Mosaic Monday #170: Counting Down!

Twenty-five days until we fly to the UK!  Yay! Yippee!  Hurray!

So I better finish writing about our LAST trip to the UK, right?

In my December 19, 2021 post, I left off with our visit to East Riddlesden Hall.  A short drive from the Hall is the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a unique 5-mile branch line railway set in the heart of West Yorkshire.  Heritage steam and diesel trains run through stunning Bronte Country, an area which straddles the West Yorkshire and East Lancashire Pennines in the North of England.   It was a broody, rainy day, and with the windswept land of heather and wild moors outside the train windows, it is hardly surprising that this region became the inspiration for the classic works of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne.   

 

I was fascinated by the switching station in the picture to the right.  If you look at the bottom left of the photo, you can see cables running from the switch house to the railroad track.  Inside the switch house are levers that are pulled or pushed, which move sections of the track, directing the train to one set of tracks or another!  I had never imagined it was such a simple AND manual process!

We purchased a ticket that allowed us to get off the train at various stops.  We began on the diesel train, which you can see in the picture below.  The various stations evoked bygone eras with signage and other features.

The 1970 film The Railway Children was filmed in various locations around West Yorkshire, including the Oakworth Station, one of the stops along the branch line.  Today, the Station contains a variety of film artifacts.  I was captivated to learn that Jenny Agutter played the oldest of the children - I know her from her role as Sister Julienne in Call the Midwife!

Above is the original poster for the film, signed by several cast members, including Jenny Agutter.  The poster is owned by Mr. Jim Shipley, former long-serving Station Master at Oakworth Station and who has compiled a book on the railway's behalf, entitled "The Making of The Railway Children".

While we waited for the steam train to arrive, we thoroughly explored the station, which had real coal fires in the men's and ladies' waiting rooms.  The ladies could enjoy the comfort of a proper toilet with a ceiling pull; the men had to go outside to a latrine with no roof at all.  For all the times I have had to stand in lines for the women's room, I felt a certain sense of satisfaction with this arrangement!

Below is a video of the steam train pulling into the station.  There is something so entrancing about the chug-chug-chug, the billowing smoke from the engine and the lonesome whistle heralding its arrival.

Spousal Unit has long been a fan of beers brewed by Timothy Taylor's.  Wouldn't you know that the Brewery was established in the center of Keighley in 1858, and the steam train serves Timothy Taylor's beers?  Spousal Unit and my father-in-law were in heaven!

Oxenhope is the terminus of the Railway in the shadow of the surrounding moors.  We had only 30 minutes to peruse two museums co-located with the station, which was not nearly enough time.  (In that time, the crew moves the engine from the "front" of the train to the "back", so that we can make the return journey.)  I had to take pictures of the signs for the Great Northern Railway; coincidentally, the Great Northern Railway built the depot that houses the museum where I volunteer once a week!  Not the same company, obviously!

One of the museums exclusively focused on vintage carriages.  Visitors could walk through some of them, and others were available for viewing from the outside only.  The museum had enabled this by building large viewing platforms at window level.  Most of the carriages had placards in the windows, listing the movies and/or TV programs that had utilized the carriage as a filming location.  The display at left gave just a few examples. (all pictures will enlarge if clicked on)

Below are close-ups of the side panels - you can see the names of programs (such as Peaky Blinders) that have featured these carriages!

Despite being dedicated to the restoration of carriages, the Vintage Carriages Trust also owns three Victorian locomotives.

The museum also had intriguing displays on other topics, such as Railway catering, and how it has changed over the years.  As I say, 30 minutes didn't begin to cover it; you could easily spend a half day just at the two museums at this stop!

I am grateful that railway enthusiasts have invested such passion in the preservation of history, to the benefit of us all.  Even one of the stations was an outstanding example of conservation.  At Ingrow West, the original station was so badly vandalized between closure in 1961 and re-opening in 1968, all that could be done was to keep the site tidy and use it as an unstaffed request stop.  Bradford Council and the Railway Preservation Society took the opportunity to improve the site by replacing the station building.  A suitable structure was found just across the Pennines at the disused Foulridge Railway Station near Colne, Lancashire.  The Victorian building had lain disused since the closure of Foulridge in the 1960s.  Here is how it looked when it was chosen as the replacement.

