Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 20:45:58 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 3   chapter 13

Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken
against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this
chapter.

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge
all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various
sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 3-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 13 - A series of day trips.                     November 2000

It was now the weekend and we decided to take a break from our sight-seeing
routine and take these two days to relax and unwind.  We all got together
to decide what we wanted to do and we soon came to the conclusion that
there were some definite differences in opinion.  The women wanted to do
some shopping, so we soon let them make their own plans while we continued
the discussion amongst the guys.  My oldest son and son-in-law were going
through sports withdrawal and wanted to see a cricket match that they had
heard about.  Many of the older boys thought that would be a good idea and
they decided to join them.  I decided to take the remainder of the boys to
a movie and then maybe a walk around another section of town.  We gave our
driver our list of intended destinations and he made up a route and dropped
us off accordingly.

My group watched a movie at a theater located near where the cricket match
was being held.  The movie we selected was one that would appeal to a wide
variety of ages and this one had an added bonus, it was quite comical.  It
was about a group of pre-teen and teenage boys, neighborhood friends, who
had happened upon a crime and it showed the wacky things they did to help
to stop it.  The younger ones liked it for its slapstick routines and the
humorous lines that the boys had to say.  The older boys identified with
certain characters and I could see them mentally placing themselves in that
role, enjoying that character's success as he foiled the criminals'
attempts at pulling off the perfect crime.  For me, I enjoyed the belly
laughs that I got from the antics of the boy actors and then I gained a
sense of relief that my boys would be smart enough not to place themselves
in such potentially dangerous situations.

After the movie, I took the boys for a walk and we came across several
interesting places.  We were in one of the smaller 'village-like' areas,
away from the center of London, and it contained a series of small shops
that we just had to check out.  There was a butcher's shop, where the owner
cut up a wide variety of meats by request, but there was nothing else in
the shop besides the meat.  To the boys, this was very strange, as they had
never seen any meat sold except in a grocery store and this one didn't sell
any other items.  I explained that this was how things had been done for
hundreds of years before the advent of the modern grocery store, and they
began to wonder aloud how people shopped when they had to go to different
stores for different types of items.  They concluded that would be a waste
of time and that they liked the current situation better.

Next, we found a small store that might have been the setting for Charles
Dickens' 'Olde Curiosity Shoppe'.  It was an old Tudor building, one where
the upper floor over hung the lower one, and the doorway was short, made to
accommodate the smaller size of the people of that time.  Some of us had to
duck to enter the building and it was almost like crossing a time portal as
we wandered around the interior.  I purchased a few things for our home, a
couple of trinkets for the boys, and a few things for those who weren't
with us.  We did strike up a conversation with the shop owner before we
left, learning about a couple of interesting events that we could attend
the next day.  We thanked him for his assistance and we left his
fascinating establishment.  I knew the boys would tell the others about
this place in great detail.

We also walked through some residential areas, noting that most consisted
of what we would have called two-family or duplex houses, but each family
owned its own side.  Nearly every home was well taken care of, fenced in,
and with a garden of some sort in either the front or the rear of the
property.  The English seem to love their gardens, especially flower
gardens, and they took great pride in making sure that theirs met their own
rigorous standards.  We saw several different period designs in the homes,
from Tudor to Victorian, Gothic revival to Jacobean, and Georgian to Queen
Anne.  This made for some interesting viewing and some even more
interesting discussions about the features.

By the time we got back to the bus, our shoppers were already there and the
sports fans arrived shortly thereafter.  That group was more than ready to
tell us about the unique, if not somewhat confusing, match they had
attended.  They told us that the game was played on a circular field and
the batter could hit the ball in any direction - there were no foul areas
as in baseball - and the 'bat' they used was more like a flat paddle.
There were only two areas they ran between, which they learned were the
wickets, and the person who we would have referred to as the pitcher was
called the bowler.  The bowler could only release the ball using a
stiff-armed throw, not being allowed to bend his elbow, and he bounced it
at the wicket in an attempt to knock the cross-pieces from the top to get
the batter out.  The batter stayed 'up' until he made an out and he could
score 100 runs in one match, let alone in a season.  The group stayed and
watched the match for a few hours, but then they decided that they had seen
enough.  They were told by one of the other spectators that a single test
match, which could be considered like our world series, could last for
several days before it was finished; and people think that baseball is a
slow and boring game.

