It was 10 years ago this summer that I asked Wendy to marry me. This photo was taken the day we looked at rings. Great woman, good memories.
Tag Archives: Photo
TBT: Soccer Man
Speaking of fitness, for Throwback Thursday let me take you back to the golden days of yore when soccer wasn’t even a high school sport and you had to play for a local club. I played fullback for Des Moines’ Northwest Soccer Club. This photo was taken in the backyard of my grandparents house (you can see grandma’s shadow as she held her prized Polaroid camera). Gotta love those rockin’ short shorts!
Happy Independence Day!
Last night Wendy and I enjoyed standing together on our dock watching the fireworks over the bay. I captured this shot and thought it a worthy celebratory photo for this holiday. We are so grateful for this land, the freedom we enjoy, and the precious blood of heroes and heroines who sacrificially provided it to us over the years.
God, bless America.
Flood Waters Rising at Lake of the Ozarks
In the 20+ years we’ve been coming down to the Lake of the Ozarks, we’ve never seen the water as high as it has risen in the past two days. Torrential rains pushed the water over the gangway to our dock in the middle of the night. More rain is expected the next few days. They opened the flood gates at Bagnall Dam yesterday morning, but obviously the waters are rising fast than they can let it out. Here are some photos I took this morning along Ambrosia Lane on Buccaneer Bay at the 34.5 mile marker.
Sunlight Through the Trees
This was one of my favorite photos from all that I took in Scotland. We were at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. It was a sunniest day we’d experienced during our time in Scotland so we were all enamored with the sunlight and its warmth. There was this gorgeous tree with pale golden leaves, so pale that they almost looked white. I noticed that the sunlight through them made a gorgeous glow in contrast to the dark limbs. I stepped underneath the boughs and clicked the shutter at just the right moment to catch the starburst of sunlight. This photo is untouched and appears just as I shot it.
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 7
Taylor and Wendy waiting for the bus.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy at Eteaket for British High Tea.
Tom and Taylor at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
I haven’t gotten to kiss her enough this past year! Tom and Taylor at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Prayer station at Central, Edinburgh
Sign on the outside of Central, Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor enjoying the sun at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Wendy stands in the warm sun at Inverleith House Gallery on the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Walking to Central, Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Wendy basking in the sun at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Inverleith House Gallery on the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
The open market we enjoyed.
Walking back to our hotel, one final time before leaving Scotland.
The less expensive flight of Scotch whiskey that Jon and I purchased.
The Royal Mile, Edinburgh.
Taylor T Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
What a HEDGE! Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Wendy chats with Taylor on the lawn at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Wendy and Taylor bask in the sun at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy nap and sun themselves on the lawn at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy chatting before the service at Central.
Steampunk Coffee’s mobile coffee stand.
Tom and Wendy at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Kissing on the bridge at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
We saw Greenland on the flight home. It looked very cold!
Tom with Jon De Haan, Gabe Spencer, and eight very good Scotches at Rabbie Burns’ Pub on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy at Eteaket for British High Tea.
Chatting at Rabbie Burns Pub.
Taylor and Wendy at Nando’s Restaurant, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy buy chocolate made in Scotland.
Blue poppies (I think) at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy at Eteaket for British High Tea.
The worship area at Central, Edinburgh.
A lone red poppy at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
The Royal Mile, Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Prayer time at Central in Edinburgh.
The expensive flight of Scotch whiskey that Gabe purchased.
Edinburgh Castle seen from the base of Castle Hill.
Inverleith House Art Gallery, where Taylor interned this year on the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Taylor and Wendy at Eteaket for British High Tea.
Wendy on the bus.
Daisies at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
A toast to whiskey tasting with good friends at Rabbie Burns Pub.
Taylor takes a picture of her handiwork at Inverleith House Gallery on the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Central meets at Central Methodist Hall in Edinburgh.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Wendy at Inverleith House Gallery on the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
Inverleith House Gallery on the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
I am publishing my travel journal from our trip to Edinburgh which took place June 1-8, 2015. I am posting my journal entry and pictures from each day in chronological order.
