Bob Invents A Drink

Started our road trip today. The goal was to make it to Keswick (pronounced 'Kezzick'), driving through the Peak District to get to the Lakes District (Keswick is in the Lakes District). We got stuck in traffic on the M6 Motorway, taking about an hour or so to go just a few miles. We managed to turn off on a little side road in order to avoid more of the traffic jam, which turned out to be most fortuitous. The side road was a little one-lane affair, with hedges and very old rock walls on the sides, through beautiful farmland. We stopped at a little pub called The Wheatsheaf in a little village called Bowness (pronounced 'Bonus'), and had one of the best meals we've had since we got to England. Bob had an incredible sandwich of crisp bacon and Brie, on homemade bread. I had fish and chips, with my new favorite side dish, mushy peas. JoDee and Paul shared an order of chips and a plate of cheese, fruit, and salad. For the first time since we've arrived, the weather was gorgeous, and I actually had bare arms today! We sat outside the pub, in the sunshine.

After lunch, we climbed back into the car, and headed off to Keswick, driving through more incredibly beautiful countryside, with small lakes and pastures full of sheep everywhere. Arrived in Keswick at teatime, so we checked into our B&B (fabulous), and headed into town for tea. Afterwards, we walked down to the lake, where Paul and Bob played with the geese and the sheep that were running around unfenced (see the photo album for more details), then had a nice game of pitch and putt golf. Following the golf, the loser (that would be me) bought a round of drinks, and we walked back to the B&B to change for dinner. Shopped around the various pubs for just the right dinner, and settled on one that was serving a giant Yorkshire pudding with Cumberland sausage.

The first time I came to England, I had trouble finding something to drink in a pub. I don't like beer, and it's often hard to find decent wine in a pub, so we experimented a lot with different beers, hard ciders, etc. Bob and I both had the same problem this time, because, although he will occasionally drink beer, he's not a huge fan. We discovered something called Pimm's and lemonade, which we've decided is not much more than fortified wine, is very refreshing, and doesn't really hit one very hard. They sell it by the pitcher, but a lot of pubs don't have it, so it's not something we can always count on. At this tavern, Bob was struggling to find something he would like. He's tried Guinness, but he's not sure about it. He wanted to try a Black and Tan, but he likes his drinks VERY cold, and was afraid it wouldn't be cold enough. So, he talked the bartender into making a Black and Tan with lager instead of ale. He liked it a lot, to the astonishment of the bartender, and promptly named it "The Bob". The bartender tried and it, and liked it. Paul tried it, liked it, but said he'd be too embarrassed to order it.

We walked home to our B&B, played a couple of rounds of a word game Bob made up, and went to bed. What a fabulous day!