Christmas Preparations

Here are some pre-Christmas pics for all to enjoy!


Cora lines up with The St. Edward's Junior School Choir to perform at the Town Christmas Tree Lighting Festivities




Jason puts the last decoration on the tree






The tree with some early presents under it

A visit from Umi and Papa!

We had a super 3 week visit from Elizabeth's Parents. It's probably their last trip to England before we move home so we tried to make it memorable. We toured our favorite Cotswold stops as well as a few new sites. A short 3 day trip to York, a Big Thanksgiving feast, and several kid events rounded out their stay.


Here's Umi at the Tea Room in Chipping Camden-What a delightful town!

Birthdays and Thanksgiving

On the 14th of November our house was taken over by 6 girls, OH MY! Fun and not much sleep was had by all as they helped Cora celebrate her 9th birthday.



Cora wears the Happy Birthday Hat and an attitude to match!








We had an International Thanksgiving this year as guests included English and French friends as well as our American Family! What a wonderful day it was! We are so thankful for the friends we have made here.

Friends enjoying the Thanksgiving Meal.









Owen celebrated his Birthday hangin' out with his friends. The camping out plan didn't work as it was pouring rain most of the night but they still managed to roast marshmellows and create a mess in the living room!


Boys just wanna have fun!

It's been a while!

OK, so it's been a while! Since our last blog we have moved, celebrated 2 birthdays, Thanksgiving, had an extended visit from Elizabeth's parents, took a long weekend trip to Devon, a Christmas holiday to Munich, and finally celebrated Christmas. WOW-That's a lot!! So, let's get started on catching up.

Over the October half-term we took a quick trip south to Devon. It was a great weekend filled with hikes, castles, and neolithic sites! After arriving back home it was full steam ahead for our BIG move across town. The move went fine and we are now settled in for the final months of our stay here in England.



A view of the Dartmoor Vale


Totnes Castle, one of the many ruins we saw on this trip.



The front of 38 Charlton Lane-
Our home for the next 10 months!




Look, we've got a real backyard!!

Cora hits the Pool

Today I attended the St. Edwards swimming gala at the senior school to cheer on Cora during her official swimming debut. St. Edwards Under 9 thru 11 were in the blue with yellow racing stripes and their opponents from Richard Pates donned navy blue.

Cora swam in three heats - the individual backstroke, mixed relay and freestyle relay (which she calls 'forward crawl' - need to work on that one!). Cora swam well and finished 2nd in the first two heats and third with her team in the final event.



Cora waits to start with teammates.



Gone in a cloud of..water - Cora in the middle lane.



In the pool cheering on a teammate.

Skittles Anyone???

One of the best discoveries we have made here in Cheltenham is the game of skittles. It's much like bowling with one less pin, short pins (called skittles) and a smallish ball with no finger holes. The only skill required is the ability to aim your shots - bouncing or spinning (they should bounce withn the first foot of launch but no one checks very often).



Below- the 'winner' of birthday skittles.

The Big Three Niner - Happy Birthday Elizabeth!!!

Well, it will be a tough one topping this on her 40th. Last evening we celebrated Elizabeth's last birthday of her 30s with a loud romp at the Somerset Arms in Leckhampton. The Bolines (minus Patrick), the DeVillers (minus children), the Hunters, the Lewises and the Pattens joined us for a great night of skittles, food and cake. Elizabeth doffed her 'birthday hat' (which is an immediate new tradition in the McMahan house!) and had a great first day of her 39th year on Earth.



After a rocky beginning on the skittles lane (with children and skittles going in all different directions except the correct one) the kids settled into some skittles play with Rebecca Patten winning the first match. The Ladies led by Elizabeth then proceeded to demolish the men in skittles with a 57-50 score. However, they did not realize that a third round still remained after cake and presents, after which the men were triumphant with a 78-75 score. Controversy reigned and I'm sure will be a point of argument among these couples for some time.



A special thanks goes out to Sharon who did all of the hard work arranging the party quests and baking an awesome cake. We all managed to keep the party a secret (I had her convinced we were going to a pubfest with co-workers from the donut!) and Elizabeth was surprised and excited.

Look Everybody, It's our first day pictures!