The structure was removed and rebuilt at Ingrow West; the unveiling took place on July 22, 1989.  Here is how it appears today!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #169: Two Anniversaries!

March 2, 2017 was my first ever blog post, and March 3 marked 5 years since my retirement.  My goodness, where did that time go?  I took the opportunity to review the nine posts I have made about retirement, prompting several observations and some resolutions.

In my first retirement post on March 13, 2017, I wrote: "I have paid my dues with hours worked over the last 28 years.  Let's do a quick calculation: assuming an average of 45 weeks of work a year and 66 hours a week, that is 32,670 hours more than a 40-hour week.  So, even though I have retired young by normal standards, I actually already worked the hours that equates to another 18.2 years."  In other words, I still have another 13.2 years to go before I recoup that overtime!!!

That post has been read 88 times and had no comments.  By the time I penned my next retirement instalment on March 27, 2017, I had picked up a few more readers (116) and two of them were commenting!  One was Tammy at T's Daily Treasures (tsdailytreasures.blogspot.com).  Tammy was instrumental in leading me to many of the other bloggers that are an essential part of my blogging community today!  The other was a former neighbor in Cleveland - you know who you are!

Cooking and food have been consistent themes in my posts, and April 7, 2017 is a good example.  In perusing these posts, I have realized that there are several recipes that we enjoyed that have since gathered dust.  We will have to remedy that situation!

My fourth retirement entry, on May 27, 2017 was a popular post - 205 readers and 23 comments.  In re-reading the comments, I was delighted to realize that I "go way back" with so many of my fellow bloggers - Sallie of A Full Time Life, Miyako of Orchid's Daily Voice, Wren of Little Wandering Wren, Sylvia of SMD Paper Arts, Mary of Red-Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond and LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color.  It also made me wonder about some bloggers I "knew well" and have not heard from for quite a while - I want to reach out and see if we can reconnect.  By May of 2017, I had discovered Mosaic Monday and had begun linking to it - in that period, it was hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life - she has since changed her blog to turning the page (hazelbarn.blogspot.com) and does not post as frequently.

Faithful readers of my blog have become accustomed to my nicknames for the people in my life - #1 Daughter, #1 Son, Spousal Unit, Dear Neighbor Friend.  When I first began blogging, it was intended to protect our privacy.  In addition to avoiding the use of names, initially I didn't even include photos with our faces .... I am over that now, but these pseudonyms have taken on a life of their own, and I can't change it NOW!  This is especially true of Man with Hat, who was introduced in my fifth retirement post on July 14, 2017.  Some of my fellow bloggers, such as Phil of Another Bird Blog, join in the game.  Phil recently referred to my husband as Man in a Plane!  By summer 2017, Lorrie of Fabric Paper Thread and Kit of A Montana Life were regular commenters, and my posts were typically garnering more than 210 readers.

With my December 15, 2017 post, I paused to reflect on retirement thus far, utilizing recommendations from my work colleagues at my going-away party.  "Don't forget to start a new hobby, enjoy reading a book, stay active, laugh every day and eat, drink and be merry," they said.  I must have taken their advice to heart, because my next retirement post was March 3, 2019, a full 14 months later!  Along the way, I met Tom of Tom the Backroads Traveller, Margy of Margy Meanders, Carol of Comfort Spring Station, Eileen of Viewing Nature with Eileen, Ellen of The Happy Wonderer, and Lady Fi.

Yes, life was pleasantly busy in those 14 months - we moved into our dream log home, we were hired as Ambassadors at Whitefish Mountain Resort for the winter seasons, and several volunteer activities had landed on my plate.  I was also well on the way to becoming best friends with my dear neighbor.  So many blessings!

I can't explain why that March 3, 2019 post had 409 readers, but I won't dig too deep!  Perhaps it was the fact that I included the speeches my kids made at the time of my retirement.  Or my reflections on the fortune cookie fortunes I have collected over the years.  Or that I had begun hosting Mosaic Monday by this time, which drew more readers.  Who knows?  I had made some new blogging friends, such as the delightful furbabies at Brian's Home, Jenn of Cottage Country Reflections, Pat of Mille Fiori Favoriti, Heidrun of Soul and Mind, Riitta of Floral Passions, Jill of Life Images by Jill, Su-sieemac of Barefoot Susie, Melbourne Daily, My Desktop Daily, Jan of Low Carb Diabetic, William of Ottawa Daily Photos, Linda of  The View from Squirrel Ridge, David of Travels with Birds, Bob of Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean, Debbie of Its All About Purple and Bill of Somewhere in Ireland.

