Amsterdam - 2009

Our Boxing day adventure started out with a trip on the Eurostar to Amsterdam. This has been on the tour list and it didn't disappoint. Of course, with temperatures hovering around zero, we spent most of our time bundled up in our ski gear. We did have a really cool apartment that was just around the corner from the canal shown in this first picture. What was really cool were the boat houses. A tour guide told us there were over 2000 all around the city but they have stopped issuing permits so what you see is what you get. As we made our way around town, we were walking past this supermarket. The shelves were slightly interesting; and then we saw the cat. And yes, the box was labelled cat. And in case you are asking, of course Maggie wanted to buy it and bring it home.

No trip is complete with out a visit to the local Hard Rock Cafe, overlooking one of the canals. This one had some particularly nice mementos handing on the wall. When you think about it, I suspect a great number of rock stars like to visit Amsterdam. Favorite things to do where the canal boat tour (mainly because it was warm) and the whole family really liked the tour of the Anne Frank hiding place. This last picture is just the reminder that Vivian likes anything purple. Here is a back canal with a purple set of flats and it just had to become a Kodak moment.

The Netherlands and Belgium are famous for their pancakes/crepes. We enjoyed the Belle Helene, which was pancakes with pears and chocolate while the boys ordered the Josselyn, bananas and chocolate. Maggie chose mint pancakes with whipped cream that were green!

Christmas 2009 - getting ready

The skies were kind to us today and rains held off long enough for us to make the 2nd annual trek to Elveden for our Christmas tree. We were told today that you must name your tree after the dog that delivers it so this year, the Skelton Yuletide greenery is hearby named Fizz. This big fuzzy rug is only 14 months old and was actually the cute little puppy that people played with last year.

We did the quick selection, grabbed some roast turkey and cranberry jelly sandwiches from the cafe, and then watched the sky decide it had been kind enough so we jumped in the Volvo in time for the rains to come visiting. Kind of sad to think that this will be our last visit with the big old shaggy dogs. We then proceeded home, built a fire and are spending the afternoon decking the halls. MJ did let us know that it would be much more fun to go and cut our own tree. He is obviously too young to remember our excursions to the tree farm in Indiana where we would lay down this 12 foot monster every year and then we would proceed to yell and fight as we tried to get the way-too-big tree through the way-too-small door.

Mom and Dad also snuck in the annual PPD Christmas party. Graham and Alison shared a ride with us to the Winter Wonderland themed party. The meal was nice and the party was quite festive.

Barcelona, Spain

During half-term, we decided to head south in search of some sun and fun. Barcelona was our destination. We found a really cool apartment in the l'eixample district. We had a really cool set-up with 2 bedrooms and a loft where Marshall and John slept. The architecture was amazing and every corner offered up new sites. This shot is from Montjuic. There is an amazing castle/fort on the top of the hill and it overlooks the harbor. During the civil war in spain, if you landed in the prison here, you were more than likely never seen again. This shot is from one of the walls of the castle. Barcelona experienced a great redevelopment as part of the 1992 Olympics. After we took the funicular and then a cable car to the peak of Montjuic, we toured and then began a trek down the hill. This walked covered some of the coolest parks and playgrounds we have uncovered. There were slides built into the mountain side. We came upon a ropes course about half way down the hill. They had a zipline that chewed up a nice chunk of time. Mom and Dad even found a nice little cafe where we could sneak off for a drink while the kids played. Tibadabo was another treat. We had both just read a book called Shadow in the Wind and it speaks of Tibadabo. You take a tram to the top and there is an amazing church and wrapped all around it is an amusement park. Of course, game over when the kids saw that. Just picture the view from all the rides looking out over Barcelona and the harbour.

We took a day trip to Montserat which is a monestary that is about and hour and a half trainride outside of Barcelona. You take a very high cablecar ride to the top and you can explore the grounds or take hikes around the miles of trails that lead up into the mountains. We spent an entire day up in the hills. Weather was most excellent.

Of course, Barcelona visits are not complete without a whole dose of Gaudi. We took in the major sites like La Familia Sagrada, Park Guell, and the block known as the Quarry. We posted a bunch of pictures on Vivian's facebook page. This is a great place to check them out. The Gothic district is the old city center and there are excellent remains from the Roman times. Friday night was a celebration weekend and there were rock bands set to perform in squares all over the district. Of course, we melted down before we got to enjoy the late night of celebration but it was still cool to see it all getting started.

