Steve has been coming to Lake Tahoe since he was 2 years old (that's little Stevie on his Dad's lap).

Since we've returned to our little Cabin in the Pines on Father's Day, I thought we would honor the man who started the Haerr Love Affair with Tahoe. What a legacy he left behind.

Our departure from Ian and Eileen's went smoothly. Everything about this trip went really well.

After one last coffee, for now, at the National Express bus terminal, we said our see you laters and boarded a very comfortable transport to Heathrow.

This sign at the airport seemed almost cruel. We were about to embark on an 11 hour flight and end up at home, unrested and completely 'off' but it was an exciting reminder that our own bed awaited us.
We had eight full, delightful days in the UK. We walked 116,329 steps traversing some of the most historic and picturesque places. We connected with three friends who helped to make this trip unforgettable. We were armed with a pretty enthusiastic itinerary and we accomplished everything we had hoped, and so much more. Oh and the reason for this flight Across the Pond, the Robbie Williams concert, far exceeded any of our expectations! Oh my gosh!

Throughout our explore of London, and its environs, we marveled at the historic buildings found everywhere. A true highlight was the fact that our last three nights were spent in our friends' historic building- a farmhouse circa 1720.

North Brook End Farm was a significant farm within the Wimpole Estate. When we were here in 2014, we visited this vast estate which contains Wimpole Hall, a country house whose current structure dates from 1640. It is surrounded by 3,000 acres of parkland and farmland that was once much, much larger, with many sub-farms.

Wimpole circa 2014

At some time in its long history, the Estate began selling off the various farms along with their farmhouses. Eventually, Ian and Eileen were able to buy the North Brook End Farmhouse, a significant historic farmhouse within the Wimpole Estate. While not currently listed in the official UK building listings, Steeple Morden History says it's described as "an early 18th-century timber-framed, and roughcast rendered, with tarred brick plinth, building with additions and alterations through the 19th and 20th centuries."
Recently, Ian was given a collection of historic documents related to the property's various transactions by a relative of F W P Hunt, a tenant farmer who purchased a majority of the farms being offered. Wimpole Estate's history includes multiple sales of land, primarily due to debt or family circumstances.
In F W P Hunt's treasure trove was the Auction catalogue offering The Wimpole Estate near Royston, chiefly in Cambridgeshire and a small portion in Hertfordshire by the Direction of the Trustees of the Estate Act of the Earl of Hardwicke.
The Earls of Hardwicke owned Wimple from 1740–1894. It was the 5th Earl (1836–97) who tried to dismantle the Estate. This Earl was an inveterate gambler in the circle of the Prince of Wales and was known as 'Champagne Charlie' after his death. He amassed huge debts, and Wimpole was put up for sale but failed to find a buyer.




Located on a quiet lane, surrounded by large trees, many planted by Ian, it was as if we were staying in a home featured in a Jane Austen novel. I loved every minute of it.

What is now a woodshed was the farmhouse's privy.






I fell in love with the Hebridean sheep who call Ian's pasture home.


And how sweet is this for a parting shot! Yes, staying with dear friends in history made our trip's conclusion that much more unforgettable.

Our final UK day was spent in Saffron Walden a picturesque, medieval town, with a rich heritage of old buildings reflecting its wealth as a rural market town. What an ideal choice by our exceptional tour guides!

This was as storybook as a village could be.



This building, the Old Sun Inn is one of Saffron Walden's greatest treasures and is currently awaiting restoration. This captivating, and much-cherished Grade I-listed historic building, displays some of the best pargeting – external decorative plasterwork – in England. Originally medieval houses, then later an inn, the property has subsequently been in mixed commercial and domestic use for hundreds of years.
The Inn is timber-framed with 14th-century origins and overhanging or ‘jettied’ upper floors. The renowned pargeting dates from the 17th century onwards.
What's pargeting you might ask. Pargeting is believed to have been introduced to England in the 16th century by Henry VIII, who imported Italian plasterers to decorate Nonsuch Palace. The craft was referred to as ‘stucco’ in Italy, but became known as ‘pargeting’ in England.
Initially, patterns were stamped or scratched into the surface of wet plaster, but the most skilled pargeters came to create their own designs which they then modelled directly onto the wall using their fingers and spatula to create designs in high relief. Pargeting can be found in a number of finishes and is not restricted to lime plaster, although this is the most common. Repeat decorative patterns were often made with wooden home-made stamps. The finest pargeting is hand-modelled bas-relief motifs like coats of arms, fruits, animals and green men etc.
Of course we had to visit Saffron Walden's spectacular church.


This was the first church in which I discovered a historic example of the opportunity to do brass rubbings. During the Civil War (1642-51) and, later, in the restoration of the church carried out in the 1790s, many of the memorial brasses were destroyed or removed from the church. Some few were taken away for safekeeping, however, and were returned to the church in 1901 by the then Lord Braybrooke.
The oldest brass is the first one on the left. This dates to around 1430, thus pre-dating the present building and, it is believed, has actually been in its present position ever since, escaping the depredations referred to above. It represents a priest - believed to be John Byrd, who died c. 1394 in Eucharistic vestments of amice, alb, chasuble, stole and maniple. Above the head of the figure is a representation of 'the Pelican in her Piety' surmounted by a scroll with the words 'Sic Christus dilexit nos' ('So Christ loved us').

I  just had to pop into the public library. What a wonderful repurposed building. The Saffron Walden Corn Exchange, designed in the Italianate style and completed in 1849, was a significant feature of the town's agricultural history. Built on the site of a former guildhall, the building housed a central open area for corn merchants and included a committee room, public reading room, and offices. While initially a bustling marketplace, its use declined after the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century.
Something that would have gone unnoticed had I not popped into the Visitor's Center and gathered information was this drinking fountain in Market Square. This wonderful, and purposeful statue commemorates the marriage of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Edward to Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863. It was a gift to the town from George Gibson, the town’s Mayor.
George Gibson and his family, who were Quakers, also gave the town the Town Hall, the Barclays Bank building, the Friends’ School, additions to the almshouses, and the Hospital (now the offices of Uttlesford District Council). The fountain provided a much needed centerpiece for the market square and, indeed, the whole town of Saffron Walden. Gibson purchased it at the Imperial Exhibition in London. The fountain features four scenes from the book of Exodus in the Bible. These scenes show Moses liberating the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
A delightful creative explore was had at the Fry Art Gallery which displays a unique collection of paintings, prints, books and ceramics showing the artistic heritage of north west Essex, featuring Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious, Michael Rothenstein, John Aldridge, Michael Ayrton, Grayson Perry, and others who have made a significant contribution to British Art.








Our time in Saffron Walden concluded with a stroll through the exceptional Bridge End Garden. This amazing space was created around 1840 by Francis Gibson, a local Quaker businessman who also built the Fry Art Gallery. Francis' daughter Elizabeth married Lewis Fry of Bristol and in 1918 the Fry family leased the Garden to the local council. It has been open to the public ever since.





As this was our last day here, Ian offered me an opportunity which was probably the best way to end this fabulous British adventure... beekeeping.
Ian began keeping bees four years ago and has become quite the expert and a willing tutor to all things involved in being an apiarist. What a pinch me moment!