Rule Britannia! Part II- early June

Meet Henry.

Aunt Helen trying out what having three would be like.

We visit Mountfitchet Castle, the ruins of a medieval castle with a bunch of farm animals.

And Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn

Kim takes Henry on a horse ride at the ancient playground at Hever.  Don't tell Helen.

We do some "English Things" activities too.

This is a quintessentially English playground.

We get invited to the local sports club to check out lawn bowling. 

Zach checks out a footpath behind the old mill converted to the bed and breakfast where we stayed.

Feeding the ducks on a walk around one of Sawbridgeworth's canals.

Chuck and the boys help open the canal lock gates behind the bed and breakfast.

We visit Aunt Helen's horse, Jasper.

                                              

Henry shows his moves.

Jon and I steal away for a few hours to check out the Imperial War Museum and American Air Museum at Duxford.  Absolutely incredible.

The main hall.  Only place in the world to see many of these aircraft.

The Imperial War Museum has an incredible selection of flyable aircraft.

Some war trophy action from the Falklands War.

Outside the American Air Museum.  A reminder of the cost of the European aerial campaign.  Those numbers are aircraft, not people. 

Rule Britannia! - early June

Chuck barely scrapped by, but managed to graduate as an approved Maritime Staff Officer.  Same day we loaded up the rental car, said goodbye to our house and endured a horrendous rainy 8 hour drive to Newark.  Spent the night at an airport hotel and boarded our British Airways flight to London.  

We were on our way to Sawbridgeworth, UK to see Kim's brother Jon, his wife Helen and their four month old baby boy Henry.

Goodbye to our nice little rental.

Andy in his travel configuration - Blankie around the neck and Cookie in hand.

Seatback entertainment, snacks, Cookie and Blankie - 7 hour flights aren't long enough for Mr. Man.

Zach's noggin is still a little small for the headsets so modification is required.

By the way, we took an 8 am departure from Newark.  Makes the trip MUCH easier than starting with the typical red-eye to Europe.  Kids arrived pretty much unfazed.

Day trip to Connecticut - May

The four of us headed out on a day trip to Connecticut to see some of the countryside and a couple sites of interest.  

Andy loves clocks, watches and telling time so the American Clock and Watch Museum was a must see.  Andy was thrilled.

We made a stop at the New England Air Museum (go figure).  Zach found the perfect personal airplane - a tiltrotor seaplane.

We found an example of Granddaddy's old airplane.  He checked his logbook and found he had logged some time in this airframe.

Since we were in New England we had to visit a covered bridge.  This is the Comstock bridge built in 1873.

Visitors to Newport - May

Aunt Kelly and Uncle Captain Mike left for the Keys as their charter season began in a couple of days.  They spend their summers hosting Explorer Scouts on their boats for week long dive trips from the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in Islamorda, FL.

The rest of us took a day trip to Block Island off the Rhode Island coast.  Block Island is 13 miles offshore, almost completely unspoiled and home to about 1,100 permanent residents.  We took a private tour for an hour or so and walked around town.  A pretty neat place.

Boys enjoying some mid-afternoon ice cream.

300 ft cliffs on the east side of the island and the Block Island lighthouse.

Catching the ferry back to the mainland.

Visitors to Newport - May

Next came Chuck's family - Bill from Norfolk, Kelly and Mike from Islamorda, FL and Chuck's parents from SC.  Between sea duty for all three kids this was the first opportunity for the whole family to get together since Kelly's wedding in October 2006.  It was also a great time to celebrate Chuck's parent's 40th wedding anniversary.  Even if it was a little late.

Time was spent at Mystic Seaport, a sailboat ride on the bay, and eating, flying kites and playing in the yard.  

Uncle Stick giving Zach a ride.

Walk on the boardwalk with Granddaddy.  Zach's a scammer on walks.

-----Mystic Seaport----

Uncle Captain Mike (in the blue shirt) contemplates his next purchase and dredging the Seabase channel.

Andy skippers a historic playground schooner.

Grandmother and Andy tour a ship.

-----Ride on the 72' Schooner Madeleine in Narragansett Bay----

Grandmother and Zach kindly point out the many ex-America's Cup winners not to hit.

Aunt Kelly and Uncle Captain Mike critique sail trim.

Grandmother brought a fondue pot.  As usual, Zach was a fan.

Bill brought his friends the Duckies.  They were a huge hit with the boys.  

Day Trip to Boston - May

We took a quick day trip to Boston.  We toured the aquarium (to see Nemo of course), some of the historical sites of downtown Boston and the USS Constitution.

Long days on the gun deck will make you tired. 

Newport - May

After we bid goodbye to Nana and Pops, Aunt Jackie came to visit all the way from Colorado.  

Playing on the bed.

Visiting the zoo in Providence.