Today was a classroom day, and we accomplished much.  This morning we covered two acts of The Taming of the Shrew after a lengthy period of journal writing.  Then we had an excellent tour of New College led by Jackson and Charles.  Our two tour guides had researched the college thoroughly before showing us around in a tour that lasted nearly 45 minutes:

     

     A break allowed some of the group to enjoy croquet on the lawn of the New Quad, our front yard:

     And from 5:00 to 7;00 we heard an oral presentation about Hampton Court Palace from Maxwell, wrote more in our journals, read both The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian newspapers, and then engaged in a lively debate about the lead articles in these two British newspapers, which included stories about the war in Iraq, the Clinton email controversy, and the current competition to see who will become the next prime minister.

     Four more writers chose excerpts from journals to share. 

     From George Williams: "Maxwell and I played croquet today.  Although it was set up wrong, we had a great time.  It turns out that we put some things in the wrong place, especially the poles, which were supposed to go in the middle rather than the end.  Some nice British people came along and politely pointed out and fixed the problem. The game highlighted the ability to have fun doing something even that thing isn't completely correct."

     From Riley Buettner, about yesterday's trip:  "Throughout the day we traveled to a majority of the junior courts, getting to watch people I've never heard of who came from all around the world.  Even thought I didn't know who the people were, I found the matches interesting and fun to watch.  Tennis isn't really one of my favorite sports, but getting to say I was at Wimbleton is something I'll remember forever."

     From Thomas Bledsoe: "For a sports fan it is one of those events that you should never turn down a chance to attend. I believe it is in the class of events with the Super Bowl, Final Four, Masters, and the list goes on.  I had always seen the one hundred-mile-per-hour serves and heard the classic tennis player grunt or moan as he or she attempted to hit the return shot, but actually experience it in person certainly gave me a new perspective and appreciation.  We also got very lucky when we stumbled upon Serena Williams warming up on one of the smaller courts.  She is one of those athletes that have an aura.  One those that, when I did see her, it was almost weird and unbelievable."

     From Jackson Monroe: "The Wimbledon championships have been on my bucket list ever since I watched Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal in five sets when I was about six.  The grass courts shown through the tiny TV in my grandparents' house were so small one could hardly see the ball.  I wanted a closer look at the white attire, perfectly cut green grass, and the best tennis players in the world, and yesterday I got that....Our passes only allowed us to stroll the grounds but not to sit at any court that a pro player would be on this far into the tournament. But then I saw Court 3. The sign said No Reserved Seating, which meant everyone can get in. After 30 minutes of complaining from some ("what if we are in the bathroom line?") we were escorted to six open seats in the stadium....")