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Please forgive me if it takes a few extra days to post my vacation photos, but a big thank you to the Department of Defense for providing insight into my slowness. According to an AP story in today’s paper, it would seem that in a recent DOD report dealing with discharge policies for service members with physical disabilities, the DOD listed homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders in a list of “defects”.

Is this where I hop on the Disability Gravy Train to financial security?

Speaking of crap…I saw this sign yesterday, and it made me chuckle. Of course, this will always be second to my all-time favorite workplace sign for an in-building barber in Los Angeles: “Are you bored and unproductive at work? Then drop by today and get a haircut!”

On our third day in London, we hopped a regional train, and headed to Windsor. We had missed Her Majesty in Buckingham Palace, and she was absent from Windsor Castle as well. (The Queen prefers her private residence at Balmoral Castle in Scotland…so maybe she was there.)

I had seen the outside of the Castle back in ’97 when Ashish and I stopped on our drive to Wales. But in spite of the rain clouds, Jeff was right to write this on our limited English itinerary. The Castle has evolved over 900 years.

They don’t allow photography inside the Castle, so my images are limited to some basic shots of the grounds and the Albert Memorial Chapel.

So, I’ve gone through the first pass of London images. We Americans are so familiar with London, that it makes it hard to visit and NOT end up with iconic images: the red phone booth, Buckingham Palace and its guards, and “Look, kids…Parliament!”.

Its also tough to ignore all the tourists. Like all the major capitals of Europe, Central London is loaded with fellow travelers. So, this leaves the observant photographer with the option of photos with and without people…even though the photos WITH people are more realistic.

Thankfully, one spot that seemed almost devoid of people was Green Park, which was a half-block from our hotel. True to its name, Green Park was lush with greenery and provided a quiet place to begin and end our day.

Two new items along the Thames are remnants of the Y2K celebrations: the London Eye and the Millennium Bridge. The London Eye is an enormous wheel (apparently NOT a Ferris wheel, but LIKE a Ferris wheel) with large 25-person capsules that make a single revolution every 30-minutes. The Millennium Bridge is a dramatic footbridge that crosses the Thames at a SLIGHTLY-older icon–St. Paul’s Cathedral (completed in 1710).

On our second day in London, we walked to the British Museum, which is truly a reflection of the former might of the British Empire. The building itself is a sight, and the collection is enormous. I mean…we’re talking trinkets like the Rosetta Stone. Not that we could get close the the Rosetta Stone…did I mention all the people?

We didn’t really have any “eventful” meals in London. We did stumble on a couple of pubs for good fish and chips. And on our last night…we found outstanding mojitos in Soho.

In the end, you just have to love London for that healthy British sense of humor 🙂

Capitalizing on his supreme patience with orchids, Jeff has spent the past year nurturing our fascinating “mystery” clematis back to bloom. We call the plant “Jack” after its supposed name the nursery used…jack-something-or-other. (I’m sure Jeff will remember.) Jack had gone into a serious hibernation period, but came back strong. Jack has an amazing double flower, and seems to enjoy the warm afternoon light in our kitchen. Jack is also single, and looking to date.

One of the side effects of extended travel to Europe is that when you return, you’re fresh way too early in the morning and exhausted way too early in the evening. So, Jeff and I have not even made it through LOOKING at our vacation pictures yet.

Jeff had to work late this evening, so I thought I would try and work on some of the London photos. But, my energy levels are just too low, and I didn’t know where to begin.

So instead, I present a picture that just jumped out at me as it was downloading. This is a shot I took during one of the Venetian thunderstorms. It took several tries, but it was well worth the effort. This was taken a short distance from our hotel. The view is across the Giudecca Canal towards the Giudecca.