We have so much to talk about . . .

We're just back from a ten day holiday in England.  We had a wonderful time visiting London (shopping, sight seeing, going to the theatre, eating, etc.); hiking in the Cotswolds; and experiencing the academic life in Cambridge.

I have so much I want to share, including

• the photos I found for the scavenger hunt (like the Castle above) and how happy I am to see all your posts with the different things you've been finding this summer and how the hunt has helped you see familiar things with new eyes or stretched you to visit new places;
• tales of our adventures getting lost in the pastures around Chipping Camden, romantic dinners overlooking the Thames, avoiding the rain at the Tower of London, etc.;
• what the children were up while we were gone, including the life lessons learned by a 16 year old boy who stayed home alone to watch the dog and the house (he wasn't totally alone, and he did great). Plus, the fun had by a 13 year old girl hiking in the mountains with her Aunt and shopping in the malls with her cousins;
• how I managed to eat, drink and be merry; yet still lose half a pound and maintain my commitment to be fit and fabulous; 
• how the Mirot exhibit at the Tate Modern fed my creative life (so much thought for my art journals!) and how my photography classes affected the way I saw England and the photographs I took (including a review of the Beautiful People Portrait Class).

All that and more will be coming in the next few weeks. Plus, I'll be getting round to catch up on your blogs. I've missed visiting and commenting.  I will share one quick story. Only one because I'm still pretty bleary from the trip:

{Well, maybe not quite this bleary as in the photograph (taken by my husband)}
I had the wonderful good fortune of meeting up with my blog friend Jacky while in London. I had hoped to meet up with a whole bunch of blog friends, like Deb, Denise, Lizzie, Pippa and more, but the timing of my trip (at the end of the school term) and the number of things I was trying to juggle right before our trip meant that I dropped the ball on that one. Luckily, Jacky picked it up and emailed me right before I left. And she was willing to take a long train trip in to London. So I, at least, got to meet her. And I am so glad I did!  We had a wonderful time - I think it would be hard to find a more genial, down to earth woman. I can't wait for her to come visit San Francisco some day. Plus, she gave me the most brilliant She Art canvas! Thanks Jacky for the present and for making the trip. Our meeting was a definite highlight of my trip.