From Harney to Heathrow

 

Diamond sunset

Cycle Oregon was ten days filled with the beautiful landscapes of southeastern Oregon and the amazing people who live in one of the most remote areas of the United States outside of Alaska. Our overnight stops included Diamond, population of five, and Seneca and Crane, communities that were only slightly larger. I was most interested in the children. Many were the fifth generation to live on their families' ranches. The elementary schools were one or two rooms with students boarding in Crane for high school. I tried, unsuccessfully, to hid my big city ignorance. A local resident told me that her daughter taught in a one-room K-8 schoolhouse. This year she only has students in four of the grades. So I asked "How many students?" With a somewhat puzzled look she replied, "Well, that would be four."

 

Home on Sunday night, we boarded a flight to London Tuesday at noon. It is cool and damp but great to be in England. The smallest things immediately remind me that our shared language is similar but not the same. The first traffic sign as we exited the terminal said, "Drive, Dead Slow." Apparently the English have turned the verb stand into a noun as the bus admonished "No Standees".

 

We are staying the night in Reading, pronounced redding not reeding for no explainable reason. While Mike dined with Lucy I explored the ruins of the Forbury Abbey and the adjoining park. In 1539 the last Abbot was hanged, drawn and quartered outside the gate and the property seized by the Crown. Today it is a peaceful site surrounded by businesses and housing.

 

 

 

 

 

Forbury Park Statue, Reading

 

Reading Town Hall

 

 

 

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