After they finished telling us about the cricket match, my group told them
about the movie and about the shops we had stopped at.  We proceeded to
show them the things we had purchased in that final shop, giving each their
own small remembrance that had been purchased for him or her.  There were
pewter mugs and various pewter pieces, such as small castles, dragons, and
knights in armor, and some elegant necklaces for the ladies.  Each piece
had been selected for a specific boy or adult, as the case would be,
matching the purchase to their interests or tastes.  They each thanked us
for their gift before the ladies showed us the items they had purchased,
though they had not been as thoughtful in buying for everyone.

That evening we had a rather large meal, in what might have been considered
an American type steak house, and we had a good time talking about a
variety of topics.  Everyone wanted to know what was on the agenda for
tomorrow, but I told them that was to be a surprise.  I knew that a couple
of the boys had heard me talking about this with the shopkeeper, but I also
knew that they would get as much pleasure from watching the others wrestle
with not knowing what we would be doing, as I would in revealing the
surprise to them later.  But for now, I would keep it a secret.  We spent
the evening taking rides all over the city on the top of a double-decker
bus, enjoying the beauty of London, the air in our faces, and the wonderful
evening we happened to have been lucky enough to have.  When we finally
arrived back at our hotel, we made our way off to bed because, as the
British would say, we were all quite knackered.

Sunday morning we had a quick breakfast before we attended services at
St. Peter's Church, located a short distance behind Buckingham Palace.  We
hadn't been sure what to expect, but the service wasn't all that different
from what we were used to.  The church was small and it wasn't as elaborate
as either Westminster Cathedral or St. Paul's, but it was a very nice
church and it had nearly a full congregation in attendance.  After church,
we went back to the hotel, made a quick change into some comfortable
clothes, and we headed to our next stop.  Soon we were pulling into a
football stadium (that's soccer to those in the US), as we were going to
attend a celebrity-charity game.  Now, the celebrities weren't playing,
they were sponsoring the event, and they were to be seen throughout the
crowd as they helped to raise money for a small group of needy
organizations.  Everyone began the day by trying to see whom they could
identify and they pointed out each celebrity they recognized to everyone
else.  They spotted singers, actors, politicians, and other sports stars,
not only English but also international celebrities.  I spotted Pele, and
then had to explain to most of the boys who he was, the great Brazilian
football player.  Next, I spotted Prince Andrew, accompanied by his two
daughters.  The boys spotted some well-known musicians, including Elton
John and Phil Collins, and one of my daughters spotted Liam Nieson, the
actor.  Everyone was busy trying to see who else might be in attendance,
constantly scanning faces in the crowds, but most of them got into the game
once it started.  It was fairly exciting, by English football standards,
ending in a 4-3 score, the final goal coming only a minute or so before the
game ended.  After the game was over, we actually could see many of the
celebrities waving to the crowd, thanking them for attending and for
supporting these special causes.

After the game, I took everyone out for lunch before we made our way to
Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.  The gardens were quite lovely, filled
with trees, flowers, and a body of water known as the Serpentine.  There
were boats on the water and people were swimming in the water or sunning
themselves on the shore.  We could also see Kensington Palace, one of the
Royal abodes and one that had housed the likes of Princess Diana.  We also
saw the monument to Peter Pan, the ageless boy created by James Barrie.
This created a very excited discussion, especially for Nicky and Jordan, as
the Disney version of Peter Pan was one of their favorite videos to watch.
This got more of the older boys involved, as they tried to entertain and
amuse the younger members of the group, and soon we had Peter Pan, the lost
boys, Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, and a couple of Indians running through
the vegetation.  Nicky suggested that papa (that's me) could be the Indian
chief.  I thanked him for being so thoughtful of his grandfather, making
sure I had the role of an authority figure, and he and Jordan laughed as I
made faces to get into character.  I participated for only a brief time,
long enough to give my braves and some of the others a few instructions,
and then we left them to their own devices.  We let the boys continue their
little game of make-believe for nearly an hour and the grown-ups had fun
watching the boys' portrayals of the various characters and their attempts
at what they thought were appropriate accents for each.  It was quite
comical and it got very involved, only stopping when I suggested that we
had to move along to our next stop.

