today, i seem to have waken up on the wrong side of the bed. things that don’t normally bother me, have bothered me today, things that don’t generally annoy me, have been annoying me. that seems like a great time for me to update here, let everyone know what’s happening, and remember all the things i should be grateful for and right now, there’s plenty.
first and foremost, on june 20th of this year, i left my employment at lawlor events center. it’s so amazing how much can change in two years! i will never, ever be sorry for the experience that i had there, but long term, it wasn’t the right place for me. when i was out on leave with my knee surgery last october, it was during that time that i decided i needed to be some place else. it was a really hard process for me to go through, and i learned a lot. i did a lot of self-examination, because i’ve never really quit anything in my life and i kept thinking that leaving lawlor would be an admission of some sort of failure. what i realized is that isn’t the case. being ABLE to do something isn’t the same as CHOOSING to do it. in the end, it wasn’t the right fit for me.
that’s such a very small piece of what’s happened in the last few months though…. also as a result of that injury, surgery, and resultant stuff that goes along with it, around march or april, i was ordered by the state to go and see a state-sanctioned doctor.
i went because they told me they had to. as a result of that, i got a settlement for a fair amount of money. not a huge amount, but enough that in thinking about what to do with it, this had been the year i was supposed to go and visit my son, chris.
after talking it over with dan, he wanted to do some yard and hottub work with his portion, but he said i should still go to germany… i talked to the kids, and they seemed pretty excited too.
i told them that it didn’t matter to me all that much what we did, as long as we were together, i was sure we’d have fun. then came the task of asking for the time off…always a stressful and interesting experience, but in the end, it was granted, which is all that matters.
i ended up going to germany for about 12 days all told, and we managed a lot of miles, four countries, and seven castles! IT. WAS. AMAZING.
i am going to end this post here, start the germany posts, and then continue. not sure how long it might take me to catch-up, but i will try to get ‘er done now that stress doesn’t rule my life. today, i am grateful for EVERYTHING!
Now, it's been another four months since I've updated. Those are somewhat hard months for me. During football and basketball season, there are some long hours and lots and lots of games. Now, basketball season has ended with no post-season play for our teams, and we are heading into a more mellow time. That's the job.
I've been trying over these last months to remember and make time for all the good in my life and remember the things that are important to me. Friends. Family. Being a part of a community besides where I go to earn my living each day. I've so missed my Fire Family and Burning Man community. I am not involved to the extent I was before, but I am trying to make time and be involved where I can be. I think it's important.
The above picture is from December when some friends came to visit. We ate at this amazing local place that sources as much local food as they can, called Greatful Gardens. Good times! That's what matters.
Things with the kids are okay. B is going through some tough times, and Chris is still in Germany. With any luck, I will be going to visit him soon.
With the birdies, our little Pinkie bird died in a tragic accident, she was drowned in the toilet when she flew there on accident and couldn't get back out. Least said about that the better. Sad, and I still miss that little birdie.
In an interesting twist, my nephew (I think of him as my son), David, his wife and their kids (consider them my grand kids) are staying with us. With Bri gone, it's been amazing for me, helped assuage the loneliness. Having kids around has been interesting, but they are good kids. Getting to know Annette, David's wife, better has been pretty darn cool.
Just a quick update, cataloging things, life.
I hope to write again soon. I am involved in Compression again, as the vendor coordinator this year. I am excited about it. I've missed my fire family a lot and have managed to get on the board again, managing IT again, and attending a few meetings. I've missed them crazy folks!
There's an amazing project happening, called the Morris Burner Hotel. Friends of mine are doing it, my sister is living there and helping, I've done a little painting and been a part of the first event, and hopefully, there's more to come. Another friend who works with local media recently made a very cool video about the Morris that can be found here: http://www.rgj.com/article/20140320/EVENTS04/140320005/Watch-video-Morris-Burner-Hotel-brings-new-life-Fourth-Street. I feel blessed to know these folks and be a part of this in Reno at this time.
Relevant to nothing, there are certain movies, that when they come on, I can't help but watch them. One of them is "A League of Their Own", which is just finishing now. Another is "Shawshank Redemption".
I hope....
i can't believe that this whole year i've only taken the time to post a couple times. amazing what being busy will do for you. i think it's really true that you don't know what you have until it's gone. i have so very many blessings to be thankful for, and in this season of thanks-giving, i am thankful for all that i have. truly....
i am thankful for my family, more than i can say. life has been pretty stressful the last year and a half, and without my partner in crime, my partner in everything, i would surely have gone crazy by now. i am so thankful for dan and our life. i am thankful that i am in the process of owning the home where i grew up and in a very real sense, it is home. it's not a perfect house and i am far from perfect, but home is the place that when you go there, they have to let you in =)
i am thankful for my adult children. i am so proud of my son, seeing the world, stationed in germany and living the dream with his lovely wife. i am thankful for my beautiful daughter who is probably my best friend, i adore that she lives with me and i hope she is here for a very long time. i am thankful that she is in college and doing something she will hopefully love. i am so very proud of my daughter this year. she got a scholarship at her school. she had to attend an awards dinner and she could have taken anyone in the entire world to help her celebrate this achievement. she invited me and it about made me cry and burst with pride. here's my beautiful baby girl:
i am thankful for beautiful friends and family of choice that help me get through my tough times. i know everyone says this but i have the best friends a girl could ask for. one of my best friends, pinktini, seems to have a sense of when i am at my lowest, and she always has a plan to pick me up or get me out of my head. earlier in the fall, we went to adult night at the children's museum. i always said the worst thing about our town's new children's museum was that it was made for kids! they must have heard me, as once a month they offer an adult night and serve booze and good food and grown-ups get to go find their inner child. there has been far too little of that for me lately. that has to change. here we are, in the reflection of a cool mirrored art piece. kind of blurry, but this was a fun time!
i am thankful for my relative good health and continued well-being. some things, i need to change. working a football game this season, i tore the meniscus in my knee. i did it at work, so i was injured on september 21st and had surgery to repair the tear on october 5th. it's been a whirlwind, for sure. when i first saw the doctor, she had the nerve to tell me i wasn't 20 any more. now, about seven weeks after surgery, i must concede she may have been right. i surely don't heal like i used to, the going is slow, and the residual stiffness and pain i have in physical therapy make me none too keen to have another injury any time soon. here is the knee in all it's awful glory, complete with ice pack
again and puncture wounds:
this is a picture of grizzly helping me heal. this had to have been 1-3 days after surgery:
i am thankful for goofy animals and the joy that is having silly little birdies in my life. dan had said a lot while he was unemployed and down that he credited the birds with keeping him sane. he says it's impossible to be sad or upset when you have little birdies around. case in point:
this is the binny bird. i guess, formally, his name is cinnamon, but we call him binny bird. we thought he was a girl for a long time because he's very pretty, but we think now he's a boy. if that changes, we will let you know. hahaha...sometimes you think you have them sexed appropriately, right up until they lay an egg =) this is binny's neat little trick of turning his head upside down and pretty much demanding that you rub his head. that a little bird could be so trusting and just lean it's head down when it must know that you could crush it so easily and yet they are trusting and loving. pretty amazing, really. and they have so much love to give. i adore having little birdies in my life. except for the poo. i could do without the poo.
