Tiverton

Ted. Judy and I traveled to Europe this time via London because we had dreamed of visiting a little town in southwest England for many years.

Devonshire

Devon, famous for it’s picturesque villages, beautiful coastline and lonely moors, served as the setting for many famous literary works (The Hound of the Baskervilles and Sense and Sensibility to name two). 

Wild ponies on Dartmoor

Rugglestone Inn, Widecombe

St Pancras, Widecombe

St Peter's, Tiverton

Tiverton is a quaint old Devonshire market town, known for St. Peter’s Church, some charming pubs and an old canal with a horse drawn barge. It is also the current residence of some good friends of ours. Bill and Mary used to live near us in Georgia but several years ago, they retired and moved back to the land of Mary’s birth. We have always wanted to visit them in their new home so made a point of it on this trip.

Mary and Bill

Bill and Mary quite obviously love their new lives. Bill relishes his role as the town Yank and has become a prominent citizen serving his church and community in many ways. Mary has developed a passion for competitive long distance running. Their lovely daughter Kelley has married a fine young man named Joe and settled down nearby.

Our luck with the weather in Bristol continued as our hosts showed us around their magnificent corner of Devon. While London is one of the great cities of the world, one could make a strong case that small towns and villages constitute the “real England."

Tiverton horse drawn barge

Even though we had not seen them for years, Bill and Mary's warmth and hospitality reminded us that it is important to maintain those special relationships we have formed along life's journey. 

Bill with Ruby