Family Reunion in England - the final days

We flew from Dublin to Heathrow, and were happy to see the driver with our name at the gate as we exited.  He took us to his car and drove us to Burghfield, all the while "sharing" his ultra conservative views.  I kept my mouth shut!  I was just happy to get the ride for a reasonable price, 55 pounds including parking at Heathrow.  Others we spoke to who used a cab paid almost 200 pounds for the same ride!  We got checked in to our B&B, the Red Kite Inn, and walked the short distance to Lena and Andrew's home, site of the reunion.  Oh My Goodness!  This place was fabulous.  Upon entering the gate we walked down a path and saw their Alpacas.

The first sight of the house was breathtaking.  The home, Culverlands, is over 300 years old and they have restored it beautifully.  

After getting settled at the house, we watched the kids swim and Max, their Mastiff, took a dip too!

Getting setup for the party was tiring!

But soon, the party was in full gear.  There was fabulous food, fun memories, and great company!

The next day we didn't know what time to show up and didn't realize we were to be there at 1... so Bill and I walked down the lane to a pub for lunch.  

Then party day 2.  After dinner we took a walk around the property.  They had to cut down this large tree last year, but the stump was incredible!

The festivities continued, ending in an AMAZING fireworks display!

On Sunday we took a cruise down the river Thames to a pub for dinner to round out our wonderful visit.

There were houseboats all up and down the river.

And some other homes...

Hosting a reunion can tire a guy out and Andrew took a break.

We went through several locks along the way.

Max was happy that we were home!

We had a fabulous time!  Lena and Andrew were fabulous hosts and we had a great visit with family old and new!  A perfect end to a lovely vacation.