Now Where Was I?

Well, I meant to have already completed my blogs about our trip to England and Scotland (back in May/June) but life rudely interrupted and then suddenly summer was over. I hate leaving things unfinished (apart from dozens of art projects), so......
After our pleasant and bonny time in Edinburgh Glenn and I boarded the train for Durham to visit more family members.

Matt and Sapna have visited us in Lubbock, here seen in 2015, and so it was time to come to them.

Durham is a lovely university town on the River Wear in northeast England, with its' own castle and cathedral, where Matt teaches philosophy. (Matt is the third son of my cousin, Gay Salmon, and half brother to Stephen and Chris Salmon). We had already visited with Stephen and family in Chester so now Chris and his family were driving in to visit us here. Having just been part of our lone U.S. family branch for so long it was nice to suddenly have an extended family of relatives to keep up with.

We stayed at a quaint little inn, the Kingslodge Inn, which was comfy and well maintained, with a nice pub and dining area.

The lovely and peaceful river:

A few views on walkabout:

We all met up to visit the outdoor museum village of Beamish, which recreates past times in England, from the bucolic views of farms to a 1930's street scene fit for a BBC production.

Here are Izzy, Holly, Nicola, Chris, and Matt as we prepare for our tour.

And here's Sapna with little Priya.

Lots of walking and bus riding to get around.

 Of course we all needed to sample some massive helpings of fish and chips.

Glenn, Matt, and I had a walk through Durham Cathedral (built 1093-1133, and the shrine of St. Cuthbert), actually one of my favorites in terms of feeling light, open, and welcoming. I especially loved the geometric designs on the columns.

All in all a lovely visit.

And Matt knows where to find the best scones.