Our last full day in Edinburgh was sunny and relatively warm. It would turn out to be the nicest day of our entire trip and a wonderful way to end our time in Scotland. Wendy and I got up and, while Wendy showered, I walked up Victoria Street to the La Barantine Patisserie for an Americano. We got ready for the day and grabbed the bus to the Royal Botanic Gardens, which was the same route we’d taken the day before to Taylor’s flat, but just a few stops before.
Wendy and I walked down Arboritum Road toward the entrance to the gardens and enjoyed the sunshine. It felt absolutely wonderful as we walked. It was about 4-5 blocks to the main entrance of the Gardens and we entered the visitor’s center to find Taylor browsing through the gift shop.
We entered the gardens and immediately walked to Inverleith House, an old mansion in the middle of the gardens which contains a contemporary art gallery. Taylor had done an internship there this year, helping them investigate opportunities to build patron support. There was a show by Nicholas Party in the galleries called “Boys and Pastel” which Taylor had helped install. Not only did it have the artist’s works, but the artist had chosen colors and designs for the walls of each room, which Taylor had helped paint. We walked through the exhibit and took pictures. The gallery was nice with big airy rooms and a lot of gorgeous sunlight.
We then began a tour of the grounds. The Botanic Gardens were wonderful and it was such a lovely day. The flowers, the smells, and the landscape were breathtaking and we took our time leisurely walking about. After a while Wendy plopped down on a stretch of grass, stretched out her arms, and basked in the sunlight. Taylor and I joined her and we began a trend as several more visitors eventually joined us nearby. We lay on the lawn, took in the sun, and enjoyed conversation together. I think we all could have sat there all day, but there were other things on our agenda.
Taylor wanted to take us to a small outdoor market that was a hike of several blocks from the Botanic Gardens. During her year in Edinburgh, Taylor has worked two days a week at Steampunk Coffee, a coffee roaster and coffee bar in North Berwick. Steampunk has a mobile coffee stand housed out of a VW van that is a regular at this particular outdoor market. We enjoyed walking through the market and seeing all of the vendors. I especially liked the vendor who makes different sauces with Scotch whiskey. We bought some Scottish made chocolate and a chocolate fudge muffin before heading for the bus stop.
Taylor had planned a girls date of high tea with Wendy. They got off the bus near the shop, Eteaket, where they had a 2:00 reservation. It is on a lower level with a small outdoor patio where they had tea in the sunshine. Wendy had a fabulous “girls” time with Taylor and she marveled at the huge selections of teas from which she could choose.
Meanwhile, I rode the bus a few more stops. Taylor had told me to get off when I saw the Royal Mile, but I realized that we were passing St. John’s Church on the opposite side of Edinburgh Castle. A quick check of the bus route told me that this was as close as I was going to get since the Royal Mile starts at the castle, so I hopped off and began a long trek up castle hill to the Royal Mile.
As mentioned in yesterday’s entry, I had wanted to do a Scotch Whiskey tasting while in Scotland and knew that neither of the ladies would have any interest. By luck, Jon De Haan and Gabe Spencer had arrived the previous night and when I mentioned doing a tasting they both eagerly agreed to join me. We met at Rabbie Burns Pub on the Royal Mile which had been recommended by a friend of Taylor’s. Jon and Gabe had just arrived and were looking at the menu as I walked in the pub and we switched to a larger table. We figured we wouldn’t want to do a whiskey tasting on an empty stomache, so we ordered lunch. I had a burger and an ale called Caldonia Best. The boys each joined me in the Caldonia Best, but ordered bangers and mash.
There were three different levels of whiskey tasting that each included four different types of Scotch. Jon and I both chose the same one (the lower priced flight), but Gabe went for broke and ordered the highest price. He was, however, happy to share so we each got to try eight different types of Scotch. It was a lot of fun and I was amazed at the differences in color, aroma, and flavor. There were a couple of varieties that were similar, but for the most part each was quite distinctive. It was fun to have a couple of other guys to share the experience and I enjoyed Jon and Gabe’s company immensely as we chatted away and compared our impressions of the whiskey. I preferred the smokey, peat tinged whiskeys from Islay myself.
