For posting purposes, I have mentally separated my trip to England into 3 parts: the week in Manchester at the USk Symposium, about which I have already written, a week traveling by train, and a final week in London. This natural division is into 3 thirds. During the journey, I accumulated close to thirty journey daybook pages, most of which were made on site each day as I moved from place to place and city to city. I traveled north up the west coast of England to Edinburgh, Scotland where I changed trains and then traveled south, down the east coast of England to London.

During the second third of the journey, I left Manchester on a Monday morning with a Britrail pass that allowed me the freedom of boarding and getting off any train for 8 days. I was eager to visit Samlesbury Hall first, the ancestral home of my Southworth ancestors that has been occupied from the 13th century and is now a museum, an inn, and a restaurant. The Southworths lost their home in the 16th century when Sir John Southworth could no longer pay the high penal taxes that were imposed on landowners who practiced their Catholic faith. I internalized and explored my feelings about the sights, sounds, and resonant energy that all abide in this wonderful old structure.

On the second day of my train journey I went north to Edinburgh where I changed trains and headed south on the English east coast line to the small coastal city of Berwick upon Tweed. (My friends Kim and Lois were sorry I did’t spend time in Scotland but I was single-minded in my determination to further explore my English roots and connections.) Berwick sits very close to the Scottish/English border and is surrounded by a medieval wall. It has been fought over for centuries because of its strategic location and has alternatively been part of both both Scotland and England. Berwick is the closest town on the mainland to Holy Island or Lindisfarne.

My destination on the third day was Lindisfarne or Holy Island. I reached the island by public bus from Berwick that negotiates the narrow, often flooded road once a day. Two couples from home (Sue and Bill and Carol and Hugh) have been to Holy Island and they both prepared me for the physical adventure. What I was not prepared for was meeting a very special Catholic nun about whom I write on the following  journey daybook page. Sister Tessa, who has a miniature poodle with a personality similar to Mimi’s, gave me the true flavor of this island that has been occupied by monastics since the 7th century when St Aiden, an Irish bishop, established the first community here. The Lindisfarne Gospels, the earliest extant illuminated manuscripts. were made at the same monastery in the late 7th century when St Cuthbert was bishop. I have been interested in the Lindisfarne Gospels for more than 20 years. It was a joy to walk in the sandy soil of this island and to absorb the spirit of the very early resident Christian artists who lived there.

I went to Durham, the site of a large, old cathedral on the 4th day. Durham became the center of the Christian community of Northumbria after invading Vikings drove Cuthbert and his monks from Lindisfarne to the mainland in the early 8th century. Under his leadership a beautiful Norman Romanesque cathedral was built that has miraculously been preserved for the past 13th centuries. I was able to enjoy a stunning exhibit, “The Treasury of the Cathedral,” and to draw there. This cathedral has been part of the Anglican Church since the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII. As I walked through the exhibit, I had an interesting conversation with Philip, an Anglican priest, about good and bad and right and wrong and how many of the rights and wrongs of the church have played out and influenced the history of Christianity. I am still pondering this discussion. Again, as I internalized my feelings, I realized that this journey was becoming very important to my spirituality and that it was becoming a real “pilgrimage,” rather than a mere “journey.” After spending several hours basking in the beauty of this cathedral, I enjoyed walking aound the small city of Durham.

Moving from place to place was relatively simple. My new 4-wheel suitcase moved easily topped with my carry-on and an extra bag. I carried a back-pack with my simple art supplies. Lifting the suitcase on and off the train was no problem since most of the time someone offered to help me. Challenging my expectations, I found the English to be open, helpful, and very friendly. If I asked for help, there was always a helpful hand.

My fifth stop was York, a city built on a hill that also has the remnants of an old city wall. It, too, has a magnificent Romanesque cathedral, called the Minster, which dominates the space at the top of the hill. I found walking a bit of a challenge in York because of the steepness, unevenness and narrowness of the sidewalks but I persevered, walked slowly,  and was rewarded at the top by a beautiful park surrounding the Minster where I rested. I toured the 15th century home of a York city official, called Bailey Hall, and ate in a sweet small cafe where I drew.

The last city I visited was Norwich in Norfolk, about an hour north of my final destination, London. I was especially interested in visiting Norwich because I have long admired the spiritual writings of Julian of Norwich, a 14th century mystic who lived in Norwich and wrote a treatise, Revelations of Divine Love, that is the earliest written document in English that we know of by a woman author.  Little is known about Julian except that she had probably been married, had children and was not part of a religious community. From her writings, it is easy to see that she is a feminist and she is very, very positive about God’s love of humans. She lived in isolation in a small room or cell that communicated with a small church, the Church of St Julian. She gave spiritual direction and communicated with people when necessary through a small window. The tiny church was severely damaged by bombing in World War II but it has been repaired and Mother Julian’s cell has been reconstructed. On a beautiful, warm Sunday morning, I enjoyed resting, praying, and drawing there. Later, I walked to the Catholic cathedral, where I attended mass.

