Alice In Wonderland - Oxford

<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hello, lovely readers</div><div style="text-align: center;">How you filled my heart with joy</div><div style="text-align: center;">with your kind comments on my last post</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm still tackling my 'must visit' list</div><div style="text-align: center;">as our final weeks approach</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This one had been at the tippy top for years and did not disappoint -</div><div style="text-align: center;">a tour of Oxford through the lens of</div><div style="text-align: center;">'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland' (1865)<br /><br />I just have to share!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xQOMDnm1GPqtjmACVa_8U_4Wd5sMcZFjyDDPKqjApFUADMH72IaKrSMmr52UcQ1EETXnrQZcQABY6QgbscmZ5D_J6ULTz5rNbChZC5FFXGQnaz3aIrvLTPboyR3w_bBgm8AbjagwWsCL/s1600/DSC01000-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xQOMDnm1GPqtjmACVa_8U_4Wd5sMcZFjyDDPKqjApFUADMH72IaKrSMmr52UcQ1EETXnrQZcQABY6QgbscmZ5D_J6ULTz5rNbChZC5FFXGQnaz3aIrvLTPboyR3w_bBgm8AbjagwWsCL/s1600/DSC01000-002.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christ Church College at Oxford University (where Carroll taught)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oxford University math lecturer, Charles Dodgson, </div><div style="text-align: center;">wrote many literary and mathematical works</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">His pen name was Lewis Carroll</div><div style="text-align: center;">and for many years his colleagues didn't piece together who Lewis Carroll was</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It is speculated that Dodgson/Carroll was somewhat embarrassed </div><div style="text-align: center;">that he was writing children stories although they were successful<br /><br />In fact<br />Queen Victoria requested a copy of his next book,<br />which turned out to be about mathematics<br />(probably not what she had in mind)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BNp0e7UNWFrzfNGmpdVUIbCZ7Z_0wfyf31-mgssPZAmUXolLHuA7LSYez4Eykogx-PXGk1jdLho52dzB1xFiFoc4rh9-xDsQSp6ra3rgf8WYtg6lLv_bTIfnw5lJiUCecIogkaIRbPEQ/s1600/DSC01010-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BNp0e7UNWFrzfNGmpdVUIbCZ7Z_0wfyf31-mgssPZAmUXolLHuA7LSYez4Eykogx-PXGk1jdLho52dzB1xFiFoc4rh9-xDsQSp6ra3rgf8WYtg6lLv_bTIfnw5lJiUCecIogkaIRbPEQ/s1600/DSC01010-002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To set the scene,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oxford in 1864 was an elite university filled with boys and men<br /><br />It must have been a strange place for<br />the Dean of Christ Church's three young girls to grow up</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of his daughters was named Alice Liddell</div><div style="text-align: center;">(pronunciation - rhymes with 'fiddle')<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-JAzqcpsgbk_jvdLQOvtajP9frapOnMguDyz44rBe__kRcm-NcWRUmcsJ6esGcky1EiwYJuAnpgQABI1dSsxP9AWm2D4OEIatwTcJGAxn7dXODPCNDiI_LOj09v-O8WB-mmRVPKmCn8l/s1600/DSC01016-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-JAzqcpsgbk_jvdLQOvtajP9frapOnMguDyz44rBe__kRcm-NcWRUmcsJ6esGcky1EiwYJuAnpgQABI1dSsxP9AWm2D4OEIatwTcJGAxn7dXODPCNDiI_LOj09v-O8WB-mmRVPKmCn8l/s1600/DSC01016-002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lewis Carroll would take the Dean's three girls on little day trips</div><div style="text-align: center;">in a rowboat up and down the nearby River Thames</div><div style="text-align: center;">and have picnics</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">He told stories during their journeys</div><div style="text-align: center;">One day, Alice insisted that he write down his 'Alice' tales</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And so his first manuscript was called </div><div style="text-align: center;">'Alice's Adventures Under Ground' (1864) which included his own illustrations</div><div style="text-align: center;">- later renamed 