HWP Day 4: Chollerford / Humshaugh to Twice Brewed

The guidebooks suggest that this day and the next are the best days, and today did not disappoint. There was plenty of wall, even more ditch, some fun with cows, and some great views but you have to work for it. This is the day you start to feel you are walking along Hadrian’s Wall.Continue reading “HWP Day 4: Chollerford / Humshaugh to Twice Brewed”

HWP Day 3: Heddon to Chollerford / Humshaugh

Today reminded us why we come back to England to go walking – the countryside. We loved the friendly sheep and the very friendly horse. We gave space to the cows and the bulls let us know we weren’t welcome. The blackberries are great for eating in September, but there’s always a stinging nettle thatContinue reading “HWP Day 3: Heddon to Chollerford / Humshaugh”

HWP Day 2: Newcastle to Heddon-on-Wall / Wylam

The lack of wall on today’s stretch is replaced by a journey through time. The Romans started building the wall in 122 and they left Britannia in about 410 when Barbarians were attacking Rome. The church in Heddon dates from 650. Newcastle castle goes back to 1080. The friars at last night’s restaurant established theirContinue reading “HWP Day 2: Newcastle to Heddon-on-Wall / Wylam”

HWP Day 1: Segedunum to Newcastle

While our Hadrian’s Wall Path itinerary from Macs Adventures has us walking from Segedunum to Heddon in one long 17+ mile day, we arrived in Newcastle a day early to split the first walking day into two and see a bit of Newcastle while fighting the jet lag. Yesterday evening’s gentle stroll took us acrossContinue reading “HWP Day 1: Segedunum to Newcastle”

Introduction to Hadrian’s Wall Path and Our Plan to Walk It

At the beginning of this year, Janet and I were hungry to complete another multiday hike in England, but it’s difficult to choose as there are many options. There are fifteen national trails, but this list does not include either England’s Coast to Coast or Scotland. Trailblazer and Cicerone publish many walking trail guidebooks. SeveralContinue reading “Introduction to Hadrian’s Wall Path and Our Plan to Walk It”

Three Nights in Colorado’s Gore Range

Samuel and I were hungry for an adventurous backpacking trip. It had been a couple of years since we had completed Arkansas’s Eagle Rock Loop and three years since the epic Collegiate Loop on the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails. Samuel had spent his first year in college living in Golden, on the Western outskirtsContinue reading “Three Nights in Colorado’s Gore Range”

Hiking the Solamere Trail in Park City, Utah

As we were in Park City for a wedding, a hike was in order. One family member had some sore chest muscles which is a symptom of altitude sickness (AMS) which suggested the Blood Lakes Trail at over 10,000 ft was unwise. The Solamere Trail, just north of the St Regis, seemed appropriate at 2.6Continue reading “Hiking the Solamere Trail in Park City, Utah”

Golden’s Clear Creek Canyon Park

During our trip to help Samuel prepare his apartment for his second year at the Colorado School of Mines, we’ve finally been able to do some exploring! Earlier in the week we’d visited our friend Martin in Breckenridge who took us up a chair lift for a very cool hike, and yesterday, we used aContinue reading “Golden’s Clear Creek Canyon Park”

A PhD in Bible Exposition at Liberty University

TL;DR: I completed a master’s in theological studies and a PhD in Bible Exposition over four years at Liberty University. The post below outlines the timeline, shares my experiences, and makes some recommendations. I recently completed my PhD, and perhaps the lack of writing assignments has caused me to blog more! In this instance, IContinue reading “A PhD in Bible Exposition at Liberty University”

Organizing A High School Theatre’s Wardrobe – Part 2

It’s almost a year since I penned “part 1” of our journey organizing “The Warehouse” for our high school’s theatre department. Now that we have completed the project as best as we were able to, and learned some essential lessons, I am writing the follow up with reflections and lessons learned. If you are readingContinue reading “Organizing A High School Theatre’s Wardrobe – Part 2”

