A Gondola, Rabbits & Jets - Oh My!

 SONG - Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree by the Andrew Sisters

Day 17 - Wed. May 16

Can you guess where I am today?

The photo above is of the roots of a 100 year old Bramley apple tree 

that was lovingly cared for by Beatrix Potter.

I am at Hill Top in Near Sawrey which was Beatrix Potter’s home for many years  

Of course I am here with my best bud, Mr. B but did you know that he has a special bond with this place?

Because he was Mr. McGregor in his kindergarten operetta!

Miss Potters bedroom 

A portrait of Beatrix done by a friend

I didn’t find any rabbits in her well cared for garden but I did find a very old one inside  

As well as some of her sketches for her books

Miss Potter’s Brambly apple tree that she planted

We left Hill Top with joyful hearts and headed over to Lake Coniston about 20 minutes away.  Once again hedgerows on small roads that Mr. B has mastered competently! We had a quick snack at The Bluebird Cafe at the launch before boarding our boat for a tour of the lake.

And here she comes now to pick us up.  Isn’t she, “Gondola”, a beauty?  

Sir James Ramsden, Director of the Furness Railway Company, had been to Venice in 1850 and recognized a way to link a pleasure cruise to his railway line in Coniston.  

She is pulled out of the water every winter so they can refurbish everything onboard including every piece of wood that gets varnished 3-4 times.  

Here is the man who keeps the hot fire burning so we can have a steam powered boat. 

And he ties us up when we pull up to a dock. 

Here is what she looked like in her early years and notice there wasn’t any wheel & crew housing up top originally 

And our Scottish Captain who kept us on a safe route and told us about the fascinating happenings around the lake over the years.

As we arrived back at our lodging, we sat in our rooms bay window and read.  Suddenly out of nowhere came two RAF fighter jets who flew close to the water and made a cracking loud noise.  

The above photo is not my picture (it’s from a British newspaper) as they move so fast you barely had time to look up and they were gone.  It was a stunning flyover just like at baseball games!

We had a decent steak dinner at our hotel’s bistro and there Mr. B spotted a sweet little Westie sitting near us.  After a good cry (because I missed our dear Westie, Maggie) I finally pulled myself together to go and meet her and her parents.  They were both from Glasgow but had been living in England for the last 40 years  His accent reminded me so much of my Grandad John.  

                                        Goodbye Poppy and I hope we meet again soon!

Boats, Planes and Bats

Song - Take Me Out to the Ball Game by Crazy Uke

On Monday morning, Mr. B and I drove over to the city and the first boat I noticed was "Little Toot".  I just love tug boats but I really don't know why. Just look at that massive ship it is guiding under the Bay Bridge.

And then we parked next to this little ship that I couldn't even fit on my camera from across the street. We met our good friends, Jodi and Chris at a restaurant near there.

And this is one of the last boats that I noticed.....quite the deal.  Hot tub, BBQ and cooler all while floating in McCovey's Cove.  And you probably guessed why we were in San Francisco.....it was the Giant's home opener!!!

The jets for the "fly over" circled while the cast of Hamilton sang the National Anthem.

A humongous flag was unfurled and you could feel the vibrations of the planes coming closer as the song ended.

And once they are over head and pass you by, the sound is deafening, exciting and fun!  Go Giants!

Let's Play Ball!

The usual cast of colorful characters were there.

Fans....

Hunter Pence without all of his hair.....

Buster Posey......

And.....see that bald head in a suit?

It's Barry Bonds back on the team as a special advisor to the CEO.

You just have to trust me on this one because I forgot to take his photo when he had a standing ovation so I looked through all of my fan photo's and this was all I could find....

Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, Kruk and Kype were there as well.

The Giant's won the opener 4-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks!!!

Hooray!!!

Beautiful day with Mr. B and friends.  I even got a sunburn!

"Little League baseball is a good thing because it keeps the parents off of the streets."  -- Yogi Berra