Back and Forth Across the Pond

I will have been home three weeks tomorrow. I think I'm finally settling back into being home. What I've not settled into is the notion that I'm back in school in less than a month. To me, summer vacation just began! How can it possibly be nearly time for classes to resume? So I stress a bit when I think of the things I need to get done before school hits. And I stress more when I look at our weekends. Each one keeps getting booked with something, so it feels like time is moving along that much faster. Slow down already! Tomorrow also marks the departure of our friends, Melanie and Will. They're moving to Virginia and will be sorely missed. Steve met Mel through work a couple of years ago and they became fast friends. The four of us got together when we could. Will travels a lot for work, so it wasn't as often as we would have liked. But we always had a great time, so there was quality time, if not a quantity of it. But Mel and I didn't spend any time together u...

I'm just back from spending a few hours at the Pear Tree pub with Jackie, Nick, Nikki, Tina, John, Joanne, and Tony. It was a nice evening and a pleasant way to spend my last night here in England. But each time I hugged someone good-bye, I had to fight back tears. When Steve and I come here on holiday, it's always a bit sad saying good-bye. But this was different. Clearly, I got attached to everyone during my ten weeks' stay. I think I feel more a part of this family than I ever have because of the time I spent here. So, yes, it's quite hard to say good-bye. At the same time, I am beyond excited to be heading home to Steve tomorrow. I can't imagine how good it's going to be to be back with him. But I'm fretting. The flight today was late enough arriving in Atlanta that if it happens again with my flight tomorrow, I'll miss my connection to Jacksonville. There are three more flights after mine, so I'm sure I'll get out that evening. But having to...

Today was my last day of research, and it was also the day I finally made a break through. Throughout my time here in England, I have been trying to figure out how Preston went from an aristocratic town known for its posh gentility in the 18th century to an overpopulated mill town mired in pollution and poverty just a century later. In broad strokes, the answer is simple: The Industrial Revolution happened. More specifically, King Cotton happened. But mine is a social history, so I wanted to see when and how society shifted away from the high brow. But I wasn't finding anything definitive. Even when the poor working class outnumbered the middle class and landed gentry by a staggering amount, and pollution left the River Ribble a cesspool, Preston maintained its upper class air (no pun intended). So, with the guidance of Dr. Furdell, I decided to narrow my focus and look at the amusements in Preston - primarily Preston North End (PNE) Football Club. I got the idea when I visited the...

And by get-ups, I don't mean outfits or costumes. I mean mornings - as in when I awaken in the morning, I get up. After three more get-ups, I am heading home. Emotionally I am beyond ready to go home. I've enjoyed my time here and I love being around the family. I will miss England. But my home I keenly miss Steve, so I am very happy to be going home. Of course, now that I'm down to my last few days, I am very aware of the number of things I wanted to do, but didn't. The biggie is the Preston church tour. There are many churches here dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. I wanted to finally go see them, inside and out. Especially St. Walburge's. But I will not have time. I need to hit the Lancashire Records Office one more time, because I thought of some more info to look for. So I need a day for that, which leaves me Tuesday for packing and saying good-bye to the family. Jackie and Nick told me that the interior of St. Wilfrid's (the church I stumbled upo...

I wanted to post all of my cathedral photos here. But I quickly realized that I took too many to do that. And that's with me not taking as many photos as I would have liked. In reading the book I picked up on the cathedral after-the-fact, I discovered a number of things I missed. (Guess who's going back next year!) So I was forced to post my photos on Facebook again. Click here to have a look at them. The cathedral was a beautiful place. It left me feeling serene and comfortable - the way a church should. St. Cuthbert's was just a few minutes' walk up the road from the cathedral, but it was a world away. I didn't go inside this church, because it's outside left me feeling cold and uncomfortable. If you haven't done so, yet, click on the link above and take a look at Carlisle Cathedral. Then come back here and take a look at St. Cuthbert's. As I was strolling around the cathedral grounds on the hunt for historical treasure, I spotted a sign that indicate...

It's easier to upload photos on Facebook, so I've put a bunch of Carlisle photos there. Pictures from the wonderful Cathedral and St. Cuthbert's Church will be posted here soon. In the meantime, check out the photos of the castle and other spots in Carlisle here.