Wellington boots

Our Hunter wellingtons are our favorite shoes. They are so comfortable, warm and totally practical. We are finding that we wear them by choice, not by just need.

Alana and Susan joint post

We're behind in chatting you all up on the adventures of your two intrepid explorers, so where to begin? Day before yesterday, Alana awoke with yellow goo (why, oh why, she moaned, couldn't it have been purple!) in her very red eye. As some of you know, Susan started the trip with conjunctivitis, so she instantly recognized it. Ah, a wonderful opportunity to investigate the British socialized medical care, so much maligned by Fox news commentators. We found the centrally located facility with ease. Alana was seen straightaway by a doctor, given an RX, and we were directed to a chemist, where we had it filled, all within 75 minutes time.

The food has generally been very good. We've discovered a great Orkney stout, Belhaven. And, of course, Alana has hooked me on single malt whiskey, with a wee dram in the evening as a nightcap.

We are, at this very moment, sitting in the lounge area of the catamaran ferry that will take us back to the mainland from Orkney. On landing, we will be headed off to Skye and the Western Isles.

Technology wise, we are getting better and better. The Samsung Galaxy Note, loaded with CoPilot GPS, has been invaluable with locating the neolithic sites, B&Bs, just about everything. However, we realized that we were getting too dependent on it and needed to look at the map to actually learn the routes. Leaning on Jeeves (or other names we have given to the GPS software, depending on our mood of the moment) is just plain laziness and unwise.

Susan finally learned to use the very basic pay-as-you-go phone we picked up in Edinburgh. It was so basic, it was like using early Windows 3.1, when you are accustomed to an iPhone.

We've acquired lots of reading matter—books, pamphlets—as well as a few trinkets. We may have to buy a new suitcase or box it all up & ship it home.

Haggis and blood pudding

This morning we were served haggis and blood pudding by Margaret, at the B&B in Orphir on West Mainland, Orkney. They were both rather tasty but tomorrow morning we are having porridge (oatmeal). It's healthier.

We are on the ferry to Orney

Yesterday we visited the Caithness Croft Museum, where we were able to obtain a large block of peat to bring back. Most people in America are not aware of how pleasant it smells when burning.

About the sheep poop

We are learning to do the sheep poop shuffle. It's not just a little here and there but it's mounded up everywhere. We got some on our boots today and waded out into a loch to get it off. On some of the sites, you really cannot walk without looking down constantly. Sheep may not be there at the moment you are, but they were there yesterday, the day before and before that. And they eat constantly. So...

Sheep in road!!!!

What an experience! So cute. Sign tells you which site we're at.

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness

Language issues

So, we are all speaking English but just barely. Go up the brae was given us as a direction. So what's a brae? A hell, of course.

A heavily misty morning, as you can see from our B&B window. We are just slightly north of Inverness on the Black Island.

We will stay in Inverness tonight and head north tomorrow.

It is now actually raining.

Loch Ness

Scotland is so green and lush. You have all seen the pictures but the reality is overwhelming to eyes accustomed to San Diego's arid environment.

Internet is touch and go. I need a nearby cell phone tower to post from. Sometimes we are too far out among the cows and sheep as we go tromping through the fields looking for the stone circle sites. I'll take a picture, try to post it for you, then realize later that it had failed. That's why some are out of order.

Ok guys, we have our technology up and running

We are looking for yonder bogny ward end.

Backhill of Drachlaw

Had to knock

Aka.

Alana hard at work

G

Found them!

Walking through the sheep poop

Lost in a beautiful place

We are looking for a stone circle

Well, we'e tried posting unsuccessfully from the airport in New York and from my new Galaxy Note here in Scotland. I just want you all to know that we are still getting the technical part of this iron out.

We got lost totally north of  Pitlochry today, trying to find a very remote stone circle. We had the survey maps, the GPS with survey maps, really everything one would think would  be needed. However, these are very little lanes that twist and turn and are often hidden by huge trees and very dense vegetation. The twists and turns are unreal but the scenery is so very beautiful. I've never seen anything so green. Oh! and the trees in the Allean Forest are majestic, seductive and invoke images of magical, remote times.

We have had wonderful meals of pigeon, red deer, mussel, wild Scottish salmon and with chasers of single malt scotch uisgia (ok guys pronounce it phonetically). It has not rained on us - just in huge circles all around us-but we did wear our snazzy hunter wellington boots today just in case.

