Stonehenge and Sisterhood

Exactly a year ago today, I was in the midst of a much longed-for trip to the UK with my sister, Melanie. As the fourth of five children, I learned early that siblings were built-in friends, and as a military family on the move with our father's career, it was the permanence of family relationships that helped us manage multiple moves during our childhoods.

Blamires Family in 1975

As a fourth grader, I had the enviable good luck to be placed in Miss Franklin's class at Oakview Elementary School. She was young, beautiful, and fun, and she opened our eyes to the mysteries of the universe and more particularly, of human civilizations. I remember learning about the Birthplace of Civilization and ancient sites and artifacts. But perhaps one of the days that stands out most was the day she scattered magazines around our learning pods and we had an hour of reading and exploration by ourselves before coming together to talk about the images we had seen. My magazine featured a photograph of Stonehenge. I can recall laying on the carpeted floor and pouring over the magazine and couldn't believe it when an hour had passed. Other students learned about King Tut, Sumerians, ancient Japanese warriors and other historical figures, but Stonehenge caught my attention that day, and held on to it firmly. I asked my teacher if Stonehenge was REALLY real, how far away it was, and how to get to it. Those questions percolated over the years as my interest in early civilizations grew and blossomed into, I suppose for some, something of an obsession.

As years passed, I became a teacher and endeavored to follow Miss Franklin's example, finding intriguing photos and texts from ancient civilizations to engage the minds and souls of my students. In my mind's eye though, I was thinking of Stonehenge and how and when I would be able to get myself there. As it turned out, it was quite a long time in coming, but as I began to make my plans for a solo trip to the UK in the Summer of 2023, my sister, Melanie, offered to join me. A recent breast cancer survivor, she was also keen to do something new, and my heart filled to bursting with this new prospect. I began to plan a different trip...imagining the two of us touristing in and around London. Free to script our agenda for that most looked-forward-to day, I secured a bus trip that included Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath.

The Castle and grounds took our breath away, but could not prepare us for the view of Stonehenge we witnessed as it came into view from our seats on the bus!

This is a site for which no phone or camera filter is needed. The remains sit majestically atop a slightly inclined mound, the open sky beckoning us forward. My skin still tingles with that remembered memory.

Something magical happens when you experience something new with a sister. Though separated by eight years in age, we have always shared a close bond that grew even deeper as we became adults, raising families far apart from one another but still clinging to one another through those experiences of family formed early in our lifetimes. She is my mentor, my friend, my confidant.

My feet were literally floating as we approached the ancient site and basked in its majesty. Though millions follow this path ever year, it felt entirely unique to me. I had an overwhelming sense of peace and joy to have my own feet on this faraway land. Follow your dreams!

We finished the day in the old city of Bath, majestic in it's own right, pale yellow buildings and remnants of Jane Austen's footprints memorialized on placards around the city. Thought it seemed not to be her favorite city during her lifetime, the residents of this beautiful place call her their own, and the city of Bath appears in all of her published works. Outside the cathedral, the words DRAW NEAR are engraven upon the large stone pavers, a welcome invitation to come inside and ponder the sights and sounds of the day. It's been a year today, and forever in my memory.