The Honey Monster

There is a particular literary character that has been an adopted member of our family from time to time. He tends to show up in the mail from America and asks us to take him to places where we can capture photos to send back with him to the states. He goes by the name of Flat Stanley and thanks to Lilly and Cousin Hannah, we have had some good times with Flat Stanley. John arrived home this week with the a UK version known as Honey Monster. He comes home with a journal and our job is to take him on an adventure, snap photos, and then John is tasked with a creative writing exercise to document the whole escapade.

We figured it was time to hop down to London to see if we could drum up some trouble so here is John

and Mr. Monster on the Tube heading into

London.

We decided to get a little political

exposure on this trip so we stopped into Hollywood to see Gov. Schwarzenegger. Of course, based on California politics, he had to change into Terminator mode just to survive. We also nipped into a matinee to catch Grease. Probably also worth pointing out Maggie's hair that is left

over from the Friday night birthday makeover at the salon in Newmarket. Lily turned 12 and everyone got fancy locks.

SoHo seemed to be hopping so we added a picture of Monster with the Chinese lanterns that were hanging. We added shots of him with Big Ben and the London

Eye but the crown jewel was when we got

to Covent Garden. It tends to be loaded with street performers and this time was not different. As we were heading home, we came across a juggler with a unicycle. Of course we were drawn in and before you know it, Dad and John were both in the show. The kicker was that John made five pounds for helping out. We'll try to get the video up on facebook.

Cambridge

Dad decided to take a mental health day as the autumn season is getting more and more hectic. Kids were thrown on the bus and John was walked up the High Street to Cheveley Primary School and we were off to Cambridge to do what grown ups would do.

We took a tour of King's College. If you ever stay up on Christmas Eve, you can catch Carols at King's. It is evidently heard around the world. The chapel is exceptional and King Henry VIII completed the chapel and along with Anne Boleyn gave the organ and it is one of the coolest ones

we have seen on our journeys.

Probably the most fun for the day was

seeing what appeared to be the first year students on campus. They were

all in their gowns and

it took us both back to college. One

aspect that was an interesting topic for discussion was around what a diverse set of dorm mates you would have it you came here to school. There were truly people from all around the world. In case you are wondering, this

is from King's campus and the tall bloke is wearing a kilt.

The picture with Vivian looking out over the courtyard is what looks to be a dormatory block. Just imagine spending your university days here. Just to the right is the River Cam and behind us is a large green you see in the top picture. Quite an amazing experience for a 19 year old. As Vivian

is missing her 20 yr. Furman reunion this year, today really brought back some memories.

It is awe inspiring to think of the impact Cambridge has had on the world when you consider the learning and teaching that has roots based here. We visited Emanuelle College where John Harvard studied. He later came to America and founded some small University up north. Sir Isaac Newton was a fellow here and there is even a tree that is

a cutting from his famous apple tree. CS Lewis was at Oxford but finished his career as a fellow at Cambridge. For Uncle Mackay, we thought we would show you what being a fellow

allows you do to. Basically, you get the best parking space for your bicycle.

If you every wonder what the punters on the River Cam do before their shift starts, now you know. They hang out at the backs (what people call the space behind the colleges) and enjoy some time with their friends before their shift starts.

Mom's 10K for Cancer

It was a beautiful autumn Sunday. Mom and a bunch of her mates (that's what we call them) ran in a 10K race at the Ickworth House. It was a charity event to raise money for cancer research. Here are four of the girls after the race. Vivian was able to dedicate her race to someone and she ran for her cousin Sherry that has been an inspiration to us all as she has shared her journey through her treatments with us all. She is a true champion.

The house and the grounds are excellent. It is only about 10 miles from our village and we have

visited several times. It is a magnificent tour and

the family still lives in part of the manor. I can link back to our past visit and you can get a feel for the site. Here is a site of the private chapel that is on the back side of the estate. It will give you a feel for the running course and also some of the elevation that the runners had to navigate.