A year later, in the March 8, 2020 post, I reported that I had become over-involved.  "Looking in the mirror ... I have not succeeded in letting go of perfection and structure, and, despite my desire to enjoy more time crafting, these activities continue to get deferred because I have jumped head-first into volunteering, working and many other activities, which I give priority."  Sadly, in the two years since that post, this has not changed.  If anything, I have even more on my plate now.  This time, I AM resolved to make changes/room for craft projects, jigsaw puzzles, and flying my drone!  

My last retirement-themed post was March 21, 2021.  Montana was starting to emerge from the pandemic, but not to the point of throwing a party!  Serving as my own DJ, I spun up 5 songs/videos that represented freedom, "rocking through the wilderness", good friends, "lighting a fire for the silent and broken-hearted" and the desire for new experiences.  I reflected that "if I want to have freedom, I have to choose carefully where I invest my time."  As much as I prefer to know my schedule, I also regret the times when I have turned down an invitation to hike (or some other event) because I am committed.  So, my friends, as I enter the sixth year of my retirement, most activities are candidates for the chopping block.  I may give up volunteering at the Museum.  I am actively recruiting a replacement for my role on the Carnival Board.  I have even thought about how much time I should be devoting to blogging!!!

I am resolved to honor our family motto:

Watch this space!

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All of the pictures above were from the last 12 months.

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In the last two years, a few more bloggers joined my cherished circle: Sally of Crafts, Cavies and Cooking, Sue of Kiwikids Page, Diane of Lavender Dreams, Maria of Love the Planet Productions, Alan of Yogis Den, Sharon of Sharon's Souvenirs, Monica of Nature Footstep, Gillena of Verses, Jocelyn of Canadian Needle Nana, Judy of Life in Kentucky, Yoko of Stardust Talk, Raewyn at Stitching Farm Girl, Traude of Rostrose, Daniela of My Little Old World and Kim of Sarah Lizzies.  I apologize if I have inadvertently left anyone out!  Thanks to all in blogland that have made my blogging journey so fascinating and inspiring!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #168: A Little Getaway

Dear readers: strap on your seatbelts, we're going for a ride!  Skiing?  Check.  Flying?  Check.  Delectable eats?  Check.  Retail therapy?  Check.  Family time?  Check.  Our getaway in Idaho and Utah was delightful in every way you can imagine.  Come take a look!

We drove to Idaho Falls to visit #1 Son, and the temperature gauge never exceeded 5 degrees F.  He met us at his apartment, and his pride was evident as he showed us the new digs.  We delivered a few more boxes and other possessions, which we could not squeeze into either vehicle during the original move (see January 23 post), and then we headed out for dinner.  He was excited to share one of his favorite restaurants, The Cuban Table.  And he warned Spousal Unit: "Don't even get out your wallet!"

The next day, we continued heading south for three hours, aiming for the Utah mountain home of my oldest brother and his wife.  After unloading the 4Runner, we chatted about the plan for the upcoming week, and quickly came to the conclusion that the afternoon would be one of the best opportunities for my sister-in-law and I to pop into Shepherd's Bush.  If this sounds familiar, it is because I wrote about it in December 2020, recounting our previous Utah road trip.  On that occasion, we were not able to enter this fine needlework store due to the pandemic.  So, just like a kid that is only allowed to look at candy through a shop window, my anticipation was at a fever pitch.  And, I was not disappointed.  I could have bought many more projects, but I limited myself to these four, all fairly small in size.  For some time, I have wanted some "seasonal" cross-stitch that I can hang/swap out with the progression of the year, and these fit the bill perfectly.

Full of a delicious dinner of pulled pork, baked beans and squash boats, we slept like babies until it was time to rise and shine for our first day of skiing.  Snowbasin is the closest ski area, and the "home" resort for my brother and his wife.  Collectively, we decided to travel a little farther, to Park City, reasoning that crowds would be smaller there on a Thursday as compared to a Friday.  The bitterly cold temperatures continued, but that didn't prevent us from enjoying the robin's egg-blue skies and the silky smooth groomed runs.

