Day Twelve- Men Do What They Do Best

One Last Trip Around the Shoes

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Women are such slobs. Look how these shoes are thrown all around the department. They try on a size 12 then toss it back in with the 7s. If you found a shoe that fit and you liked, good luck finding its mate in this mess. Men at least return merchandise to the approximately correct spot. Cassie didn't find anything she liked so we didn't have to deal with that problem.

The Princess Diana Monument

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This seemed more than a little wierd to me - a monument to the late princess down in the basement of a department store. Almost as tacky as all the pickup trucks up here with the signs saying "Dedicated to the Memory of Dale Earnhart". So touching. When I croak, dedicate a Moe's Southwestern burrito after me.

She Didn't Get Enough Sushi in Japan I Guess

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Cassie was enthralled by the big sushi conveyor belt. I'm not sure why she didn't get that for dinner though.

I'll Stick With Real British Food

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So I ordered Tikka Masala Chicken. We would've done better to go into Soho to a real Indian restaurant. But by this time we were dragging and still had that unenviable task of packing ahead of us.

Now This Looks Real Good!!!

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I was sorely tempted to get this as dessert, but it was super expensive. I'm sure the Italians do it much better anyway.

This is How Close We Were to Harrods

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I am standing by the front door of the gigantic department store taking this picture. You can see our brilliantly lit hotel just a few steps away. Although we didn't see any, I bet a lot of celebs stay at the Mandarin Oriental because of its proximity to shopping.

The Suite Life for the Little Lunds

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I still don't quite understand how the kids ended up with the Turret Suite, but I had no problem with my gigantic single room with a bed large enough to accomodate the cast of "Gladiator". Gail and her room also had the same size room as mine and they were quite thrilled so I guess just this one time we could spoil our kids.

Playing at Heathrow

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The next day we got out to Heathrow quite easily despite the anxiety I felt regarding hauling all our bags, riding the Underground at rush hour, getting through security and hoping to beat the oncoming blizzard. While we waited in the terminal sipping coffee and tea, I played with my camera some more. I discovered the machine gun setting and promptly snapped a series of almost 100 shots of a 747 rolling down the runway. I keep all those pictures in my files, but decided to show mercy and only post three. Clicking through those 90 some frames rapid fire is almost like watching a video. But I have video capabilities already with the camera so what was the point?

The Whale is Rolling

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Thirty years later I am still wowed by the sight of these lumbering machines eventually rising up into the air. They look to big and ungainly to get off the ground, yet they've been doing it for four decades. The 747 is still my favorite plan. More leg room, faster loading and unloading, ample storage, plenty of bathrooms and room to walk and I think better kitchen facilities. Put those entertainment units of a 777 on a 747 and you'd have my perfect plane.

We Beat the Storm

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We boarded our flight back to Newark just a short time later. As you can see in this photo the ceiling was already pretty low. We got out just as the snow began to fall. People trying to leave later that day suffered long delays and cancellations.

What We Left Behind

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A few days after returning home to the States, Tyler e-mailed me this picture of the storm that hit the UK after we left.