I will refrain from giving too many details about the symposium because there have been abundant posts on blogs and Facebook about this glorious international event that went from 27 – 30 July. There were slightly less than 500 attendees from 46 countries and during the four days of the symposium, I attended four 3-hour workshops, one 2-hour activity, and a lecture. For me, the goal of the workshops and activities was to learn new concepts and new ways of working and to begin to apply these techniques in my work. In other words, each workshop is more about process rather than product. Frankly, I have never been very happy with my product during any workshop; therefore this time I was eager to apply the teaching I received to my real journey daybook work as soon as possible. I was able to make 3 journey daybook pages before I left Manchester that may show some slight changes in my way of working. The opening page of this post that has no date was made on 29 July as part of Stephanie Bower’s workshop. While working, I was affirmed in my love of drawing in graphite under watercolor and learned the subtle use of blue to depict deep space. The other two pages illustrate: (1) a way to depict a skyline with simplicity (Pat Southern-Pearce’s workshop) and again, (2) the use of receding blues and an understanding of arch structure (Stephanie Bower). I also enjoyed a wonderful workshop about the figure with Don Low in which I developed more confidence in depicting figures on my journey daybook pages. This use of figures is shown later in my August work.

Manchester skyline

Last supper in Manchester

Castlefield Sketch Crawl

On my fifth day in Manchester, sadly I began to encounter image posting difficulties. I had been using either my iPhone or my iPad to photograph my pages but suddenly they would not upload completely, leaving part of the image spaces blank. I tried and tried to investigate the problem with my web host in Gainesville and with friends in England, considering issues of the UK internet, my WordPress configuration, and problems with my devices, etc, etc but I was never able to uncover or solve the problem, So, I just continued to make journey daybook pages and to write, knowing that I could make replacement posts upon my return home. The entries that follow continue to document my trip but the posts are made here after my return home.

The Urban Sketchers Symposium began for real on the 27th of July, my sixth day in Manchester, for a sketch crawl, again at the Rochdale Canal. I sat above a lock and sketched a pleasure barge docked across the water from me. Many of us sat around a lovely restaurant where we enjoyed the food and drink and the warm sun of beautiful Wednesday afternoon. It was a joy to be with other sketchers again!

Tuesday at the canal

Last night’s informal time with some Urban Sketchers energized and motivated me to do some solitary landscape work. This morning I walked up Oxford Street toward the city center. After repeatedly passing over a tiny bridge adorned with lovers padlocks, I decided to investigate the rather diark, narrow canal that passes underneath the bridge. The Rochdale Canal that is 200 years old is part of the extensive English canal system that was used to transport goods and products over water throughout the Industrial Revolution before the advent of railroads. Many of the canals have been restored and are used today for pleasure, rather than commercial purposes. This morning it was a joy to sit on my sketching stool by the water for a little more than an hour while the city moved all around me. My Pisces sign was affirmed and I was strengthened by this water.

Eating on Day 4 in Manchester

In a big city, traveling solo does not have to feel lonely. Yesterday It afforded me luxury of time for errand-keeping, slow, deliberate walking and watching, and a little sketching. I have been collecting design patterns that are embedded everywhere in the “real” Victorian architecture that is the prevalent building style in Manchester. Like the day before, I made sketch notes of some of the more interesting patterns that attracted me as I moved about.

After a wonderful Lebanese roasted lamb dinner around the corner from the hotel, II joined some other Urban Sketchers at a old tavern called Peveril of the Peak that will provide an informal gathering place for some of us at the end of the day. There, I was happy to meet old friends and meet new ones.

Tampa Airport

Forty-eight hours ago I arrived at the Manchester Airport where I collected my luggage that had survived the three-flight trip from Tampa. With the help of two friendly locals, I negotiated the train trip from the airport to the Oxford Street station in Manchester and then the ten minute walk to my hotel. I spent Saturday, Day 1, adjusting to my new home for this week; although I made time at night to sketch over dinner at a neighborhood Indian restaurant. So far, I have been thrilled to experience both youthful social life and contemporary UK design, some of which I have written about and shown in the following journey Daybook pages.

Yesterday, I challenged myself to a long walk down Oxford Road  to a large, architecturally significant Jesuit Cathiolic Church. Afterward, I sat at a neighborhood bar/cafe where I sketched Holy Name Church. I finished this page at dinner where I enjoyed another wonderful meal with some of the  freshest garden ingredients I have ever eaten.

