Home. For real this time.

A few days after returning from England I drove out to TN to see family. My baby brother York, who lives in Japan--and whom I haven't seen in person for years--was in town with his lovely new bride Fumiyo and her niece and nephew. Of course I was more than happy to zoom across the country to see them! The trip was a whirlwind, but I did get a chance to visit with most of the members of my oddly fragmented family, so this counts as a win. :)

I haven't sorted through all the photos yet, but here's a nice one of me with big brother Ernest and baby brother York. Those of you who haven't seen York since he was a child will be SURPRISED.


We're all grown up now!

One thing I love about driving trips is listening to audio books, and I have a few recommendations for you:

Wicked Autumn -- A pretty solid cozy mystery, but I might have enjoyed it even more had I read it myself rather than listening. (So in this case, I'm recommending the story more than the vocal performance.)

Horton Halfpott -- sold it to me as a very, very silly Downton Abbey, this was an amazing voice performance by Ron Keith! Highly entertaining and highly recommended. (I really don't understand the single 3-star rating on the Audible site.)

Odd and the Frost Giants -- a charming adaptation of a Norse myth written and performed by Neil Gaiman. Short and sweet, and Gaiman does a wonderful job differentiating all the voices.

Oh, and I also read Keeping the Castle on my Kindle. What could be better than a YA Regency romp?

(Thanks to Caroline Starr Rose, Dave Wall and Jennifer Laughran for the recs!)

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

The end draws nigh

Things are winding down in Oxford. :(

Tonight is our closing dinner, final exams are Thurs-Sat, and we leave Sunday. Can't believe how this summer has flown. This probably will be my last post from England.

That means MORE PHOTOS!


Click here for photos taken in and around Henley-on-Thames (including Greys Court -- those of you who've read bits of my twin story may recognize this place.)


Click here for a small batch of photos from Stratford-upon-Avon, including Anne Hathaway's Cottage (where we spent a magical morning).

Apologies to everyone whom I owe an email -- I hope to pull myself together once we get home.

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Wales is in my blood...metaphorically at least

This past weekend Steve and I celebrated our 21st anniversary in Powys, Wales near the Brecon Beacons National Park.


We stayed at the Gliffaes Country House Hotel, which was surrounded by dense forest and had splendid views of the Usk River.


On our first day of walking, we took the Usk Valley path. Here's a shot of me as we walked along the canal tow path. (Still trying to get the hang of the automatic functions of this camera. *sigh*)

For more photos from that day (including CHICKENS, RIVERS, CUDDLING SHEEP & more!), check out my Flickr set for Friday.


On Saturday we took the Beacons Way walk, which gave us spectacular views but muddy terrain.


It was worth falling in a mud bog to see views like this!

For more photos from Saturday (including PONIES, LAMBS & CASTLES!), check out this Flickr set.

As far as I know, I don't have a drop of Welsh blood, but Wales always feels like home to me -- it's so green and gorgeously rugged, with friendly people who really know how to feed you up. I can't wait to explore more of this fine country!

ALSO, if you want to see a few photos of Thursday's climb to the top of Magdalen Tower in Oxford, during which I had a few minor panic attacks, check out this quick photo set.

And thus ends the photo spamming. How are you, my friends?

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Cambridge weekend

Well guys, it rains and rains and rains.

That didn't stop us, however, from making our way to Cambridge this weekend. It was a sopping wet getaway, but there were many highlights.


After a 3+ hour bus ride, we arrived to lovely late afternoon weather. I took this shot of King's College from the Backs.


Steve enjoyed steak and ale pie at The Eagle on Saturday. Though you can't really get a sense of how cute it was from the picture, I loved sitting in this little snug. Maybe you get a better feel from this murky shot?

(Random factoid -- apparently the discovery of DNA was first announced in The Eagle. Sorta fun to imagine how that all played out, eh?)


The Cambridge Shakespeare festival was going on while we were there, and both Friday and Saturday nights we attempted to see plays. It rained so hard Friday night that Julius Caesar was cancelled after the interval. Saturday night the players continued the second half of Merry Wives of Windsor in the rain, but we were weenies and left.


Caught this interesting photo Sunday morning. (I've been using my new Canon Rebel DSLR, and my photos are still mostly crap. Must take lessons, or read the handbook...or something.)


The sun made another brief appearance during our time at Newnham College, which is the main setting of my next novel (renamed Summerfield to protect the innocent, heh). This trip was all about last minute fact-checking, and boy was it worth the trouble!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Glorying in the chilly damp

I recently exchanged the 95-105 degree temps in Oklahoma for 55-65 degrees and rain in Oxford. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE THIS.

(I feel guilty celebrating, however, because of all the people suffering from heat and lack of power on the East Coast. I well remember our loss of power in Alexandria, VA after Hurricane Isabel, but it was nowhere near as hot as it is now. My heart goes out to you guys.)

Today I took a few iPhone shots and glammed them up with Camera Awesome:


Umbrellas along Broad Street.


My window view of Lincoln College as I sit at my desk. (We have new digs this year!)

This is Steve's first year as director of the OU Law program at Brasenose College in Oxford. So far, everything is going well. It's been a pretty mellow start to the summer -- how nice!

[cross-posted at Livejournal]