We had a lot of full sea days at the end of the cruise, but that worked out pretty well for us since Nathan and I were both battling a cold. We got to rest and soak in the hot tub. We really got attached to some of the delightful staff on the Emerald Princess who took care of us every day and it was a treat to get to know them. We also became acquainted with an older Filipino couple from San Francisco and we enjoyed our dinner conversations with them.
Our last stop on the cruise was Greenock, Scotland, which is the port for Glasgow. When we visited Scotland in 2019, we took a day trip to Glasgow from Edinburgh and really enjoyed it. We also stopped in Greenock on a previous cruise, but we were on an excursion that took us up into the highlands. This time, we decided to stay in town, so after stocking up on cold medicine and snacks at the grocery store, we did a long hike into the hills above the port. It was a real treat as it was a beautiful day and that area turned out to have a cool historic site called the Greenock Cut. There is a system of reservoirs for storing water and the cut was an aqueduct built to provide clean water for the town and create energy for the many factories and mills that were in the town in the 1820s. It was a good day.
We returned to England via Southampton, where we picked up a car and started another journey. We started in Portsmouth, where we strolled around the historic dockyard. We saw Admiral Nelson’s ship, the HMS Victory, as well as several other ships. We then went to our accommodation near the village of Pensford.
We spent a delightful day in Bath, where we took the city’s free walking tour. We also visited the Roman Bath museum, which was very well done. At the end, you get to drink some of the mineral-rich water, just like people have been doing there for thousands of years. Maybe that’s why we’re feeling better? Anyway, it’s a gorgeous town and it’s easy to see why the rich and famous wanted to visit and why it inspired authors and artists.
We popped down to the city of Wells to visit their beautiful cathedral. We had a tour from a sweet lady volunteer. She really knew her history of the church and the building, so we learned a lot. Then we spent the rest of the day in Bristol, walking around the town sites and strolling the harbor. We saw lots of ships and the adorable bright rows of houses on the hill. Our seafood dinner was delicious and we saw some good comedy.
We had a bit of a drive today, but we broke it up by stopping at the stone circle in Avebury. It’s bigger and older than Stonehenge and the town is built in and around the stones. It’s a cool plae. Unlike Stonehenge, you can get right up next to the stones and it’s not nearly as crowded. We also stopped in at a pub in Ascot for lunch. Now we are in the city of Hastings with a sliver of a sea view from our Airbnb. There’s a piano here, so Nathan is having a good time! We’ll be exploring this corner of England this week before returning to London. Have a good one!
She’s Here!
Hi! We’ve had a good week here in Northern Utah. The weather is warming up a bit, there are buds on the trees, and…oh yeah…we have a new granddaughter! Daisy Ray Bauserman joined us about 10 days early on Friday night. Lauren had a crazy day of contractions and running back and forth to the hospital on Thursday with no progress. Then on Friday night, little miss didn’t waste any time and was born just before 10 pm. There was a bit of a hiccup in delivery when Lauren’s blood pressure dropped (and of course, so did baby’s) due to an extra dose of pain meds in her epidural. But she recovered and was able to deliver normally, despite being extremely medicated and numb. Miss Daisy’s a cute little thing and looks an awful lot like her big sister. Needless to say, we are tickled with our newest addition.
Marching On
Hello from beautiful Utah and Happy March! We had a good two weeks in Missouri, playing with kids and helping out. After two long driving days later, we are resting up in Utah for new adventures coming up! Although Nathan was fighting illness the whole time, we had a...
A Very Merry Birthday
We’ve had a good week here in Ohio and West Virginia. Nathan is still in a battle with a cold virus, but it’s been great beside that wrinkle. We’ve played with the kids, done some projects around Lauren’s house, and even found time for a trip to the dentist (Bo :)). We just happened to be around while he was off with his brothers and dad on a hunt, so it was a bonus to be able to help Lauren. She’s in her last month of pregnancy number four, so things are getting exciting! Despite being 8+ months pregnant, she prepared me a spectacular birthday dinner, making ramen from scratch (including handmade noodles) and a glorious flourless chocolate cake. I was spoiled to get fancy chocolates from my hubby, texts and calls from lots of people I love, and plenty of grandkid giggles and hugs. It’s been a good one! We’ll be picking up and moving on tomorrow…Missouri is next!
It all looks so beautiful!! You may not feel well, but you both look great. 😊
<3