Before all of the Scotch was consumed, Taylor and Wendy arrived and joined us. There followed an hour or so of pleasant conversation. Jon and Wendy got into a spirited debate centered on Harry Potter, and whether it was Harry’s mother or father who first appeared out of his wand at the end of the fourth book. The answer would prove whether Rowling had made a mistake or not in the logic of the book. It was fun to watch them spar. Eventually, they put their argument aside. We decided it was time to go. Hugs all around and both of the lads agreed to come visit Vander Well Pub next time they were in Pella.
Wendy had to grab a requested scarf for our friend, Becky, before we left the Royal Mile. We left Taylor to hang with her friends while we hit a few more shops. Wendy and I then headed back to the hotel to freshen up.
Taylor joined us about an hour later after escorting Jon and Gabe to The Elephant House. We left the hotel and trekked to Central Methodist Hall which is now home to Central Church where Taylor has worshipped this year. Wendy and I really enjoyed experiencing worship with her and meeting her friends there. I thought it the perfect way to end our week. Wendy and I loved the mostly younger crowd who gathered there and the Spirited worship. The pastor, Carl, gave a great message on Revelation 5 and then the congregation split into various prayer stations for prayer and meditation.
We left a little early before the service concluded and were greeted at the exit by Pastor Carl, who seemed a nice gentleman. Taylor led us to a restaurant, Nando’s, which she had been telling us about all week. It’s a Portugese chicken restaurant and we had our last meal together in Scotland before walking back to the hotel.
Taylor hung out with us for a few minutes as she had a wee bit of a wait for her next bus home. We hugged and said our good-byes, which was certainly bittersweet. It had been so good to see her after eight months, but we took solace in the fact that she will be home with us in seven weeks. After Taylor left, Wendy and I began the process of packing for our trip home as we watched “Bridesmaids” on the telly. I pulled up the Cubs vs. Nationals game on my iPad and as we climbed into bed we watched the Cubs take the four game series 3-1 with a 6-3 victory. It would be a short night before our long journey home.
The flight out of Edinburgh went without a hitch and we arrived at Chicago-O’hare a few minutes early about 12:40 on Monday afternoon. Our 5:30 flight to Des Moines, however, was cancelled and we scrambled to get rebooked on the 7:10 flight. That flight was also delayed. Wendy and I ended up hanging out at the airport and watching the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup from the Berghof in Concourse B. Our flight eventually took off for Des Moines at 11:45 p.m. and we landed in Des Moines at 12:40 a.m. Tuesday morning. After our drive back to Pella it was about 2:15 a.m. when we finally got to bed. We’d been up for 26 hours straight. The second 24+ hour day we’d had in 8 days.
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Days 1-2
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 3
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 4
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 5
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 6
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 7
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 4
This was the kitchen fireplace, large enough to cook an entire hog on a spit.
It was a rainy entrance into the courtyard of Doune Castle.
Holy Rude Church and graveyard, Stirling, Scotland.
Angel in Holy Rude Church Graveyard, Stirling, Scotland.
The picturesque town of Doune, Scotland.
Stirling, Scotland.
Tom, Wendy, and Taylor’s selfie in front of courtyard of Doune Castle.
Chocolate makes Wendy very happy.
Mmmmm. Dessert at Pizza Express, Edinburgh.
Celtic Cross Headstone from the Holy Rude Church graveyard, Stirling, Scotland.
Holy Rude Church and Graveyard Stirling Scotland
Taylor and Wendy standing on the high place in Holy Rude Church graveyard.
“X” marks the spot where public executions took place on Grassmarket in Edinburgh.
Holy Rude Church and graveyard, Stirling, Scotland.
Taylor and Wendy outside Doune Castle.
Taylor and Wendy on top of Doune Castle.
Taylor and Wendy sitting in a restored side bench in the Royal hall of Doune Castle.
