July 18: Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick Castle

When we visited Stratford-Upon-Avon for Lucy's birthday, we didn't have time to explore at all, and missed an exhibition called "The Play's the Thing" that I had wanted to see. Also on our still-un-checked list was Warwick Castle, which Lindsay and Lucy visited with their class but the rest of us hadn't seen. So off we went on a day trip, just the four of us, a sobering forecast of daily life in just three short years.

The Royal Shakespeare Company has an amazing display of costumes through the decades. Even with a corset, how would a real human being fit into that dress??

Fun interactive costume displays for kids

Sophie liked learning old theatre tricks, for example, an offstage snapping carrot was used for a breaking bone, and animal blood was used as human blood as recently as the 1970's!

Beautiful tudor buildings and a charming town

Shakespeare's childhood home is open to visitors - this was the dining area where his family ate

And his parents' room, where he was born

Stone collapsed at the end

The outside of Shakespeare's house

The site of Warwick Castle dates to the Norman invasion in 1066, and was added to for centuries. The grounds are usually green, but the relentless, scorching heat has killed all the grass

I wish I had taken photos of the creepy dungeon show we did. It was totally cheesy but actually really scary at times

The kids say they want to quit their after-school activities in favor of archery, jousting, and fencing

Sophie is actually really really good at archery!

A really fun maze where we had to collect stamps from each historical section: Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Medieval, Tudor, Stuart, and World War I. Each section contained really cool displays and kid-friendly information plaques

We found an Indian restaurant right by Warwick Castle. It was like that place in Ireland near the Rock of Cashel - yummy but way to sweet

We noticed the leaves on a tree near the car. Sophie and I have become painting buddies this year. Ever since I started water coloring I have seen color differently - we gawked about these beautiful greens and Sophie captured them on my phone camera.

Erik, Sophie, and I were utterly exhausted by the end of the day and I wanted to go home and change into pajamas. But Stone still had tons of energy and begged to be taken to the park, so I relented. This adorable 5-year-old kid was there with his mom, and Stone loved having a buddy to play with. The first question the kid asked Stone when he heard his American accent was "Do you like Donald Trump?" Stone replied, "No, I think he is horrible." The kid (a kindergartener!) said, "Good. He is a dangerous man." And off they went to play!