REFLECTIONS

Sunday, May 6....Ridgecrest

Son Ed commented on my first post, below, asking what do I wish we'd taken and what do I wish we'd left behind.  Here goes:

What I did not need to take:  (Earl will have to speak for himself)

Skirt and dressy tops and jacket

Dressy flat shoes

Flip Flops (hostel was the only place we shared a bath)

Laundry line...everything dries fast on a radiator or a towel warmer

2nd pair of walking shoes...I used them but not necessary

Sewing kit 

Hair Dryer (most places had them)

Cotton socks

Glad I took:

Some duct tape wrapped around a pen

Scissors (in checked bag)

Spork (combi spoon, fork, serrated edge)

Computer for blogging

Tights to use as underlayer...perfect weight, not bulky, dried fast

Wool socks, needed another pair

Starbucks instant coffee...which is very fine Arabica grounds, not freeze dried

Wish I'd taken:

Business type cards with our name and email on them

More wool socks

Better rain jacket, I ended up using Kate's

2nd umbrella, hard to share my small one

Cell phone that worked in UK...ended up buying one in Scotland.

We had a car for most of our journey, so luggage weight and amount was not the crucial issue (except all B&B rooms are upstairs).  

Another reluctant traveler.....

Thanks for asking, Ed, because I've been meaning to reflect on those special things that happen just when you need them to. Plus the people and events that seem to be planned to increase faith that no matter where on earth you are, the Lord will test and bless you.

1. Sunshine amidst rainy season

2. Friendly folks at info booths...airport and all over

3. The Snowies who invited us in when our car broke down

4. Fun young tow truck driver, got us safely to Glasgow airport

5. Andrew at Avis in Glasgow, had been told to give us smaller car, but when he saw three of us with luggage, upgraded to nice diesel Pugeot. Then helped us extend rental in same car for a week.

6. Bowman Bus company on Mull Island, found and delivered our jackets we'd left on board.

7. Iona Hostel, John, can't say enough good about his gracious hospitality.

(and thanks, Cat Gipe, for recommending it)

8.  Ian, the beadle-or church officer- at Dunkeld Cathedral. Could do a whole story on him. He was there late to open church for a concert. Took both Earl and I back into museum to talk about his work there as a stonemason. Showed photos of his opening the crypts after a flood for the first time in centuries to find gold studded coffins of royalty, not been seen since for centuries. Let us stay for the concert rehearsal, the music resounded of the high beamed church and warmed our souls.

9. "Jane" as Anne Brennan called her, the British-voiced navigation system on the Peugeot.  None of this nasally "recalculating" when we'd goofed up. No, Jane would say in melodic British accent: "If possible, make a u-turn"; and, "At the next roundabout, take the second exit", as though she was suggesting scones with our cream tea....

10.  Thank you, Lord, for the trip. Although Earl and I have traveled, it was always on PCS orders, or for work, business, family connections, or very local, short breaks.    Hats off to all of you, especially Peggy! who take off for journeys to far away places, with exotic cultures and traditions.  It takes energy, money, patience, and sometimes perseverance to see the world.  

We are so glad we went and hope to travel more. One can easily grow into that recliner, get old and lose the sense of adventure we had when younger.

 









 
 
 



 

Parting Shots

 May 1, 2012


Drove on the M40 from our B&B at Lighthorne Heath (south of Birmingham, north of Stratford Upon Avon) into London.  Great six lane divided highway and we waited til rush hour subsided.  Found our hotel near Heathrow, returned Avis car, then back to the tube to meet Kate. She showed us all through RADA with at least 4 floors of theaters, rehearsal spaces, classrooms and green rooms.  The halls are filled with photos (Joan Collins, Glenda Jackson, to name a few.) Sculpted busts of George Bernard Shaw and Sir John Gielgud. We saw very hard working undergrad students in studios, practice rooms. Kate's housemates were both there, one, Valeria in the design studio and the other, Nikka, working at the cafe. So good to see this place that has nurtured the world's finest actors.

Kate and Earl in front of British Museum

With all our time spent in Scotland, really seeing London will have to wait. But we did want to step foot into the British Museum.  Just the first floor Egyptian, Assyrian and Greek treasures could take weeks to absorb.  Someday.....Lord willing, we can take the time we want there someday. Earl did get to the Petrie Museum, just down the street, for a short look. According to it's p.r.:
The Petrie Museum houses an estimated 80,000 objects, making it one of the greatest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology in the world. It illustrates life in the Nile Valley from prehistory through the time of the pharaohs, the Ptolemaic, Roman and Coptic, the Islamic eras.

The real Rosetta Stone which provided the key to understanding Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

RAMESES II

Ozymandius....

Parthenon model in the Greek exibits

After touring RADA, British Museum and the Petrie, Kate took us to a nearby College Pub for some great food and our goodbye meal. We feel so blessed to have been with her there.  
We hugged goodbye on Tottenham Court and went to our separate Underground Stations.  Again...all's well that ends well.

      


                   Off at the end of the line, Heathrow Terminal 5.  Goodbye London, have a great and safe Olympics. Enjoy the Queen's Diamond Jubilee; thanks for your hospitality.

Fly Home....tomorrow

April 30:  Yesterday,  we visited Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born. This is just one wing of the impressive residence. It is huge, grand, and "was built to impress" according to one of the guides.  No photography allowed inside but there is a Winston Churchill display and the bedroom where he was born. He did not live here after childhood.  Blenheim was given to the Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne after he had won the battle of Blenheim in 1704. Nice gift, including the 2000 acres, now gorgeous gardens and a field where jousting tournaments are still held.

Nice front door, Sir Winston.

