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FOX TALES ON STAMPS
Edition #497 Friday, May 28, 2010
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Stonehenge
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While on a day long coach tour out from London we visited Stonehenge. When I asked the tour guide how much longer it would be until we got there he told me to watch for the signs. When we got off the bus for dinner I sensed we were close.
After a traditional pub meal at the Inn, we're off to the site.
The only way to get up close and personal with Stonehenge these days is to book with an accredited tour group. Our tour guide, James, led the way to the stones.
Access to Stonehenge is very limited due to its value as a World Heritage site and the fact that souvenir hunters, graffiti artists and outright vandals had begun to degrade the structure. There are now guards at Stonehenge around the clock.
Stonehenge is approximately 4,500 years old. The stones were dragged to this place from a quarry in Wales hundreds of miles away. James was able to spin a riveting tale of Stonehenge's mystical past.
It is astounding to imagine the efforts required to set these stones in place with the primitive technology of the time.
We were part of a group of thirty from the four corners of the globe.
The mass of some of the central pillars is quite impressive.
One of our fellow travellers brought along a handheld GPS unit in order to determine the exact centre of the Stonehenge structure. In this photo he's standing at what he's determined to be "Ground Zero".
This is the most intact section of what was once a complete circle of capped stones.
With twilight approaching some of the structures seemed to soar into the sky.
Stonehenge is aligned in a way to track the winter solstice. This narrow line created by the setting sun is an example of what Stonehenge was designed for.
With the evening sun hanging low on the horizon, we took our leave of this remarkable place and headed back to the modern age.
This is an artist's rendering of what Stonehenge looked like when intact and in use over 4 millennia ago.
This newsletter is our visual record of present day Stonehenge. For more detail, go to http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/.
There are over eighty types of indigenous lichen growing on the stones at Stonehenge, many only found in this locale.
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The Salvation Army Quiz
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We show you a minute portion of the design of a postage stamp. You have to determine which stamp it is. Send us an email with your answer.
We hold a contest every newsletter. For every correct answer we will donate $1.00 to our favourite charity, the Salvation Army. Click here to go to the The Salvation Army International Home Page to see what services they offer to communities around the world.
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