and a glass of wine. The flight over the Irish Sea was uneventful and we, together with our luggage, arrived at the Manchester airport by 4:30 PM. This is a huge airport with three separate terminal buildings. We deplaned into a coach for the 15 minute drive around the airport to reach the baggage terminal, so we viewed a good portion of the facility. A travel note - there was no immigration or passport control upon our arrival. We sauntered through the “Nothing to Declare” doors and we were in the arrivals area. Perhaps that was because we were required to show our passports at our boarding gate in Dublin before boarding the aircraft. Our next stop was the Enterprise Car Rental counter to pick up our assigned vehicles - a Nissan SUV similar in style and size to our own RAV 4 back in Omaha.

We spent a few minutes familiarizing ourselves with the vehicle and its controls. Although we had picked up a large map book in the airport, everything now has SAT-NAV included so we set our destination to the village of Askrigg and we were on our way. The drive was about three hours; due to shortened daylight, it was nearly dark when we left the Manchester airport, so most of the drive was in the darkness, a bit harrowing when one is in unfamiliar territory but, other than a few sharp words between the pilot and the navigator, we managed without too many wrong turns to arrive at our new “home” Brook Cottage by 8:30 PM. We unloaded, parked the car and clambered into the cute cottage, tired but glad to be on the next step in our journey.

The Cottage is thoroughly modernized and fresh on the inside. steep steps to the upper level holding the bedrooms and the bath, but otherwise, one of the nicest places we have ever stayed. A bit of a struggle for two old, tired travelers to wrestle our luggage up the steps, but once that was accomplished we were able to settle in for a good night’s rest.

We awoke Sunday morning, fresh and happy. The weather was cool, not rainy, but cloudy. We quickly found the coffee paraphernalia and injected some caffeine into our systems. Deb has a bit of a sore throat and a nasty canker sore in her mouth, but the warm beverage helps. We plotted our day, knowing we had to make a provision run for some food, wine, and other essentials. We are very familiar with this area as it regular readers will know. this is our third year of traveling to the Yorkshire Dales National Park area and we have our favorite stores and suppliers.

First stop of the day was a drive into nearby Hawes to replace Mark’s cap. This was the store where he had purchased his beloved waxed cotton cap on our first trip - luckily the store still carried the same brand, color and size. With his head now properly covered we drove on to Leyburn, a large market town on the eastern edge of the National Park area to shop at Campbell’s of Leyburn, a larger grocer and wine merchant Here we stocked up on most of our grocery and wine needs, then across the market square to the Co-op grocery store for some more necessities. Next we stopped at the House & Home store, a kind of household goods emporium, for a bag of logs for the little black stove in our parlor.

To be honest, we could drive all around the Dales and never tire of the natural beauty and the charming villages, valleys and fields.  We ooh and aah over the same scenery every year but it fills us with a sense of belonging.  We feel like we are coming home every year and hope we still have a few more trips in us.  

Back home, we stocked up our kitchen, started a cozy fire in the stove, curled up with a book and rested for the balance of the afternoon into the evening. We snacked on crackers, Brie, and hummus for our evening meal.   

Monday we were slow to get rolling. We showered and then Mark made a “Full English” breakfast (less the baked beans.)  we headed out late morning for a drive back into Leyburn where we secured more logs, kindling and fire starters as we were quick to burn yesterday’s supply. We stopped in our favorite tea shop - The Posthorn, for a cup of tea and a cheese scone. Arriving back at the cottage, we snuggled in, laid some more fire in the fire stove and then snacks and watched TV. Turning on the television we were surprised to find we were viewing Criminal minds, and NCIS while lounging and drinking our wine. It occurs to us that we spent a lot of money to sit around doing exactly the same thing we do in Omaha!

Tuesday morning we arose with a plan. We breakfasted on scones with strawberry rhubarb jam and then got on the road. We drove south east towards the village of Dent, passing under the Dentdale viaduct. The scenery was glorious and the weather cooperative. Although we had been to Dent before, it was only a quick drive though for a photo stop. This time we drove more slowly, enjoyed the scenery and made an extended stop at the Dent history center. We enjoyed the displays and had some coffee and a huge shortbread cookie, called a shortbread ring. Delicious enough that we purchased two for the road.

Dent’s most famous citizen was Adam Sedgwick, 1785-1873. Sedgwick was a geologist and Anglican priest, one of the founders of modern geology who proposed the Cambrian and Devonian period of the geological timescale.

 

Leaving Dent we directed our vehicle towards Hawes and arrived around 2:00 PM. We parked up and walked a bit before dropping into The Fountain Pub for a late lunch and cider and a pint. This pub is featured frequently in one of our favorite detective series featuring Harry Grimm and his crew of police, headquartered in Hawes, written by David Gatward. We both have just finished reading the latest available installment during this trip. It brings the books to life as we sit in the pub surrounded by patrons, each with at least one dog tucked under their tables. We soon realized we were the only patrons without a canine accomplice in the premises.

We wandered around a bit, looking over the quoints (a form of horseshoes) field below the pub, and making the acquaintance of the neighborhood sheep stationed in front of the pet supply store.

We arrived back in Askrigg just after dark and later snacked on cheese and crackers with wine. We had picked up a few bottles at Elijah Allen Grocers in Hawes. Not nearly the selection available from Campbell’s in Leyburn. The bottle of Australian Shiraz we opened was barely drinkable - sweet and fruity. Deb diluted hers greatly with soda water to make it palatable. Mark did not, but uncharacteristically cut him self off early in protest of the taste.

