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September 2, 2007
Stonehenge
Today Lady P, Monty (her dog) and I went to Stonehenge.
Prior to the trip the only thing I'd known about Stonehenge had come from Dr. Seuss's One Henge, Two Henge, Fun Henge, Stonehenge and Eddie Izzard's Dress to Kill video. While both sources made Stonehenge sound impressive, in a rhymey sort of way in one case and in a tearfully funny way in the other, neither captured the true coolness of Stonehenge.
It's hard to explain. Well, maybe not hard to explain: It's a bunch of rocks in a field with sheep nearby in an adjacent field.
The rocks are massive and were carved from stone several hundred miles away and then henged (Druid-speak for schlepped) by Druids to their present location. According to Wikipedia, "The Druids were polytheists, but also revered elements of nature, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars, looking to them for "signs and seasons." I imagine the Druids were quite buff as well and suspect, and this is revolutionary people, that Stonehenge might have been sort of a home gym for the local Druid society. (Others have suggested that Stonehenge has something to do with ceremonies centered around the two equinoxes. Any fool knows that working out twice a year is not nearly enough to maintain a level of fitness and I believe the Druids used a Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine or possibly a 4-day a week schedule working upper body and lower body/back on alternate days. As always, consult your physician before starting any exercise regimen; if your doctor is unavailable you may consult a Druid.)
Photos:
A friend of mine has a picture of him, as an infant, sitting on Stonehenge with his parents (back in the 60s). You can't get very close anymore and these tourists aren't as close to Stonehenge as they may appear. You still get a pretty good feel for just how big the rocks are.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge and tourists
These guys were across the road with one of those gizmos that shoots a beam of some sort into the ground to determine what might be below the surface. The gizmo looks sort of like a walker and is used the same way over a grid-like pattern.
Monty the Wonder Dog. What makes him a Wonder Dog you ask. He's 14 but still very young at heart. He likes to have you throw the ball so he can retrieve it, but not so many times that it drives you crazy.
A rock off to one side. To add some perspective it will help you to know that Monty stands about 12 to 16" off the ground, maybe a dog-hair more. I stand just a bit over 6 feet 4 inches.
Posted by delmer at September 2, 2007 12:39 PM