It just wouldn't be the first day of school without taking our traditional stand in front of the door picture now would it? The day was rainy and yucky and traffic was a nightmare! No worries, we managed to get there with time to spare!



Owen happy to start a new year!



Cora looking smart in her St. Edward's uniform

OK, back to Italy - FLORENCE!

Florence or Firenze as the locals call it, is an amazing city. Actually, it's more of a museum than a city. Every building looks several hundred years old, except for maybe the train station and the 'American Cafe' on the hill above the city. We had the opportunity to visit the Uffizi Museum with an enthusiastic guide, avoinding a line of several hundred people. I would recommend both the guide, unless you are an art major, and missing the line, which saves you 1-2 hours of time and headaches.

Another museum, the Accademia, houses the original statue of David - it is very impressive and quite large. Another hint here - visit the museum an hour before closing and there is no line! Another 1-2 hours saved for what is really a small museum (aside from David just a few protraits and a music museum).

We enjoyed an evening of music one night in town at a concert outside the Medici vaults. The evening started with a 'manifestation' as we used to call them in Haiti where a bunch of Eastern Europeans showed up to protest anti-immigration laws and efforts. After they were escorted away the concert began. Close by they were GIVING AWAY pasta and watermellon from some sort of stands. These are local customs I could easily get used to - free food AND music! I love Italy!

Even our hotel was not bad, although it was 5 flights of stairs up to our room.

All things considered, it was a great town.



Elizabeth and the Ponte Vecchio across the Arno River.




The amazing (on the outside) 13th Century Duomo.



Pitti Palace - home of Florence's overlords.

..Meanwhile, something tells me it's all happening at..

THE ZOO. The more sensible members of the family spent the past weekend relaxing, tending to illnesses and visiting the zoo in Dudley. The girls had a fun filled day visiting the lions, and tigers and bears (oh - no don't say it).



Cora on Safari in her jeep.



A rare picture of the elusive Boomonkey.

57 Miles on the Dyke

Owen and I finally got back on our walking groove this past weekend (yes I'm sorry, we need to publish Italy notes but I'm writing the Offa report first). The walk started at Hay on Wye and continued on for 57 miles and three days to a small village outside of Welshpool. During the first day we hiked a total of 30 MILES - a new longest for us and I suspected for the family as a whole! Needless to say we were a bit tired after that one but after a fine full English at the Castle Inn in the morning we were off for the next 18 miles. There were sore, wet feet all around by the end of the day Monday but the sense of accomplishment was even greater!



Celebrating mile 27 in Knighton on Day 1 (not knowing we still had three miles to go!)





Owen counts his steps along the 1400 year old border of Wales and England.

Milan - what to do besides shopping

Milan is not much of a destination city, unless your idea of a vacation is buying an oversized $300 leather handbag or hanging out in Fascist inspired train stations. But Milan is not a bad stop on the way in or out of Italy, if only for a day or so.



Milan is the home to Leonardo's Last Supper, a beautiful and complicated work that can't really be appreciated except in person. Forget Dan Brown, Leonardo had some significant ideas and symbols going in this work, even if he painted it using an atrocious technique which has always endangered its existence.



Milan's other great draws include the massive marble Duomo (cathedral), Gallerie Vittorio Emauele (a massive ornate shopping centre with Prada AND McDonalds), and the Sforza Castle.

As with all of our stops in Italy this summer, we walked the entire city, aside from a single metro ride. Our accomodations at the very Italian sounding Windsor Hotel were four star and breakfast was awesome (even the warm tuna and beans!). The only low point was trying to figure out the Italian train system and our Eurorail passes -this little adventure cost us a couple of hours at the somewhat scary Milan central train station. More to follow...




Sforza Castle

An Award Winner - Owen's Speech Day!

OK, so things in the UK are not the same as the States (duh, right?). Owen's end of year assembly (which is also a, hmm graduation, or maybe not) is called Speech Day where we gather to listen to the Headmaster of St. Edwards Sr school speak (some might say for a long time), as well as distinguished guests, head students and other random folks with a word to add. This is really a great event with nothing comparable in the states as this ceremony recognizes all high performing students from grade 7 through the highest grades in the school (equivalent to American high school seniors).