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' -<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvykJM-lddacd5PEU6Z5dzAIbES9RF3MFYyJXxBEMqbxWN8eiLouDVuk3K9BksT8b9R6RJmYHxmYPjfxQ08QICepAP0dcuIID1n3i4IG-uRgPYxnVDam2GM5nfXRcA_-OWC-74dnKJxVvw/s1600/DSC01026-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvykJM-lddacd5PEU6Z5dzAIbES9RF3MFYyJXxBEMqbxWN8eiLouDVuk3K9BksT8b9R6RJmYHxmYPjfxQ08QICepAP0dcuIID1n3i4IG-uRgPYxnVDam2GM5nfXRcA_-OWC-74dnKJxVvw/s1600/DSC01026-002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where Carroll would have launched a rowboat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And so this week,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we had the ultimate book club adventure<br /><br />With Mark Davies, an Oxford local historian and author,<br />we followed Carroll's and the girls' footsteps on a walking and boat tour<br />(even afternoon tea on the launch)<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHE8NLs02ZTT2qcW92-8Rvu66fDV-RVjNknSmFwtMx2CBGuoVo4uAZe4biHCgvPNUpNqb8Us8uy3ZEqQgO5Z3zM6zz18ZaJ1Hw_4-h_xCb5XnmpTb5y3fOsuVUeC_qe95XBROPHKhvqkN/s1600/DSC01039-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHE8NLs02ZTT2qcW92-8Rvu66fDV-RVjNknSmFwtMx2CBGuoVo4uAZe4biHCgvPNUpNqb8Us8uy3ZEqQgO5Z3zM6zz18ZaJ1Hw_4-h_xCb5XnmpTb5y3fOsuVUeC_qe95XBROPHKhvqkN/s1600/DSC01039-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Carroll's river route where he wove his tales for the Liddell girls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Carroll's journals confirm the Alice books include local trivia and events<br />and inside jokes the girls would have understood</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Surprisingly, the characters in the Alice books</div><div style="text-align: center;">personify real people in Carroll's and the Liddell's life<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's probable The Queen Of Hearts was one of Alice's governesses, for example</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Cheshire Cat is Carroll,</div><div style="text-align: center;">as 'Cheshire Cat' was a common term from someone from Cheshire</div><div style="text-align: center;">(where Carroll was born)</div><div style="text-align: center;">and the Liddell girls had quite a few cats<br />so the elusive character would have appealed to them</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">About the hookah used by the caterpillar - </div><div style="text-align: center;">opium was in general use at the time</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When you read the book, it seems so odd and dreamlike,</div><div style="text-align: center;">but with Mark's explanation, it all makes more sense</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fascinating and delightful!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqyrl7O1Tn6j5Yj4D3SIehe2ycS5DG2l2FYvnVhz1wwqSScjQh2_s95aHAkIFFtlnNJqVv7iNzZNNJMTtfL_Nzy4IJ18AlUafqqswo_2GiM295TyeOXzfMEcxN6WaiABNuoXV6TVgJjgg/s1600/DSC01034-003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqyrl7O1Tn6j5Yj4D3SIehe2ycS5DG2l2FYvnVhz1wwqSScjQh2_s95aHAkIFFtlnNJqVv7iNzZNNJMTtfL_Nzy4IJ18AlUafqqswo_2GiM295TyeOXzfMEcxN6WaiABNuoXV6TVgJjgg/s1600/DSC01034-003.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Of course the partly sunny day </div><div style="text-align: center;">and delicious afternoon tea was the perfect</div><div style="text-align: center;">bookend to an already perfect day :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>-Lewis Carroll</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">:: all photos my own ::</span><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Links: <a href="http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mark-davies-oxford-water-walks-3311481234">Mark Davies</a>, <a href="http://www.oxfordrivercruises.com/">Oxford River Cruise</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(An unsponsored post)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; 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Alice In Wonderland - Oxford