life is always interesting, but i am feeling worn down lately. they say, if there's something we don't like about our lives, we are masters of our own destiny and only we can make a change for the better or do something to make ourselves happy. it's time i heeded that, and am working to make those changes. i will post more when i can. i don't do super well at the holidays, but so far, it's been okay. looking forward to the future and seeing what it holds.
for now, i am thankful, but also experience a certain amount of "meh". life's to short for "meh"...time to move along...
right now. this moment is momentous for me because normally at this time, i'd be in black rock city. this is the first time in 13 years that i am not attending burning man. the reasons are myriad. i had a really, really rough year last year. after taking the new job, in a very real sense, i now ranger full-time. every day there are aspects of my job that i have to ranger. and i work hard, and sometimes long hours. when i had a desk job, working harder on my vacation than i did all year seemed an okay thing to do. having a more stressful job kind of makes me want to have vacations that are relaxing. rangering isn't necessarily relaxing...
there are a lot of other things i tell myself right now, to keep sadness at bay. there's so much more of the world that i want to see, perhaps returning to black rock city every year is not the smartest choice considering there's so much ELSE i want to see. there is a lot of beauty in the world, and while there is A LOT of it concentrated in the miasma of black rock city, it's nice to see it in other places too.
also for the first time in several years this year, i went camping NOT in the desert. i went to a smallish event in the state of nevada over the 4th of july weekend and had an amazing time with good friends. i should maybe post pics of that, but i am not feeling it today.
for the last few weeks, we here in the truckee meadows have been inundated with smoke from a fire raging in the yosemite national forest. my dear friend and i decided to head to tahoe to see if we could get above the smoke. we thought at first we had been thwarted, but close to when we needed to leave, it seemed to clear for us, and we got amazing views. i am sometimes overwhelmed at all the beauty there is around me. i perpetually feel blessed.
there has been a lot more happening in my world that's new for me. for the first time in the last five years or so, the fire festival that I began had it's sixth iteration without me this year. with the new job, it seemed important to set a boundary of not being overly involved and stick to it. no fire performance for me, at all this year. during artown, our month-long arts festival here in reno, i did bellydance, but there's been too little of that in my life too.
life is different, but different isn't necessarily bad. i think sometimes it's hard to know you are in a rut until something happens to force you out of it. for me, this year, it was not being able to go to burning man...and being okay with that.
there have been more cockatiel babies. our baby fred had babies this year with a pearl female and we were blessed with an albino birdie. dan says he learned on the cockatiel facebook page that all albino cockatiels are female. she sure is sweet! world, meet pinky:
the first football game is about ten days away, which will make me a very busy woman again. i will update as i can. i think i need to be more random in my postings and not quite so linear. might record more that way =)
so, while not burning in a traditional sense this year, the fire still burns in my soul, and will find new and interesting ways to manifest! so mote it be.
Life is continuing on. I am going to post updates from the last couple months. Probably mostly highlights. As told in the pictures I take with my phone...
I am adjusting quite well to the new situation, now that I am getting used to it. I won't pretend that my life isn't drastically different, but that's not a bad thing. I struggle still sometimes, and don't always like having to be responsible, but who does?
Without further ado...from January, to now....
In January, on a much-needed day off, my best friend, Pinktini, took me on a lovely drive up to Tahoe with her dogs. She has Huskies and I got to have one of the leashes. This is Burney and he's a gorgeous dog! This was a great day and I feel so lucky and blessed to have such an amazing friend...
On January 25th, I got to be a part of one of the most amazing experiences EVER! I have been a TED Talk junkie for awhile now. I watch them whenever I can, which is to say, not terribly often because if I do, I get sucked in, and then I look up and somehow, I have lost four hours of my life jumping from TED talk to TED talk! This, however, was the FIRST TEDX (independently organized TED talks) organized in our town and on our Campus! Lest someone call me a liar, I know they have done them out at Burning Man before, but this was literally, the NEXT BUILDING OVER from where I work! When I found out about it, I contacted some of my friends at Extended Studies and told them I had to be involved. I ended up getting to help with the registration process and handing out of name badges, and getting to see all the talks live. They were inspirational, phenomenal, and I can't think of a better way to spend a day!
Here's a link to a play list that I created on YouTube with all the talks from that day:
I will truly never forget that day! There's another story related to this that I must tell, but it deserves it's own post, so it will get it =)
As part of my new job, we got to bring Tiesto to Reno. The show was going to be March 7, but leading up to that, I formed a very small street team, and we got to get the word out around campus. This involved doing several tabling events in front of the Joe Crowley Student Union. This was some big fun for me! I will say though, that it makes me sad that young people have become so jaded that you truly offer them a chance to win something for free, and they are suspicious or sure you are going to somehow compromise their information. We did six (I think) tabling events and at each one, we gave away a pair of tickets to this show. There were times, though, when people wouldn't even look our direction because they were sure that we were trying to sell them something. It was a great learning experience for me, though, and I had a lot of fun doing this. I wonder what comes next with this job?!?
My sister's birthday is February 11th, so on the 10th, myself, her son and his wife, and her roomies and besties all went out for Sushi. This is one of the large platters that we laid waste to. YUM!
Every month in Reno, downtown, there is a wine walk. It's been going on for awhile, but I had never participated in it. Until February of this year, that is =) My bestie, again, asked me if I wanted to go, and I invited my beautiful daughter to indulge in a little multi-generational binge-drinking! Yay! We had SO MUCH FUN! We didn't drive, we all arranged designated drivers and it's a good thing, too. It's all fun and games until you go to a place that has shot specials.
Not all of the places are even bars...this lovely airstream experience was courtesy of RENO ENVY and the bonus is, on this day, they ALSO served wine. WIN!
This is as we were at the end of the wine walk, but the evening didn't end here for me. I am not normally a tame person, and it's been very hard for me to be good for a very long time since having this new job. I was not good on this night, nor very tame. It ended about 11am the next day and I wasn't right for a few days, but I sure had fun =) No regrets!
Some time during the next week, while indulging in Panda Express, which is a staple because it's right across the street from work, I was gifted with this amazing fortune. Sometimes, it's not the big, exciting moments, but perfect small moments that make you feel all warm inside =)
This was a great event I got to help a little with. Girls and Women in sports day. Everyone seemed to have a good time!
Got to go to Virginia City with a dear friend. This is a sign back in the Old Washoe Club. I guess they just call it the Washoe Club now, but I will probably always call it OLD because that's how I've always known it =) They are doing fantastic and amazing things trying to restore this awesome place! Before the end of Summer, it is my fervent wish to be a member of their club to help restore their place and perpetuate their awesome!
Post Tiesto, this was the detritus of ONE security guard. 'Nuff said..it was a sparkly night, and a great experience and I learned a TON!
The day AFTER Tiesto, I had a small event at 7am, so this is a very sleep-deprived me, with one of my favorite staff people from this last year. She came to work for me through Sierra Nevada Job Corps, and graduated this Friday. Blanca, I know you will do amazing things, I just hope you keep in touch to tell me about it!
THIS, is TK421. The last time I posted a picture of her, I think she was listed here as #4. Her sister (we think) has been named Wayne for reasons probably safer not to go into other than to say that Wayne is a much loved Burning Man camp mate and said he'd be honored to have a birdie named after him =) TK421 is our new pride. This is her less than two months after that itty bitty little hatchling posted in the other picture. She is a complete love bug, loves to cuddle and snuggle and has quite the personality. Our birdie flock is large and in charge!
