Mother's Day

Went for a hike today along the cliffs. We walked from Brightstone to Niton, which is a hike of about eight miles. The hike itself was beautiful. It was along the cliffs on the English Channel. They are a combination of white chalk (like the white cliffs of Dover) and reddish sandstone. So, you see the beautiful downs (flattish, green fields) coming down to the cliffs. The cliff edge is rather jagged due to erosion. I will add pictures to my blogs as soon as I get my new computer set up to download them. It would have been a perfect hike, however, the wind was so strong, at times I thought we would get blown right off the cliff.

Chris just got back from five days in Scotland with his geology class. He had a really good time, learned a lot about the geology of Scotland, and got to know his students really well. He is doing a really good job at school. In fact, he has even covered some classes, and very successfully also. The girls are doing well. They just got their school reports and they are doing very well.

This friday night, we are having a cocktail and snack party. Everyone needs to bring the stuff needed to make their typical cocktail and bring a snack to share. So, I have to get the recipe to make old fashions, as I think of that as the typical 'Wisconsin' cocktail.

Weekly Hikes

Saturday Walks

In order to try to lose some of the weight I have gained since moving to the isle of carbohydrates, Carin and I have started taking a long hike each Saturday along one of the many trails and paths they have here. Last week, we walked from Sandown to
Ryde, a hike of approximately 7 miles. See attached map. It was a beautiful hike, but tough due to the change in elevation. It was made even more difficult due to the wet and muddy conditions. Going over the Brading Down was very hard climbing. Today, we went from East Cowes to Ryde, a hike of 8 miles. It was an easier hike, but not as scenic and the previous one. Once a month, as a reward for our hard work, we are going to take a Pub Walk. These are hikes that start and finish at pubs. We will reward ourselves with some pub food - YUM.

A New Job for Chirs!!!

Chris Has a Job

Chris started his new job today as a science department teaching assistant. He will also be teaching A-level geology. We are all excited about his job and very happy about the extra money, as this means more travel opportunities for us. Send him an e-mail to say good luck for his new job. His e-mail is the same as mine, but with his first name instead of mine.