We made our way to the bridge that crossed over the Serpentine, walking
across it to get into Hyde Park.  It was then that the boys noticed the
speakers and other equipment that had been set up and they asked me what
was up.  I explained that there would be an open air concert this evening,
again for charity, with some local club bands performing, as well as a
couple of the better known celebrities we saw earlier in the day.  I made
another donation to the charities, in exchange for our being admitted, and
we soon were seated or sprawled out on the grass, waiting for the concert
to begin.  A couple of the club bands began the evening, followed by the
teenager, Charlotte Church, who can sing with the angels.  Another club
band followed them before Phil Collins stepped up to do a couple of numbers
and he got the place really rocking.  Another couple of club bands followed
him and then Elton John took his turn at the mike, doing some of his
all-time hits, including 'Candle in the Wind'.  By the time the evening had
ended, everyone was thoroughly happy with the entertainment we had just
enjoyed and the chance to do something relaxing.  As the crowd thinned out,
we headed back to our hotel and turned in early, because tomorrow we would
make our first day trip, this one to Windsor Castle.

The next morning we boarded our bus for the trip to Windsor.  The boys all
had on their headphones, enjoying their own individual music, and we drove
out of London and toward the castle that sat along the Thames River.  The
ride wasn't all that long and we were soon pulling up in front of a most
impressive sight.  The lower and middle wards of the castle were just like
the images you'd picture in your mind when you thought of a medieval
fortress and I could tell that everyone was thinking similar thoughts.  As
we disembarked from the bus and got ready to move to the entrance to the
castle, the boys began talking about King Arthur, Robin Hood, and others
they associated with castles and this time frame.  Before I knew it, mock
sword fights were breaking out all over and my boys had become knights in
shining armor battling to defend the codes of chivalry.  As we made the
long walk from the entrance to St. George's Gate, just below the upper
ward, the boys slew dragons, fought off usurpers to the throne, and
defended the honor of young maidens.

The castle was founded by William the Conqueror around 1080, as part of a
series of fortifications protecting London.  It was constructed according
to typical Norman specifications, with an artificial mound (motte) with a
keep, surrounded by a wooden fortification.  Over the years, the Kings of
England were attracted to the location because of the excellent hunting in
the woods beyond.  In the late 12th century, Henry II largely rebuilt the
castle in stone, including the Round Tower on top of the motte.  This work
was continued and expanded under Henry III.  During the 14th century,
Edward III converted it into a Gothic palace and the seat of his new Order
of the Garter.  In the 15th century, Edward IV had St. George's Chapel and
the new Cloisters built.  Henry VIII had a new gate built into the Lower
Ward in the early 16th century and his daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I,
made other changes to it.  In the 17th century, Charles II remodeled it as
a Baroque palace and it stayed that way until the late 18th century when
George III commissioned a Gothic reconstruction of the State Apartments,
which was completed by George IV in the early 19th century.  Queen Victoria
made Windsor her principal palace and ruled the British Empire from within
these walls for over 60 years.  In 1992 a fire ravaged parts of the castle,
which were rebuilt by 1997, and the castle is once again a place of pride
for the British people.

The tour took us past the lower side of the artificial hill, on which sat
the Round Tower, and over to the State Apartments.  Once there, we saw many
impressive sights.  There was the Grand Staircase, flanked by a massive
sculpture of George IV and armored knights on horseback.  We saw Queen
Mary's Dolls' House, a massive piece built in accurate detail, with even
the little wine bottles having vintage wine in them.  We saw the China
Museum and display cases filled with impressive pieces of china which had
been used over the years.  In other rooms we saw magnificent paintings done
by some of the finest masters (like Rubens, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, and
Rembrandt), many more sculptures of royalty, a history of weapons on
display, and various pieces of furniture that had been used there
throughout the castle's history.  The rooms were large, the ceilings high
(and many covered in impressive painted scenes), the decorating elaborate,
and the impression breathtaking.

While touring the State Apartments, we met a man who lived across the river
in Eton.  He had heard us commenting about some of the crests and coats of
arms and he heard the boys asking if there was a coat of arms for the
Curries.  The gentleman interrupted and explained that he owned a shop in
Eton and suggested that we should stop by his shop later and he'd help us
research that topic.  I thanked him, copied down the name of his shop and
address, and watched as the boys danced with excitement about the
possibility of finding something 'regal' to do with the Currie name.

