Saltburn-by-the-sea

It's Labor Day and what better way to celebrate our hard work then to have a relaxing day at the beach! Today we went to the beach at Saltburn-by-the-sea (this is the actual name of the town and not just its location).
Isaac and Luke loved the running up and down the beach. They built sand castles and stomped on them. I got a chance to climb the grassy hill nearby and do some exploring on the rocky part of the beach. Dionne enjoyed relaxing in our American flag beach chairs and wished she had brought a book to read.



We rode the Saltburn Tramway to the town at the top of the cliffs. The ingenious tramway uses counter-balancing water tanks to move either tram car to the top or bottom. The design of the car and stained glass windows made you feel that you had just step back in time to the 1880s.


On the home front, Luke has been having some nightmares about monsters. He also has been referring to himself as a dragon lion. It was about this age when Isaac called himself a water buffalo. So we now have a water buffalo and dragon lion living in our house along with a monster that hides under Luke’s pillow.

Grandpa & Marmee Visit Part 2: England

On the second part of our travels with Grandpa and Marmee, we came back to England for some medieval fun.
A few tips when travelling in England:

1. Stay up-wind when juggling torches.

2. Make sure you have wellies and a jacket before storming any castles.

3. Be careful...ginger beer can be addicting.

4. And finally, never give a two-year-old a sword (plastic or otherwise) while your trying to watch a joust.

York

Scarborough

Vacation to Southern England

For the Fourth of July holiday weekend, we travelled to the southern coast of England to see the sites on the other side of the island. On our first day, we went to the Bournemouth peer and beach. It was the first time we've been to the coast without rain. Luke didn't like the waves or the sand (it got in his mouth). Isaac loved every minute. Dad tried to build a sand castle, but the twin engines of destruction kept knocking over the walls and towers.


On day two, we visited Stonehenge. The clouds cooperated just enough to snap a few nice pictures. The boys were more impressed with the free guided-tour handsets that were handed to us and undoing the ropes that surround the site.


On our last day, we toured Stratford-upon-Avon and the birth place and childhood home of William Shakespeare. Dionne has always had an interest in literature and performed a scene from "Two Gentlemen of Verona" in her Shakespeare class once upon a time at BYU.

Robin Hoods Bay

We woke up Saturday morning to a bright, sun-shiny day. Feeling a bit of spring fever we took off to the sea side to visit Robin Hood's Bay and Ravenscar. In standard English form, the sunshine didn't last for long. The typical English weather set in and soaked us to the core. We didn't want the wind and rain to spoil our plans, so we made the most of the day traipsing through muddy trails and slippery stone paths. The boys had a marvelous time puddle jumping.


Quoting from the Robin Hoods Bay site:
In the 18 th century, Robin Hoods Bay was reportedly the busiest smuggling community on the Yorkshire coast. Bay wives were known to pour boiling water over excise men from bedroom windows in the narrow alleyways. Hiding places, bolt holes and secret passages abounded. It is said that a bale of silk could pass from the bottom of the village to the top without leaving the houses.

There were places where the houses were so close together, I had to close my umbrella because it couldn't fit between the houses.


Ravenscar is a tiny village on the cliffs of the Yorkshire coast. It is said that King George was treated for his madness at the building now called Raven Hall Hotel. Archeology shows that the Romans built a stone tower at Ravenscar.


Hopefully one of these days we will get to see the sea side on a clear, sunny day. But until then, we will just keep replacing the broken umbrellas (the wind has broken 4 umbrellas now) and I think Josh and I need to invest in some wellies.

A Rainy Day in the Coastal City of Whitby

Today, we braved a rain and wind-swept day in the coastal city of Whitby. We started at the top of the 199 steps at St. Mary's Church and the 13th-century ruins of the Whitby Abbey. Next, we ventured into town and saw a replica of Captain James Cook's Endeavor . We ate lunch at the White Horse and Griffin and then walked along the cliffs overlooking the peer. We hope to return during sunny weather.