Bristol, England

When we went to visit Bath in September, we actually stayed at a Doubletree hotel located near Bristol.  So one of the days, we spent walking around Bristol.  We took a short river cruise, then walked up to see the Bristol Cathedral, which was gorgeous and did lunch at a local BBQ restaurant, the Spitfire.

 

Bristol Cathedral

 

Wells-next-the-Sea

Wells-next-the-Sea is a cute coastal port located near the North Norfolk Coast.  I really miss the beach, so this was a treat for me.  The beach will allow you to soak up some sun, swim, or hunt for sea shells.  We were there during the summer festival, so there were lots of people.  The Norfolk Coastal Path leads from the beach up the port to town.  It was a perfect day for visiting with plenty of sunshine.  We stopped for ice cream and a drink at one of the local pubs.  I want to go back and just linger on the beach...there's something so relaxing in searching for sea shells.

We've been in England now almost three months.  I'm pretty well adjusted...gotten over my intimidation of driving.  Though I've only ventured out on my own to the grocery store.  But, I am driving long distances and I drove us the two-hour drive to Wells this day.  The weather is growing on me.  I have missed the warm summer days of Missouri.  It feels like fall here a lot of the time.  Today is day two of cold and rain, but we have had some beautiful 70 degree days.  We've reached into the 80's only a handful of times.  Now that our furniture is in place and curtains have been hung in a couple rooms, the house is feeling much more like home.  I'll have pictures soon of our townhouse.  It's different than anything we've ever lived in. 

A Bit of Family Time

I have to admit I get a wee bit jealous when I hear about the time my kids spend with their significant other's family.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them and so glad they have them as part of their lives.  But, the few times a year I get to see them just isn't enough!  So, this past weekend, I was extremely grateful to go and visit them.  We had hoped for a beautiful fall weekend, however, the rain never moved out until Sunday afternoon, so we had to postpone our little hiking trip to Table Rock State Park until Sunday.  And, then, unfortunately, Beki got sick and couldn't make it.  Our time there was nice.  We celebrated Ari's birthday, even if a few weeks late, enjoyed dinner with everyone, spent a little time at the coffee shop, decorated fall cookies. 

 

When the rain finally stopped Sunday, we drove to the state park.  The fall colors were just starting to dot the landscape.  It stayed overcast and wasn't the best day for photos, but here are a few from our trip.

 

 

A little rock skipping!  I wasn't any good at it!