Dean and Kathy Visit

We had a really great weekend with Dean and Kathy. We spent the whole week-end running around and seeing all the sights of the Isle (Osbourn House, Arreton Barn, Alum Bay, Godshill, Ryde). We also had plently of time to sit around, drink coffee, and enjoy great conversation. I turned Kathy onto Guinness, so now she is converted. So, in between all the running around, we managed to enjoy a few pints in a pub or two.

Hello to Chris

We survived our trip to Europe. We visited Germany, Slovakea, Italy, France, and Spain. As we will be in America in less than one month, I will save the details. However, I will just say that we enjoyed it greatly, except getting robbed in Spain.

Chris is now in America, enjoying all that the great USA has to offer. We miss him a lot and are counting down the days until we are all together again.

BBQ

Yesturday, we went for a BBQ on the beach in Shanklin. Technically, it was a Bri (a South African BBQ). We enjoyed the sun, surf, and really good food. Many of the party went into the ocean swimming, despite the cold water. Evelyn and Andrea went in. Andrea had some type of allergic reaction to the water and her eyes puffed up (like Rocky after a fight). I ended up taking her to (the) hospital in Newport. She has some eye drops and pills. The doctor thinks it may be a 'one off' reaction.

Half term is coming up at the end of the month and we are thinking of going to Italy, Rome specifically. There are just a few things that have to get sorted out before we can make any specific plans. I really can't wait as the students have become even worse of late. I don't know if it is the time of year, the weather, or the upcoming exams.

Beautiful Weekend

We have had an absolutely beautiful week end. The weather has been wonderful all week, but especially great since Thursday. The beaches are crawling with islanders and tourists. Carin and I went on our weekend walk today. We walked from Chale to Ventnor, which was about 9 miles. It was a really nice mix of coastal path and down trails. The uphill parts were spaced far enough apart, that you recovered from one before the next. In Ventnor, they were having a jazz festival. So, we could hear the music playing while we walked the last mile or so. I have attached a few pictures for you to see the beautiful scenery I get to look at when I hike.

Its back to school tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it. I am really counting down the days now. We have about five weeks until the students take their exams. I'm not really sure yet what happens after that.

Ellen and Molly Visit

Well, today we said goodbye to Ellen and Molly. We had a great visit, but all good things must end. Last Friday, I went to Gatwick Airport to collect them. Of course, as predicted, Ellen and I both started crying the minute we saw each other. After we stopped crying, we left the airport and got on our train to Portsmouth. We were talking so much, that we missed hearing some details about our train and therefore made an unplanned side trip to Bognor Regis. It only put us about a 1/2 hour behind schedule and we were soon back on track for Portsmouth.

Saturday, we just spent in Ryde, while Molly and Ellen recovered from their travels. In the afternoon, we did a little shopping in town. On Sunday, we went to Alum Bay (The Needles). It is a really roller coaster bus ride and unfortunately both Ellen and Molly suffered for it. However, they soon recovered and we really enjoyed the day. We took the ski lift down to the beach, where we walked around, looked at the rocks, and enjoyed the scenery and Engligh Channel.

1. Ellen and Faye on beach in Alum Bay.

2. The Needles as seen from Alum Bay.

3. The girls in a small cave in the chalk cliff made from the same chalk as the 'White Cliffs of Dover'.

On Monday, we all took the train to LONDON. We had never actually been there, beyond going through on a train or getting off a plane. We had four very full days were we saw all the sights; Piccadilly Circus, Kensington Palace, Big Ben, Parliment, London Eye, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Dungeons, St. Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, and Buckingham Palace - to name a few. We had a really good time seeing the sights, eating some traditional British food (in some great pubs), and just being together. Ellen and I took so many pictures of the girls, that we joked about the fact that people would think we never went, only the kids.

The London Dungeons were interesting. For some reason, we kept getting 'picked' to help in the show. I was tortured in Newgate Prison with some pretty nasty instruments. Of course, one of the instruments could not be used on me as I lacked a certain item to chop off. Later in the show, the girls were put on trial for witch craft. They were found guilty and sentenced to hang.

I could write pages about this past week, but that will just have to wait until we get back to the US. Some has to be saved.

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.