>From there, we went back outdoors, walking from the upper ward to the
lower ward, with the boys talking excitedly about the things they had seen
during our earlier walk.  We made our way to St. George's Chapel, to savor
a whole new experience.  This is a marvelous Gothic Cathedral, begun by
Edward IV in 1475 and finished by Henry VIII in 1528.  The exterior is
defined by massive stone walls dotted by a series of flying buttresses
(like the ribs of some giant beast), rows upon rows of windows, and defined
by numerous stone sculptures.  The interior is filled with elaborate word
work, splendid stained glass windows, and magnificent vaulted ceilings.
The chapel houses many monuments to the wealthy and famous throughout the
centuries, and it's the final resting places for several monarchs,
including Henry VIII, Charles I (who was executed), and George VI
(Elizabeth II's father).  By the time we had seen the chapel and explored
its treasures, it was getting to be late in the afternoon.  We made our way
across the lower ward and exited through King Henry VIII's gate, in search
of a place to eat.

To our surprise, we found several fast food restaurants nearby and we chose
to eat at the Pizza Hut, filling ourselves with pizza, salad, and soda.
After that, we checked out a few of the other nearby attractions.  First we
took a stroll down Church Street, a cobblestone street lined with buildings
that are several hundred years old, and the street leads up to one of the
gates into the castle.  Then we went to see Windsor's Guildhall, which was
designed by Sir Christopher Wren, who also built St. Peter's Cathedral.  It
is said that when Wren showed his design for the Guild Hall to the town
elders, they refused to believe that the ground floor ceiling wouldn't
collapse without pillars.  They insisted that Wren include the pillars in
his final design, refusing to let him continue otherwise.  Reluctantly,
Wren put the pillars in, though he left a gap between the top of the
pillars and the ceiling without their knowledge, thus proving that they
weren't needed in the first place.

After that, we went on a walking tour of Eton, the small village on the
other side of the Thames, reaching it by walking over the pedestrian-only
bridge.  Eton was filled with many fine shops and other establishments,
most of them catering to the wealthy students enrolled at Eton College.
Eton College has been THE place to go for many of Britain's aristocrats,
politicians, and 'captains of industry'.  We soon found the shop we were
looking for and entered.  The gentleman greeted me shortly after we entered
and he looked at my family suspiciously as they gathered around me.  "I
didn't think you were bring your whole tour group with you, sir."

"I didn't," I told him.  "I merely brought my family along."

The gentleman eyed the group rather closely, looking from face to face and
then back to me.  "You do have quite an assortment of backgrounds in your
relatives, sir.  Just how would all of you be related then?"  I went on to
give him the short version of our story and then he smiled.

"Jolly good, sir.  You must be a truly exceptional person to take on all of
this responsibility.  I hope these young gentlemen appreciate your goodness
and that your natural children are bloody proud of what you have done."
There were various nods, agreements, and other subtle acknowledgements
before he moved on to business.  "Now, I believe you were interested in
discovering any heraldry associated with your surname."

"Yes, we were, sir," I told him.  "The boys were interested in discovering
if there was possibly a coat of arms involved, which could be associated to
our ancestral line."

"I'm not sure if you realize this, but coats of arms and crests are
assigned to individuals, not to family groups.  But I would be happy to
help you investigate this and then I could offer you some merchandise
utilizing the designs we've discovered, that is if you are interested in
such things."

"I believe that's what my sons had in mind."

"Brilliant.  Let me begin the search."  He went to a computer behind the
counter and brought up a website.  He then asked me our last name, had me
spell it for him, and then entered what I told him.  Before long, he was
showing me information involving our last name.  It seems that the Currie
clan lived along the Scottish-English border.  Being a clan meant that they
could put a minimum of 250 men ahorse within one hour, as well as provide
fighting men for their liege lord and king.  This meant that they were
quite a large and fairly well organized group.  The name originated in
Midlothian, the Edinburgh area of Scotland, before 1100.  The name can
trace its roots back to Strathclyde, Briton.