Hello, lovely readers How you filled my heart with joy with your kind comments on my last post Thank you :) I'm still tackling my 'm...

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Behind The Door

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZKvA6QiXZ9e2uVYIWQN4JMrK88T-6ntcg1vP-yqajFFjd_dys91T55KUXDMb0YiUdzxdY123zMUcki5IhzasF2R0cez-n5AkzrhDXOgP_eyUmHPNqOh80-QcJPZz0tLQ_udYoGCy4ES9/s1600/DSC06618-024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZKvA6QiXZ9e2uVYIWQN4JMrK88T-6ntcg1vP-yqajFFjd_dys91T55KUXDMb0YiUdzxdY123zMUcki5IhzasF2R0cez-n5AkzrhDXOgP_eyUmHPNqOh80-QcJPZz0tLQ_udYoGCy4ES9/s1600/DSC06618-024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Since we moved here,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have felt that life is filled with mystery doors</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Not until the time is right</div><div style="text-align: center;">do you get to see what's on the other side of the door</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-Utu-aVSgsgWx3Eznfm7FgqiBh0r3H3yQxKyrpNtH95RObldGF2H-S0opKtrL601bT52g384Bkj-l2b2xx1wiNMC3QMJOk0XzO1q7XgWi6E2bmZposhXlvaDsJsS_QYakvz6eGasw8rA/s1600/DSC06624-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-Utu-aVSgsgWx3Eznfm7FgqiBh0r3H3yQxKyrpNtH95RObldGF2H-S0opKtrL601bT52g384Bkj-l2b2xx1wiNMC3QMJOk0XzO1q7XgWi6E2bmZposhXlvaDsJsS_QYakvz6eGasw8rA/s1600/DSC06624-002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For a few months now,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we have be able to look through the keyhole of the door in front of us</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It reveals a move back to the US</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We always knew that door was there,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we just didn't know what was behind it</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-zLV8OWVfgsZHjaHmO8dGuzi3S2pg7rL0YZ9YV9EW8FZC6ZEZyXN0O8_lCm0vdpKEOE1nV4jiQ6HhiA0TUMuwYB2ES7Vma3OfJIsFiCUCOw0PLlS_PcA8iRzj_23821XTwYyzigkJxTY/s1600/DSC06714-003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-zLV8OWVfgsZHjaHmO8dGuzi3S2pg7rL0YZ9YV9EW8FZC6ZEZyXN0O8_lCm0vdpKEOE1nV4jiQ6HhiA0TUMuwYB2ES7Vma3OfJIsFiCUCOw0PLlS_PcA8iRzj_23821XTwYyzigkJxTY/s1600/DSC06714-003.JPG" width="572" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the time of year when expat friends tell you what's behind their doors too</div><div style="text-align: center;">- a move to Singapore, Norway, and Kazakhstan -</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Like seeds in the wind,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the expat community here will disperse to faraway lands in a few months</div><div style="text-align: center;">never to be exactly the same again</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFp5HJCOEWWqF0ZTSmuSPTNuheRlhMSL6ZEVOlCIyqSc1LEE-B6OPUme0g6Hvha6WJI1wPT7FHNLWm7ambyAQI7fkfBsJU-3iLqmcYH40-6hls-RW04O-qBdXld6lEL2b_ocvQlCZSac-/s1600/photo+1-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFp5HJCOEWWqF0ZTSmuSPTNuheRlhMSL6ZEVOlCIyqSc1LEE-B6OPUme0g6Hvha6WJI1wPT7FHNLWm7ambyAQI7fkfBsJU-3iLqmcYH40-6hls-RW04O-qBdXld6lEL2b_ocvQlCZSac-/s1600/photo+1-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">If you ever meet lifetime expat families,</div><div style="text-align: center;">you will never meet a more interesting group of people</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">They have stories that are stranger than fiction</div><div style="text-align: center;">and have lived in countries you wouldn't dare to even visit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">They move their families internationally to countries that don't speak English</div><div style="text-align: center;">with only three week's notice</div><div style="text-align: center;">(that challenge sounds insurmountable to me)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg711HMBjgebfaR2TSiUS9_aeSCVMpYMpAY8WH96uiieyVW2sFN0xoP62t_uTvmnpzdwL6XfXG58PSO7y0sNfw_nry2xI9r023eHULWAEkV23Ud6CChk4wqiDhdobtKe4SiAVWGA20Qt3RI/s1600/photo+5-005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg711HMBjgebfaR2TSiUS9_aeSCVMpYMpAY8WH96uiieyVW2sFN0xoP62t_uTvmnpzdwL6XfXG58PSO7y0sNfw_nry2xI9r023eHULWAEkV23Ud6CChk4wqiDhdobtKe4SiAVWGA20Qt3RI/s1600/photo+5-005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lifetime expats are courageous, resourceful,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and have learned to go with the flow</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">These have been fantastic traits to observe and try to