My bestie messages me and says we have to do something up in VC upcoming and it has to do with balls. Here's the proof. I was there. We did it. It was fun, and tasty. I will do it again, and go earlier next time!
This was the first "nugget" that came our way. Minced and wrapped in a wanton wrapper, served with sweet chili sauce, it was tasty!
Here is Pink tearing in to hers. Can you see the trepidation and cautious delight as her palette tries to battle with her brain over what she is eating?!?
This is the self-proclaimed BALL MASTER. Shortly after this photo was taken, a very large trophy came his way, as his team did, indeed, win all that is good at the Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed. Notice the conspicuously empty platters to his left. I had to wait a long time in line to sample these balls, but it was worth it!
Here are his wares:
And here I am, indulging:
My favorite of the day, indeed!
The next day, of course, was St. Patrick's Day. I get that we aren't supposed to celebrate a mass murderer. I do. I celebrate my Irish heritage, and it's an excuse to see friends I haven't seen for awhile. On the left in the hat and kilt, is my friend Willie. He and I serve on the board together of the Reno Celtic Celebration. Next to him is the owner of the bar, the Sierra Tap House, who is getting an award for supporting our Celtic Community, and next to him is my dear friend Jill Marlene, who is a member of the Celtic band 3-17 who was playing music that night and was ostensibly the reason I went out this night.
It was actually because I honor my dad every year by raising a pint to him and having a shot of whiskey...to celebrate that part of my heritage:
I wanted to take a picture of the whiskey too, but it was gone before I thought to take out my phone/camera. I saw a few other awesome friends there that night, and it was good to be out and relaxing!
Finally, this week, I went to change the bag I used to keep my shredded paper, and the whole thing blew up on me:
Some days are just like that...and if that's the worst that happens to me in a day, it's been a pretty damn good day!
the last six months have flown by!
life has been interesting to say the least.
a little happy to start. before burning man last year, two of our cockatiels decided to mate, and we had a couple of baby birdies. those birdies are now essentially full grown, but still under a year old. my husband being who he is, of course, their names are Darth and Vadar. Here they are, this picture was taken 12-26-12:
here are the new babies. so far, they are named 3 & 4, but this was taken yesterday, 1-12-13:
please ignore my double chins up there, i was using the forward facing camera on my phone taking that, and i was very impressed and excited that the front one was looking right at the camera. to give you an idea of scale, this is what the above one, looking at the camera, looked like newly hatched:
i think i have probably questioned everything that i am, my choices and my life A LOT in the last six months. it hasn't all been roses. there has been some hard stuff, mostly related to adjusting to a new job, a new work culture, a new place, and realizing how very comfortable i had been, what i had, and trying to decide what the best thing for me and my family is. i am mostly still not sure about a lot of that, but am slowing making my way towards establishing a new comfort zone, i think.
burning man last year was an interesting thing for me. i worked A TON of hours leading up to it, and the day i actually left turned into an epic day at the day job, followed by frantic packing, driving an unfamiliar car, some waiting, and some frustration. the end result is that it was more than a 24-hour day, with us arriving on playa saturday pre-event at about 8am. i don't really feel like i ever caught up from there and when one works long and hard at a day job, it's hard to do the same thing on what is supposed to be your vacation. i think i came home more exhausted than when i went, and crashed right into a shitstorm of epic proportions resulting from taking a two-week vacation two months into a new job. it was very hard and has left me re-evaluating many things.
right now, life is pretty good. i feel like i am making a lot of progress on a lot of things.
i am sad because i haven't been able to do a lot of the things that i really enjoy doing. i have spun fire one time, around election time, since before burning man...in fact, since compression. i haven't been able to bellydance in longer than that and while i had started going to the gym and kept at it more than six months going 3-5 days a week, i haven't been now in a few months and finances have dictated cancelling of the gym membership, but this is something i need to seriously get at again.
i struggle, sometimes, still. i am going to see if i can get back to doing some of the stuff i love. i need to do that. i also want to do more yoga...seems like the thing to do.
that's where my life is right now. have a lot to do to try to make it to germany at the end of june. my kids are great, and in general, i have much to be thankful for...and i am. it's just working out the kinks and trying not to be spoiled and entitled =)
best christmas present ever was getting to skype with my son and his wife in japan for about two hours on christmas day. love that kid, love his lovely lady, and yesterday we got a box of sweets and other yummies from them they sent from japan. he is safe, he is healthy, and trying to figure out how he can live in japan. if he makes it, then i get to go visit him =)
I actually do never seem to catch up on some things =)
I guess getting some stuff done sort of precipitates that other stuff will not get done. It's funny to me that I introduced the world to Dozer in the last post I did, and I just saw him again last night. Jerk! Here's a more recent pic:
Again, I can't believe how much has changed since my last post! Shortly after that, my sister moved to Sierraville, California, to follow a dream to help build sort of an artists community. That didn't work out for a variety of reasons, but she's trying to make the best of it and is currently living near her love in Davis, CA. I was there this last weekend for Ranger Training, and got to see her, her love, and Dozer. All three are doing well! I applaud Joy for wanting to make a way and a life for herself outside Reno. I know it's hard sis, but hang in there! Even if you come back to Reno, at least you will be able to have said that you did this!
My most exciting news is that I HAVE A NEW JOB!! This has been in the planning stages for me for a long time, but I didn't want to say anything because I was afraid to jinx myself if I put my intention too plainly out there, or seemed assy or over-confident about it before it happened. I also want to list here the reasons I've done this and what led me to this...
In 2001, I did not consider myself a traditionally creative human. I could appreciate art, but didn't really feel I was artistic or that I had cultivated that in myself. I vowed to change that. As my kids were getting older, they needed me less, wanted their independence more, which they were certainly entitled to, and I was left thinking to myself that if I did not build a life for myself, I would be sad and lonely when they made their way into their own existences by not having anything to do or anyone to hang out with or do things with. I was actualizing SOME creativity in the form of Pagan ritual and worship, teaching that to youth through the Unitarian Fellowship in Reno, and making and teaching activities for that group, but felt pretty unappreciated and isolated in those pursuits.
Backing up to late 2000, I don't remember how I stumbled upon it, but late in the Summer of 2000, I stumbled upon a Burning Man web site. I started reading, I followed some links to other links, and was completely captivated. I found out that someone I used to be related to through marriage had gone to this thing several times. It was too late that year for us to pull off a trip to Burning Man, but I vowed that I would go the next year come hell or high water and that I would spend that intervening year learning everything I could about Burning Man so that I would have an awesome time when I went. And that's pretty much what I did...
Since that time, I can't even express how amazing my life has been. Burning Man was an amazing experience, but my first couple of years I remember myself thinking "All these people are so creative, I wish I could be creative like that..." Our second year at Burning Man was the "Floating World" year. It was a great year for us personally, we saw and wandered all over the city and filled a passport with interesting and fun things we went around and did. During this process, we met a guy who was a "Ranger", his name is "Sasquatch" and he Rangers still. This gave us the impetus to give back to the community and also Ranger. By virtue of my involvement with Rangers, I began by being a perimeter guard for the local Fire Performance group, called Controlled Burn. I safety'd for them for about a year before I picked up some tools and decided to try for myself. Also around this time, a good friend of mine dared me to take a belly dancing class with her, which I did. I am sad because I am the only one of that group of women who all started on a dare who still dances, but I have never looked back and I cannot even express the ways in which belly dancing and fire dancing have enhanced my life.