Another interesting day in the Dales. We tucked in for the night, knowing the U.S. election was well under way and that we would find the results the next morning. We went to sleep hopeful for an intelligent outcome.

 

October 31 - November 2, 2024

The Highland’s new house is really a perfect place for this very active family of 5.  It has three full bathrooms and 4 bedrooms, all quite spacious.  They ended up with almost an acre of land and hope to add a garage/workshop as well as gardens but that might have to wait until Arthur is in school.  He is quite a handful but fortunately for him, cute as a bug!  Garth and Zoe have lots of plans for fixing up the house but both work full-time jobs and after getting the kids fed and to bed, there is little time left.  most of us know that feeling and we all know it will get better but I know they are tired.

After Garth headed out to work, we finished cleaning up the girls and dressing Arthur. Zoe and Mark loaded the brood into the Prius and drove into Sligo to drop the girls at their swimming and arts camp at the Community Center; as Arthur was in quarantine, he continued on with us as we ran errands which included dropping a mis-delivered large package back to the department store and then some grocery shopping. Watching Arthur running around the grocery store was Mark’s job while Zoe traipsed around the aisles loading wine and other provisions into the rolling basket.

Back in the vehicle, we drove the 20 minutes back to the house to find Deb hard at work dealing with some details of a trip she was planning for some clients. No rest for the unretired! Garth returned home and he and Mark drove out to collect the girls from their day camp. Much chatter in the car on the return trip about the vending machines. These are a continuing topic of conversation as the girls take their allowance to the community center day camp and feed it into the vending machines for candy and popcorn to be shared with their buddies.

Back home, Deb broke out her first little gifts - windup monsters that “pooped” out candy as they walked across the table top. Nothing like a series of poop jokes to get 3, 6 and 7 year olds to fall down laughing! Zoe prepared a lovely chicken corma over rice for dinner and we inspected the children’s costumes in preparation for the next BIG day.

Halloween day was rife with excitement. Arthur was cleared  from his quarantine to attend his play school, so every sub-adult was trotted off to burn off some steam. Garth worked a half-day schedule as he and Mark remained at the house while Deb and Zoe drove the kids into town for school. Upon their return, we drove in separate cars back into town for a leisurely lunch and a pint at Walker’s Pub. Deb and Garth enjoyed a wonderful Guiness pie while Mark and Zoe opted for toasted ham & cheese sandwiches and soup.

Following lunch, Zoe drove Mark and Deb around for a tour of the peninsula showing off the ocean, the multi-million Euro houses overlooking the ocean, the small dock areas and breakers along the beaches, and many of the houses they toured during their home search. The home they eventually purchased is about a half kilometer from the sea, on a lovely country lane. it was formerly a Guest House labeled “Eight Gables” and includes four bedrooms and three bath locations. One of the first things they did was to remove the Eight Gables sign from the front yard and now they are in the process of renaming the home “Ceol na Mara”  which translates from the Irish as “Music of the Sea.”

Garth had picked the children up from school and got them organized into their costumes and professionally applied their make-up. When we arrived back, they were ready to roll out for candy. There are three or four homes on the lane and only one other of these has children. The two families banded together and after a stop at each home, they were off in the car for a night of pre-pubescent revelry. Deb & Mark stayed behind to hand out candy to any late comers, though there were none; the word was probably out that all Garth put in stock were gummies! 

After nearly two hours of foraging, they returned, hyped up on excitement and sugar laced with sweet corn syrup. They separated their stash, begrudgingly paid the chocolate tax Mark imposed, and were soon off to bed complaining that they didn’t get enough candy. This is what keeps us coming back to Ireland - the pure joy on the faces of the children (not to mention the love we have for these long suffering parents. We keep telling them that these are the good years and the teens will be much worse, but when you are as busy as these two, juggling jobs, commutes and multiple schools, it seems depressing to think it can get worse.) But, Oh the smiles upon their little faces and the lights in their eyes!

The next morning, there were three very tired children shovelling down some cereal and getting dressed for their last day of community camp. Mark and Garth drove the girls into town amidst much arguing about the coming vending machines. A quick search of pockets revealed that both were toting all too much cash from their home allowance stash to drop into the machines. Papa confiscated the excess, bringing on quick tears and protests, followed by resignation and a quick forgetting of the issue. Deb and Zoe dropped Arthur at his day care and we then left one car in the parking lot and, fresh coffee cups in hand, we drove out towards  the village of Foxford and its famous wooden mills shops. We perused the goods, made some purchases and then settled in at their restaurant for a late lunch of mushroom soup, quiche, lasagna and fish tacos. All very tasty. 

During our lunch, Zoe received a call that Arthur was feeling a bit sluggish and out of sorts. We headed back but were at least two hours away. By the time we arrived to pick him up, he was over his malaise and was happy as a clam. Garth and Mark picked up the girls, and all returned home for our last evening with the Highland crew. We dined on pizza and a Caesar’s salad, some wine and lots of leftover candy! The children were all atwitter as Deb broke out all the presents she had stashed in her suitcase. New pajamas, new sweaters, lots of underwear and a shirt for Garth, some hand knit socks for Zoe, and as much love as we could spread around. 

The kids were beginning to show the stress of the holiday, so they were bundled off to bed, although Arthur was having none of it for a while, but finally settled down. The adults talked for a bit and then off to bed, Deb and Mark to finish packing, and Zoe and Garth for some much needed rest.