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The next day, Alan and Rhona took me and the family
dog (Maya the Pampered) out to a picnic at Durham Park,
about 20 minutes outside of Bristol.
Captured June 23 2002 1:02:11p
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Here, we're enjoying a fabulous picnic lunch packed
in a fabulous new picnic backpack my friends had recently
purchased.
Captured June 23 2002 1:38:37p
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Durham Park is named after the principal family that
owned it and passed it on from generation to generation.
Captured June 23 2002 2:12:46p
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Fallow Deer
It's also a deer park, where fallow deer were kept originally
for hunting, now purely for the pleasure of their company
(I think).
Captured June 23 2002 4:18:32p
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Here is an overview of Durham Manor, which has been
taken over and turned into a museum by the British Heritage
Society. Since Rhona works there, she was able to get
us in free and we got to say 'hello' to many of the
people she works with.
Captured June 23 2002 4:05:38p
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The other side of the manor is actually the entrance,
and it was too large to get into one shot, really.
Captured June 23 2002 2:31:18p
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Percy
Percy is the resident peacock, and quite a handsome
lad.
Captured June 23 2002 2:25:39p
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This is one of several pictures I took inside the museum
before someone told me that it wasn't permitted. Rhona
didn't know, and I didn't ask....
Captured June 23 2002 3:12:36p
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Trompe l'Oi
This was the picture I really wanted to take, but was
stopped mid-shutter. It's a doorway into a small closet
with a full-wall painting of a continued hallway, complete
with pets and object's d'art. Like I said, I couldn't
take the picture, so I bought the postcard and photographed
that. Therefore, this is a picture of a picture of
a place that has a painting of an unreal continuation
of a real space. Where does that leave us?
Captured June 23 2002 11:10:08p
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Sedan Chair
The artwork on this sedan chair was exquisite, but so
sensitive to light that they kept it in a darkened corner,
and I had to use a 1-second exposure to see it at all
-- our eyes were unable. This is how I excused my use
of the camera after I had been told to put it away.
(Rhona was actually annoyed at being told that we couldn't
take pictures of publicly owned art, so said nothing.)
Captured June 23 2002 3:30:39p
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You Rang, Sir?
I don't know why this impressed me so much, but every
room had a bell tied to a wire that allowed the occupant
to ring for service from one of the many housemaids
who waited below, listening for just such an annoyance.
Captured June 23 2002 3:43:39p
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St. Peter's Parish
The attached church, which was attached to the manor
but served the local region, was beatifully adorned
both inside and out.
Captured June 23 2002 2:33:03p
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This is one of the most successful high dynamic range
pictures I've taken with people in it. I luckily happened
to take the sequence of five photos at a moment when
everyone was standing perfectly still, or nearly so.
Captured June 23 2002 2:42:53p
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I think this is the grave of one of the former owners
of Durham Manor, with a relief in the background of
their surviving children (boys on the left panel and
girls on the right).
Captured June 23 2002 2:46:15p
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Pete's birthday followed closely on the heels of Ki's,
and we had a little celebration in the department, where
smoke sensors forced us to perform the candle ceremony
in the kitchenette.
Captured June 24 2002 3:08:55p