Day 29 - England - 10K Day

Following her training schedule app to the end, Jessica ate the traditional pre-race pasta the evening before.


Next morning, Ada & Mark did the official send-off, since Mimi and Pa were covering the race (run).


Adding the timing chip under the shoe laces.


Jessica met up with the first of her team members at the appointed spot - next to the silver sphere.


A few other runners showed up, too.


More of the team gathered, and warmed up by talking.


And they're off! Watch closely (2 seconds in) and you'll see Jessica and Bee as they begin their run.

While the team made its way around the course, Mimi and Pa enjoyed breakfast on the Bristol waterfront. England has the best Eggs Benedict in the world!


We (and a few other spectators) awaited the arrival of the team back at the marshalling spot. Sadly, the camera crew failed to get to the finish line in time.


The team shared victory cupcakes - well earned, and the main reason for running.


Congratulations to Jessica on completing her longest run so far!

Day 22 through 28 - England

Mimi, Pa and Ada went to town. On the way, we watched a man unloading bags of dirt (for gardening).


This is High Street in Yatton, near the village center. We enjoy walking here.


We had a yummy breakfast at the bakery.


While we were there, we checked out the used scooter store.
The one Mimi is sitting on is priced at BP995 ($1600.)
These are street-worthy vehicles!


For example... We saw many of these while out shopping.


On the way back, we stopped by the park to smell the flowers.


Nanny Kate stopped by with Sarah, Manoj and the new baby on their way home from the hospital.
Here's the proud (and tired) New Mommy.


And here's the new baby.


Meanwhile, Ada was practicing her chair skills.


Some of which we do not quite understand.


Mimi took her turns at cooking.


In preparation for Jessica's upcoming 10K run, we went shopping.


We finally made it to Papa's Fish & Chips in Weston - our favorite.


Mark's Dad, Mark, Ada and Pa went for a hike up to Crook Peak.


On the way up, we saw some fellows preparing to fly radio controlled gliders, and admiring the view of North Somerset. Spectacular.


At the top of Crook Peak. Time for some liquid refreshment!


Ada tried out her mountain-legs. This was a fairly steep grassy slope, and it took a bit of effort to get the hang of it.

To say that Ada and her Dad have a mutual admiration thing going would be an understatement!

Day 20 & 21 - England

Ada took us to the Bristol zoo. It is a nice zoo, with many interesting animals. It seems to emphasize smaller, unusual species.

Monkey.

 This is the Meerkat place (none in this photo, though.)

 Running in front of the gorilla enclosure.

 The butterfly house was fun, with lots of pretty ones. This one, however, is quite striking. It is from the Amazon rain forest, and protects itself by displaying images of snake heads on its wings!

  Next day, Ada took us for a walk on Cadbury Hill.

 It was a nice day, and she really enjoyed laying on the grass.

 Every kid likes a stick.

  On the way back, there was a cricket match going at the local club field. It's as exciting to watch as American baseball...

Day 15 through 19 - England

On Sunday, Mark's Mum (Kate) treated us to a scrumptious Sunday lunch at a pub in Clevedon. It was good to see Sarah.

Kate came by to pick up the spare baby seat for her car.

Jessica is staying on track in her training program for the 10K on May 7. Go Jessica!

 
Ada helped Mark practice for his upcoming Irish music session. She is so musical!

A Bouncy Castle for Ada arrived. It was rainy outside, sooo...

Ada likes rolling around in the Castle. She's not so much into bouncing, yet.

 
She enjoys going barefoot whenever she can. Even if it's chilly enough for a jacket.

There is lots to investigate in the back yard ("gardens").

 
We've had extraordinarily nice weather, with some gorgeous sunsets. Clean air!

Mark and Pa went to the session in Glastonbury. People enjoy hearing Mark play.

Ship & Shore - Day 14

The ship docked at Southampton early in the morning. It was a bright sunny day in England.

While we waited for clearance for disembarkation, fuel was loaded for the next leg.

Up top, workers were putting protective coverings on the wood railings in preparation for a 12-day dry dock stop in Germany, for some updates to the ship.

We found our bags! (It was all very well organized - easier than an airport...)

Then we got to wait in line for taxis.

After about a 5 minute drive, we were dropped off at the train station.

We enjoyed a nice ride through the Southwest of England. Jessica met us at the train station in Bristol.

And in the afternoon, Ada took us on a walk to the Cadbury Garden Center. It was fun to be with her!

Ship - Days 11 through 13

One morning, some of us actually got up in time for sunrise. Almost.

The seas got a little rougher for a day or so.

The waves made the ship do this (watch the horizon).

And that made one of the swimming pools do this. Pretty fun to watch.

Surprisingly, there was a similar pool on the other side in which the water hardly moved.

Ship riding requires a lot of resting.

Tony and Sylvia, from Manchester, turned out to be enjoyable and kind table-mates. The third couple, from Australia, were much younger and were only able to stand us for one meal. We never saw them again...

As we approached England we began to see other ships.

At dinner on the second to last evening, the entire dining staff gathered to listen to Captain Remo (sounds similar to "Nemo") crack some Norwegian one-liners and tell us he was glad we came along, and then they all serenaded us with - "Hey, Look Me Over".

We enjoyed one final sunset from the ship.