Hate

Pail

"The primary meaning of the word pail as defined by the OED is 'An open-topped vessel with a hooped carrying handle, typically of slightly tapering cylindrical shape, used esp. for holding or carrying liquids; (now more generally) a bucket.'  Various dictionaries from the 17th through the 19th century also support the notion of a pail as a vessel for carrying liquids often specifically mentioning water and milk as the liquids specifically carried by pails." -- Bonhams

Prince George Street

The Coachman

Spotswood's Folly

I confess that I haven't been pointing my camera skyward lately. I've been concentrating more on street scenes. I did, however, recently happen to catch these clouds over the Governor's Palace. Due to various passing cold fronts, there have been some very interesting cloudscapes lately.

By the way, the ornamental iron gate normally in front of the palace has been temporarily removed, I presume, for restoration, part of Colonial Williamsburg's preparation for next year's 250th anniversary celebration.

 Again joining Skywatch Friday.

The Sweep

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Two-by-Two

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Cyclotourism

Quite a few visitors to Colonial Williamsburg prefer to tour the sites by bike.

Cross Path Road

I know that visually this probably is not the most interesting photo. I was just curious about the street's name as it--ahem--crosses the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Hadley, Massachusetts. I mean, it's pretty straightforward as street names go. Sort of like Main Street or High Street. There's a street near me called Center Street, which I suppose got it's name from the fact that it runs smack dab down the "center" of a subdivision, even though it is--if I might say so--rather tangential to everything else around it, now that I think about it. 

What about the street names near you? Got any zingers? :-)

VA Democratic Primary

Served as an election officer in yesterday's Democratic Primary here in Virginia. Here are my takeaways from yesterday's turnout:

1) People really need to check to see where they are supposed to vote BEFORE they go to the polls! I wish I had a dollar for every voter who showed up at the wrong precinct. 🙂

2) People also need to check to see if they are properly registered to vote, especially if they have recently changed addresses and/or names.

Corpus Clock

This last image from England was taken just moments before I hopped into an Uber ride after dinner at King's College: 

"The Corpus Clock, also known as the Grasshopper clock, is a large sculptural clock at street level on the outside of the Taylor Library at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, at the junction of Bene't Street and Trumpington Street, looking out over King's Parade. It was conceived and funded by John C. Taylor, an old member of the college.

It was officially unveiled to the public on 19 September 2008 by Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking. The clock was named one of Time's Best Inventions of 2008." -- Wikipedia

Great St. Mary's

From the post office in Cambridge, it was on to Great St. Mary's (aka University Church) for yet another rehearsal.and final concert.

"In addition to being a parish church in the Diocese of Ely, it is the university church for the University of Cambridge. As such it has a role in the university's legislation. For example, university officers must live within 20 miles of Great St Mary's and undergraduates within three. The church also hosts the 'University Sermons' and houses the University Organ and the University Clock. The latter chimes the 'Cambridge Quarters' which were later used by the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament ('Big Ben')." -- Wikipedia 

Boots

 

 

Boots is essentially the Walgreens of England. I found this one in Cambridge. I was particularly curious about these automated checkout counters.

Chapel Notices

It really was an unexpected privilege to be able to visit the Jesus College Chapel on my own in advance of the choir's engagement for evensong. According to Wikipedia, "When founded in 1496, the college consisted of buildings taken over from the Nunnery of St Mary and St Radegund, which was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. The chapel is the oldest university building in Cambridge still in use and predates the foundation of the college by 350 years; it also predates the university by half a century."

Jesus College

One of the rarest, if not THE rarest, moment on our trip was the morning I had free to wander into Cambridge on my own and to explore Jesus College, founded in 1496. Things must have been slow, because as soon as I passed through this impressive entrance, a security guard, hearing that I was there to scope out the place before the choir's evening performance, very generously offered to to give me my own private tour!

Steep Hill

Lincoln, England

Ripon

Another reason to eat lunch at the Royal Oak is that it is literally around the corner from the cathedral where I was headed next for rehearsal. We had so many rehearsals because the choir sang different music for each performance. In fact, most of us traveled with separate bags for the sole purpose of carrying our music and choir robes. Also, each cathedral or chapel had its own unique acoustics and physical space, requiring us to quickly settle in and adjust to the new circumstances.

The Royal Oak

So the story behind I found myself eating at The Royal Oak in Ripon begins with the dinner I enjoyed the night before in Harrogate. There the waiter, learning that I was to sing the next day at Ripon Cathedral, heartily recommended that I grab lunch here. He was right. It was a great place to eat. Plus I was welcomed there by a very cordial and, I must say, quite accommodating canine maître d'. :-)

Meat Pies

 

 

Appleton's in Ripon. Reminded me of the "meat pies" I ate as a kid living in England not far from here.

St. Mary's

Arrived at St. Mary's just in time for rehearsal. By pre-arrangements months before, the church agreed to host our rehearsal while we were in Stamford on our way to Harrogate. According to Wikipedia, the church was built in the 12th century, the tower in the 13th century, and the spire in the 14th century. The tower is 78 feet high, topped by a spire of 90 feet, giving a total height of 168 feet.