So Long, Fare Well!

The time has come for Eleanor to leave us and move to college; we're so excited for her new adventure! My parents took Eleanor and Michael to Exeter, where they were renting a car to drive to the airport...and Paula and I stayed home with the rest of the younger generation, with the plan of bounding off into the moors.

Michael rated a Daisy hug...!

Love,

Alexandra

The Colors of Dartmoor

My strongest memories of Dartmoor are the colors. The gorse was a bright, egg-yolk yellow, and the heather was intermixed to provide a dark lilac counterpoint. Bracken, which I had always wondered about, turned out to be a very stiff, glossy, medium-green fern; it was everywhere. The grassy slopes provided a lighter green note.

The tors, a mix of grays, emerged from the brilliant slopes. The sky was frustratingly gray for much of our stay, but we did have occasional moments of a brilliant blue to set off the landscape. Absolutely lovely.

Love,

Alexandra

The Animals of Dartmoor

I was entranced by the animals that roamed freely. There were so many ponies and their foals, cows (some of which appeared to be wearing white sweaters), sheep and lambs, and the occasional rabbit. While perhaps counter to arriving anywhere quickly, I did find it charming that the herds generally felt quite free to block the roads.

This girl walked right by me as we were crossing the moor

The sheep generally run away

Love,

Alexandra

Kids on Tors

No, not kids on tour.  Although they were.  Tors are the granite rock formations that dot the moor, and they are a magnet to everyone who sees them.  Jeremy was dying to visit several near (1-2 km) where we were staying so he set off across the moor with Florence and their British second cousins Archie and Felix.

Sheep, cattle, and Dartmoor ponies graze freely on the open moor.  A group of ponies eyed the group as it approached the first set of rocks.

Here is Archie, the casual King of the Tor:

The one in the middle here is a foal:

Felix, emerging from a gap under the rocks:

Jeremy and his trusty hiking stick.  I never could convince him to get rid of it, even though its length and curve made it a menace to anyone walking within several paces.

Felix assured me that you could stop a horse this way, but it was hard to tell how well it worked since the pony wasn't moving at the time.

And they are off to the next pile of rocks!

Florence moved more sedately.

One of the smaller tors had a nice natural bench.  Notice that everyone's hair is blown strait back: wind is a constant on the moor.

Jeremy, Archie, and Felix monkeying around on a rock face:

Michael