A hot tub, margaritas and another fine meal, featuring salmon pasta, soothed aching muscles from a day on the slopes!  The next day, a 15-minute drive brought us to Snowbasin, and we were treated to a view of a moose along the way.  AND - Mother Nature had delivered six inches of fresh snow to the mountain overnight.  Could it get any better?

That evening, Taggart's Grill, a favorite local dining establishment, gave our hostess some relief from kitchen duties.  Friday night specials typically include prime rib and pot roast, and we enjoyed both of them.  I felt like I was back in my Mom's dining room as I tucked into the skillet of pot roast!  If you click on the picture at right, you can read about this historic location, which began as a quaint campground with a pet Bobcat, and developed into a restaurant famous for its individual cheesecakes, pies, cookies, coconut macaroons and carrot cake.

The next day, we took a break from skiing.  My sister-in-law went to Salt Lake City airport to collect my niece, and my brother took me flying in his newly acquired airplane!  I have flown with him a number of other times, mostly in a sailplane.  The new plane has the advantage of an engine (!), which allows options such as flying close to interesting land features, including this canyon with red rocks.

In the afternoon, my brother flew with Spousal Unit.  Since my dear hubby has been taking flying lessons and is nearing his solo flight, my brother had him take the left-hand seat - most of the instruments are there and that is typically the seat of the "pilot".  Below is a video of the plane on take-off.  

During the flight, Spousal Unit performed three rolls!  With my brother at the helm, he also experienced a backwards loop, practice stalls and more rolls.  Needless to say, he was over the moon!

A fabulous sunset was the perfect ending to this day.

On Sunday and Monday, we skied at Snowbasin, and our niece joined in.

The temperatures had re-bounded but not enough to spoil the conditions.

Salt Lake City was the site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and Snowbasin was chosen as the venue for the men's and women's downhill, super G and combined races.  The Allen Peak tram takes intrepid skiers to the starting point for the downhill races.  (Fortunately, you can also take the tram back down if you change your mind!)  In the collage below, Spousal Unit and I are standing to one side of the tram with a vista spread behind us.  The hut in the second picture is the starting point for the men's downhill.  My brother told us that he once sped down the course as quickly as he could, finishing in about 5 minutes.  The winning time in the 2002 Olympics was 1:39.13!!!!

We returned on the tram owing to rocky conditions at the summit, but not before catching a glimpse of the (disappearing) Great Salt Lake to the west.

Snowbasin has two gondolas, and something about watching them pass before a massive mountain appeals to the romantic in me.

One of the first dates I had with Spousal Unit (before he was Spousal Unit) was to a ski resort in Scotland - Aviemore.  He had never skied before, and spent most of the time on his bum.  That, together with his strong dislike for ski boots, probably explains why he is now a snowboarder.  But we still enjoy skiing/riding together!

On our final full day in Utah, Spousal Unit and my brother spent another day at Park City.  My sister-in-law took our niece to the airport, and then we engaged in a little more retail therapy.  The first stop was the New World Distillery in Eden.  Unfortunately, the Distillery is not offering tastings and tours at the moment, but the owner took the time to review the products.  I opted for the Apple Brandy - he suggested that it is a perfect base for a Sangria, and referred us to liquor.com for recipes.  I will have to wait until after Lent to try it since I have decided to give up all alcohol until Easter!

Our next destination was the Rainbow Gardens Gift Shop.  It is the ideal place for a unique gift, and delightful for people who like gourmet goodies, kitchen essentials, gardening items, candles, soaps, toys and fashions, not to mention a full line of Vera Bradley handbags and travel accessories.  I can't show you everything I bought because some of the items were gifts, but I can share three of their spectacular window displays, and the new garden flag that is already hanging outside!

After returning to the house, several pleasurable hours were spent cross-stitching and chatting with my sister-in-law.  In fact, quite a bit of progress was made on #1 Daughter's adult Christmas stocking on this trip - in the car, while in conversation and during various TV programs that we watched as a group.  It was one of many blessings of this getaway.  On our way back to Montana, we met up with #1 Son for another meal, this time at an Indian restaurant.  It wasn't too difficult to say good-bye since we will see him again in 78 days - in Grand Cayman.  But that's another getaway and another post!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter