Cranesmuir, Family Lands, & a chance at time travel

Our Journey Continues...

May 16: Woke up before John, and went downstairs to read before breakfast. It was a good hour or so before the others joined me. Erin and Scott gave me the run-down of their travel woes. At least they made it to Scotland with their luggage.

We all had a delicious "Scottish Breakfast" that consisted of bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, potatoes, and tomatoes...parritch optional

Sam and Scot arrived just before 9am. We loaded the van, introductions were made, and a group picture was taken. (From Left: Jennifer Kellogg, Brenda Kecskes, Scott Moyers, Erin Moyers, Me, John, Scot AnSgeulaiche, and Samantha MacKenzie)

First stop Culross, or "Cranesmuir" for my fellow Outlander fanatics. We saw the home of Gellis Duncan, the herb garden, and the pillory. (Pics below)

Next we drove through the MacGregor (Oggs roots) and MacNab lands, wonderful rolling green hills, and into the Highlands.

While in MacNab territory we stopped for lunch and saw a water mill wheel that may have a pair of red underpants floating somewhere nearby :)

Strolling through the MacNab burial ground was a particular treat for John and myself. And all us Monty Python fans were elated to see Doune Castle which was used in 'Holy Grail.'

Glen Lyon provided some nice uphill trekking for us out of shape folk. Rain threatened for just a moment before the sun came out again. We were surprised at the end by a cleft stone, and of course all us ladies had to touch it just in case. Alas, no humming was heard and no one was magically transported back to the 18th century. No pictures of this, but stay tuned for the next cleft rock trip only days away....

We drove to Pitlochry where our B&B was located. Our hosts were Janice and Gerry-very kind folks. After putting up our bags, again on the third floor room (I'm thinking this is a hint from somewhere high up that we need to exercise more), we all walked to Fern Cottage for dinner and ales. Tried the Red MacGregor, in honor of my fellow clansmen/women, and found it to be a wonderful full-bodied red ale. Too bad we can't get it in the states :( On our way into the restaurant, we spotted Dougie Maclean (O Caledonia) in the restaurant. Always nice to spot a local celebrity.

May 17: Happy Birthday to me! The big 3-0! And what a view to wake up to...

After a nice birthday breakfast-with a tart provided by Sam and Scot, as well as a birthday song, to be eaten later- we conversed over cup after cup of amazing coffee from a press. Even Erin liked it, and she never drank coffee during all those night shifts we worked together. Finally we were dragged out to the van, reluctantly leaving behind the last dregs of our caffeine.

On our way to the Highland Museum, we stopped in Newtonmore to browse the Harris Tweed shop. Man was that a mistake! Erin and I stood there practically drooling over the double breasted coats. They were only $570 USD, I don't understand why John and Scott were against us buying them. To our chagrin, we left the store with nothing.

The Highland museum is an outdoor facility that recreates 18th century life. Here we also encountered our first of many "feral" animals. This inside joke provided lots of humor throughout the rest of the tour. Any living animal was considered feral after that day.

The lingering peat smoke on my jacket had me craving that special single malt blend that Scot carries (Laphroaig and Macallan) for the rest of the day.

Our next stop was a wee church (Cille Choirill) that resembles the one Jamie and Claire were married in. The view was spectacular from the old graveyard in the back.

We had tea, actually coffee, at Glengarry Castle (the new one, built in 1866, after the old one burned down) and had a stroll around the grounds afterwards.

Fort Augustus @ southern end of Loch Ness. Got some great pictures of flowers, and maybe Nessie herself! Brenda read the passage from Outlander where Claire encounters the Loch Ness Monster. (credit to Erin Moyers for the picture of John & me at Loch Ness).

Our next B&B was the Woodlands located in Drumnadrochit. After dropping off our stuff we set out for "Fiddler's," a pub and restaurant with a jaw-dropping whisky collection. The owner, Jon Beach, was most helpful in suggesting our wee drams after dinner. Among the gifts I got from the generous owner were a dram of 30 year blended whisky, a whisky glass with the Fiddler's label, and what can only be described as a water dispenser resembling a tiny bong. Our total came to around 20 whiskies. We stayed until closing time and walked back. "Tha smuid orm ann mo choire," or "The vapours are upon me in my cauldron," would be an appropriate saying for us all after that. Scot tells us that expression means you are only slightly drunk. When I asked what you'd say when you're really drunk, he replied that a Scot would never admit to that.

(view from our B&B; my birthday celebration)

After we returned to the Woodlands, John surprised me with a copper and agate necklace for my birthday. It matches the earrings he got me for Christmas last year.

There's no way to top this birthday. What a way to usher in my third decade!

'S fhada bho nach fhaca mi thu

The title is Gaidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) for "long time no see"... I think :)

Holy Crap! Has it really been two months since my last post??? I officially apologize for being a slacker :) I'll start with some family updates, and then move right along to my latest revelation.

I think John has adjusted to being the stay-at-home-dad, and now realizes however frustrating a job is, it is nice to get out of the house and interact with adults every day. However, his knee has been giving him trouble [insert old man joke here :) ] and we're scheduling an MRI to see if he'll need surgery or just physical therapy. Hopefully this will be resolved in plenty of time before our Scotland trip in May, lots of walking...up and down hill...horseback riding...etc.

I'm almost done with the first draft of "Blood Song." I know, I know...I keep saying that. But really, I am. I'm working four 12 hour shifts per week, and still having some mommy guilt about getting plenty of sleep. I lie down and think of all the things I should be doing instead of sleeping. Frustrating to say the least. SO...I'm trying to meet my goal of 1000 words per day. That includes new scenes as well as rewrites and edits.

In the spirit of our Scotland trip, I've been trying my hand--er, tastebuds at Whisky. Scottish single malt, neat preferably. I was surprised to find that I love it. Not sure why I was surprised, given the long line of "Scotch drinkers" I come from. My friend/coworker/fellow Outlander addict, Erin, and her husband are going on the trip as well. I'm excited that they'll be driving up later next week for a Whisky tasting. I doubt John will do any tasting, but he can enjoy the appetizers and company.

Dagan is moving right along in the 2nd grade. We're trying out a few new meds to help him stay on task, fingers crossed! Biggest steps recently- he learned to tie his shoes and swallow pills. The latter is a huge deal considering the boy gags from using "thin strips."

Ian is officially potty trained!!! Not much else I can say to top that :) One quick story though, I can't help it.... Bronwen was trying to wear her beloved pink blanket as a Jedi cape, but Ian kept pulling it off from behind her. She'd yell and cry at him each time. On his third or fourth attempt, I slapped my knee and scolded him "Ian, don't do that. It's not nice!" To which his reply was "It's not nice, but it's funny." A boy after my own heart. No denying his parentage.

Bronwen is a hellcat. She's harder to keep up with than both the boys, combined. Her newest habit is to remove all clothing and streak through the house yelling, "I'm naked." Naked pronounced the Southern way, neh-ked. Her other phrase is "Go Away" combined with angry finger pointing.

And next to last on the agenda is our family To Do list. Well, really it's more of a John & Aven list :)

1. Feb. 19th We Were Promised Jetpacks concert @ The End, see previous blog "I Heart Scotland"

2. Feb. 24th Scottish Whisky Tasting...yum!

3. Mid-April, possibly Auburn trip for the famous/infamous April Party

4. April 23rd David Sedaris @ Ryman Auditorium

5. May 14-25th Scotland trip w/ layover in Amsterdam

6. June 3rd James Taylor w/ Carol King concert in ATL

7. June 10-13 BONNAROO

Now for my latest epiphany. I went to the wholesale liquor store next to Costco, where I buy all my wine and Whisky, to replenish my dwindling supply. I picked up a bottle of Macallan 12 and Glenmorangie 10 since these were down to the last quarter bottle or so, and they were out of the Lagavulin 16 :( My cashier that day was a man in his late 50's early 60's I'd guess, and apparently not a whisky drinker.

"Two bottles of Scotch?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, my supply is getting low." I replied.

"Oh, you're the Scotch drinker?" He seemed to doubt that a woman my age (29 if you must know) would drink the stuff.

"Yep, my husband won't touch the stuff." I said.

Our conversation went on with him asking if I actually liked it, and I said yes I actually do. He asked which kinds, blah, blah, blah... I was nearly back to the van before I realized he hadn't asked to see my ID. I always get carded when I buy beer or wine. And then it struck me that anyone who drinks single malt whisky is bound to be over 21 years old. Any person underage is gonna go for the cheapest drunk they can get, preferably something they can mix with soda or fruit juice in order to not taste the alcohol. Oh well, I'm telling myself that's the reason he didn't card me. I choose not to believe it's because I actually look old enough, despite the recent discovery of wrinkles around my eyes.

Mar sin leibh an-drasta....

(goodbye for now)

"Always carry a flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake." W.C. Fields