Next, he showed us a coat of arms associated with someone from our line,
Currie of Newby, Scotland.  Before he gave us the explanation about the
coat of arms, he mentioned that the terms of heraldry he was going to use
might sound strange to us, as most of it came from the Old Norman French
terminology.  The blazon (shield shaped format of the coat of arms) was
what they called a chief, meaning there was a band of a different color
across the top.  The shield was in gules (red), with an argent (silver)
St. Andrew's cross (a cross that looked like an X) upon it.  The band at
the top was in sable (black), with an argent (silver) rose in the center,
barbed and seeded in vert (green).  Now the shop owner went on to explain
what all of this meant.  The use of the chief shield meant dominion,
authority, wisdom, and achievement in battle.  The gules (red) signified a
warrior, martyr, or military strength.  The argent (silver) signified
sincerity and peace, while the St. Andrew's cross signified resolution and
resolve.  The sable (black) band at the top signified constancy and grief
and the argent rose was the symbol of the second son.  From all of this
information, the shopkeeper told us a possible scenario of how this coat of
arms was granted.

"From my knowledge of what the colors, designs, and symbols mean, I would
venture this is how this coat of arms was awarded.  The Currie clan must
have been a powerful clan of warriors, always coming to the defense of
their liege lord.  I would venture to guess that the second son of the
leader of that clan lost his life in one such battle, making the ultimate
sacrifice to their cause.  I'm sure that the noble whom they were defending
made a petition on their behalf, having someone from his court design this
particular coat of arms to honor the sacrifice the Curries had made.  It
would either have been granted to the second son posthumously or awarded to
his father, in recognition of his son's sacrifice.  It seems to be a noble
reward, which was given to honor the deceased and make his ancestors proud
of his deeds."

We were all smiling broadly as he finished this explanation.  Even though
the majority of those present were not literally of the Currie bloodline,
they were all proud of such an honored and storied past.  Now, the shop
owner went on to explain that the shields that the warriors carried into
battle would have had a slightly different design.  The shields would be
gules (red) with a large argent (silver) cross upon it.  This was because
the coat of arms would only belong to and could be used by the one so
honored, so the shield design would have been carried by his troops.  Then
he told us that there was one more item of heraldry involved, the crest.
The crest would have been the symbol worn on the helmet, representing its
owner.  In this case the crest was a gules (red) cock.  As soon as he said
that I looked around at the boys, seeing the older ones were fighting back
laughter and comments they wished to make, but dared not with my older
children present.  Ricky's face was bright red, as he fought to control
himself, while Danny's face was all scrunched up, making him look like he
had just swallowed a peck of lemons.  Kevin buried his head into Dustin's
back, trying to keep from laughing, while Dion had the biggest grin
spreading across his face.  The other boys were going through other
contortions, fighting desperately to resist the urges that were whipping
through their minds.

"What would the cock or rooster signify in this case," I asked the shop
owner quickly, trying to distract the boys.

"That would have stood for a fighter and, being in gules, it would have
meant a mighty fighter or warrior."  The boys were slowly regaining control
of themselves.  "And this one would have had its foot resting upon a rose
argent (silver), barbed and seeded vert (green).  This would have meant
that the second son was the mighty warrior."

I thanked our new met friend for all his help and then asked him want I
needed to do to order a coat of arms or other such things.  He showed me a
wide variety of products that he could get for us, so I ordered a large
coat of arms, a shield of the same size, a plaque with the crest, and a
framed family history of the Currie name, all to be hung in our foyer at
home.  I also ordered some things for the older children's homes, items
that they selected for themselves.  I paid for these things, told him to
deliver them to the company providing our transportation, and we'd collect
them there when I settled the bill before leaving.  Everyone was excited
with all we had discovered and we were pleased with our selections for our
homes.  We left the shop and continued our foot tour of Eton.

 When we had finished our walk, we made our way back to the bus, excited
yet tired from our grueling day.  Many of the boys fell asleep on the ride
back to the hotel and we just ordered from room service later, not wishing
to go out again.

After everyone had finished eating, most of the boys ended up in my room.
I thought I knew what they had on their minds.  "Hey, Dad," Ricky began,
"isn't it fitting that the Currie crest is a cock!"  He barely got the
words out before he started cracking up.

