Isle of Wight

We made our annual trip back to the Isle of Wight in mid January.  It took a lot of effort to pry ourselves out of the lagoon, but once we were in England I didn't want to return to Cordova.  I guess we're fortunate to be able to split our time between two places we love so much, even if the transitions between the two are hard. 

Dustin was able to join us for 4 of the 6 weeks, and we stayed in Liz's flat again.  Thanks Liz!  

The days were full with lots of time with mum and dad, home-school for Peter, and lots of outside exploring and play.  We traveled by foot and bike, and mostly kept to a 10 mile radius on the western side of the island. An easier climate, and living in a house with plumbed toilet and drinking water was a great winter break for me.  And, having grandparents in the next-door village made for the ultimate holiday. 

Running on Tennyson Down 

Short grass, no ice, freedom!

A sunny cliff outing with mum and dad 

Mum and dad xo 

The boys fixation with the ferry hasn't dwindled with age.  We know a couple of the ferry folk well now, and the boys are fully engaged with the puzzle of fitting the various vehicles on-board. 

Alice visited, and introduced the boys to a spider-man comic.  Adding some new elements of super-heroes and stunts into the boys life (and ours!)

Biking free

Thanks for making the trip, Alice!

Dad and Peter enjoyed walking together

Spring arrived while we were there.. bulbs and lambs...

Beach art

Leif and I had an inspiring visit to a forest school.  

complete with kitchen

fire-making

and a drum kit!  

The rope swing in the woods by mum and dad's house

The boys watching older boys do stunts on scooters and skate-boards while eating fish and chips.. it doesn't get much better than this if you're 3 and 6 years old!

Granny getting familiar with the language in a spider-man comic!

And, surf!  We had lots of great wind and loved the island surfing scene

Peter helping shovel gravel off the walkway after a particularly ferocious storm

The local cliffs are chalk

Leif really took off on his bike last Fall.. right before the first freeze.  

He really reveled in the biking on the Isle of Wight, and is missing it now we're back in winter-land. 

I turned 45, and we had a picnic and walk on the beach

We re-found the incredible fossil dinosaur footprints

Fossil-hunting became a large part of our holiday.  Dustin found a beautiful urchin fossil, and Leif a footprint of a wild-boar.  

Granny with the party balloons!

Sunday mornings are for the local life-boat practice, and the team welcomed us with a great tour of their operation. 

The bike route between Freshwater (Liz's flat) and Yarmouth (Granny and Grandpa) is along an old railway, and is an incredible commute with good wildlife viewing. 

Foggy island days

Lots of muddy footpaths, styles and footpaths

The glass-making factory

Colored sand at Alum Bay

And, the stickiest mud Leif has ever encountered!

We left the comfort of West Wight for a few days, traveling by bus to the east side of the island to do a couple of days walking and exploring.  

Lots to learn at the dinosaur museum

Easy walking on this section of the coastal trail

At a push.. the boys can still fit in the single chariot...

The trails are not all so easy!

Fun with go-carts and zip-lines at Tapnell Farm

A trip to the mainland to see our cousins

Boys en mass.  

Thanks to Caroline and Simon for making the visit happen

Dark photo.. but it captures a little of one of our evenings...

There is a large badger set nearby, and we decided to try to see them one evening. We all bundled up in dark clothes, and sat on a cold wet log in the twilight.. trying to keep still and quiet...  The boys did surprisingly well.. (they made it about 20 mins).. Leif fell asleep.. and suddenly two badgers appeared-- just silhouettes, but still such a thrill.   

Mum and dad spent such a lot of time reading and doing projects with Peter and Leif.  It was so wonderful to see these relationships grow as the boys get older.  There really is nothing else like it. 

The boys really miss you both xoxo We wish we lived nearer, and look forward to our next visit. 

Home of the Isle of Wight Festival. 

Peter meets Jimi Hendrix

Caving at low tide

We tearfully waved goodbye to grandpa at the ferry on the Isle of Wight, and mum escorted us to London for the night before our flight back to Alaska.  Here's mum and Peter drying off muddy trousers with the hotel hair-drier!

Thank you mum and dad for everything.  

Such a wonderful wonderful trip.  We miss you.