May 21, 2013 - An Amazing Final Day in North Berwick

Well after three days of damp, drab weather with limited visibility the skies cleared and Scotland really showed off her beauty. I woke up at around 5:30 a.m. (I can't seem to adjust to the time change) and went on my morning walk. I walked the 50 yards from our apartment to the beach and saw Bass Rock and it's lighthouse clearly for the first time. The sunrise was spectacular and seeing the great weather made me consider altering our plans to tour on our way to St. Andrews and stay and play one more round of golf in North Berwick. It was...

May 20, 2013 - Now & Then Edinburgh Photo

So we have this cool photo in our house of my Dad in a kilt that he had taken in Edinburgh when he was on leave during WWII. The boys & I went and had our picture taken at the same place to represent the next two generations. Then we made a toast to a great man that we all miss very much. Cheers Dad (Papa)!

May 20, 2013 - North Berwick

Greetings from North Berwick! North Berwick is a great little seaside town just 30 miles from Edinburgh on the East coast of Scotland and it is filled with golf history. It is not as popular with tourists as St. Andrews but it is my favorite spot in Scotland for scenery, Scottish hospitality and great golf. Imagine playing golf at Torrey Pines for 1980's prices then getting a 4 star hotel room right on the beach in La Jolla for $100 a night. We have a great three bedroom luxury apartment one block from the ocean and are enjoying the pub...

May 18, 2013 - Edinburgh

Day #2 started with a great Scottish breakfast and then a long walk in the rain from our B&B to the top of the hill to tour Edinburgh Castle. Before we entered the castle we researched our lovely last name and learned that we are from the the MacEwan clan which sounds way cooler than Magoon if you ask me! Next we had photos taken in traditional Scottish garb (Photos posted soon). After touring the castle we grabbed a taxi and headed to a scotish premire league soccer match. After the game we drove to the town of North Berwick where we will...

May 17, 2013 - We Made It!

Well after 20 hours of airports, English language challenged taxi drivers and a hectic couple of hours trying to find our way while driving on the wrong side of the street, wrong side of the car and manual shifting with the left hand we finally made it to our B&B in Edinburgh, Scotland. We are very tired from the journey but that didn't stop us from going out for a great meal of Indian cuisine and then washing it down with a couple of pints of ale in the nearest pub to celebrate :) Tomorrow is a busy day as we tour downtown Edinburgh and...

Apr 11, 2013 - Back to Bo'ness with Some Diversions

We were up early and got packed then had breakfast this morning. We packed the car and returned the key to the landlady then walked into Keswick. It was market day and we browsed the stalls then Nan went to a store where she had seen a coat she liked. After trying on a few she decided on the one she originally liked. We returned to the cottage and picked up the car and set off to return to Bo'ness. We drove by back roads to Carlisle and on to Moffat where we walked round the main street and stopped at a tweed shop with a cafe where we had...

Apr 10, 2013 - More Lake District and a Look at the Sea

We were again on the road about 10:00 am after breakfast. It was a lovely bright day, though still a little brisk, but no where as windy as the last two days. Nan had got ready and gone out to get some things for our picnic lunch which we prepared after eating breakfast. We drove south of Keswick along the lakeside and stopped at a National Trust car park and admired the smooth lake - such contrast to yesterday when the biting cold wind had whipped up the water into sharp-peaked waves. However, by the time we had taken photographs the wind...

Apr 9, 2013 - Round the Lake District

We had breakfast and set off for the lakes to the south of Keswick. The first stop was Grasmere. This is a scenic village with many slate buildings and the burial place of the poet William Wordsworth and his family. We walked round and toured the cemetery. It is in quite a picturesque setting beside an old Norman Church and a river with an old bridge. It was a bright day, but cold and windy. So cold, in fact, that Christine bought a hat to try and keep warm. Since she hates wearing a hat, and hates buying one even more, you can judge how...

Apr 8, 2013 - Keswick - a long awaited revisiting

We were up early this morning and packed ready to leave. After breakfast Nan, Christine and Iain said goodbye to Graeme and set off driving over country roads with snow at the roadside and lambs in the fields to the Main western north/south motorway and down through Gretna and Carlisle to the Lake District, a scenic area of northwest England which all three of us had visited many years ago. In the mid 1960s Christine and I had been to a Christian Convention held here every summer, and again in the later 1960s when we had spent a vacation in...

Apr 7, 2013 - Edmonton Reunion

We were up and getting ready for Church this morning. We had breakfast then set off and picked up an elderly lady to take with us. The minister was away and it was a lawyer who spoke. He was very good. It is a very small Church but has a consistent attendance, We took the lady home and arrived at Nan's house at the same time as her younger son, Iain brining Michael and Kathryn. Michael and Kathryn are the grandchildren of Iain's cousin and their home is Edmonton. Kathryn has been in Scotland for almost a year and spent the previous year in...

Apr 6, 2013 - Goodbye Rob, Hello Nan

We got most of our packing done before breakfast this morning, then I went along to replenish my wallet and check the price of razor blades at Boots. They were a good deal compared to the price in Walmart or London Drugs and a lot better than other places we had priced them at here. When I returned, we finished packing the car and set off for St Andrews where we had a walk through the shopping area and by the university where Prince William & Kate Middleton attended, stopping to have a coffee and a snack on the way. We continued on round...

Apr 5, 2013 - Visiting Relatives

We had a leisurely breakfast and waited for Rob's friend, Fiona to come. When she arrived we talked for a while then set off for Broughty Ferry, a town about 30 miles from here, east of Dundee, where Rob had arranged for us to visit second cousins of his and Christine's. The weather was reasonably good, with some sunshine and only a spot or two of rain on the way down. We arrived and parked near the main street. We then walked down to the waterfront. It was a little windy and quite cold. We retraced our steps to the main street and walked...