Walking back to town through the gate to the field that you walk through to get to Doune Castle.
The hewn oak timber roof of Holy Rude Church, held together with oak pins.
If you want to recreate Monty Python and the Holy Grail, there are coconuts in the gift shop!
Tom and Wendy outside Doune Castle.
Taylor and Tom in Stirling, Scotland.
The hewn oak timber roof of Holy Rude Church, held together with oak pins.
Our selfie in front of Doune Castle, Scotland
Taylor and Wendy on the battlements of Doune Castle.
Walking up to Holy Rude church in Stirling, Scotland.
Selfie in front of Doune Castle.
Gorgeous stained glass in Holy Rude Church in Stirling, Scotland.
Angel Headstone from the Holy Rude Church graveyard, Stirling, Scotland.
Taylor and Wendy in Stirling, Scotland.
Angel in Holy Rude Church Graveyard, Stirling, Scotland.
Mmmmm. Dessert at Pizza Express, Edinburgh.
View out from the Doune Castle tower.
About once a day we rested in our hotel room to have a glass of wine, chat, and watch the French Open.
Wendy and were still not over our jet lag 🙂
Tom and Wendy outside Doune Castle.
View from Castle Hill, Stirling, Scotland
Taylor looks out the window from the steep winding tower stair of Doune Castle.
Watch out for falling masonry, cows, and large wooden rabbits. Then, RUN AWAY!
Walking around the outside of Doune Castle.
Doune Castle battlement.
Taylor and Wendy enjoy the entertaining audio tour of Doune Castle.
Mmmmm. Dessert at Pizza Express, Edinburgh.
Taylor savors dessert at Pizza Express in Edinburgh.
This week I am publishing my travel journal from our trip to Edinburgh which took place this past week, June 1-8, 2015. I am posting my journal entry and pictures from each day in chronological order.
While Wendy slept I found my way to Starbucks on the Royal Mile to journal and have some coffee. I stopped by the La Barantine patisserie on Victoria Street to grab Wendy a chocolate croissant on my way back to the hotel. Upon my return Taylor texted to ask if I wanted to have coffee with her. We met me back at the patisserie for a cup of tea while Wendy got ready and we enjoyed a little father-daughter time together. It was nice to just sit and chat. We’re blessed to have enjoyed Skype and FaceTime calls this year, but there’s nothing like talking in person (especially when you’re in a quaint French patisserie in Scotland)!
Today was the day Taylor and planned a little adventure for us outside of Edinburgh. It was cloudy with light rain as we headed to the Waverly transport station to get tickets to Stirling, a medeival town and hour’s train ride west of Edinburgh. Stirling was an important gateway town to the highlands marked with a castle atop its prominent castle hill. It was about a 45 minute train ride and it was still raining when we arrived. We immediately walked to the bus station that was next to the train station and grabbed a bus for a 20 minute ride outside Stirling to the small town of Doune, home to Doune Castle where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed.
The Stirling bus station reminded me a lot of the Greyhound station in Des Moines growing up. Unlike the major metropolitan transport stations we’d gotten used to, there was no doubt that we were in small town Scotland. There was a tiny corner news stand and very little cafe. The station was filled with locals. There was one gentleman who was mostly deaf (you could tell by the huge hearing aid behind each ear) who was conversing in his thick Scottish accent with such ear splitting volume that I think you’d soon join him in deafness if you stood to near for too long.
The bus to Doune was not going to arrive for about 20 minutes so we took our leave of our loud Scottish friend in the terminal and waited by the stop, under the awning. The bus ride to Doune was another 30 minutes and I think both Wendy and I were wondering, “where in the world are we going?” Taylor had never actually been to Doune Castle, so we were kind of flying blind. When we got off the bus Taylor asked the driver about where to get to the castle. An older local gentleman who was departing the bus gave us instructions though I’m not exactly sure what he said given his thick Scottish brogue. Nevertheless, he pointed down the street and mentioned something about signs.
