Happy Halloween

Robin enjoyed trick-or-treating in Chagford Monday night; he wasn't even fazed by the shortcut through the dark yew avenue in St. Michael's churchyard! Ari dressed up as well, and Caitlin was visiting and helped with pumpkin-carving, pumpkin soup-making, and pumpkin seed-toasting. The pumpkin on the right in picture #2 is Robin's own design.

10 days to go, and time to start packing....

Visits and Journeys

We've spent the last month and a half in visits from both sets of parents, with side trips to St. Ives in Cornwall (with the Berks) and York and Edinburgh (with the McDermotts). St. Ives is a delightful seaside town with tons of art galleries. The Tate Modern has a branch there, thanks to the establishment in the early 20th century of a colony of abstract artists led by Barbara Hepworth. Her home, studio, and sculpture garden (picture 1) are a highlight of the town. Fabulous restaurants, great shopping, and, for Robin, the best feature -- besides a beach to dig in (picture 2) -- was the Bob the Builder ride outside the boardwalk arcade (picture 3). We saw ancient stone artifacts like the Man-a-Tol, a holed stone whose original purpose is a mystery (picture 4).

Robin is a terrific traveler (picture 5) and loves to see new places. He loved York's cobblestone streets and snickets (alleys), and especially the Cathedral. We also saw the Jorvik Viking Experience, where Robin was able to "dig" for bone shards in their archaeology exhibit. Edinburgh was fantastic, with its castle perched high above the Old Town (picture 6). I was thrilled to spend time absorbing the atmosphere in Holyrood House (home of the Scottish Kings and Queens, including James VI, about whom I'll soon be writing) and Edinburgh Castle. I saw the room in which James was born, a tiny "closet" with Mary Stuart's prayer for her safety in childbirth painted on the wall above where the bed would have been. From the castle, you can see the "New Town" below and the Firth of Forth beyond. We enjoyed gorgeous fall weather, and the leaves turn much more brilliant colors in the north of Britain than they do down here in the Southwest. 

The trip home from Edinburgh was a 9-hour train ride that Robin handled like a pro. But he's beginning to ask when we're going back to Michigan, and we've started the one-month countdown! 

Out From Under

It's done! I've finished my edition of four Ben Jonson masques and it's printed and sitting on my desk. Five years of work in a 325-page lump, there it is.

No deadlines for a couple of months so my sabbatical is beginning right on schedule. Our colleagues back at CMU are deep in prep week, and we feel so SO sorry for them, as we sit back with our cups of tea and gaze at Castle Drogo from our patio.

So here are a few catch-up photos of Robin with his cousins at Tintagel, and some shots taken by my CMU student, Korinne, who visited us at the first of the month, at Merryvale, a Stone-Age megalith site. Robin likes to play "bus" on the big granite slabs lying around the old stone row there.

Fun with Castles

I'm a bit behind in adding entries because I'm in the home stretch with the book I'm editing -- another week should see me ready to submit it to my editor. But here are a few pics from a recent field trip. As soon as my brother sends me the pix from the McDermott family's visit with us last week, I'll post those!

Ari and Robin made a visit to Castle Berry Pomeroy, a ruin near the coast. It's said to be haunted -- there was one room that Robin wouldn't go into! But he loved the rest of it, and keeps asking to go back.

Next entry -- Tintagel, Saltram House, Buckland Abbey, and Dartmouth with the McDermott cousins.

Harry Potter Fever!

Yes, I queued at five minutes to midnight on Friday night at the Chagford Bookshop to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and stayed up until 2 reading. Just finished it a little bit ago (but don't worry, Mama, I've spent the same amount of time this weekend working as I did reading!). Rowling is in top form, is all I'll say now, and the emphasis in this outing is on emotions -- both the characters' and the reader's. I'll post a review later, in case those of you who are fans haven't finished yet. 

Bomb Attacks in London

We've received lots of emails asking if we were affected by the bombings in London this morning. Thankfully, Devon is about as far away from London as you can get in southern England, and worlds away in terms of lifestyle. And we've heard from friends, family and students who are living or traveling in England today, and all are safe. But our hearts go out to Londoners, since we consider England our second home. As much as we rejoiced with London yesterday on winning the 2012 Olympics, we mourn for it today. Namaste, Shalom, Peace.

London

Last week, we made a 3-day trip to London to meet Ari's parents, who were en route from a 3-week European tour. We stayed in quiet, chic Kensington Park, near the Victoria & Albert Museum (which we didn't see -- Robin was not that into museums) and the Natural History Museum (picture #1)  (which we did see a bit -- Robin liked some of the dinosaurs but was a little scared of others). London "enjoyed" record heat while we were there -- temps soared to the low 90s, and London is mostly non-air conditioned. That chilly Chagford swimming pool would have been just perfect in Hyde Park! As it was, all the city parks were full of folks sitting with their feet in the fountains -- and a huge TV screen was up in Trafalgar Square so that people could watch Wimbledon. Walking was unpleasant (although Robin discovered an excellent strategy, #2), but the double-decker buses were worse, blazing on top and stifling inside! Even so, the on-and-off tour buses really are the best way to see the city, and Robin loved the view. We retreated to the relatively cooler British Museum (#3), where we enjoyed the King's Library (#4, 5). Robin especially liked the hands-on Rosetta Stone replica (#6) and the mummies (#7). Other highlights of London included outdoor cafes with friendly dogs, the gigantic animal statues on the Prince Albert Memorial, the nap-friendly benches in the Tudor Room of the National Portrait Gallery (for Robin, of course -- Ari and I took turns visiting our old friends Henry, Elizabeth, William, and Ben, and offering learned lectures in Tudor history to Mike, Susan, Lila, and Jules), ice cream from lorries (#8), and the five-story Hamley's Toy Shop in Regents Square. We had a great time (thanks again, Mike and Susan!), but were happy to return to our cool and quiet Devon farmhouse, which Robin now calls "home." (Speaking of which, see the "Furlong" entry below for some additional pix of the exterior of the house.)