Although the weather has been cloudy, sometimes complicated by showers, I have not been deterred by the elements, getting out and about with the correct wearing apparel. I have found that drawing is seductive and I easy to do it whenever I have time to sit and rest. Yesterday, there was an Urban Sketcher “sketch crawl” that I missed but I bumped into Shari Blaukopf on the street. Shari is a USk participant from Montreal with whom several of us studied in 2013. Being alone has its benefits: I create and honor my own slow pace, I read lots, I contemplate, and I make time to work.

Manchester, Day 1

Manchester, Day 2

On a hot July 9th, three of us headed to The Treasure Camp, an old timely restaurant/ general store/ and boat rental dock about 15 miles upriver from the Gulf and a short drive from Cedar Key. We were hoping for coolness near the river but we couldn’t really find it. Lois and I ate inside, enjoying the pleasant air conditioning. Milli and Sophia stayed outside in the shade where Sophia took advantage of the cool, 72 degree water, splashing around in retriever fashion. We all worked in silence outside for an hour or so. I hope that you can soon view Lois and Milli’s beautiful pages on the JDB site. My page, a merged drawing made from two different views is posted below. Touch the image to blow it up.

We are planning a return trip this coming Sunday, July 16. If you want to come along, call or write me for details.

In advance of my upcoming trip to England, I have been practicing and have advanced somewhat in my rudimentary blogging technology. I made this post completely on my iPad using a photo of my journey Daybook page made on my iPhone. Please tell me how it all looks!

Yesterday I left Cedar Key in mid morning for a journey to a quaint undiscovered (for me) fish house (Shelly’s Seafood) and a food trailer (Wild Sassa) where commercial fishermen dock their boats along the Homosassa River. I first discovered these establishments last Wednesday after I had my car serviced at the nearby Toyota dealership in Homosassa. Then, I stopped at Shelly’s, bought some wonderfully fresh fish, and was thrilled by the colorful, charming, authentic atmosphere of this relatively unchanged stretch of the riverbank. I remembered that 30 years ago, my friend, Fred Rigley, used to rave about the outdoor painting opportunities in Old Homosassa but, unfortunately, I had never visited this place until this week. Yesterday, I spent 5 hours sitting in several shady spots drawing and sketching and was joined later by my friend and Journey Daybook alum, Milli. I am pleased to post three of yesterday’s journey daybook pages here. As I watched the river and its modern busyness, with boats moving in tight lines both up and down the river, I saw a strong contrast with the long history of commercial fishing at Shelly’s. The day was particularly happy and festive for me as I stopped several times to remember with love and reverence my older Cedar Key painting friend, Fred, who is now buried in Brown County, Indiana. Thank you, Fred!

Today, I am celebrating this feast that is very important to me because I am distantly related to this saint. The following account and the image of the icon by Father Lawrence Lew, OP appears for sharing on Flickr –

St John Southworth came from a Lancashire family that chose to pay heavy fines rather than give up the Catholic faith. He studied at the English College in Douai, and was ordained priest before he returned to England where he ministered for a number of years in and around London. In 1627 he was imprisoned and sentenced to death for professing the Catholic faith, but was later reprieved and imprisoned in Lancaster Castle. After three years in prison he was with a number of other priests deported. Once more he returned to England and lived for a considerable time in Clerkenwell in London where he tended the sick during an epidemic of the plague. He was arrested again in Westminster (partly because king and Parliament were in the conflict that led ultimately to the king’s execution), was tried at the Old Bailey, pleaded guilty to exercising the priesthood and was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. At his execution at Tyburn, on 27 June 1654, he was hanged but spared the drawing and quartering. The Spanish ambassador returned his body to Douai for burial. Following the French Revolution, his body was buried in an unmarked grave which was discovered in 1927, his relics being then returned to England. They are now in the Chapel of St George and the English Martyrs in Westminster Cathedral in London.

As I explained in an earlier post, I look forward to visiting the Southworth ancestral home at Samlesbury and also the crypt of St John Southworth at Westminster Cathedral in London next month. I look on this saint is a special spiritual guardian.

Several weeks ago, a small group of Journey Daybook alums began gathering at my house on Sundays at 3 PM. We have painted at two restaurants on the dock in Cedar Key where we have bathed in the air conditioning and drawn for a few hours. 43 Degrees West is a new establishment that has especially welcomed us. The food is wonderfully fresh and the service is friendly and professional. On Sunday, July 3 we plan to drive south on US Route 19 near Gulf Hammock where the Waccasassa Rivier flows under the highway at Buck Island Road, north of Gulf Hammock. There is charming an old store by the river. An old caboose sits in a grove of trees there that should provide comfortable shade for us to work. All Journey Daybook alums are invited to join us. Bring something to drink, insect repellant, and a snack if you want one. As usual, we will meet at my house and drive to our destination.

As I receive pages from my friends,, I will post them on Journey Daybook site. If you want to receive regular updates of JDB news, be sure to subscribe to this site.  I am including a few more of my own pages here.