"I wonder if it was a large cock?" my usually quiet Trey added.

"And I wonder if it was a cut or uncut cock?" Pat wondered aloud.

"It doesn't make any difference," Kevin added, "it was a fighting cock,
ready to duel at any time."  This brought a howl of laughter and I was
surprised that they all didn't whip their own penises out and begin to duel
amongst themselves, but they did keep under minimal control.

"Hey, Dad," Dion added, "do you think some of our ancestors were gay and
that's why they gave them the cock for a crest?"

"Well, I know they weren't all gay, or the Currie clan wouldn't have
survived," I shot back.

"Sure, it would have," Dustin responded.  "They could have adopted great
sons, like you did."  This brought a wave of agreement and left me without
a witty comeback.

"I am glad you boys managed to control yourself in the shop, though.  I
know that was hard for you to do and I'm not sure how the shop owner and
the others might have reacted if you had carried on like this there."

"We know," Ricky told me, "but it almost killed us to keep all that in.  We
did do some of this on the bus, on the way back, but we did it so nobody
else could hear.  It was just so funny when he said it, like it was nothing
and there was no other meaning for it."

"Pop, you should have seen these guys while we were walking around,"
Brandon chimed in.  "They were bursting at the seams, but knew they
couldn't let loose.  It was almost as funny watching them trying to hold
back, as it would have been if they could have done this then."

"I'm sure that it must have been something else, but I am glad they showed
some restraint."

"But we can still have fun with it later," Cole stated dryly, "as the
reminder and proof of it will be hanging on our wall at home later."

"Yeah," Jay joined in.  "I think it will be great that you've got a big red
cock hanging on the wall where everyone will see it when they enter your
house."

"Would this make you like a sports team?" Carlos asked innocently.  "Will
you be the Currie Cocks?"

This brought a roar and everyone seemed to think that would be a very
appropriate title for us, 'the Currie Cocks'.  After everyone settled down
and got it out of their systems, they returned to their own rooms and
turned in for the evening.

On Tuesday we made our way to Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of
William Shakespeare.  When we arrived, it was as if we had been transported
to the late 16th or early 17th century.  There were all kinds of historic
Tudor buildings (some of them still having thatched roofs), the old Tudor
schoolhouse (with rows of large wooden desks), the medieval stone bridge,
the stone Gild Chapel, and the Holy Trinity church (complete with its
monument to Shakespeare).  Shakespeare's birthplace was furnished as it
would have been while he was alive and really gave us a feel what life must
have been like during that period in history.  Our only disappointment was
with the Royal Shakespeare Theater.  I guess we had all expected something
similar to the old Globe Theater, where Shakespeare's plays were first
performed, but what we found was a modern brick building that didn't seem
to fit in with the rest of the community.  We did see a performance of 'A
Midsummer Night's Dream' in it and it was done well.  Even though not all
of the boys understood what it was about, they did enjoy the various
characters, especially Puck, and we all had a good time.  On the drive
back, the boys spent time exploring the English countryside, commenting on
how it wasn't all that different from where we lived, except the houses
seemed to be far older here than in Pennsylvania.

When we arrived back at the hotel, things were a little different.  This
was to be our last night in London, as we'd be making one more day trip
before my older children went back to their homes, taking my grandsons with
them, but the boys and I would be spending another week relaxing before we
returned home.  The boys wanted to go out to a nice restaurant tonight, as
a farewell feast to the city and as a farewell to the others leaving.  The
boys made sure they let their oldest brothers and sisters knew how much
they enjoyed this vacation together, but they really showered their nephews
with attention, letting them know how special they thought they were.
Nicky and Jordan were aglow with pride from all this special recognition
and you could just tell how much they loved all their young uncles.  It was
a very special dinner for all of us and this dinner turned out to be our
own special Thanksgiving Day.

My grandsons slept in with their uncles that night and their uncles managed
to squeeze everyone into a single room.  They let the younger boys share
the beds, with one grandson in each one.  The older boys slept in the floor
of that room, so they would all be together for one final night.  It
touched me deeply when I went into to wake them all the next morning and
Jordan and Nicky couldn't wait to tell their parents about the fun they all
had together.  I guess the boys had told them some stories before they went
to sleep, acting them out and putting on quite a show.  They must have done
a good job because that was all the youngest two could talk about.

