marionvermazen

London – Day 2

The British Museum is stunning and overwhelming. It’s impossible to see everything but we did explore and see a lot today.

Me with one of the human headed winged lions that guarded an Assyrian Palace from 4800 b.c.

The museum has displays of several hoards, or collections of treasures, buried for safekeeping and forgotten. I have always loved the idea of how exciting it must be to discover a hoard.

This hoard of late Roman silver tableware from the 4th century was found in 1941 or 1942

This enormous Viking silver hoard was buried between 905 and 910 a.d. the hoard weighed about 40kg.

This Iron Age gold Roman jewelry is part of the Winchester Hoard. It was found by a metal detectorist scattered in a plowed field in 2000.

For dinner we went to a restaurant my sister, Betsy recommended. Rules is supposed to be the oldest restaurant in London. We shared the roast rib of beef for two with Yorkshire pudding. For desert we had an English classic, sticky toffee pudding. We could only get a reservation for 10pm. So by the time we walked the .9 miles back to our hotel, it was after midnight. Given how full I am, the walk in the cold was a good thing!

London – Day 1

I’ve visited London several times over the years. In fact I graduated from an American High School in London, London Central High School. But, before today I had never been to Greenwich.

This morning we had a chilly but enjoyable walk from our hotel near the British Museum to the boat docks on the Thames by Westminster.

We took a Thames tourist boat down to Greenwich.

We briefly visited the Maritime Museum

Then we toured St Alfege Church. We learned lots of interesting tidbits. Alfege was Archbishop of Canterbury. He was killed by marauding Danes who were camped in Greenwich in 1012. The church was built where he was killed. It is believed that Henry VIII was baptized there. During the Blitz in 1941 over 1000 bombs and incendiary devices were dropped on Greenwich. Two of them went through the roof and badly damaged the church.

We also get to visit the crypt. When the bombs hit the church there were more than 100 people sheltering in the crypt. It was so strong that no one was hurt.

We took the bus back from Greenwich. The 188 bus route ended right around the corner from our hotel.

For dinner we went to a nearby pub, The Swan. We had fish and chips and steak and ale pie. It was so much fun to be in a London pub!! I especially liked the mushy peas and mint..

San Francisco to London

After more than 24 long hours of travel we made it to our hotel in London. Tuesday morning we drove from Reno to Walnut Creek where we left our car. Allison gave us a ride to BART and we rode BART to San Francisco airport.

Our flight from San Francisco to Copenhagen was long and uneventful. The plane was only about a third full.

We spent a couple of hours in the SAS lounge in Copenhagen.

And then flew to London. The immigration check in London was 100% automated. I put my passport into the slot, looked into the camera, and the gate opened. We got our bags and caught the Tube into central London. The weather was cold but pleasant as we walked to our hotel.

Duke checking in to the hotel in London.

It was about 10pm when we got to our room. It felt absolutely heavenly to get into a real bed and sleep!!

I Had Another Robinson Article Published in the NEHGS Register

I am excited to say that I have had another genealogy article published in the New England Historical Genealogical Society Register. If you are interested here is a PDF of the article.

Increase-Robinson-NEHG Register Summer 2022 Download

I have at least three Robinson lines of ancestors. This article is about my seventh great grandfathers, Increase Robinson Jr. He is an ancestor of my great grandmother, Fannie Robinson Erb.

I think it is interesting that each of us has 512 seventh great grandfathers. In 2017 I had my first genealogy article published. It was also about one of my seventh great grandfathers, George Robinson. He is my direct male line ancestor.

If you are a descendant of Increase Robinson I would love to hear from you.

My Sister – Barbara Uldene Robinson Simpson – May 25, 1954 to November 17, 2022

My younger sister, Barbara died Thursday, November 17. She was an amazing person and a wonderful sister.

She knew what she wanted in life and pursued it with focus. Her Christian faith was her rock. Her family meant everything to her. I will miss her enormously.

Here is her obituary:

Barbara Uldene Simpson née Robinson, aged 68, went to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, November 17, 2022 while living at home in University Place, Washington. Barbara was an earnest and faithful Christian, a regular attender and member of Faith Presbyterian Church, Tacoma. She sacrificially devoted herself to serving her Lord, family, and Christian brothers and sisters. Barbara died peacefully with family at home after living with ALS for 6 years.

Born in Bismarck, North Dakota on May 25, 1954 to Donald Wayne Robinson and Margaret Helen Robinson née Gibson, she was the second of four children. Barbara graduated valedictorian in 1972 from London Central High School in High Wycombe, United Kingdom while living with family in Farnham Commons, Buckinghamshire. She earned a degree in zoology from Iowa State University in 1976 and a doctor of dental surgery from the University of Washington in 1980.

Barbara served as an Army dentist at Ft. Lewis, Washington and Taegu, South Korea until June 1984. The Rev. Dr. Robert S. Rayburn, pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church, introduced Barbara and Michael Simpson to each other and they were married on June 8, 1985. They had four children, David, Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Mary.

Barbara loved being a full-time mother. In addition to being active in the ministry of the church, she loved knitting, sewing, playing the piano, cooking, gardening, and painting. When the children got older, Barbara returned to dentistry and worked as a hygienist at 6th Ave Dental in Tacoma for 11 years. During her last years, while enduring the ravages of ALS, she graciously kept her eyes on the Lord and was an inspiration to many.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Michael Gray Simpson, children David and his wife Katelyn Simpson of Cincinnati, Ohio, Jonathan Simpson, Elizabeth and her husband Logan Green, and Mary and her husband Scott Ligman all of Tacoma. She is survived by three siblings, Marion and her husband Duke Vermazen of Reno, Nevada, Elizabeth and her husband Steven Thompson of Memphis, Tennessee, and Charles and his wife Annie Robinson of Seneca, South Carolina as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews.

The Simpson family plans a viewing on Monday December 5th, 6-8 pm at Haven of Rest Funeral Home in Gig Harbor. All are invited. The burial is planned for Tuesday December 6th at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent. If you plan to attend please be there at noon sharp. The burial will be at 12:30 pm sharp. A Memorial Service is planned for 4 pm at Faith Presbyterian Church also on Tuesday December 6 th followed by a reception in DeSoto Hall. All are invited to the burial, memorial service, and reception.

We are so thankful to our Lord and loving church family during this time. It was such a comfort to have your love and support throughout the years and it brings us peace knowing that Barbara is in Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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