6-21-17 AKA the 30 hour day

Today we flew home, or started to at least. This is our last view... We flew from Glasgow to Dublin and had a decent layover with lunch at a neat cafe - I had a mozzarella panini. We boarded our 7 hour flight to Boston and knew that we had a 3 hour layover in Boston and would be getting home really late. However, upon landing in Boston around 6pm Eastern time (Midnight back in Scotland...) we discovered that our flight had been delayed, and instead of leaving at 9pm would be leaving at midnight.

Ok, so if feels like midnight and you find out you have to wait six hours in an airport before your next flight, which has a 2 hour drive afterwards.

I ended up putting my head on my knees and sleeping a while when the fatigue just overwhelmed me. Midnight came and we boarded the plane. I hardly remember it; I slept almost the whole way. We arrived in ATL at 2:40am and arrived HOME in our beds at 4:20am central time on 6-22.

Dan stayed awake the whole time. I was like a drunken drugged person and would not have made it without him. My Star app worked on my phone and you can see we were chasing the sun as we flew west on our 30 hour day.

6-20-17

 Today we said goodbye to Ullapool and started the drive back to Glasgow. I was very sad. It just felt like a sad heaviness to leave. We decided to stop at a castle on Loch Ness along the way, and discovered it had once been owned by the Grant Clan, my Scottish genetic claim. What a serendipitous event to stumble upon it.

We found our hotel in the outskirts of Glasgow, went to dinner, and slept our last sleep in Scotland.

6-19-17

Today we drove north to the ferry to Handa Island. It's a privately owned island managed by the Scottish National Trust (like a national park, but not really). We did a four mile walk around the island and saw thousands of birds nesting in the cliffs and in the grasses.

In the US there would have been an ugly railing here to keep people from falling off, but no-- not here. Just watch your step.

6-18-17

This is Loch Broom, which leads to the sea. Our room looks out onto this body of water. Doesn't this look like it's fake, it's so beautiful?

Today we did three things, and Dan did four.

He climbed a mountain while I drank coffee and tried to wake up.

Then we drove over to the end of some land and hiked out to a lighthouse. 

Then we hiked down to a gorge... see below, and crossed it on a swinging bridge.

Then we went out to dinner at The Arch and had another amazing dinner (last night's was wonderful too.)

Tomorrow will be our last day touring Scotland. Dan has some plans for us to go to some island by ferry. I wanted to go shopping at some art galleries. Hmmmm.... maybe I'll find a way to do both.

6-17-17

I gave my second paper this morning and it went over really well. Everyone in the room wanted a copy of my presentation and my paper. Someone from Switzerland and someone else from Scotland said they wanted to collaborate with me and bring me to their universities. I was really happy to have the conference end on that high note.

We hit the road around noon.

This is Ruthven, the ruins of a fortification built on top of where a castle once stood. We came upon Ruthven on our way from Stirling to Ullapool because I wanted to see where my great great grandmother Janet Kennedy and her 11 siblings and parents were from. We first went to the town of Kingussie, had lunch there, and were told that the town used to be over by the ruins.

So, I read that the town moved when the waters kept flooding it. I imagine this is where the old town was. The town moved across the river to higher ground. There is an old kirk (church) in town, and I think I can access records online and get more information about the family. It was REALLY cool to see a town I'd only read about.

Then we drove to Ullapool and checked into our B&B.

6-16-17

This is the view of the hotel on the campus of the University of Stirling.

I gave my first paper today and it went over well.

But I didn't want to stay for dinner because I felt really out of place and knew nobody going to dinner so Dan came to get me.

6-15-17

 I thought my conference started today but I was wrong-- which gave us a day to explore Stirling. We decided to really tour the castle. Here are some views from the castle. Doesn't that look like a painting above? That's the Wallace Monument.

This is the King's Knot. We got a LOT of walking in today and I got all ready for my first of two papers to be delivered.

6-14-17

Flying over Scotland.

We rented a car and drove from Glasgow to Stirling and checked in at the Neidpath B&B, which was very very nice. This is our view.

We couldn't get into our room until the afternoon so we napped on the couch a bit and walked around town a bit.

We had dinner here-- The Portcullis. A portcullis is a sort of door that lowers between two walls of stone.

6-13-17

And we are on a jet plane again.

This photo was taken as we were approaching Boston-- at which we had a five hour layover, during which time we thought it would be a good idea to take a bus into the city, where it was 90F, and where I decided to have a heat stroke- or something like it, and then, red-faced, drink three 500ml bottles of water in a row before we traipsed back to the bus in hot wind, to venture back to the airport and fly to Dublin where we landed the next morning.

6-11-17

It was a hard work week- getting caught up, meetings meetings meetings every day, and getting ready for the conference in Scotland too. My cousin Set drove through town with his wife and kids and cat. They spent the night at Mom's. It was great to see them all!

6-7-17

Working on a different colored scarf thing now with my Quince yarn.

6-6-17

We left Wisconsin and flew home today. After going through security at the Milwaukee airport, we got to experience some recombobulation,

Easy peasy flight and drive home.

The house smelled musty because it had rained all week.

6-5-17

Today we borrowed the folks' car and drove to Kopps to meet up with my friend Moonie and her kiddos. And get some frozen custard, of course.

6-3-17

It's Friday, so time for a fish fry in Wisconsin. We went out with Dan's brother and Jules and folks...

and as you can see I got the traditional fish fry with potato cakes and apple sauce.