All in all, we are proud of mom and she hit the

time she was aiming. We can also add that she had some quality time in the hot tub to take the the tiredness away.

http://skeltonuk.blogspot.com/2008/10/oct-12-2008-bury-st-edmunds-and.html

Buckingham Visit

Saturday proved to be an excellent Autumn day and we made plans to nip down to London. This was the last weekend that Buckingham Palace State Rooms were to be open for tours so we thought we better jump at the chance. We had never taken trains from Newmarket (closest stop for us) so we decided to start our journey there. With our rail card, we get cheaper tickets when we travel. It is amazing how many tourists are there at the end of September (oops, we are included in that tourist hoard). It was a most excellent day. In addition to the State Rooms, we saw the Queen's Gallery which had some amazing art. Maggie's favourite part was the Royal Mews. This is where they keep the cars, carriages, horses, and other parts of the wheeled fleet for the royal family. We also were able to see the changing of the guards which was quite a spectacle.

As is typical with our adventures, we tend to stumble onto the unexpected. We were in search of a quick bite as we had 45 minutes before our admission to the Queen's Gallery.

We ducked into one of the back streets of London and stumbled into a sandwich shop. Two sisters ran the place and we had a nice chat with them as we ordered. The kids saddled up onto a window

seat for their jacket potatoes and ham and cheese toasties. Mom and Dad had a little lunch date at one of the corner tables. We had noticed pictures of Pete Sampras on the wall (signed and all) and when one of the sisters stopped to chat, we asked her about it. She shared that when Pete was on his stretch of Wimbledon dominance, he stayed at a hotel just down from the shop.

He came in every morning for breakfast and the sister's father made Pete's lunch every day. After a couple of years, others joined the mix and it reached a stage where they were feeding a number of the Wimbledon players. It was really a nice little side treat.

Junior Skelton's get a taste of diving

After church today, we went on a little dive adventure. About 4 villages over, a dive shop in the area was hosting a session to give a

dive experience. A lady in the village hosted the event at the pool and her husband and three children participated. One of her children happened to be in Maggie's class at school. After a quick session on the side of the pool, everyone splashed and after some basic instructions, they were learning some of the basic mechanics. We must have talked about diving enough around the dinner table because MJ and Mags took right to it. We were quite happy that they both were very comfortable and were quickly going through the drills. Dad was deemed the photographer for the day and the dive shop wants the pictures to advertise for the next class. Dad also got to help the poor folks that were struggling with some aspects of diving. Like dumping air so you don't just bounce around on the top of the water. After a bit, the dive master realized that Dad really wanted to get wet so he gave me a tank and I got to jump right in with the crew. Now all they talk about is getting certified and going on a real dive trip to Egypt. We'll see how that goes.

The other news of the week is that John was named player of the week for his basketball league. He came home with a trophy and medal. He returns the trophy but gets to keep the medal. He was telling me about it on the phone and I asked him how many points he scored. The answer was none. I asked him if he tried real hard. He said he tried the hardest on the court. He said he kept trying to get the other kids to throw him the ball because he's the youngest out there. That is when I asked the question of the week, "did you touch the ball". The answer to that is no but since he was excited to play, that is what counts (I keep telling myself that is OK). It's all about having fun.

High Lodge

There is no better way to preserve a mother's sanity than to escape from the house when the natives are restless. The Downing Gang and the Skelton gaggle decided that a trip to High Lodge would present a better alternative than locking the kids in the woodshed. High Lodge is about 45 minutes from our village and is in the middle of Thetford Forrest. It is one of the coolest walking trails/play grounds you have ever seen. You hike for a bit and you then stumble upon a play area. You can climb a huge rabbit, spider, squirrel, bird or can slide down one of the tallest slides you have seen. They have swings and jungle gym looking things. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and later in the afternoon had an ice cream break. The ice cream of choice was the Magnum, a first for Mom. It's basically like an Eskimo Pie on a stick. High Lodge is also home to a huge ropes course called Go Ape. Marshall & Maggie are ready for the adventure and just waiting for Dad to be available to take them. John is not quite old enough and Mom thinks she should stay down on the ground with John. We hope to post pictures of that adventure one day soon! All were quiet on the drive home and everyone slept well that night!

