FAMILY, FRIENDS AND LOYAL READERS OF PATSGAZETTE.COM

   Family, friends and loyal readers 

Is it my imagination or does time fly? When I was young (and yearning for independence) I “wished” that I was older. My mother warned me that I should not wish my life away. Today I know the wisdom of her words. In spite of the year’s short duration, Ken and I hope that you have had a good year and that you and your family have dodged the “grim reality” of governmental incompetence, a fledgling economy, frail health and the grief that comes from the loss of a loved one. For those who have endured that loss (and at our age the number seems to increase each year) may the memories of happy holidays past sustain and comfort you during this holiday period and always.

We have enjoyed good health (considering our age and the shape we are in). Daughter, Terri, is still single and lucky for us, living at home. She watches over our house when we are away (and over us when we are home). Gary and Marci live busy lives nearby. Grandson, Sean, attends college in San Diego and granddaughter, Lauren, lives in Dallas.

Ours has been an interesting year reflecting more travel than good sense. As our “window” for seeing the world gets smaller, we took advantage of availabilities as they arose. We started the year with a South America cruise that departed Ft. Lauderdale January 31 and arrived in Los Angeles March 19. In June, we did a Baltic Capitals cruise which included two days in St. Petersburg, Russia. We concluded the years travel with five weeks in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England in November. Ken did a great job adapting to driving on the wrong side of the road. He managed the stick shift with his left hand and skillfully navigated narrow cow paths the Brits call roads with his right. Except for veering out of his own lane while counting exits in the roundabouts or hitting the left curb, his driving was masterful. However, the “horn blower” is alive and well in Britain. Near the end of our trip, I fell down some steps at the Tower of London. Though I suffered no crucial injuries, it provided a sobering reminder of my pending old age.

Christmas is a time when we look forward to hearing from and about you and your family. Our family and extended family of friends, are the source of many happy memories. All of you hold a very special place in our thoughts and heart.

WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

 

A WEEK IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Friday, November 5 – Glasgow -  We boarded the ferry at 7AM for our short two hour "sail" to the Stranraer port of Scotland.  As we disembarked from the ferry, we accessed the coastal route to Glasgow for a noon arrival at our hotel in the Merchants section. of Glasgow, a vibrant city of active shoppers and, in our view, a charming city.  It was raining with some deliberation when we arrived thus we quickly grabbed our overnight bags and scurried into the hotel. 

 

Once checked in and relaxed, we were out and about to do what we do best, "be tourists". Window shopping and lunch in a local pub was the highlight of our outing.  After our good "pub" lunch and a "pint", we returned to our hotel.  The phone rang and it turned out to be a call from the manager advising us that he had found our car door open and closed it.  Gulp Gulp!!  Ken rushed down to check on it (I had left my computer in the car) but all was well.  As a result, we attest to the safety, security and honesty of the Glasgow that we visited.  Also, for the record, neither of us pointed a finger at the other as to the culprit, but I strongly suspect it was me who was careless.  We loved Glasgow.  I was sorry that we had not planned to spend a full day visiting Glasgow before going on to our Scotland destination but alas, I "messed" up on the date for our return ferry reservation and lost a day.

 

Saturday morning, as we prepared to depart for our stay in Balater, I suddenly became acutely aware that I really did not know exactly where we were going.  We had an address but everything was very vague (according to our direction standards in the States) and because the area to which we were destined is a small village in the Scottish Highlands nothing showed up on the map that we had.  Of course, we had our trusty "gypsy" and she initially seemed to have it well in hand.  Somehow, at some point (we aren't quite sure how it happened – perhaps Ken made a change inadvertently) she ended up taking us toward Aberdeen.  I suddenly became aware that we should be on another highway.  We stopped to check our 'trusty" (if somewhat confusing) map.  Sure enough – the gypsy had changed us to a secondary road that was taking us "off route" but by the time we had "caught" her, we were too far off our preferred "path".   We ended up winding through secondary roads (and on a closed road) and though never lost (the gypsy always knows where she is) we were very frustrated.  By the time we arrived at our destination five hours later (it was supposed to be a two hour drive), we were not in "high spirits". 

 

Once in Balater, we were impressed with the area.  It was very wooded, cool (and that is with a capital C), quaint and charming.  Our lodge was a townhouse among the trees with all of the amenities of a well stocked home i.e., two flat screen televisions, washer/dryer (that we had difficulty getting the hang of), refrigerator, freezer, stove, oven, microwave and all of the electrical appliances that one could expect in their city dwelling back home.  The weather was clear and the air brisk – not a cloud in the sky.  A stop off at the corner store gave us the essentials for nice quiet evenings in "quarters" for the next week.

 

Sunday morning we awakened to the reality of "cold".  We had difficulty understanding how to use the combination washer/dryer (the British version that we had is not our recommended purchase for your home).  We finally admitted our incompetence and called for help.  A maintenance person came by.to provide us first hand training on the proper use of the washer/dryer.  In the process, he just casually mentioned that it was -7 Celsius.  I checked the computer for translation to Fahrenheit and was rather unimpressed.  That is slightly higher than 19 degrees Fahrenheit.  We have not been in weather this cold since Barrow Alaska.  Never mind, all else is great and we packed for this eventuality, so all is well – just seeking sympathy. We decided to celebrate the cool weather with a special dinner at the hotel which was tasty, well prepared and served in charming proper old world custom.  The evening provided a delightful beginning to our Scottish break.

 

On Monday, we finally pulled ourselves away from the comfort of our quarters and drove to Balmoral Castle, which is closed for the winter.  We substituted a visit to the Royal … Distillery for a lesson on making Scotch whiskey.  My first overview was to think that whiskey making must be a very good business.  You mix up a little barley, yeast and water, let it sit a few years and miraculously a bottle of 12 year aged malt whiskey evolves.  Well, turns out that it a little more complicated than that.  Bottom line -- I have decided not to pursue whiskey distillation as either a hobby or an avenue for future wealth.

 

Tuesday, the rain motivated us to spend a quiet day "en residence".  Ken was engrossed in  a book on the history of Scotland  which he has particularly enjoyed amid our Scottish surroundings.  Those people that we have met since we arrived here seem lovely, interesting and very gracious. One lady was careful to cautious us not to take offense but she said her father used to say that "there are two kinds of people in the World.  Those who are Scotsmen and those who want to be".  That sounded plausible to me.

 

On Wednesday we drove North through hill and dale, spellbound with the beauty of the landscape and breathtaking scenery for a Castle tour of the Aberdeen area.  We stopped for a nice "hike" through the gardens and grounds of _____ Castle. 

 

On Thursday we drove through the mountains into Inverness and a boat ride on Lock Ness in anticipation of a view of the mythical monster that supposedly resides there.  The boat ride was pleasant on this beautiful sunny day under a very blue sky.  However, Nessy was unavailable to guests on this day.of our visit.

 

Friday was devoted to preparing for our checking out and early morning departure in preparation for the last week of our five week exploration of Wales, Ireland and Scotland. But, Ken still had a "drive about" that he wanted to achieve.  We stopped in ____,  a unique village from the early 1700's and lunch, Ken visited the site of an old burial grounds overlooking the city as a requiem to a very pleasant visit to Scotland in spite of the season and the cool weather.

 

Ken and Pat Burns from the road and/or the sea
just as happy as can be