Tuesday, May 27th – Goonhilly Downs

We woke up to iffy weather today – definitely too cool for the beach, so we decided to return to a place we had scoped out yesterday, Goonhilly Downs. It’s very close to the site of the first transmittal of sound from Europe to the U.S. (But I think the Goonhilly Downs satellites were responsible for the transmittal of the sound.) It was marked by several GIANT satellite dishes and a building that promised a glimpse of what the future MIGHT look like. We tried to get in yesterday in the pouring rain, and they were full. The poor woman whose job it was to stand in the cold, windy, pouring rain gave us vouchers for money off if we returned later in the week. I’ve never seen such a wet woman in my life. When she moved, the bangs on her head dripped. She’s the first U.K. person who looked miserable in the rain. Most Brits grin and bear the rain as if it’s just another day.

Anyway, today we decided to visit Goonhilly Downs and see what the world of our children or children’s children might look like.

It was a little less exciting than I expected, but all in all, it was a nice way to spend a cool, rainy day. Do any of you remember the C5?

It was invented as a car that is kind to the environment, that would be used for short trips. It never took off, but it was displayed at Goonhilly downs. Andrew got to control a real robot,

Paul got to ride the seagway, and then a sad thing happened. The kids were playing on this round-about that was built into the ground.

All at once, Kathryn fell and went hysterical. I was SHOCKED when she said that her tooth hurt! It turns out that she chipped the corner off of her front, permanent tooth. YIKES! We found the chipped part and tucked it safely away, but it was only Tuesday, and I had no idea how

the English handle pediatric dental “emergencies”. Kathryn and I prayed together and asked God to protect her teeth, and I relaxed and gave things to Him. She felt better and better as the day went on and the only other injury she sustained was a skinned knee. The kids were all melting down and we were unable to get a good picture of everyone in front of “Author”, a famous satellite from Goonhilly Downs. We did get this picture of Megan and Paul’s mom.

On the drive home, we told Kathryn that she will never forget Goonhilly Downs, because when someone asks her how her tooth got chipped, she could say, “I fell at Goonhilly Downs”. She cheered up immensely, and that night at dinner, she said that was her favorite memory of the day – being able to say that!

The boys napped, Kathryn played quietly, and Paul and Megan had “special” time. He took her on a walk. There were lots of places to explore, lots of cliffs to walk along where we were staying. He got some great pictures.

He ASSURES me that she was never in any danger. In this picture,

she was actually on the edge of some steps. She had a GREAT time. She and Paul have similar interests, and it always makes a child feel special when one or both of us devotes all of our time to them.