We walked in the rain through the picturesque little town, following the somewhat cryptic signs pointing us towards the castle. We found ourselves at a small gate that opened onto a field. We were laughing so hard at this point because we didn’t have the slightest idea where we were going and the idea that we would have to walk through an unmarked field continued to fuel our fears that we would end up completely lost in an on-going downpour (with only one umbrella). To make matters worse, there were two paths in the field with no markings as to which of the two led to the castle! We chose the left path which turned out to be the correct path which led to another gate though the path continued past it and we weren’t sure if the gate led out of the field toward the castle of if we should continue on through the field. We could kind of see the castle through the trees, so made our way out the gate and down a steep embankment to the road which led to the castle.
It was cold and rainy as we made our way up to the castle. Seemed apropos for some reason. We paid for tickets and our audio tour. The small personal players with headphones included narration by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python. It was actually quite entertaining and he described where different scenes were filmed. We did a lot of laughing and when the audio players cut to some of our favorite parts of the movie I’m sure that the three of us were quite a site laughing and mouthing along with the timeless lines.
The castle was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the relative freedom you had to explore. I was surprised by how big it was and how much of the castle was open to explore. This included long winding stone staircases that led up to the battlements. We agreed that they would never have had so much of the castle open to tourists in the States for fear of a turned ankle and a lawsuit. The castle, despite the difficulty in getting to it (and perhaps, in part, because of it), ended up being one of our favorite experiences of the trip. By the time we finished our audio walking tour the sun was trying to come out and the rain finally subsided, allowing us to walk around the exterior of the castle and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Scottish countryside.
“My dad introduced Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Madison and I at a very young age and it has been quoted in our household for years. Therefore, its no surprise that I particularly loved the day trip we took to Doune Castle just outside of Stirling where most of Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. The audio tour was equally historic and hilarious. Plus, it completely made my day that they had coconut halves available so you could gallop around and re-enact scenes.” – Taylor (from her blog: Love, Taylor)
We retraced our steps back to town and Taylor said she was hungry. We just happened, however, to catch our bus coming up to the bus stop and so ran to grab it while we could and headed back to Stirling. Upon arrival we hiked up the quaint medeival streets towards the castle, stopping at Holy Rude (derived from an old word meaning “cross”) church. The church has been there since the early middle ages and the roof is made of hewn oak timbers held by oak pins. The stained glass windows were gorgeous.
We enjoyed a stroll through the ancient graveyard and made our way to a “high place” with a commanding view of the surrounding region. It was so beautiful. We then started making our way back down the hill. There was an art center we were going to visit, but time was slipping by, Taylor was hungry, and a quick view of the art center’s website revealed that it wasn’t something we were really interested in seeing. So, Taylor stopped by the shopping mall to grab a quick bite to eat on the train, we used the loo, and caught the 4:07 back to Edinburgh.
We hiked back to the hotel room for a little breather and enjoyed a glass of wine in the room as we watched Serena Williams play in the French Open for a bit. We then made our way up to the top of Victoria Street to Pizza Express for dinner. Despite the name sounding like a fast food joint, Pizza Express is kind of an upscale pizza place where Taylor could get gluten free pizza. We were all hungry from our day’s adventure and enjoyed a leisurely meal together. We each ordered a pizza along with a bottle of wine and an appetizer of “dough balls.” We treated ourselves to a yummy dessert to cap off our adventurous day.
It has been enjoyable to catch up with Taylor. It’s been such a transitional year for all of us. For Taylor, it’s been a year of post-divorce searching, grad school, and blazing a new path in life with all the excitement, anxiety, and fear that goes with it. For Wendy and me it has been a stressful year of building, work challenges, and new directions. So, amidst the sightseeing we have really enjoyed just catching up and talking about our respective life journeys.
By the time we were finished with dinner we were all beat. We made plans for climbing Aurthur’s Seat on Friday morning. Taylor hugged us good night and caught the bus back to her flat while Wendy and I walked back to our hotel. I wrote a few postcards, but it wasn’t long before we were both sound asleep.