As time has passed, I've done more and interesting things. I helped co-produce a festival called the "Drum, Dance and Didgerido Festival" the last two years it ran, then I took my hand at my own event, now in it's fifth year, called "Compression! Art and Fire!". I've taken a "Welding of Art" class, and tried forms of dance and performance I would never have tried before I started this wild ride! All these things have brought more magic, more creativity into my life. BUT, I still had my old, non-creative job sitting behind a desk.
Earlier this year, I was told of a possible opportunity that may come up, working with events full-time, but still on my college campus, which would keep all my benefits and retirement in the same place. I waited and waited and waited, but finally the position was posted! I had to think long and hard about taking this job, because it would be a HUGE change for me. No more behind a desk (ask much as I was before), potentially having to work nights and weekends, being here when events happen, more stress, more accountability. Ultimately, I decided to go for it. I had felt stagnant at my other job for awhile, but very safe and secure.
I GOT THE JOB! Today marks the beginning of my third week, and so far, it's a dream come true for me. Every day, I get validation that this was the right move for me. So many things have gone right, the amount of serendipity in my life is beyond measure and an amazing thing. I love my life! I know there are tough times ahead, but for this moment, I am reveling in the newness, the excitement, the potential, and welcoming the perpetual creativity into my life!
This was one of my Bro's last hospital trips, October, 2011
I guess that's the sign of a busy person eh? Not sure whether to be happy or not about that =) Generally, I am happy, but sometimes, it all just wears on me.
And then, there are days like today where almost all projects seem caught up, and reflection appears to be my friend, and I can take the time to jot down some thoughts. SO MUCH EXPERIENCE to record!
As I get ready to start posting about this years Compression, it strikes me that I haven't even recorded here my experience from last year's event. Pretty sure I have that written somewhere, so I will transfer it here.
Most recently, there have good times and sad times. My brother Steve passed away on April 18 after a long battle with Cancer. I will just say here, Cancer sucks. Really badly. I got to be there for him in his final weeks and this made me happy, but I am sorry for his pain, I am sorry he is gone, and I won't have him around anymore. We were not always close but we did love each other. Now, I must go, but I will edit and finish this later....I love you Stevie!
and wow, i did not realize the last time i had posted was on the anniversary of my mom's death. i opened the page today and went "whoah". sad sad sad. i still miss her every single day of my life! there's other family going through some stuff right now, i hope it all gets worked out...
me? i am pretty chill right now. there are new things on the horizon for me, i hope, and life is good. being busy is awesome, but also exhausting.
not that i often find myself being resolute about anything, but i did make a commitment this year to being more mindful of living a healthy lifestyle, and of health in general and mind in specific. i'd been feeling sort of crappy, so a couple of days after the post about my mom, i decided to join a gym. a friend took me and i really liked the atmosphere, classes and people. it's been almost two months now and i'm still going strong. i am there about five to six days a week, depending on the work schedules and am feeling a definite improvement in my cardio health. quicker recovery, stuff like that. it's been very interesting trying to be mindful of health again. i am ashamed to say that it's been a long time since i've been in good cardio health, i think maybe we don't realize how sedentary we are until we aren't anymore, or we start the process to change all that. it's different for me, and my experiences are different. it's like i am learning my body all over again, and what it feels like to be winded, have my heart rate in the "target zone". i remember it being harder and perhaps that's where my somewhat fitness level came in from dancing the last several years. i am four weeks into a six week program to jump start my new goals, and it's been a lot of fun. i am enjoying myself, which is something i didn't think i would say much about exercise. there are several dance-centered cardio things i do, plus weights and stuff in a pool. i like it! go, me!
in that same vein, i'd been feeling a little "off" around the holidays and thought maybe the 'ole diabetes had finally caught up with me. it's true, it had. i hadn't been to a doc in a couple of years, and my sugars are now consistently high. that means it's time to start testing, so i signed up for a diabetes education class and got a monitor, and have been testing twice a day. that's interesting, and i am also keeping track of my blood pressure. it all sort of goes together, but there's other stuff i need to change. i am okay with that because i want to live a long, long time, i think.
that's the daily update. this morning, there is snow outside, maybe only the third snowfall of the winter, so we desperately need the water resources. it's still snowing =) this last weekend i worked the state basketball championship tournament and it was fun, but long, sort of boring days. some of the games were good, though, and it made me feel good to be able to make the experience something to remember for those high school kids. i hope they do =)
had a long talk with my son yesterday, who is now in germany and loving life. there is a part of me that is jealous, but i wouldn't trade places with him. we will be visiting them in june of 2013.
there is also a new kitten in the house, and he's pretty cute. his name is dozer and he is full of kitty energy. here he is with grizzly:
Today, it has been five years since my mom passed away. I am sad, but feel like everything I do is a tribute to her. I wonder what she would think about certain things, or when I experience certain things that I know would make her laugh. God, I miss that woman, still.
So, I returned home from Scotland, and truly, really did not stop running until after Burning Man...which presented a whole new set of challenges...
The weekend after I got home, or a scant four days, I was on the Playa, doing Ranger training, participating in 4th of Juplaya, and generally, relaxing. To be honest, now that I am writing this the first part of November, I know I was there, I know I had a good time, but I don't remember a ton about the entire experience. I remember sitting through training....I remember eating and hanging with friends, but nothing stands out. This was the first camping trip for our new birdie at the time, Kilo. She got spooked the final day we were there and flew out of the trailer and on to the playa. My sister saved her, ran after her. I remember feeding Keeper, who was in her last trimester of pregnancy, and cooking yummy food.
Then there was a week of work, and final preparations. My son had gotten married in February, but this, July 11th, is what we called "The Pageant"...the formal wedding, the show, the experience for all friends and family. This caused a tad bit of stress. I was just returning from an expensive over-seas trip and my obligation as the bride of the groom was to host and organize the rehearsal dinner.
We had previously talked to Chris' dad (that's another story and series of posts that is on my list to catch-up on at some point...but not now) and his family drove here all the way from Ohio, and they were going to rent a house. They did rent said house, and it was gorgeous! They had spoken of renting a house, and we had approached them with the idea of hosting the rehearsal dinner there, but there was some implication that there might be weirdness surrounding the entire situation, and I didn't want any weirdness, so I had sort of decided to just handle it on my own.
The biggest hurdle with this was money, but with any luck, this would be the only time my son got married, and it was an overall small piece of everything that was done, but when you're hurting, it's hard to see those things, it's just stress! The alleged potential weirdness ended up being nothing, a misunderstanding. When we had asked Chris what he wanted to do for rehearsal dinner, his wish was to BBQ at a house not too far from where we would be at the Lake, grill some dead cow, eat good food, drink, and all hang out and get to know each other. There was bonus family, too. In addition to Chris' dad, Tom, and his wife Melody and their four kids, they brought Tom's mom, his brother and his wife, and their small daughter too. Yay, family! Chris always wanted a large family and that's something I just couldn't really give him, so I am glad he has that with the other part of the family...
