Return to Oxford

I am back in Oxford until mid-September. While stepping off the bus and onto the cobblestones of Gloucester Green square, I was greeted by a surprise. What a joy it was to see so many flower baskets lining the streets and walkways. The English love their gardens; this week, the summer gardens seemed to hug the streets.

Half Blood Prince

I'm ready for November.

Luray Caverns

Last Sunday we visited Luray Caverns in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

A fallen stalactite:

My favorite scenic spot was the reflecting pool.

Totem pole valley:

"Wall-E!"

Holy crow, eh?

I have just returned from two and a half wonderful weeks in Ontario, Canada visiting Matthew and his family. Here are a few photos from the trip.

Beautiful Bella

While in Kingston, we attended a Holstein auction... with bbq, beer, live country music, and of course, cows! With not just two colors, but three!

Grandpa Murphy's lake cottage.

Beautiful and serene.

Matthew's mom and me relaxing at the beach on Lake Ontario.

This is the season for weddings. We attended two while I was visiting Canada.

The groom and best man looking very dashing before the wedding.

Black Tie

Christ Church college guest night. We are dressed up in honor of Bhooma's successful thesis defense and to give her an impromptu hen party. But honestly, you don't need a reason for black tie attire in Oxford.
On the way to dinner, we were looking fabulous on the famous stairs from Harry Potter.

Science stuff

It's time for some real time science videos. Geeky, perhaps. But I still can't help pausing in amazement.

Higher quality flash version here (compliments of Matthew):
http://aimediaserver.com/studiodaily/videoplayer/?src=harvard/harvard.swf&width=640&height=520

Here's a clip for those of you who were bored in the genetics section of Biology 101:

I am happy to say that Matthew has been accepted into the University of Ottawa for medical school. This is fantastic news and ironically brings us one step closer to being in the same country. In the meantime, I plan to keep an eye out for affordable flights from OC, CA to ON, CA.

Family time

Having my parents visit Oxford last week was such a nice treat. During their trip, we enjoyed clotted cream, bangers and mash, fish and chips, and a Sunday roast. We watched cricket, attended a garden party, and spent the majority of our evenings playing backgammon at the best pub in Oxford, The Royal Oak. The transatlantic distance seems much smaller now.

Health Food

In London.