Icknield Way and Mrs Bette

Saturday was a wonderfully sunny day. Dad just got back from the US and we all needed some sunshine. We took a nice leisurely stroll to the next village over, Ashley, and then took a nice cross country walk on the foot path between the villages. The entire country is covered with footpaths with many having interesting history. As we emerged on the Cheveley side of our path, two dogs came to greet us. The owner, an elderly gentleman emerged and asked us if we had hiked the entire distance of the Icknield Way. He shared that it was 106 miles (references indicate 105 miles but we'll stick with the wise man of Cheveley's measure). Parts of this trail follows old Roman Roads from times past.

The path cuts between houses and we are then out in the middle of horse country. The horses will come right up to visit with you. The

clump of trees between the horse and John is the church in

Cheveley. If you have superman eyes, you can see the church tower sticking up.

No walk is complete without a stop in

to visit Mrs Bette. She is probably one of the longest term residents in the village. She has a great goldfish pond and she will always invite us in to pick an apple off her tree. John always likes to remind that he is

almost as tall as Ms

Bette because she is hunched over.

Home - Wrightsville Beach

Family took home leave in August. It was the first trip back in a year for the family and all were excited. We realized we were pretty slack with the camera but we'll remember the details.

Papa and E-Mommy came for the weekend and Laurie and the Shirazis all came as well. The kids were very excited to see the family and had a blast with the cousins. Tom and Darla were

gracious enough to host us all for a Skelton reunion on Saturday out at Figure 8. Excellent time. Lee Ellen, Myles, Jana and Jason were there. Elise was exceptionally cute and JB failed to show but that was OK because I am not sure we could have pulled off the delivery with all the chaos. We are especially bummed because the sunset shot of the pier is our only shot of the whole day.

On the left are the Skelton/Shirazi cousins.

As the Skeltons vacated, Gigi and Granddaddy Doc arrived. We failed to get a single picture of them but we enjoyed sunset on the beach, shopping and a trip to Two Guys Grille with them. We loved sneaking in two services at PC3 and the kids loved jumping back into the youth groups. We even got to go to a wedding with our small group. Don and Unwha

married off Christine to a dashing groom, Andrew. This was a beautiful wedding and we were excited to connect with our friends.

Don't the girls clean up nicely and isn't the mother of the bride just

lovely. Of course, the weekend is not complete without a Friday night on the beach. Our Euchre gang with kids in tow joined us at the beach to watch the

sunset.

This was just like the old days.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh was one of the highlights of our visit with Lawton and Debbie. We were lamenting the fact that we were missing our annual dive trip but I think we all agreed, Edinburgh is in the top 5 list of cities to visit. The trip started out like an MTV reality series. 4 adults and 5 kids in a foreign country. A 4.5 hour train ride to a medieval city where Scotch is the drink of choice. Let's see how they get along after 4 days. You get the picture.

The castle is one of the coolest we have visited and we have

punched the clock at a number of castles. The 1.5 hour wait to enter was lower on the highlight list but once inside, it rocked (no pun intended). This shot is from the bottom of the hill, just down from the Grassmarket. Here we are at Maggie Dickson's pub in the Grassmarket. This was our favorite stop. The Grassmarket was where all the hangings took place and it was a nice threat when the kids didn't behave.

Maggie Dickson was hung but when they put her body on a cart to take her for burial, the cobblestone streets caused a CPR effect and she was resuscitated.

Since she had already been punished by hanging to the death, she was free to go. Our Maggie liked this most of all.

We spent an afternoon on the Britannia, the royal yacht of Queen Elizabeth. Very cool tour. We also dove into the Scotch Whiskey experience in hopes of learning about how it is made and perhaps finding something we liked.

Despite all that we learned and tried, we came to the conclusion we are not

Scotch people. Cool picture with the collection though. Our best spots were dining outside on the High Street. Once the kids chowed down their food, they were off to watch the street performers. That let the grown-ups almost have some quality time. The Scottish Clans were in town so we got to watch the clans parade with more tartan and bagpipes than you have ever seen. Holyrood House was closed as Prince Charles was in town and there

were games going on. The queue was quite long and we skipped this one but you can see the house behind the kids.

We had other random adventures like a creepy tour of the old underground city on a street known as Mary King's Close. We nipped into the National Museum and spent a good bit of time on the Royal Mile.