So, as all can see, we are having fun. Tomorrow, we will be getting up early and really honing in on the site we tried so hard to find today.

With any luck, we will have great pictures tomorrow to send to all of you.

Susan

Boot saga

The second pair of boots were delivered today from the Nordstrom warehouse but someone there had confused American and European sizes. I had ordered size 10 American/11 European. Yes, what arrived was another pair of 9 American/10 European.

Calling Nordstrom directly was the best idea. Overnighting the correct size without charging my account was what I wanted but was offered before I could even ask. I repacked the boots, affixed the prepaid mailing label and returned the box to the Post Office on my way to vote. But this is cutting it close.

Also I ordered some cash in English sterling at Chase last week and that has not come. What else will glitch?

What a beautiful place to live in

On my way to vote I saw how gorgeous the ocean looked at the end of the street

My blogger station

This is me, getting my site up and running.

Saturday, June 2, 2012, Second planning session.

After Alana's wonderful brunch, which was just gorgeous, and I realized afterwards, worth its own picture, we spread three maps out on the floor. One was the distillery tour map, another was of the neolithic sites and the last, was a good old road map. We created an itinerary by melding the three together. Now, using google documents, we are filling in with national parks, castles, gardens, museums and other not to be missed sites. Please feel free to leave us comments with ideas about what to see.

I wanna go too!

Alana's kittens helped us plan by masticating the maps for us. We will have reminders of them as we use the maps in Scotland.

Alana taping up after kitty map attack

First planning session Saturday May 26. Boring info.

Meeting at my house to determine where we would be staying in Edinburgh  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186525-d267507-Reviews-Aonach_Mor_Guest_House-Edinburgh_Scotland.html Reservation made and confirmed.

Also, some ideas about gear were determined, such as high boots or wellies:  http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/hunter-cece-rain-boot-women.  Boots are going to be important as peat is boggy and we are going to be walking through rough terrain. A mistake on this one item could wreck our whole trip.

We both got fleece liners for our boots. Everything was researched and ordered from the internet. The boots were ordered from Nordstrom's and can be returned to Nordstrom's if they don't fit.

 I ended up ordering a second pair of boots, one size larger than I usually wear because when I got my pants tucked in, with the fleece liner, it felt uncomfortably tight. So after comparing which one fits best, one pair can be easily returned.

At first, I couldn't figure out how to get my pants tucked down into the boots. By a great stroke of good luck, I went on a tour of the San Diego History Center's Tuna Exhibit at the San Diego Airport. On that tour were some sport fishermen. They showed me how to fold over the bottom of your pants. They also suggested that I could use a rubberband or velcro to hold the pants legs up, suggesting the local bait and tackle shop as a source for the velcro.

Although I did end up getting the velcro at West Marine, the actual way it's done is to put the fleece liner OVER the pants legs. Then slip on the boot. But, it was really just too tight for comfort. So we'll see how the bigger boots fit. 

As we will be driving, we will be taking my Garvin nuvi with UK maps downloaded directly from the internet, onto a 4 GB SDHC card inserted into the Garmin. My technology expert (my son Phil) has held my hand every step of the way. I really would not have been able to do any of this without his help.

Alana will order Ordnance Survey maps.

So there will be multiple ways to locate ourselves if we get lost looking for the remote sites. Alana's smartphone has a GPS locator in addition to my Garmin GPS. We will have a basic compass with us also, but as we will be using it to locate magnetic rocks, we will totally screw up the compass!

Alana is researching where best to be during the summer solstice from her colleague in London. The smartphone has a neat feature that can be set to show you the time in another location, such as London, so you won't call in the middle of the night. You kids are laughing now, I know, but we're both of a rather non technical generation.

Documenting upcoming trip to Scotland

Ok, this is my first blog post ever. I am a widow of 22 months, after 39 years of marriage. I am going to Scotland for one month with my friend, Alana, who is a university anthropology professor. She wants to see every neolithic site in Scotland! Oh my!

The purpose of this blog will be to keep our family and friends updated about what we see and do, and to prove to other women that risk and daring are critical to personal growth. At least, that is my intention and since it is MY site here, I'm stating my purpose.

Along the way, I hope to entertain you and, maybe, discuss the role of technology in travel today.