6-2-17

Dan took an architecture class at OLLI and learned about this Frank Lloyd Wright- designed buildings (no, not that one in the picture) on the campus of Johnson and Sons (Johnson Wax) in Racine, Wisconsin. So, we drove down there to see it. Above is a statue made from a small model FLW created. The tower was really cool (below). The walls are made from tubes of glass. While the tower was in use, scientists in it developing products were subjected to wind and rain as it blew through the cracks between the glass tubes. We weren't allowed to take pictures in side, but it WAS COOL.

I had some sort of anemia heart palpitation weakness dizziness thing so I slept in the car while Dan and his parents went to the Racine zoo. Then we had lunch at a place called Kewpie and I got a migraine afterwards.

Later we went out for Wisconsin Fish Fry.

Lake Muskego or is it Lake Mukwanago. I can't remember. 

6-1-17

8am wake up

10am leave for ATL

12:30pm shop at IKEA

2:00pm arrive at airport

3:45pm flight to Milwaukee

5:45 land

6:30 dinner with in-laws!

5-31-17

Great work session today with two students. We compared two gear sets and voted for this one. Then we figured out how to connect the generator and light and turned the light on. It felt so successful! Wednesdays are full days. I meet with students in the morning from 9-11 then randomly meet with groups throughout the day, then have a full meeting with them all at 4pm with some tinker/work time afterwards. If felt rewarding today.

5-28-17

I'm making a new recipe with my lovely yarn-- it's a neck cowl thing.

5-26-17

Alabama magnolias are in bloom. Dan and I went for a night walk down to the park, up into the neighborhood behind it, then back to the museum, and back home. 

It was a good walk. 

Jes is fine. She stayed home from work all week recovering. Now she has a long weekend to continue recovering. I'll get to see her in July, and see Squirt in August when we go visit.

Aza has two job offers.

Our kids grew up and made good lives for themselves. We have an empty nest- not even a dog to walk. But we are full of pride at what our independent kids have accomplished. They have six college degrees between the three of them, soon to be seven. 

For a couple of 22 year old "kids" in 1985, pregnant and in college and jobless, we done good.

There is still a road ahead of us. 

Been married 32 years, we may have 32 more yet.

5-24-17

These were in our carport when I got home from work. I'd made them spring semester and there was only one person I knew who would have brought them to me. The Kraft Man.

 So, we walked around the corner to his house to thank him, and sat out on his back deck drinking beers. His house is FULL of his pottery, he has a full pottery studio in his basement, and he gave me two bowls. It felt like we had a neighbor.

5-20-17

 Jes is fine. Clear skies in Alabama and Colorado. The appendix was indeed the problem. She went home from the hospital around noon and was feeling ok. I found volunteer basil in the flower pot that basil had grown in last year. Basil babies.

And now for the rest of the story.

This is Wayside Chicken in C'ville across the street from where Jes lived as an undergrad student. She loved their mashed potatoes.

After Jes had her wisdom teeth extracted at age 18 or so, and was coming out from under the anesthesia, she was mumbling something, mouth full of gauze. What? What are you saying, Jes?

"Wayside Chicken. I want Wayside Chicken Mashed Potatoes."

Over and Over.

It's been a family joke ever since.

Yesterday, her co-worker brought mashed potatoes.

5-19-17

We saw this hawk in our yard. I wondered what it was an omen for.

...

The text message came in around the same time that I saw the Facebook post.

The text said, nonchalantly, "I'm having an appendectomy in about 45 minutes. Driving myself to the hospital." The Facebook post said, "Guess who has appendicitis?" 

I freaked out.

How could I get to Denver in 45 minutes, or 3 hours even???

We had tickets for the Habitat dinner/auction and I didn't want to go- I just wanted to stay home and worry about Jes. So I prayed for God, angels, ancestors, to protect my baby and guide the hands of her surgeon. I prayed for her to be surrounded by love.

But my sweet husband urged me to get dressed and see how I felt. So, I went to the dinner all the while texting Jes to see what was going on, not paying any attention to the dinner or the auction.

After our last text, after Jes was given a sedative prior to being wheeled into the OR, a woman called me-- a co-worker of Jes, who wanted me to know she was there, that she had a 30 year old of her own, and that she was going to stay until it was all over.

I cried and cried out in the hallway outside the auction/dinner. I was so relieved and thankful to have another mother there watching over my daughter. She kept me entertained and informed for the next hour, then let me know all was well and stayed until Jes was in her hospital room for the night.

Turns out she bought mashed potatoes and sweet rolls on the way to the hospital, walked up with her Mom Face on, and they said, "Jes, your mom is here" and the co-worked just waltzed right into the pre-op space. 

A miracle happened today.

Jes texted me before she went to sleep,

"She brought me mashed potatoes!"

5-16-17

Dan went and got us all Bodos for breakfast. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

We stayed in this little house near grounds. Mom had her own room, Dan and I had a mattress on the floor, and the girls had a pull out couch in the basement. I love AirBnB.

we had to say goodbye :(

and drive 11 hours back home.

5-15-17

This morning we packed up and left Richmond for C'ville. I had a meeting all day with my old colleagues (below). 

 Afterwards, Jes and Aza and I walked around campus. Guess what we saw??? In the Anthropology building, Jes's artwork from 2008 is still hanging up! See http://chrissysphotoaday.blogspot.com/2008/02/2-10-08.html 

She left a note for her old professor under his office door. We enjoyed seeing grounds again.

Then at 6:30 we had a reunion dinner with our old friends, which was great fun. Friendships that go back 30 years here... 

Man, I miss those people. 

I could have invited more people but didn't want to be totally overwhelmed.

I think I kissed everyone on the head. It was just such a feeling of love.