This year Owen earned through hard work and study the highest marks in his grade in Latin and Music - this guy is a classic! For his trouble Owen received books of his choice for each of these awards. Additionally Owen won three events at his school's Sports Day in track and field events (1500m run, 8oom run, and high jump) and received a small plaque. He is currently known as the fastest young man in year 7.

Owen rounded out this spectacular year with a Distiction grade of 130 marks (which I am told is quite good) on his grade 4 piano exam. All this basically means the guy is a good piano player and spends a lot of time practicing (I know because I hear it each day!).

Well done Owen! A great end to a great academic year!




Owen receives his awards from the distinguished Speech Day guest, Professor Gerald Pillay of Liverpool Hope University.

Here come the Plants!

It always amazes me how incredibly good and wonderfully clever the class assembly's at St.Ed's are! Well, Cora's assembly this year was no exception! The theme plants-how interesting can this be you ask? Well, let me tell you these kids made it the most fascinating assembly on plants you have ever seen! Cora did her bit with exceptional clarity and volume! SUPER JOB CORA!!

Sharon this Spuds for you Birthday Girl!

Happy Birthday Sharon!! A rousing party was held at the McMahan house to celebrate Sharon's 40 something birthday. Good fun was had by all with dinner, presents, party games, and even a non traditional McMahan cake- no yellow cake with chocolate frosting for this birthday girl!!



Sharon, your the first girl on the block to own a..pair of serving tongs. "Ahh, I'm sorry I thought this was my birthday!?"



Just when things were getting dodgy, the real gifts came out! Was there ever a lady so lucky! Happy Birthday Sharon!

The Lakes - Days in the Wilds of England

For more than two years now we had not had the opportunity to visit one of England's most beautiful (and wet) regions, the Lakes of Cumbria. Well, check that one off the list because in May we spent four days walking fells and braving dangerous roads while seeking the Grail of Beatrix Potter - her home at Hilltop.

The bald fells (why do English hills and mountains have no trees? Very strange for a Yankee from Penn's woods) and deep valleys envelop you as you enter the Lakes, a land of green valleys, deep lakes (called 'meres') and rocky crags. The Romans enjoyed the area so much they built two forts here, including one at a site called Hardknott that would certainly be a 'hardluck' post for the poor plebe stationed there. Approaching this fort was no easy feat as the roads were at about a 30-40 degree incline in some places and very narrow! Not a great place to meet a Tesco's lorry.



Cora finishes the climb high above Hardknott Roman Fort. What a climber!








Castles, stone circles and mountain clothing and equipment sales awaited us in other areas of the Lakes as we toured Windmere, Keswick (Kesick if you speak 'English') and Penrith. And we just about saw them all, execpt for a few maddening sites far off in southern Cumbria.

One of the best days was spent in Keswick where we saw an impressive stone circle (Castelrigg), rowed a boat on the lake, sorry, mere, and visited the world's biggest pencil factory! Oh control your excitement!



Out on the mere in a rowboat. Now if we were both rowing the the right direction we may have gone somewhere.









Yes, the last day we did visit Beatrix Potter's home at Hilltop. Finding a parking space was a pain (there were about 5 for 100 cars) but we made it. The house is small and unassuming but veru quaint. Elizabeth certainly thought it was worth the trip. We could see why she wanted to retire to this place - surrounded by beautiful, unspoiled countryside.



The girls in the garden of Peter Rabbit and his friends. Oh watch out for that mini cooper on the road!

RunningWoman crushes Fairford 10K

At the end of the summer half term break I dragged my children to Fairford so I could run the Fairford 10K. I haven't run a race since leaving the states. Why did I decide to torture myself again you ask? Well, there are many reasons for this but the best answer I have is Erin made me!! All joking aside, I think it was actually my idea. I've been back on the running trail for the past year and needed some new motivation to keep me going! Erin has been a super support since she moved here! We run together most Saturdays and sometimes during the week.



Erin, Elizabeth and Joshua celebrate with their medals after the Fairford run. Way to go in the rain!!







