Looking Back... July - Dec 2007

After we returned from travelling late June, it was back to work for us.

July
For those of you who do not believe that England can be sunny, here is proof. This is Tim and Tim Briggs proving that short sleeved shirts are in fact worn in July. We enjoyed the festivities (mainly the fit men in lycra rowing past us) and Pimms at Henley Regatta.










We committed ourselves to the Berlin marathon in September so I made sure to employ only the best of coaches. First thing that coach Zoe did, is show me how to properly stretch after a run.









August
Whilst living at Tim's parents house, we had Tracey/Stew/Lily, Rowey/Linda, Nick/Juliette and a cameo appearance from David Weinshenker, who was over at Oxford at a seminar. The weekend was supposed to be dedicated to the Wargrave & Shiplake Regatta but was cancelled due to floods (?!). We found ways of entertaining ourselves such as borrowing the Stubbs boat to go on the river (watch that bridge), eating, relaxing in the garden and playing "extreme croquet".













Tim and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary and 2 year togetherness anniversary in Bournemouth. We stayed at a great new boutique hotel called the Urban Beach Hotel. Great atmosphere, bar and breakfast. We didn't surf this time but there are plenty of opportunities to go back. We did, however, do a great 3 hour run and caught a glimpse of all the great beach views on foot.













Tim and I want up to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see Martin, Julie and Zoe at their new house for a BBQ and spin on the merry-go-round (note the sunshine).

September

We are sure we have done more exciting things leading up to the Berlin marathon (oh, yah, we bought a house - see the section below this) but perhaps all we did was run. I am just writing about the photos that are on our camera :). Berlin marathon was great fun. Though we don't have photos, we proudly crossed that line at roughly 3 hours and 31 minutes! We wanted "sub-3:30" but we'll work harder next time. We also had Caelim, Karen, Karen and Christine out with us. The girls did the 26 mile rollerblade marathon the day before. Ask Karen and Christine about their course record!

In November, we went out to Boston to see Lisa and Trevor. We went walking, eating, drinking Peets coffee, visiting Harvard and MIT, enjoying their beautiful back garden, more eating and more Peets coffee.

Aside from all the Xmas celebrations with work and friends, we had a great Phillis Xmas, with our newest family addition, Sebastian (Congrats, Ben and Bettina!).

We also had some other great visitors that made our holidays very special. It was a great time had by all!

Latest Construction

Attached are the latest photos our the house. If you watch the video below and then look at the photos, the house will be hard to recognise.

History: We bought the house in October with planning permission and building regulations approved to add an extension for a 3rd bedroom, bathroom and conservatory. We bought it with the intention of staying in London for a while and renting the house out until we are ready to move out to the countryside. It's located 30 miles outside London, near Tim's parents house. We thought the house would be ready to rent early this year but we ended up having a construction nightmare: The soil was wrong to build the house. So, rather than go to the Rowe wedding in Thailand, we thought that buying 7 meter deep piling (the worst, most expensive option), to ensure the foundation stays secure, would be more fun than going to Thailand. Who needs vacation anyway? Who needs sunshine, relaxation, warm sand and blue ocean views? Look at this foundation! So beautiful, so inspirational...

We have really nice neighbours, Noel and Alison. Here, Tim and Noel are admiring the fine craftmanship of the fine piling job.

To add the 3rd bedroom, we had to turn the staircase around (not we, Darren, our builder) and rip lots of holes in the walls. The green stuff is the tarp that separates this little cottage from the harsh elements of the British winter.

We have spent many fun hours in both various home improvement shops and garden centres. Please tell me life will go back to normal after this. It really has affected our dinner party chat as well. Don't invite us around for a while because we are very enthusiastic about trees and shrubs these days. Tim's parents gardener had some serious connections at the local garden centre where we bought these little trees at a formidable discount, however, they don't seem too happy in their new home. Tim and I haven't quite mastered the shovel and compost.

The upside to our place is that it's a great period cottage, detached from other houses (very rare in the UK if you want to live close to a bigger town/city), built in the 1800's, with a stylish interior. And the view from our window is of countryside. Stay tuned!

The New House!

Thank You

Today we leave the US to return home. While obviously excited to catch up with our friends and family we realise that an incredible 6 months has now passed.

