July 25, Henley

 Now that I have seen more of the town, I am not sure that the preppy designator is warranted, except maybe at the wharf:

where the dark, grey-blue-boats-for-rent are all lined up. Not that it has to do with anything, but it is not very nice that the ducks, waiting very patiently, are not being given a boat to take out, however, just around the corner, they are treated with greater consideration, as are their four-footed distant relatives....very distant:

I went on a mostly very nice circular walk through the Chiltern Hills:

though I got lost in a forest...very disconcerting....but obviously I got found, and I had to crawl under a barbed wire fence.  First I slid my backpack through, then I lay down and slid underneath the wire getting stung by nettles for my trouble.  Granted this exercise would not qualify me for Sayeret Matkal, but I was pretty proud of myself.  

A highlight of the day was being able to photograph a rabbit.  The reason for this success was that boor bunny was scared stiff:

Then it was utterly paralyzed with fear:

I could say he was posing just for me, but he was not!  After a few seconds, he got up the courage to run off!

Back in Henley, I mozied on over to the Rowing Museum.  Let's say it did not float my boat.  But the town is VERY PROUD of Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsert for winning gold at the 2000 Olympics.

Victory at Sydney 2000 gave Steve Redgrave his fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, and Matthew Pinsent his third. The two oarsmen rowed together from 1990 to 2000.

To celebrate their unique achievement, the River & Rowing Museum commissioned the sculptor Sean Henry to create a major work of art. Henry set out to honour both the achievement of winning medals and the years of dedication and training undertaken by these sporting heroes.

Dressed in clothes they might wear en route to a training session, the oarsmen are portrayed in classical pose. They are partly inspired by two 2500-year-old Etruscan bronze figures known as the 'Riace figures', who are believed to have been Olympic athletes.

The two 2.25m cast bronze and painted sculptures carry large bronze oars and stand in poses chosen by the artist and the rowers themselves - contemplating the river prior to rowing.

Sean Henry says

'I was struck by the thousands of hours both men have spent training on this stretch of the Thames over the years, when compared to the few hours of competition. It made sense to me to portray them here, on the edge of action - about to go rowing - both as individuals and as a team'.

They do start rowing young here:

Back at the Museum, there was an exhibit of artwork in various mediums done by people who had suffered brain injuries.  According to the artist, this piece represents life and growth after a brain injury:

Less intense for sure was this ginormous inflated slide in the park nearby.  Is the reason no one is using it is because it costs about $2.00 per run?  Oh No!  I got that wrong!  Bruce S., eagle-eyed editor  that he is—and I am visually untrustworthy—pointed out that it is £1.50 for 6 trips down the slide, a bargain for sure.  So why no takers?  Maybe the other attractions, like the merry-go-round, and the loud music to dance to, were more attractive!