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Days 1-2
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 3
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 4
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 5
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 6
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 7
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 3
Tom and Wendy at Queen’s Arms pub, Edinburgh.
Wrapped in tartan, letting my recessive Scotch-Irish genes out!
A wee taste of Caol Ila 12 year Scotch.
St. Giles Cathedral interior.
Wendy at the White Hart pub.
Tom and Taylor at Queen’s Arms Pub.
Wendy conversing, hands always in constant motion, at the Queen’s Arms Pub.
Taylor in the Queen’s Arms Pub.
View from Edinburgh Castle.
The statuary sentinel of Edinburgh Castle.
The front of St. Giles.
You can almost always hear a piper on the Royal Mile.
Wendy at Queen’s Arms Pub.
Wendy admiring the interior of St. Giles.
Victoria Street Edinburgh
Royal Mile skyline.
A view of Edinburgh Castle from castle hill.
Stained glass of St. Giles.
Wild daisies on castle hill with Edinburgh Castle in the background.
Walking to the Hanover Bus Stop.
Tom and Taylor at Queen’s Arms Pub.
Wendy waiting for Taylor at Waverly station.
This week I am publishing my travel journal from our trip to Edinburgh which took place this past week, June 1-8, 2015. I am posting my journal entry and pictures from each day in chronological order.
Day 3 (June 3, 2015)
We were on our own as Taylor was working at Steampunk Coffee in North Berwick where she’s been employed for most of the year. It was probably a good thing as Wendy and I were still quite tired from our travels and slow to get moving.
I was up before Wendy and went to the hotel cafe downstairs in a search for coffee. Unlike the U.S. where coffee is considered a God-given right and every hotel has fresh coffee in the lobby for free, I’ve found that in the UK they make it really hard to get just a cup of coffee in the morning. You have to go to the cafe and be seated where they will be happy to provide coffee as part of the expensive continental breakfast or bundled with your ordered meal, but just a cup of coffee is something they don’t really do.
I journaled and checked my e-mail before returning to the room expecting that Wendy would be up and showered and ready for the day. Instead, I found her still asleep and struggling to wake up. I helped her get out of bed and into the shower and then went for a stroll while she readied herself for the day.
I walked up Victoria Street and then over to the Royal Mile. I did a little window shopping as I walked a good long ways down the mile before turning to make my way back up the other side of the street. The Royal Mile is packed with tourist shops, restaurants, whiskey shops, kilt makers, and pretty much any other kind of vendor catering to the whims of the large tourist trade. I found everything to be pretty expensive compared to the States, especially considering the exchange rate which meant that one pound cost us about $1.60 on average.
I returned to the hotel and found Wendy close to being ready. Once she was we headed out and made our way back to the Royal Mile, stopping at a small French patisserie, La Barantine, on Victoria Street to get Wendy a delicious chocolate pastry. It would prove to be a regular morning stop during our entire stay. We headed to the transit station to get our bus “ride cards” and then did some of our touristy shopping for postcards and such. I’ve been doing a little reading on my Scotch-Irish genes from my mother’s maternal great-grandfather who was a McCoy. It appears from my research that McCoy is a sept of the McKay clan and so I bought myself a McKay tartan scarf.
We toured St. Giles cathedral and I paid the 2 pounds for the right to take pictures inside. The stained glass windows were amazing as was the ornate decorative architecture. Wendy and I spent a good long time walking around and looking at everything.
We made our way up the Royal mile to Edinburgh Castle which sits on a tall hill with an expansive view of the city and the area. We opted not to spend the money to take the tour but looked around the entrance area and looked out at the scenery around.
It was getting to be mid-afternoon at this point and we were getting a little hungry. We made our way back to Grassmarket where our hotel is located and had lunch at the White Hart Inn Pub across the street where we’d had a pint with Taylor the night before. It was traditional pub fare but the food was good and they had the French Open playing on the telly. Novak Djokovich was taking it to Rafael Nadal while Andy Murray was making pretty quick work of David Ferrer.
