Wednesday, February 23, 2011

2nd week of Scotland vacation

Betty and I rented a car for our second week in Scotland - we wanted to drive around the highlands and be able to stop whenever we saw a photo opportunity (which was quite a few times!). I drove and Betty navigated - what a team! She carefully watched traffic and signs as I had to go clock-wise around the traffic circles. Most of the roads were quite narrow and did not have shoulders. Try driving in these conditions on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car, and shifting with your left! I had a blast! We started out by driving to Sterling Castle (home to some of the Kings and Queens of Scotland) and then on to Doune Castle where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. We then motored on to Scone Palace where the Kings of Scotland were crowned. We stayed overnight at Corriechoille B&B located at the end of very narrow road that looked more like a cart path - but what a view when we finally arrived! This photo was taken out the reading room window of their 'back yard'. Those 2 cottages can be rented also.
The next morning we drove to Loch Ness where we took a boat tour to try to find Nessie - no luck! We then headed across the width of Scotland to the West coast and stopped at Eilean Donan Castle of Highlander fame.
We then drove on to the Isle of Skye and stayed at The Gables B&B in Portree. We had to call ahead to reserve our room and most of the places had no vacancies. I finally just asked if the person knew of any other B&B not in the guide book - we really lucked out at this place. Their back yard bordered the bay so had beautiful views!

I'll post the rest of the trip tomorrow - really!

Monday, February 7, 2011

It's been a while....

Yes, it has been quite a while since I last posted. While I was away on vacation, my mom was in the hospital for a few days but was home when I got back. How was that for a welcome back?! The entire family enjoyed a great party for the Mighty Quinn's christening a week later and then a few days after that my mom had a massive stroke. She passed away on September 18th. It's taken me this long just to post this and it is still difficult but I want everyone to know how special she was to me and every one else in the family (immediate and extended!).