emulate</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82s0ZTO9YRzrfQZSpp7sitCbweWjM8ss0rQtbx0Wu3HiGiakb4FaMqXqpJ1HfjpVIp47Jpc3uvLJzYriGVbElq3FcO82hiaDP8IdrHpqXxQfhZeuoTSJWfbTS26StPP_EFODilCZZ6Ipq/s1600/photo+3+%25284%2529-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82s0ZTO9YRzrfQZSpp7sitCbweWjM8ss0rQtbx0Wu3HiGiakb4FaMqXqpJ1HfjpVIp47Jpc3uvLJzYriGVbElq3FcO82hiaDP8IdrHpqXxQfhZeuoTSJWfbTS26StPP_EFODilCZZ6Ipq/s1600/photo+3+%25284%2529-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Not just international headlines a world away,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I now have friends who have personally been touched by</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ted Bundy kidnappings at her school</div><div style="text-align: center;">9/11 in New York</div><div style="text-align: center;">7/7 bombings in London</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mumbai bombings</div><div style="text-align: center;">tsunami in Japan</div><div style="text-align: center;">recent Newtown tragedy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">On the brighter side,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have a friend who was in a James Bond film</div><div style="text-align: center;">and another friend whose dad was the voice for </div><div style="text-align: center;">characters on The Flintstones</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I list these as a reminder to myself of the incredible stories I have heard</div><div style="text-align: center;">and amazing people I have met along my journey here</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It makes the world feel smaller and more tangible</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fewer than 7 degrees of separation</div><div style="text-align: center;">with such a diverse group of people here</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRo9HPFV5YcCzXj2ZDV1x7gvFDS1ttmetRuT9zzN0hmBlum3X-x8NB1Hf1wCI65WsaPMCW4Fn5ZLkPHsePP7BwhrnizhxNFfjxY3SpDL_Elw8lMweJShMSiPqhEQJSURgPJbAND6TLJZ3o/s1600/DSC00241-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRo9HPFV5YcCzXj2ZDV1x7gvFDS1ttmetRuT9zzN0hmBlum3X-x8NB1Hf1wCI65WsaPMCW4Fn5ZLkPHsePP7BwhrnizhxNFfjxY3SpDL_Elw8lMweJShMSiPqhEQJSURgPJbAND6TLJZ3o/s1600/DSC00241-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I feel like I was on my trajectory in the US,</div><div style="text-align: center;">bounced into people and experiences here to grow exponentially,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and now flinging back to the US as a modified person</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Along the way I have collected new lifelong best friends,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and we have raised our children in an incredible country</div><div style="text-align: center;">- safe, beautiful, culturally dense -</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tu9F74DRBrC7TOJpAeTEUVvFoQGk-u2Rhufuorg-eMvRbTYALZG35wbYYjdvT3RolzrjNBU5GKK5wfRS3ZagLHX1lBct7P_VOppDinQP2vKm7PzhmCHqi-z23OgsgD7SEX2Lu5rHTF18/s1600/Photo+4-004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tu9F74DRBrC7TOJpAeTEUVvFoQGk-u2Rhufuorg-eMvRbTYALZG35wbYYjdvT3RolzrjNBU5GKK5wfRS3ZagLHX1lBct7P_VOppDinQP2vKm7PzhmCHqi-z23OgsgD7SEX2Lu5rHTF18/s1600/Photo+4-004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">With a new cat and puppy in tow,</div><div style="text-align: center;">our family has expanded since we left the US</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Returning without car seats</div><div style="text-align: center;">signals our family has aged</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shipping less home</div><div style="text-align: center;">(fewer toys/kids stuff)</div><div style="text-align: center;">we return a bit lighter</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi557TLVOanOaUgbf3HSQS4QRKyybNrVTNDU2iLuGzy9Ti5vXZrndRqZlDmJ1bxNBxo4Rjv-V6Gz9jjuulTxYhrx4RT6VG4cbgVjL7t_kw_EbpbvROFCg_GxNIVZTAotYajGyO7ZoN7ZFvB/s1600/photo+3+%25286%2529-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi557TLVOanOaUgbf3HSQS4QRKyybNrVTNDU2iLuGzy9Ti5vXZrndRqZlDmJ1bxNBxo4Rjv-V6Gz9jjuulTxYhrx4RT6VG4cbgVjL7t_kw_EbpbvROFCg_GxNIVZTAotYajGyO7ZoN7ZFvB/s1600/photo+3+%25286%2529-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We are sad to leave,</div><div style="text-align: center;">but happy to go</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We have a lot to look forward to</div><div style="text-align: center;">behind the door that stands before us</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- all photos by me -</span></i></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

