Things I did on my summer vacation: a photo post
I’m once again overdue for a blog post. But this time I have the excuse that it’s been an unexpectedly fabulous and eventful summer. So here’s a quick recap:
In late May and early June, I went back to the UK. Highlights included: going on a walking tour in North Wales and climbing Snowdon* with a terrific group of women**:
… hanging out in London with Rachel, who was a lovely and generous host, and running around trying to see ALL THE MUSEUMS (including a really brilliant exhibition at the British Library, which deserves a separate post all its own). And a ritual opera-fan pilgrimage to Handel’s house!
… Oh, and the glorious fabric heaven that is Liberty’s:
… and, finally, spending a day in Chester (home of medieval city walls and charming half-timbered buildings and Roman ruins), where I watched the world’s most surreal parade***:
Then, spurred on by plenty of time to work on it while traveling, I finished this shawl not long after getting back (after something like four years of working on it on and off):
… and then in July I went to Rare Book School, in my old stomping grounds in Charlottesville, where I was initiated into the mysteries of descriptive bibliography, met up with lots of old friends, made a bunch of new ones, and generally was in biblio-nerd ecstasy the whole time:
And there’s still more awesomeness in store. But that’s going to have to wait for another post later.
* I think mountain walking may be my new favorite thing ever. I would do it every weekend if I had mountains nearby. Now that I’ve climbed the highest mountain in England and Wales, I think Ben Nevis might be fun to tackle next. Or maybe I’ll stick closer to home and hike in Vermont or New Hampshire next summer. And someday I want to do the Tour de Mont Blanc.
** If you are female and like walking in the countryside in the UK (and elsewhere in Europe), I highly recommend WalkingWomen. I’m already fantasizing about going on more of their holidays in the future.
*** The Chester Giants Parade. Which I hadn’t planned on seeing, but it was completely worth it. Bonus surrealism: because this year was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, half the giants were twice-life-size effigies of HRH in a motley variety of outfits.
Yeee haaaa! What a great summer you’ve had, and thank you SO MUCH for taking me to the Writing Britain exhibition. It’s resonated through so many other things I’ve come across and been thinking about.
More cheering in prospect, I suspect, but let’s have a huzzah! for now to be going on with 🙂
You’re welcome — and thank you! I should go back and look at the online map for that exhibition and maybe add to it. (I note with great delight that someone’s put I Capture the Castle on it, not all that far from the fen country of The Nine Tailors and Julian of Norwich’s shrine.)