So, I got the chance to talk to Melody on the phone, and there was NO weirdness at all, we arranged to buy the bulk of the food, and they agreed to host at this awesome house they had rented. I made a giant batch of potato salad, we did a lot of bread and it was Summer, which screamed tri-tip and plans were laid and made.
In absolute, I REALLY don't think the weekend could have gone better! The rehearsal dinner was exactly what Chris had said he wanted, Tom and Melody were kind enough to offer us space to stay in the house they rented, the wedding was beautiful with a stunning and not-to-be-believed location, everyone was lovely, friendly, loving. This day made me feel blessed on a level that I cannot adequately express. I was SO thankful for EVERYTHING! My colleague and friend Jim was the officiant, my friend Lenae and her cadre of photographer friends took professional photographs, all the family came and was loving and we all had a good time and there was very, very little drama! I adore my new daughter-in-law, it was fantastic to meet her parents and brother and friends, and there was Sake drinking that was fantastic and good times were had by all! It was a win for everyone!
And here are the pics....I don't have them all labeled yet, but I will work on that...might need to consult with some folks to ensure I get all the names right....eeeeek!
I could not have been more proud of my son, my family, my community...this was truly the sort of day that dreams are made of! I only hope that those who participated feel the same!
And I must hit the ground running, as the next several weeks will be very, very busy.
This coming weekend, there's the Playa ROM to attend. Because of other stuff that has been happening, it wasn't possible to attend an earlier ROM, so this will be a good opportunity for Ranger training, we've affectionately dubbed this weekend also as meeting man, and to see good friends not seen for a year.
I will confess that I am actually writing this on October 20, 2011. I left a book mark here for myself because there was lots I wanted to record, not sure if I will remember all of it now....
I remember feeling surreal when I got back. I was glad to be home, to eat familiar food, do familiar things, but also felt my soul and heart screaming NOOOOOOOO! IT CAN'T BE OVER!!!! A very real part of me wanted it to go on forever. I lived a lot inside my head, and that's okay with me. I wanted to imagine and experience what it was like or would have been like. I know with the logical part of my brain that where I live has certainly existed the same amount of time as the UK, but it doesn't have the same sense of history. This hardly ever bothers me, but I appreciate having gotten to see that history, those castles, and experience being there.
After Playa-ROM weekend, the following weekend is my son's wedding. If he had asked me "what's the absolute worst weekend we could have this wedding?" I would have said THAT weekend, but it is what it is and that's when it's happening. Since I am writing this after the fact, it all worked out fine, but there was not a minimal amount of stress in trying to figure this all out. As the parents of the groom, we are, traditionally, to be responsible for travel arrangements for visiting relatives and the rehearsal dinner. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but I am NOT a traditional person! I don't know how to do these things!! Lucky for me, someone, somewhere seemed to sense this, and I didn't have to do any travel arrangements. I think in this sense, I am TOO American. I can't imagine making arrangements for someone else. What an intrusion into someone else's life! I would NEVER presume to know where someone would want to stay, how much they would want to spend, what their requirements are....that whole thing just felt extremely foreign to me because I live my life being radically self-reliant and probably arrogantly so, assuming other people are also.
Two weeks after the wedding is Compression, the fire festival now in it's fourth year.
If I remember correctly, I put this post here to document mi vida loca!
There are only five pictures from my last day or two in Scotland. There are some things I regret, mostly silly things. This last day actually turned in to two days.
The first picture is one of my Scottish groceries. I love oat cakes and some time soon, probably later this winter when I feel like cooking, I will make Scottish oak cakes. Such amazing little rounds of deliciousness! Versatile, and good for you, I think, if made properly. YUM! Milk, cereal, Nutella, Scottish breakfast tea, a banana. I ate well while in Scotland, even when I fed myself!
I think I needed to be out of the hostel by 10 or 11am, I made that with no issues. I knew this was going to be a long day. In essence, my travel day turned in to travel days, as my flight the following morning was supposed to leave at some ungodly hour, so I thought it would be best if I slept in the airport that night, to ensure that I would, in fact, make my flight. I wouldn't actually have minded being stranded in Scotland, but I couldn't do that to my family, who I thought had already sacrificed for me to get the time I had there =) Missing this flight would have cost more money we didn't have.
I had decided at some point that I would spend the money and take a cab into town, but when it came down to it, it was my final moments in Scotland, so I decided to hoof it and spend some final time in Inverness. Of course, this meant I had to lug all my shit all over the place, but I decided to suffer through that. I debated that thought when the brand new super cool bag I had bought for this purpose decided to break apart as I was packing. Pieces of the zipper fell apart, making it impossible to close, which means I had to rearrange things again. Since I had to go back in to Edinburgh anyway, I decided I would head back to that little cheapie store and exchange that stupid bag! I proceeded into Inverness and looked around some more, for the last time. I had wanted to have a meat pie or sausage roll thingie, sort of try Scottish fast food that was unique to that place, but some of the places scared me. I ended up in a sausage shop and found a pretty awesome special for, essentially, a deep fried sausage rolled in some dough. It was good! Good 'ole greasy goodness seems to be pretty universal...I checked the train schedule and waited there awhile, reading a book and watching the people. Very interesting and fascinating past time, that.
The train ride from Inverness to Edinburgh was as stunning as the ride up the first time. The Highland landscape is unique, changes from the Highlands to the Lowlands, and is green, picturesque and seems like the land that time forgot. You can obviously see signs of modernity, but you can also see how little has changed in what seems thousands of years.
Back in Edinburgh, I walked across the bridge and up the hill to exchange my bag. It was a huge relief when it was done! I didn't get any flack from the store employees, it was a straight across trade, I just wanted something not broken to hold my shit, man! I walked around a bit after that, sort of went around the royal mile again, then headed down to the train station. I don't know what it was about this trip into the station, but I got REALLY disoriented and ended up walking around in circles for awhile, then finding out that the bus I needed to get to the airport was outside anyway. I got frustrated!
I got to ride one of those cool double-decker buses and it was a special run to the airport. These were my last glimpses of Scotland that weren't in the airport. Such a lovely place! I hope SO that I can return here some day!
I got to the airport by about 6 or 7pm. While driving on that large bus TO the airport, there was some very large concert taking place and it sort of made me realize how much more efficient other people are than Americans. There was a lot of traffic, yes, but the buses and foot traffic was more much than vehicle traffic. It also made me see that visiting Edinburgh was nice, but it's too large a city for me to live in. Inverness is just about perfect for me =)
I spent the night in the airport. My flight was like, at 6am, so I stayed there because I was TERRIFIED of missing the plane or not being able to access public transportation that would get me there in time for my flight. It wasn't bad, all in all. I spent some time sleeping in the little chapel there. It was quiet in there, it the space seemed to be respectful of all religious paths, not just Christianity. I was pretty delirious by the time it was time to make my way up for my plane. I most regret that I went directly from Belfast into Scotland, so I had this amazing adventure in Scotland, and yet, I have no stamp in my passport to say that I was ever in Scotland. If that's all there is to regret, then I'd say I had a pretty smashing time! Yes, indeed!
I will never forget this trip...and I hope I get to go back some day!