OK-so back to the race! It was not my best-in fact I felt horrible the whole way! I guess I can chalk that up to too much fun and not enough running in the Lake District the week leading up to the big race! Despite the horrible feeling while running it was absolutely a gorgeous run-winding through a few small villages around Fairford- too bad I didn't have my camera with me! It was well worth the pain just for the view and I got a metal!!! Oh by the way, I ran my 10k faster than I ever have before-under an hour!!! WOOHOO!!!

The Snyders 'Do' Cheltenham

In May my (Elizabeth's) cousin Scott and his wife Tami came for a visit! WOW!! Now considering I have not spent any considerable amount of time with my cousin (more than a few hours) since we were young this could have been a really, really long week but, in fact, we had an absolutely fab time (at least I did!)!

I took them on a whilwind tour of England. We did a bit of everything-Romans, Castles, London, Cotswold villages. I think Scott recorded everything on his camera from driving on the M5 to eating dinner at our house! It was great to reconnect with with my cousin. I found out not only is he really funny he's quite musical! I hope Tami and Scott had as much fun as I did I thoroughly enjoyed my week of being their tourguide!

Scott works for his food. This man plays a mean guitar!











Tami finds her way down a dark castle staircase. No, Scott really is not cowering behind her - there are no ghosts in England!

Cora Thrills at May Fayre

Cora dazzled the crowd (along with many other members of her class) during the annual St. Edwards May Fayre event. Cora's class provided vocal entertainment and Cora and some friends followed up with some fine Irish dancing. Mayfair proved to be one of the nicer days of the summer, as you can observe from the photos!







Cora and classmates sing in dreamy sky blue shirts!









Cora kicks up her Irish heels - check out that red Irish hair!


















Cora and her friend Melissa prepare to strut their Irish stuff for the anxious crowds.

Sunday in Amsterdam

No trip to Holland would be complete without a visit to Amsterdam. While the city is not huge there is a lot to do there and we really only scratched the surface during our day-long adventure.

The two main stops for us were the Anne Frank museum and the Amsterdam Historical museum, both very good, although the history museum surely exceeded expectations. We spent the rest of the day taking a canal boat tour and a walk around the center of town. Somehow we managed to avoid the red light district and the 'window shops'.

We were all impressed with the large number of canals, generally clean streets and alleys, and the public transportation system which was fairly easy to figure out, especially after going the wrong way once or twice!



Cora and the Anne Frank statue.
















Relaxing on the boat ride along the canals.




A view of Amsterdam harbor.

Art in the Rain in Veluwe

Our first full day in the Netherlands was spent at the Palais Het Loo near Appeldoorn and the Hoge Veluwe National Park, both just a few kilometers from our holiday park. After a trip to the market in the pouring rain we found the Het Loo outside of Appeldoorn, one of the former residences of William of Orange. It was a beautiful palace, garden and stables all restored and preserved in their original state. Outside there was even a tree painted orange in honor of the ruling family.

Hoge Veluwe is a large (for the Netherlands, rather small for anyone from the states) national park which surrounds the Kroller Muller Museum, an art museum devoted to unique works including those of Vincent van Gogh. The museum includes a large number of outdoor pieces of art which can only be described as 'very interesting'!

We finished up the day with a bike ride through a driving rainstorm and all got very wet. For the record, Elizabeth wanted to bike more while both kids said no way!



Mom in the gardens at Palais Het Loo, a hunting lodge (aka palace) used by William or Orange (aka William III King of England and the Netherlands).






Cora and Jacques at the Kroller Muller Museum.

Getting very wet while riding the free white bikes through Hoge Veluwe National Park.

Hitting the road in Holland

This past week we added another European country to our visit list with a week-long stay in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is Europe's most densely populated country and it exhibited this fact every day we spent on the highway - lots of traffic and slow travel. Our accommodation was in eastern Holland near Appledoorn and Arnhem at the Berkhorst travel resort park, a 120 cabin complex with a nice pool (free unlimited use, seen below) and some other activities, all of which were not included in the base price. All meals were eaten in at our efficiency 'flat' where we also availed ourselves of fine Dutch television programming!

Overall we had a great week and the weather, while a bit nippy, was pleasant more often than not. More pictures of our actual travels will follow.




Cora at the pool













Owen splashes down.














Outside our 'bunker' apartment in the park.