Behind The Door

Since we moved here, I have felt that life is filled with mystery doors Not until the time is right do you get to see what's on the othe...

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You Know You're In America When...

<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7AtiKVsqwqNm3n7VF3Zw2ukQSaOZrDRC5E-ph1-NLORwFqAtM-6SABugSFyASlTFea7wbPAcOdEpuBCz_0kwO9XI8NdUx1FIe7j4HR5HMyk28MRmB2vftTuU10yiVEWNTi705QGNZhF5/s1600/Mailboxes+OBR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7AtiKVsqwqNm3n7VF3Zw2ukQSaOZrDRC5E-ph1-NLORwFqAtM-6SABugSFyASlTFea7wbPAcOdEpuBCz_0kwO9XI8NdUx1FIe7j4HR5HMyk28MRmB2vftTuU10yiVEWNTi705QGNZhF5/s1600/Mailboxes+OBR.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>...you see</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />mailboxes with little flags</div><div style="text-align: center;">American robins</div><div style="text-align: center;">yellow school buses</div><div style="text-align: center;">light switch on the lamp, not the cord</div><div style="text-align: center;">washer & dryer that can do a week's worth of clothes in two loads</div><div style="text-align: center;">free drink refills</div><div style="text-align: center;">a proper glass of iced tea</div><div style="text-align: center;">pellet ice</div><div style="text-align: center;">tax not included in original price<br />cars on the road that are not in good condition</div><div style="text-align: center;">right turning at a red light</div><div style="text-align: center;">high curbs</div><div style="text-align: center;">billboards</div><div style="text-align: center;">drive thrus</div><div style="text-align: center;">24 hour drug & grocery stores<br />abandoned grocery carts in the aisle with owners shopping on other rows<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IzjZtO26mF3DUVLi3nWkBQWX3E6Vl0KOd0sm5brU3RzW5-REYvpkVn3otCZLJpSi8VROp-cTlyj0cXElb9lHyqHHI42sOrQLO_50_Q4J0toC_szwPqFB-MSKV-iUs7EVPp8fLfto82eE/s1600/IMG_0760-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IzjZtO26mF3DUVLi3nWkBQWX3E6Vl0KOd0sm5brU3RzW5-REYvpkVn3otCZLJpSi8VROp-cTlyj0cXElb9lHyqHHI42sOrQLO_50_Q4J0toC_szwPqFB-MSKV-iUs7EVPp8fLfto82eE/s1600/IMG_0760-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>...you hear</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">artful small talk as part of good customer service</div><div style="text-align: center;">'Bless You' from a stranger when you sneeze</div><div style="text-align: center;">hairdryers operating in the bathroom</div><div style="text-align: center;">a kitchen disposal<br /><br />Most of these things have an explanation of how it is done differently in the UK<br />It's interesting to see my home country through a different lens,<br />for we only return to the US a few weeks each year<br /><br />Just the other day I couldn't recall the denominations of the US coins<br />- in four years I've forgotten -<br /><br />Although I don't feel British,<br />my worlds have blurred together<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gratitude to</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span id="goog_838508105"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1628765275"></span>Privet and Holly<span id="goog_1628765276"></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">for </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">the use of her </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">mailbox photo</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Second photo my own</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

You Know You're In America When...

...you see mailboxes with little flags American robins yellow school buses light switch on the lamp, not the cord washer & dryer that ca...

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