After breakfast we loaded onto the bus and headed west, across the
countryside.  It was really beautiful scenery, driving across gently
rolling grasslands, but it felt as if we were driving to the middle of
nowhere, and maybe we were.  We were heading to the Salisbury plain and
Stonehenge.  You all know the image that the name Stonehenge conjures up
when spoken, gigantic boulders sticking up out of the earth with cap-stones
extending between adjoining columns.  We all think of ancient Druid priests
performing pagan rituals within their circle, but do we really know what
Stonehenge was and what it meant to those ancient peoples?  It is now
believed that Stonehenge was built in stages, between 2800 and 1800 BCE, to
help in the observation of astronomical phenomena, such as the summer and
winter solstices, eclipses, and more.  This was not only for religious
purposes, but it helped them decide when to do other things, like when to
plant their crops and when to harvest them.  Thus, it was thus a
multi-purpose structure.

I took many pictures of the boys there, some standing under one of the huge
stone arches, showing how small the boys were in comparison, or with them
sitting on one of the fallen stones, or a long range shot with the whole
family, minus me, standing with Stonehenge looming behind them.  After
that, we learned about some of the theories about how the stones were
brought here and arranged, as they are not natural to the area.  It is
assumed that the boulders were transported over long distances, possibly
from Wales, before they were erected at the site.  That must have been an
enormous undertaking with the primitive technology of the day, but somehow
they managed to pull it off, a truly impressive feat.

After we saw all that we wanted to, we boarded the bus and made our way to
our next stop, the Roman- founded city of Bath, then known as Aquae Sulis.
It was getting late when we arrived there, so we decided to eat, get our
rooms, and rest for the night.  We would start early tomorrow, going to the
various sites, before we dropped my older children and their families off
at the airport.

Thursday morning we awoke early, had a good breakfast, and then we headed
for our first stop, the Roman baths.  It was what you might expect to see
in a film about ancient Rome, like the scene in Spartacus.  The bath was
adorned with stone columns supporting the roof of a covered walkway, which
surrounded a large pool where the dignitaries would have bathed.  There
were stone benches and other conveniences against the walls.  These benches
would have been used by those frequenting the place, as a place to relax or
as a place where they could converse with a friend.  There were Roman
statues to various gods and goddesses about the area and we got a look at
the substructure and learn how the place would have operated once it was
built.

After we left the spa, we went on to see the Bath Cathedral, a large stone
Gothic sanctuary with elaborate stone carvings on the outer surface.  It
was also adorned with flying buttresses, fan-vaulted ceilings, and the
typical plaques and tombs to the wealthy and famous.  It was not as large
or elaborate as some of the other churches we had seen, but it was still a
very impressive edifice.

When we left the cathedral, we took a tour of the rest of the city that had
grown up around the spa.  Over the years, especially during Victorian
times, this was a very popular place to visit.  As the city grew up around
it, much of it designed in Greek revival architecture, it turned into a
very impressive area.  The city had many impressive structures, including
the Royal Crescent and other magnificently built row houses, and the
outlying area was complete with massive manor houses.  As quaint and as
lovely as it was, we decided to eat now and then take my older children to
catch their flights, saying our final good-byes at the airport.

The ride from Bath to Heathrow airport was long and somewhat sad.  We had
all had a good time together, but we were unhappy that our time together
was near an end.  The boys made their rounds to say their farewells to
those that were soon to leave us, especially Jordan and Nicky.  Those two
had been with us for so long that it was like they were part of our
immediate family, not just our extended family.  It was quite an emotional
ride and not just the ride on the bus.  Before we reached the airport, I
found Nicky and Jordan coming up to sit with me for the remainder of the
trip, one cuddled against either side of me, thanking me for the great
vacations.  Needless to say, I had a few tears in my eyes and a major lump
in my throat before we got off of the bus.

The boys carried all the luggage in, we got all of those leaving checked in
for their flights, and there was another round of kisses and hugs before
they left us and made their way to the boarding gate.  We all waved at each
other until they were out of sight and then I herded the boys back to the
bus and we headed south.  Now we would spend our final week in England,
this one with just the boys and me.

               *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.
E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.