A couple of years ago, my wife and I visited the UK in October, primarily for her to conduct family research in Stafford, Staffordshire, where her father’s family originated before migrating to the US. Once her studies were completed, we turned our attention to the Peak District and stayed for several nights in Rowsley, Derbyshire.

Of course, we rented a car, and I needed to mentally prepare myself for driving on the other side of the road. For several weeks leading up to our visit, I practiced driving in my mind, focusing on making left and right turns, much like fighter pilots rehearse aerial maneuvers before taking to the skies. I was particularly worried about making left turns. Despite my preparations, I couldn’t have managed without the smartphone GPS guiding me on which street to exit at the roundabouts, saying things like, “Take the 4th exit,” as I counted them off.

After making our way from Stafford to Rowsley and settling in, I began exploring the local area. We stayed on the eastern side of the River Derwent, while the western side featured a beautiful complex of fields and fenced hedgerows. I was captivated by one particular field that had some sheep grazing in it. On a lovely sunny evening, I took out my 70-300mm lens and mounted it on my Gitzo travel tripod to capture the scene. Nestled in the middle left of the field, though hardly recognizable at first glance, were four sheep nestled down. This scene epitomized the idyllic English countryside in fall that I had often imagined. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the Peak District before concluding our trip in the Cotswolds.