Now here's a boy who knew where he was going, like me, remarked A-bear.

No sons, no fun!

Friday, April 27....


 Leaving Scotland last Friday, we stopped in Jedburgh, another abbey, another old house where Queen Mary resided for a month.  Mary, says Earl, was a tragic figure in British history, because of her inability to choose friends and husbands wisely.

 John Knox, among others, were Mary's opponents. Knox attempted to influence Mary to no avail. Mary's greatest contribution to history was her son, James VI of Scotland who then became James I of England.  He is responsible for the King James Bible (400th anniversary in 2011) plus his kingdom united Scotland and England.

Jedburgh Abbey has overlooked the town since 1138. At night it is lighted through the arches revealing it's amazing architectural arches.

IF BONES AND STONES COULD TALK....

April 29, Sunday evening....back in England.

Although the skies have threatened, most of our touring has been rain-less.  Two days, one in York and today were drenchers.  It being Sunday, we took our day of rest and holed up in this B&B near Warwick and Stratford upon Avon.  Nice day to blog....

I will post a bunch of pictures from the last 4 days in Scotland. On a map, you could trace our drive from the west coast to the east of Scotland along a scenic drive north of Loch Lomond, along the river Tay, to the river Tweed.  All postcard material.

Each of the castles, abbeys and cathedrals we've seen have a part in Earl's ancestry. Names like McAlpin (during Macbeth's time); Hume, John Knox, Scone, Stirling, Blair Atholl, Dunkeld are known to locals. But when Earl arrives, he often knows more about parts of the history than do the guides. He can spend hours in a room, a site, old stones and bones and it's truly meaningful to him.  I enjoy his fascination with history, but I would never plumb the depths he does. 

We have hundreds of photos, of course. My skim-the-surface interest makes the blog just a taste of what we've seen. But I do now have a deeper appreciation for the bloodshed over kingdoms; over belief systems, over genealogies that determined "divine right of kings and queens".  And all this is a huge part of our own inheritance.  Many Scots would love to independent from Britain. A very proud people, yet open and welcoming.

Blair Athhol above; piper plays on the hour here, below.

Entry to Blair Athol had four walls, at least 50 ft high like this.

Dunkeld Cathedral is being restored.

The front of the Cathedral is used for church services today. the huge rear section is being restored by Historic Scotland

Been waiting for the church mouse.

You gotta love these old places....when's dinner?

Hume Castle. Earl's great grandmother was a Hume and her ancestry is traced to 

this place.

Hume Castle-Fortress like walls on a hill with 360* view.

The Hume Coat of Arms

More family at a place called the Hersel...near Coldstream.  Imagine heating this place?

 

3500 years ago...as seen on April 25, 2012

Near Dunadd are ancient stone circles and burial cairns from the Neolithic age.

Amidst sheep farms and daily life stand these ancient ruins. Of course, the walking paths and fields are open to visitors and walkers, but sometimes you have to stop for a shepherd on an ATV getting his flock from one field to another.

These still stand from 3500 years ago

A burial cairn? Probably.

There are two such circles in this area, but it is believed that many more may exist, yet to be uncovered.

Ancient concentric circles...calendar? sundials?

Larger stones nearby

Port of Crinan Lighthouse

 We continued driving looking for another site, but came to the end of the road at Crinan.  This had been a very important port, also the beginning of a canal system which brought spices and foods from Europe into Scotland. We enjoyed coffee, met a couple who "holiday" here twice a year. Both retired from Royal Air Force, so compared notes with Earl on aviation, military life and their travels. 

 After a very long day of hiking, touring, getting lost, we decided to stay again at Oban. Our search for a bed brought us to happy, joyful Frances and the Kilchrenan house overlooking the bay.  Not only very reasonable, but a beautiful room, new bed and fabulous Scottish Breakfast, complete with black pudding and haggis. Her husband Jon cooked the best eggs Earl has ever had.  We are eating everything they offer (can't quite handle the black pudding....look it up); and then we can make it to supper.

Leaving the Kilchrenan House

If you are ever in the neighborhood!

After Iona, Goodbye to Kate

April 24-25:   After Iona it was time for Kate to get back to London, so we saw her off from Oban on the bus to Glasgow, to catch the train back to her home.  We are missing her cheery, informative banter and energy. See you back in London, Kate.

We went southward to see Dunadd Fort, another site where ancient Scotti and Pictish kings may have been coronated. I'll upload our photos of the trail to the top where a stone holds footprint and basin. If you insert your foot there, you are king for the moment.

If the shoe fits....

Coronation Basin...leave your alms, please.

King for a Day

Macbear and Abear loved scrambling about the fort.

Just how many kings, forts, castles and important stones can one small country have?

IONA

The Abbey - Iona   -The birthplace of Christianity in Britain after St. Columba came from Ireland in 565 A.D. to establish a monastery. A spiritual place for many who come for week long community experiences at the Abbey. Many others come to be in a silent  spot to commune with God. The sea, the sky, the hills and the light all contribute to its beauty.

     The rocks, many colors and sizes including the green Iona marble cover the land.  You can find community or solitude at any given moment. We stayed at the Iona Hostel on the west end of the island.  A really comfortable hostel, good beds fun fellow sojourners-young and old-made for lively dinner conversations.
There was a writer's course happening this week also. John the owner is most helpful and very knowledgeable about the area.  And don't forget the sheep and cattle, organic gardens, small craft shops and a taxi if you have to get on the 7 a.m. ferry.

Looking down on a farm from a hill at sunset.

Kate in complete joy "somewhere over the rainbow.". But where is Jordan?

Our hostel set against some hillocks with large windows overlooking the sea.