I Nearly Killed My Dad, On Accident

NOTE TO SELF:

Do not take hard-of-hearing, slightly inebriated American father to a football game that requires him to cross busy roads in England.

Had a coworker of mine not seen my dad looking the wrong way before crossing the road AND known my dad has trouble hearing, my dad would have been hit by a car. My coworker saw it happening and SHOUTED 'Phil, watch out!!!' just in time for the car to breeze by just inches from my dad.

--------------

I recently had the joy of a visit from my parents for 2 weeks. It was so nice to see a familiar face after living in this land of strangers for the last 6 months. On Day 1, they must've hated me because they landed at 7am and I forced them to stay awake until 9pm....it's the best way to avoid jetlag! So, we used this opportunity to visit the town of Bath, which is just 3 hours South on the motorway.

Bath is an amazing old Roman town. There is so much history, it's inconceivable for us as Americans. We toured the actual bath houses where the Romans used to bathe, which are fed by natural springs. Portions of these baths were built as long ago as the 4th century, with additions and restorations throughout the years. In the background of this photo, you also see Bath Abbey, which was builty between 1500-1600AD. I actually think various churches/ abbeys have been built on that site and modified over the years, but the one standing today was built in the 1500's. One of the great things about Bath is that while it has all the history one could want (for one town), it is now quite a fashionable and sophisticated city as well. It's definintely a town to re-visit for some shopping and a good night out!

Well, enough of me rambling on for now...will write more about Stonehenge, Avebury Stone Circles, London and Greece soon....

The Silver Lining

So, this constant rain has been getting me down, but I am determined to find the silver lining in it all.

Since arriving in England, I have come to be a bit of a fan of the Everton Football Club. They are one of the two teams that play in Liverpool. I guess you could call them the 'underdogs', these days anyways. Anyway, the point I'm trying to get to, is that to be an Evertonian, means that your glass is always half full. Everton fans are known to have a positive upbeat attitude.

Back to the rain....being that I am becoming an Evertonian, I realised today what the silver lining is with all this rain......

RAINBOWS!!!

Amazing, beautiful rainbows almost every single day. And while the rain might get me down, one look at a rainbow makes me smile. So there you have it, the silver lining.

Plus, you have a great reason to buy rainboots (wellies) and rain coats, which you can't pull off in Southern California.

I have loads to catch you all up on, more to come...