I have to tell you, this has been a chore, recording this vacation. I know that I will be glad once it's done, and that I will have it forever, but it's really hard to label and organize the pics, and remember all the stuff you want to record. By this day, I was pretty tired! I had been invigorated and had an amazing time on the tour with Hugh, but trying to see everything you want to see in a ten day trip means you are perpetually running, running, running. The bottom line is that you will sleep when you get home, you only have so much time to see and do what you want!
So, this day was for me to explore on my own in Inverness. I had contemplated going on another tour up to Loch Ness and doing that whole business, but it would have made money too tight the rest of the trip, and of the places I've been out of my country so far, I've a feeling I've not seen the last of Scotland!
This days pictures start with a detailed view of the hostel where I stayed. It was a new experience for me, but I cannot say enough about the hostel! I am sure they are not all clean and friendly and uncrowded and stuff, but I am so glad I had this experience and it sure was when I was there, so I wanted to let everyone know about it! You hear horror stories about hostels, and there are even horror movies about them, but this was just great!
Then there are pictures of my short walk into the city. I love the architecture here! The houses were so pretty. I even picked out the house I want when I go back to live. Hey, a girl's got to dream! As I came down the hill into the town, going what was sort of a back way thinking about the 'front" of the town being that which faces the train station, and there's this charming little farmers/street market. There are all sorts of people out there selling their wares and displaying things. The first booth that really caught my eye was for a group of people seeking to preserve and help out prey birds. They had three absolutely stunning owls on display. I LOVED the sign that said, in big red letters "BIRDS OF PREY, PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOG AWAY". I thought of several smallish dogs I'd seen and had to take pictures of not only the birds, but the signs and the men that were there. The humor encountered in Ireland and Scotland is constant, and often subtle = )
I HAD to go into the McDonald's I went by, so I could see a menu. I saw it and had to take a picture, so there's also a picture of that...then, Inverness has close's too, which fascinate me, although they do tend to me much shorter and smaller than those in Edinburgh. On to Inverness castle. It's still a working building, so I didn't get to go inside, but it had been recently renovated and it and grounds were gorgeous! As I was walking around the castle, I found something very funny. Right near a circular parapet that looked down on Inverness below is bolted a sign that says "Fire assembly point". Which is great, except that it points to this small, circular alcove that's probably three feet in diameter, then plunges straight down about thirty feet to the pavement below. WTF?!? So, you get out of the building that's on fire....to stand against the way or jump over the side and plunge to your death below?!? This, too, made me giggle. I met a very friendly chap and his wife. They were separated when he talked to me, but he introduced me to her, and he is the one that took the picture of me next to the "fire assembly point". heh. He laughed when I pointed it out to him, too....
The entire time I was in Ireland and Scotland, over ten days at this point, I saw ONE, single solitary paper towel dispenser, and it was in the toilets that are between the castle at Inverness and the Inverness museum. All the other bathrooms I had encountered had those dyson blow yer hands thingies. So, it warranted a picture.
The Inverness museum was really neat. It had a lot of interactivity in it, with things you could touch and feel to get a sense of the history. I LOVE stuff like this! Things from the Bronze Age, the Picts, rudimentary tools, stuff on Gaelic language, all sorts of things for kids. It was really neat to root around in there. I walked down to the river, saw some churches along there, went into a couple of whiskey and other shops, saw the tourist trappy ones, and yet, appreciated that they were there. I went up a street to a graveyard that seemed to be the graveyard of Frasers! It seemed to me that at least a third of this graveyard had Fraser family members....who knew?
I encountered the most awesome book store ever. Called Leakey's Second Hand Book Shop, it struck me as EXACTLY the way a book shop should look. It's in a building that was formerly a church, and it is LITERALLY books and nothing but books, floor to ceiling, stacked anywhere there is a spare space, with a desk and stove in the center, and one of the former church lofts is a small cafe'. I had soup here that was amazing, they also serve pies and deserts...and tea, of course. One of my favorite places in Inverness, for sure. I could have gotten lost in there for HOURS! It actually reminded me of the Trinity University in Dublin where they have the Book of Kells. There is a room of floor to ceiling books there. The same sort of reverence for knowledge is felt in Leakey's. Seriously.
While I was wandering around the the graveyard, I went around a corner and saw two homeless men, enjoying the sunshine and probably enjoying not being harassed. They both appeared to be sleeping. No matter how touristy the town, every place has people that are less fortunate, and this was a poignant reminder.
I made my way back to the hostel as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The houses were just as beautiful on the way back. I spent my last evening writing, catching up, repacking, thinking about the journey home and tomorrow, catching up on email, putting out fires back home, and mourning with a deep and melancholy sadness that my time was coming to an end. When I went to France, I experienced it knowing I would likely never go back. With Scotland, it's more like "Until we meet again, my friend...." Call it a hunch....
I am a giant nerd. I may have mentioned before that there is a series of books that I absolutely adore. For most of my life, I have been a vociferous reader, and I have NEVER been someone who could reread books. If I've read it, that's it, I am done. But this series of books, written by Diana Gabaldon, called the Outlander Series, features Scotland, and specifically the Highlands, throughout much of the books, especially the first few. These books are what made me want to come to Scotland. Anyone else who's ever fell in love with these books and these characters understands what I mean. We are a devoted lot, and we harangue poor Dianna mercilessly for the next book as soon as another is published =) These books are A-MAZING! When I knew I would be going, but only to Edinburgh, I could not be THAT close, and not see or experience the Highlands.
So way back when I decided I wanted to go on this trip, I knew I was going to deviate from the rest of those going and take a Highland adventure by myself. I didn't just want a "Highland" adventure though, I wanted an adventure that would take me to the places mentioned in the book...and I wanted to be shown these things by someone who had read at least some of the books. Being a good geek, I googled "Outlander Tours", and "Diana Gabaldon Scotland Tour" and "Jamie and Claire Tour" to see what would come up. I found a lot of really cool tours, but knew most of them were out of my price range, as this was going to occur at the end of an already expensive almost two week trip and there was no way I'd be able to eek out another few thousand dollars for another multi-day tour. Enter InvernessTours.com. They had a one day, reasonably priced Gabaldon tour by guides who were from the area. Way back when I was planning all this, because I booked my tour so far in advance, I also got a discount for pre-paying AND, they would see if they could help me sell the rest of the seats on the tour! This actually did happen, and they refunded some of my money, because you have to pay for a six-person capacity tour, even if it's only you. Paying for the guides time and all that, which I completely understand....so here's a link to a sample tour like the one I took, HERE.
All the planning, working two and three jobs, everything up to this point had led me to this moment in time. It was FINALLY going to happen, after a year of waiting, anticipation, worry that it wouldn't happen, worry about money, worry about being by myself, guilt over spending the money, tired feet from working all the time, but by God, NOW was my time! I think I must have gotten myself up at about 6am. It wouldn't do to be late for my guide, that's just inconsiderate. I showered, had my authentic Scottish breakfast in the Scottish hostel of Scottish breakfast team, oat cakes and Nutella, a banana, and some cereal. Then I headed outside probably fifteen minutes early at least, to wait for the guide, after checking my email about half a dozen times since I'd gotten to the hostel to make sure nothing could mess the day up, that I had the time right, and it was REALLY time. Squee!