After the leisurely lunch we walked a good hike to a Tesco grocery and got a few things to enjoy in our room. We returned to our room, stopping on the way inside an interesting little hat shop, Fabhatrix. We tried on a lot of hats and there several that looked adorable on Wendy, but we were just looking. Once back in the room we relaxed with tennis on and waited to hear from Taylor. She texted us to meet her at Waverly station at 6:15 and so we made the 15 minute hike to the station to meet her.
The weather had been much more pleasant. The sun was out most of the day with a high around 60 degrees. Wendy and I decided that Edinburgh reminds us a lot of Chicago as the wind off the North Sea feels a lot like the wind off Lake Michigan. When the sun was out it felt warm and the breeze didn’t bother us so much, but if the sun ducked behind some clouds the wind suddenly felt very chilly. I was amazed at how it could rain in fits and starts all day, even when the sun was shining.
Taylor had made reservations for us at a new restaurant called Maker’s Rest but upon our arrival and a view of the menu Taylor wondered what happened to the pizza that looked so good on their website. She inquired to find out that they changed their menu and, as the rest of the menu didn’t strike our fancy, we opted out and headed to the bus stop. Taylor led us to her favorite pub in Edinburgh, the Queen’s Arms where we had planned to have an after dinner drink. We ate there instead and were glad we did.
The Queens Arms has a warm, hospitable atmosphere and feels like a place you’d find on Diagon Alley. Edinburgh, by the way, is where J.K. Rowling lived and wrote Harry Potter, so the city is full of Harry Potter references wherever you go. The atmosphere she creates in the books in places like Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmead feel very reminiscent of Edinburgh.
The food was upscale pub fare. Wendy and I enjoyed some really good bread with dipping sauces (oil/vinegar, hummus, and salsa verde) which was very good. We split a delicious burger with Scottish cheddar. Taylor had some very interesting lamb bites on a bed of greens and hummus. I enjoyed a wee glass of Caol Ila 12 year single malt Scotch which was really potent, but extremely good. As with the day before we enjoyed conversation with Taylor. For me, the highlight of the week was simply to be with Taylor and to catch up on her year in Scotland. Her path has had some major twists, turns, inclines and valleys over the past couple of years and it was good just to hear her talk about the condition of her heart and how God has been growing her up. As the conversation flowed, dinner gave way to an after dinner bottle of wine and we found ourselves embraced in the Queen’s Arms a good long while that evening.
“It was really fun to have the ‘rents in the ‘burgh this past week. If you are lucky enough to know them personally, then you know that one thing they do very well is dinner. It is never a quick thing. It is an event. This is something I have especially missed about them: the way they engage in sitting around the table, filling stomachs and emptying wine glasses, laughing and sharing good conversation for hours late into the night. I was definitely thankful to partake in a lot of that while they were visiting.” – Taylor (from her blog Love, Taylor)
It was 10:30 when we finally left but the last light of day had not yet expired. The sun is up about 17.25 hours of the day at this time of year in Edinburgh which is a little hard to get used to. We walked back to the Hanover bus stop, said good night with a warm embrace and caught our respective buses. Wendy and I made it back to the hotel contentedly tired and ready for bed.
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Days 1-2
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 3
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 4
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 5
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 6
Edinburgh Travel Journal: Day 7
Greyfriar’s Tombstone
Call me strange, but there’s something I’ve always found peaceful about a cemetery. Greyfriar’s cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland is an amazing, picturesque cemetery with ancient tombstones and gorgeous scenery. I loved this celtic cross headstone surrounded with wild vines and set against the prison-like bars of the fence.
Generations of Memories
We’ve enjoyed a rainy, but fun Memorial Day weekend with the VLs. I captured this moment as we walked back to the Playhouse from the beach at Captain Ron’s. It struck me the generations of friends and loved ones who have walked this lane, holding hands, growing up, and creating memories. As I watched Wendy walking hand-in-hand with Miss Camille I had a flashback of Taylor and Madison holding hands and walking with Grandma Jeanne.