Last week we went to Wales. It is a tiny country on the western side of the English Isle and a four-hour drive from Crofton, counting a couple of rest stops.

 It has its own very distinctive language, heavy on the consonants. In fact, all road signs are written in both Welsh and English. Which language is on top is not consistent. By the time you figure out which part of the sign you should be reading, you are already passing it.

Wales is parted from England by the Severn River. At its wide mouth (think Columbia), there are two large suspension bridges no more than a couple miles apart. We crossed the southern one and the newest, the Prince of Wales Bridge.

Off the bridge, we turned south toward Newport. Soon we arrived at the home of Rick’s grandson, Cal and his three children, three snakes, and one dachshund.

They greeted us warmly; we had a delightful visit.

On Wednesday, the seven of us went to the Bristol Zoo Project, a conservation and education charity near Bristol.

Not nearly as large as Yorkshire Wildlife Park, it has a similar vision to provide natural habitats for wildlife while providing safe passage for hundreds of visitors to walk through them.

This wooden gorilla sits near the entrance as a welcoming feature. As you can see, two of Cal’s kids and I used it as a photo