Unsurprisingly the 6 months have absolutely flown by. We have been so lucky to visit some amazing places and had some wonderful memories. Perhaps most importantly we have been able to share our travels with our friends that are now spread around the world. Thank you all so much for your generosity in having us to stay and finding the time to fit us into your busy schedules.

We look forward to returning you hospitality when you are visiting London. In the meantime- we look forward to hearing your news.

As for our friends in the UK. Don't be shy in asking us NOT to repeat the same travelling story you may have already heard!

Thanks again and see you soon.

Tim & Shannon

Utah & Wyoming

We had a action packed week with Ned and Gail Weinshenker. They have moved from Salt Lake City to Providence, 9o miles north for Ned's new job at USU (Utah State University). We had the opportunity to get to know the extended family at a party Gail arranged in honour of our wedding. 100 family and friends joined us for a great evening.
We then hopped in the car for our journey through Idaho to Wyoming. Destination: Grand Teton National Park (Jackson Hole). Walking through the national parks gave us some stunning views of the dramatic mountain ranges. Unfortunately, we failed to see the promised moose that cunningly hid in one of the canyons.

Fun dinners, movie nights and scrabble competitions occupied the time when not hiking. The town of Jackson had great shops and restaurants on offer. We look forward to return one winter to do some skiing.

Our final days back in Providence, Utah, were on the deck overlooking the view and gorgeous sunsets. We also had a nice visit by the Rich family which is always a great laugh. This area of the US is a hidden gem with stunning countryside and warm welcome by the locals. It will be a great place to return to!

Lake Tahoe

Heading to Lake Tahoe fulfilled several aims. Most importantly it was a chance to catch up with the Weinshenker side of the family. Dan was undertaking the century bike ride with Team in Training.

Team in Training raises money for Leukemia & Lymphoma research. Leanne, Dan's wife, has recently undergone several months of intensive treatment for lymphoma. Supporting Dan and his friends was really inspirational. As with most events once you start supporting you can not stop cheering on all the people taking part. The ride is known as the most beautiful bike ride in America. The organisers were not wrong. Not only was the route around Lake Tahoe stunning but very hilly. Taking into consideration that those taking part are also riding at over 6000 feet makes the ride even more impressive.

Shannon and I 'camped' in a State Park. To be honest we were not really roughing it the wilderness with amenities close by. This did not however stop us from taking the relevant bear precautions storing all the food beer boxes. Shannon drew the line in letting me bring some boat paddles into the tent just in case a beer visited. We have come to the conclusion that we enjoy the great outdoors but are essentially urbanites with our fear of sharks and bears.

I also had my first s'more experience. For the uninitiated, (the Brits), essentially a s'more is cooked marshmellow sandwiched with two sweet biscuits and Hershey chocolate. After several attempts I perfected the cooking of marshmellow under the close supervision of the s'more guru Shannon.

Both Shannon and I enjoyed the chance to spend some quality time with Dan and Leanne before they headed back to Denver. Lidia is a little live wire and kept us entertained throughout the day. Having started our get fit regime the altitude provided the opportunity to kick start out training. The runs were slow and breathless- it will take a while to get into shape again.

Returning from Lake Tahoe we stopped off in both Benicia and Marin County. It was lovely to pop in to see Kerry, Sammy and Katie in Benicia. T-ball in the garden,and hide and seek kept us on our toes.

Marin County is just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. It looks great for cycling with great views, undulating hills and not too much traffic. The small towns and villages are a million miles from the hustle of the larger cities.

Menlo Park (San Fran)

Staying with Lee and Linda in Menlo Park, where Shannon grew up, was the first time we have stayed anywhere for longer than 3 days. Such a relief not to be lugging the bags around for a few days.

Since our last trip 18 months ago, Oden, Shannon's nephew, has grown up so much- Bogey, the family golden retriever has another play mate.

I have made amends with Bogey from the last visit. Previously Bogey and I were in constant battle for bed space. I have now won the battle and managed to have a good night's sleep. In return for a peaceful night's sleep, I was duty bound to throw / hit the ball for her to chase throughout the day. Surprisingly, it really helped my short chipping game when we played a few rounds of golf.

Shannon had a fun day with the girls shopping for Leslie's bridal and bridesmaid's dresses. Lee, Sheryl and I did more manual stuff back at home. A perfect day was had by all.