August 2-3: Green.
[NOTE: I had a much longer, detailed and funnier account of my trek across "the pond" but in a jet lagged fog, I wrote over the file before I had to chance to post it. I may recreate it at some point, but in the interest of getting this travelogue started before I return, here is a much abbreviate version]
I left at 9:30pm on the first of August from Boston Logan airport. I arrived in London at 8:30am local time on August 2. I then took a connecting flight to Manchester airport after a long lay-over at Heathrow where I was lucky to find a quiet corner and comfy chair to nap a bit. Rachel picked me up in Manchester, we then drove about 2 and a half hours up to her parent's house in Cumbria. To say the least, when I finally stopped moving, I was feeling a bit squirrely. Rachel took me on a post-diner walk around her neighborhood, but I barely remember any of it. So, after I slept for fourteen hours (!), I decided to try the walk again. This time I brought my camera.
What is there to say? Rachel grew up in an absolutely beautiful part of the world that seems almost anachronistic today. You might imagine nothing has changed since Wordsworth lived, walked and wrote poetry here (he was born in Cockermouth just down the road from Oughterside where Rachel's parents live). But much has changed about the region. Most of the farms have been sold for residential development and the coal mines that provided much of the industry here are all closed. Protecting the natural beauty of Cumbria so the summer tourists continue to visit is the main focus now. Oh, and raising sheep for Lakeland lamb meat.
The English name their homes or inherit the names of homes when they buy property. It is so common and accepted, the post office has a registry of all the house names and pretty much deliver mail based on the name of the house, not the people living in it. "Jus Hus", the name of Rachel's family home, means "one house" in Cumbrian. The following pictures are from my noon walk around Jus Hus less than 24 hours after my arrival in Oughterside, England. Click on any picture for a larger version.
Just one small part of the Taylor family garden.
This horse was standing on a hill across the
street
from Jus Hus when I started my walk.
This path begins my walk and is located less
than 50 yards from the Jus Hus front gate.
A horizon view from Oughterside down the hill.
A gate that was at least 20 feet across, just big
enough to fit
the large farm wagons that once moved around the fields.
A window along the path to the fields beyond.
This "weed" grows everywhere, coloring
the green landscape with purple flowers.
Sheep are still raised in
Cumbria
but,
sadly, not for wool.
My favorite photo from the walk.