Our guide's name was Hugh, and he greeted me with the two other people who had bought into my tour. They were a very nice couple from Australia named Eileen and Herbert. I found out later that Eileen has cancer and is not expected to live, so this is one of the things she wanted to do before her time was up. Man, talk about some heavy! I discovered that throughout the day. Hugh had this really cute little blue car that fit four very comfortably. He was also in full regalia, kilt, vest, looking like the Highlander he is, and it was awesome!
It was odd to be the front passenger. All the rest of our motor travel in the UK had been in a giant bus, so this was the first time I'd been in a passenger car besides the short cab ride and it was interesting sitting on the side which is the drivers side in the US. We were off ahead of schedule and headed into the wilds of the Highlands. I was just hoping at this point I didn't do anything to embarrass myself being a geeky fan girl...
I didn't think it was possible for me to fall more in love with Scotland, the Highlands, or getting to be there, but I was so, so wrong! Our first journey was to drive through Inverness and to the Clava Cairns. The drive there was stunning. As we first left the main road and started to drive winding sort of back country roads, we looked down a particular road and were gifted with getting to see two red deer walking down a dirt path! Hugh, our guide seemed to think this was exceptional good luck! To me, it was a harbinger that this was to be a day of excellent memories and good times =)
We passed this amazing red brick viaduct or domed bridge thingie that I think I road on the top of when I was taking the train to Inverness. Very pretty. As we head towards the Cairns, I click more pictures at just how different and wild things seem here. That this place has such an amazing sense of history, and yet, things have remained, is amazing. We drive by a wall that is of indeterminate age, crumbled, with sticks jutting out from it, plants growing through it, the wild trying to reclaim things, but you can see that it was once a rock wall...
The Cairn's themselves are heavy with the history they contain. There's an aura of mystery about them, as you walk around them and try to understand how they were used, what they were used for, and how people thousands of years ago wanted to ease the transition their loved ones encountered as they moved to the next phase of existence....I ADORE knowing that the celebratory and reverential aspect of these stone circles are based on the cycles of sun and moon.
Next was the drive to Culloden. The drive itself was gorgeous. I am glad there was someone TO drive. Although I am pretty confident of my ability to navigate by GPS, it was incredibly convenient and an awesome thing to have someone who knows the area so well driving us, because I don't know if I could have done a fraction as well, driving on the opposite side of the street in addition to being in a different country. This knowledge was not wasted on me, and I was thankful for what we had =)
Culloden was one of the greatest experiences and one of my favorite museums we visited. A whole lot of thought went into the construction of things, presenting the different viewpoints, and giving proper gravity to what occurred here and the ramifications it has had on the history of Scotland. I would recommend this as a must see to anyone visiting the Highlands!
There is this thing called the "immersion chamber" in the museum. It says on the outside that persons with heart conditions or of a nervous nature should not go into the room. Forewarned, there was no way I wasn't going in. I am one of those people who believes that it's an obligation to learn about and know of things like Culloden. Knowing history and having it come alive for you is important. Maybe it helps us prevent future mistakes, maybe it's just to honor those killed so that someone knows their story, but for me, this was obligatory. When the experience in the chamber begins, you can feel a cool breeze around you, moving your hair, and on all sides, the room has a projection of the battlefield. You can see the grasses moving in the wind, you can experience what it might have felt like. Around you, as you are standing in the middle of the room, the Battle at Culloden is played out before you. I am not a huge fan of violence and war to begin with, even typing this months later, I still cry at the viscreal, gutteral reaction I had to experiencing that for myself. I cried for the experience, to honor those who died, the way of life that died that day, and for the fact that before picking up a novel a few years ago, I knew nothing of this thing that happened that had such a huge impact on the world. They actually asked me if I needed to leave the room but I stayed. No matter what I experienced, it was paltry next to those who were there...
Then we walked the battlefield. Seeing the impossible scale of things is important I think. Seeing diagrams in a book or seeing charts hung on a wall isn't the same thing as standing along an impossibly long line of red flags and being able to barely see the impossible line of blue flags, barely discernible when standing next to the red ones. And yet....I am sure as men stood on opposite lines on these fields, they knew what was coming. Perhaps not the outcome, but that something momentous was surely happening. Seeing the clan stones took my breath away. Stones for English as well as Scottish.
There's a guy I know in Reno, with whom I have volunteered the last few years at our local Celtic Celebration. His name is Willie. He belongs to Clan Donald, and our local area has a chapter for this clan, in which he is very involved. I felt like I couldn't be there, when I saw the sign that said "Clan Donald" and not honor my friend by visiting his clan space and recording it for him. I was advised by Hugh that it was quite a hike, but I asked them to carry on and I would catch them back at the museum, as this was important to me. Make the trek, I did...alone with my thoughts and wondering what travels lead a family from that battlefield to have a clan member in Reno, Nevada 265 years later. It was a heavy and heady experience. Walking along the moor gave me a particular appreciation for the battle that was captured by Diana Gabaldon when she wrote of Culloden in her book(s) too. I think until you go there, you cannot fully appreciate how treacherous the landscape is. The marsh has small pools of standing water that are all over the place. These are really holes all along the landscape and I know there are parts where Diana describes how Highlanders seem to have a sixth sense about traversing this terrain, but for anyone not used to it, twisted ankles, close encounters with the ground, sopping socks and shoes, it's very easy to see how this could all come to pass...and yet ruggedly beautiful.
I wanted something special from here, so in the gift shop, I discovered Heather stones, and I bought the book that is the companion book, about Culloden. I have a Heather Stone for myself, and I will refashion it into something else. I LOVE it, and nothing says "Highlands" to me like this enterprising endeavor to exist using what one has. Leaving Culloden, I felt emotionally hung-over, wondering what was next...
"Next" happened to be lunch. We drove for a bit, which was a relief to me, to give me time to compose myself. I seriously felt like I could have spent a lot of time sobbing on that battlefield, mourning all that was lost there. The scenery across bridges and skirting around bodies of water, was stunning. I spent my entire time acknowledging how blessed I felt to be there, to get to be seeing this stuff, to be in the center of this place and experiencing this day.
Lunch was this amazing place in the Northern Highlands, according to the map, called Ferann-Domhnuill. There was a little shop at the front, then another room off to the side where they had set up a lunch counter with sandwiches and hot food and such. The food was very good. I had a stew type thing that was very good, came with bread and veggies, was hot and delicious. There was this clear tent thing that provided cover for an outside patio area where we sat. It was right along the water and the tide was out. What an experience! Hugh had mentioned to us earlier that if we were interested (who wouldn't be if you are ANY sort of history buff) that he had written a book called "Culloden Tales" about the battlefield, it's history before and after Culloden, what led up to the battle, and stories he was gifted with during his tenure at the visitors center at Culloden. We were able to purchase books FROM him, and he signed them for us. This made my little geek heart go "Squeeee!"
Attached to this restaurant is a Storehouse that dates from the time of Jamie and Claire, the information said it was completed in about 1740. There was an entire exhibition setup inside. In one way, it was kind of creepy because it was like, there were posed mannequins in clothing, mimicking the actions that would have occurred when the space was a working space, and it was creepy in that wax-museum, fake person sort of way, but there is no denying the display itself was incredibly detailed, very cool, held a TON of information, and represented well that area of the Highlands.