Samuel and Kylie’s Alaska Cruise

On this trip, I went on a cruise with Kylie and her family to Alaska on the Norwegian Bliss! Leaving port from Seattle and visiting the southeast portion of Alaska, such as Sitka, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, and Ketchikan including a short stop in Canada. It was an 8 day cruise including the send offContinue reading “Samuel and Kylie’s Alaska Cruise”

Remembering D Day

On 6th June 1944 when I was cycling along the Bath Road, near Hounslow, with a big field of cabbages on my left, little did I realise that in the future that site would become Heathrow Airport. As I cycled, hundreds of aircraft, all towing gliders, flew overhead going southeastwards. Little did I realise thatContinue reading “Remembering D Day”

Tennessee – Summary and Reflection

Visiting Tennessee was on our list-to-visit as it’s a potential move-to destination. Bailey visited with some of her friends earlier in 2024 and her inspiration was the foundation for much of Janet’s planning. Bailey made a PowerPoint showing us an itinerary to give us an idea what we could do. Janet got everyone to identifyContinue reading “Tennessee – Summary and Reflection”

TN Days 10 & 11 – Good Bye Nashville Until Next Time

Our final day in Nashville was just some chill visiting. We went to a fine Farmer’s Market, which I forgot to photograph… The girls loved browsing the stalls, with not too much buying! Then we headed to check out the TN State Capitol and a Parthenon replica. We spent the afternoon playing dominoes and BaileyContinue reading “TN Days 10 & 11 – Good Bye Nashville Until Next Time”

TN Day 9 – Horses and a Sunset

Today was about riding horses at the Natchez Trace Trailrides, about an hour Southwest of our house, back toward Franklin. But first we grabbed a quick breakfast on the way at a fine little eatery called Frothy Monkey. Having arrived at the horse farm early, we got plenty of time to hang around with otherContinue reading “TN Day 9 – Horses and a Sunset”

TN Day 8 – Goo Goo and The Grand Ole Opry

After some fine sausage and cream cheese bars for breakfast courtesy of Kylie and Samuel, it was off for our chocolate making experience with the Goo Goo Chocolate Company. Located just off Broadway and opposite the Johnny Cash museum at its original location, Goo Goo have been making their clusters since 1912. Their claim toContinue reading “TN Day 8 – Goo Goo and The Grand Ole Opry”

TN Day 7 – Nashville Biscuits, Murals, and The Listening Room

We experienced a fine assortment of Nashville’s best, showcasing different types of artistry. While I write this, much of Houston is without power after a devastating storm last night and we pray for your safety and recovery. Janet’s plan took us to Biscuit Love in The Gulch. It is a recently redeveloped area with newContinue reading “TN Day 7 – Nashville Biscuits, Murals, and The Listening Room”

TN Day 6 – The Grand Ole Opry and more

It all started in 1925 when the National Life and Accident Insurance Company started a radio station with country music for barn dances on Saturday nights. They called the show We Save Millions, the company’s slogan with the initial WSM and it broadcast on 650 am. In November 1927, when the show was coming onContinue reading “TN Day 6 – The Grand Ole Opry and more”

TN Day 5 – Welcome to Nashville

The vibe in Nashville compared to Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg is so different. While the Tennessee accent still prevails and there are crowds of tourists, Nashville seems classier. There are probably better adjectives but they don’t come to mind yet. After checking out of our AirbnB, we grabbed breakfast in Pigeon Forge. Research led usContinue reading “TN Day 5 – Welcome to Nashville”

TN Day 4 – Another Waterfall and Dollywood

We could also do things separately, as we had two cars. So Bailey and Jett headed off to Dollywood because they wanted to (well, Bailey did…) and the rest of us didn’t! So first, a summary of Dollywood: The rest of us headed back to Grotto Falls in the National Park. This time, we hadContinue reading “TN Day 4 – Another Waterfall and Dollywood”