There was information in there about what a Storehouse is, how they came to be, what this one was called, and how the clan that restored it (Munro, I believe) evolved and lived. There was a timeline that went from 1000A.D to the 1980's, information on neighboring clans, what the clan system was, samples of neighboring clan tartans, and specific information about the Monro's going to present day. I'd never seen anything like this! The walls on this structure were probably two feet thick. It was like stepping back into the past.
Then, we drove near to what could have been Castle Leod. I am actually glad I didn't pay to meet the current titled dude who lives there and have tea with him. I mean, not to be crass, but he means nothing to me, we got to see the Storehouse instead, which was much more broadly based, and we got to have tea at Lallybroch, so although it would have been cool to see the inside of the castle, I think the day progressed perfectly just the way it went =)
After lunch, as we were on our way to our next destination, we passed a small water wheel that would have been the type of which Jamie swam under during the first book of Outlander. This one looked small to me, and it reminded me of a water wheel in Washington that looks just like this to me on the Hood Canal, but it's lovely, regardless.
At this point, Hugh asked us if we would like to see landscape and scenery like that which would have existed during Jamie and Claire's time and I was all about that! He said he knew a place that was lovely, and we quickly agreed and were not disappointed! We headed to Rogie Falls. Hugh said there had been some trail development since he'd last been there, and in fact, the trail was diverted along a different path than the one it looks like folks originally followed. Since the health of those with us was such that we needed to take it nice and slow, we did so, but I think that just enhanced the experience! The rope bridge that went across the river was exhilarating and scary at the same time! There's a large sign at the entrance to the bridge that says no more than five people should be on the bridge at the same time due to weight limits. I walked across, but didn't go completely to the other side. I was okay with that. When we arrived, here was another group on the bridge, but everything we attended was thankfully blissfully uncrowded. We didn't encounter that many people and when we did, they were not throngs, merely individuals or very small groups, similar to ours. The falls were a lovely time and on the way back, we found a rock that could have held the cave Jamie hid in after Culloden. I know it's fanciful and dumb to be so enamored of these books and to look for these things, but I am. Eh. As we walked back, closer to the original path Hugh had told us was the original, he said the foliage was much closer to what it would have been like in the 18th century. The pine that exists now is not native to Scotland, but was brought in later. Although still stunningly sublime, it was very nice to see ferns, undergrowth and what things might actually have looked like during the 18th century. The river that creates the Falls is called the Blackwater River and it surely is. Hugh says the peat causes the river to be a greenish brown earthy color, but I told him I thought Scotland really was the promised land, as they had rivers of ale cascading over the rocks! He laughed, and we never got close enough to taste if it was beer or water, but it was probably water, shucks!
When we left and headed for our next destination, we crossed a valley that Hugh shared with us flooded when the river breached its banks. He stopped near a tree and showed us the spot where his friend had had the wherewithal to mark the highest point of the river the last time it flooded. That picture is in the mix and WOW! It was high!
As our day began to come to a close, on the way to our Lallybroch tea, we passed a whiskey distillery and as this was going to be my only chance to see one, Hugh was kind enough to stop, so we could see the ginormous copper kettles and the dark, smoky carbon particles that leave a sooty residue on the buildings as part of the distillation process.
I mentioned to Hugh at some point that I had seen Highland cattle before, but not since I'd been in Scotland and seeing a Heilan Coo very much appealed to me. He said we'd keep an eye out for them, and we peaked a glimpse of some on the side of the road as we were on our way to Lallybroch. Down a windy, dirt road, we came to a small inn that is like what Lallybroch would have been. I know people were smaller in the 18th century, but the doors on the farmhouse were seriously midgety, low to the ground. The house is much bigger than I thought it was, but then, in a recent reread of Outlander, it seems about right. We didn't get to see the entire house, we were mostly relegated to the front two rooms, but it was enough. When we arrived, the hostess was ready for us and I got to have Tea! I don't know what I expected, I guess maybe I didn't dwell too much on it because it's not something that's part of my culture. We sat, a small porcelain tea pot and sweets like pastries, cookies and peanut butter bars were offered around and we were to drink tea. This tickled me beyond belief! It was somewhat discomfiting because I had been going so long by this point, I am not generally one who sits still a lot, so like, taking the time to relax....enjoy the scenery.....chat about Lallybroch, our day, sip our tea, eat pasties seemed like the height of decadence to me! After we had mostly finished, Hugh brought out the special surprise! He had period weapons from 18th century Scotland and he wanted to show us. Can I just say, a DIRK is friggin' HUGE!! I guess in my brain, because I'd seen it described as a large knife, I was thinking knife size. Seeing one, I was thinking, "THAT'S A SHORT SWORD!!" It never ceases to fascinate and appall me the interesting and painful ways humans find to inflict grievous bodily harm on each other. The notches in the dirk, designed to inflict the most damage, and the channels in the center of the blade designed to avoid creating suction once it's been embedded IN A BODY, so it can be removed easily....these are not things I think about. The real sort is much longer, but surprisingly light, and the sgian dubh actually really does seem like a smallish knife. The targ, which is a shield, is ingenious in it's protective capability, and also with how they learned to hold the dirk AND the sword to be a more efficient killing machine. I am glad I live now and have the luxury of being a hippy =) These things horrify me, generally, but they were fun to play with. He also had a pistol with amazing scroll work engraved into the silver handle and barrel of the gun. I admire Hugh's willingness to share these things with us, and his generosity in sharing his knowledge with us.
We also saw the front room where Jamie would have been taken after Laoghaire shot him. It all seemed surreal because I couldn't believe I was there. The Inn has it's original stone entryway and flooring in the hallway, and the original kitchen area, which we saw from a distance. It was fairy tale like in it's quaintness...
Alas, it was time to leave and it started to wear on all of us, I think that this had been a looooong day, but fun-filled and amazing! After we left Lallybroch, I did indeed get to see my Heilan coo!! Yay! I think they are so cute and furry, but I know if I ever had one, I probably wouldn't be able to eat it because it would become my friend. I could buy non-factory farmed meat from them, though...as long as I didn't have to know, feed, or care for the cow in question =)
One of our last stops was Beauly Priory. Interesting place, this. Crypts, interesting Gabaldon-esque graves, lovely reddish stone, and you can still see the marks of carbon from fire when the roof was burned down. We wandered around here for a bit, then headed to the tartan store! Our last stop of the day was at Campbell & Co., where we met the very charming proprietors and saw the most extensive collection of tartan, on bolts, that *I* had ever seen. That's really not saying much, as I generally don't shop for tartan, but still, it was stunning =)
The drive back into Inverness and then to drop of Herbert and Eileen and finally myself, was quiet, but filled with companionable chatter and learning those last few facts I've probably already forgotten. Important stuff I wrote down, and it's in my Scotland stuff, which I've loaned to a friend who's also a fan of Diana's books, Jamie and Claire, and who I've promised at some point, we will go back together and possibly stay in a haunted castle....another item for the bucket list!
Doing things to take them off your bucket list is quite the experience. On one hand, you are trying SO hard to embed everything into your consciousness, because you don't want to forget a single moment, sensation, experience, smell, taste, or event. The reality is that our brains don't work that way =) I will say that this day was definitely in my top ten in my life. Thank you to Hugh and my traveling companions Herbert and Eileen. I will never forget you, or the day I got to spend touring the Highlands, being at Culloden, and seeing places like those that might have been experienced by my favorite couple, Jamie and Claire!
