Scotland - Inverness & Edinburgh

After the wedding, we heading to Edinburgh via Inverness.

The requisite roadside shot at Loch Ness.
Walking in downtown Inverness, we found the equivalent of the Dollar Store.
It’s barely 5pm, but this pub patron has had enough.
For you Doctor Who fans, we almost ate here on her recommendation.
We did not see the Loch Ness monster, but we did catch a glimpse of the distant cousin, the River Ness monster, chomping on an eel.
The people were very friendly. Guess our accents gave us away. They don’t know where Virginia is, but they sure do know John Denver.

Highland cows. Just want to give them a good brushing.
A Highlander breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon (ham), sausage, black pudding, tomato, tattie scone, beans and toast served with tea (with sugar and milk). Met my calorie requirements for the day.
This is the equivalent of $125 to fill up the tank. We still have it pretty good in the States.
Such icons of the UK. Doctor Who fans will recognize the Blue Box.
When we visited Edinburgh Castle, we were happy to see they had a dog cemetery.
At one o’clock, they shoot off the cannon at the Castle. This was how they used to tell what time it was around the city and on ships in the harbor.
Walking around a castle really works up an appetite. Easily quenched with a pork bbq sandwich.
We did a lot of walking from one pub to another. So many cask ales to try. So little time.
The two days we were in Edinburgh were the exact two days that Scotland got pounded by Hurricane Katia. Rain and 70 mph wind gusts did not stop this couple from having their wedding on the Royal Mile just down from the Castle.
The Dude abides. They had 26 varieties of White Russians.
Kris and I try to have a bowl of pho at each new city we visit. Not a tough choice since Edinburgh only has one Vietnamese restaurant.
The Blue Blazer pub in the middle of the day. We stopped whenever we got thirsty. Which was about every block or two.
Edinburgh had animal sculptures spread throughout the city.
Kris’s big purchase for herself? Fingerless wool gloves.
Last installment will be all about our visit to the Greyhound Rescue Kennel in Fife.

Scotland Part I

We recently got back from a week long trip to Scotland. We’ve been eagerly awaiting this trip ever since Aubry decided to get married there. I’ll break the trip into three separate posts. Our visit to the Isle of Skye and Aubry’s wedding. Visiting the cities of Inverness and Edinburgh. And last but not least, our visit to the greyhound rescue kennel in Fife.

With tailwinds, we arrived an hour early and were greeted by a rainbow. We took that as a good sign.
There were rainbows all along the beautiful countryside. Rainbows mean rain. It rained every day we were there.
Barely an hour in Scotland, and we hit a whisky distillery, Dalwhinnie. Nothing like a good single malt to start off the day.
We were supposed to get a Vauxhall rental car, but when we asked for a GPS unit, we were upgraded to a Mercedes that had built-in Sat-Nav. Sweet ride! All the cars there appear to be be diesel. And even though our car wasn’t a hybrid, the engine shut down if we stopped for more than a second.
Driving on the opposite side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side doesn’t sound too difficult, but it really did take complete focus. It’s amazing how much driving is muscle memory. The huge clockwise roundabouts, which were everywhere, were mentally draining. But add jet lag, pouring rain, and roads barely wider than the car. Yep, took a turn a little too wide and popped a tire. It was about a 4 hr detour to get a new tire. Kris said it was all part of the adventure. We were elated to return the car at the airport, then cabbed it to Edinburgh for our last two days.
We met with Aubry, Justin, and their families the following day for a seal watching trip out of Plockton. Now we know where Planking originated.
This pretty much sums up the weather while we were there. Mostly rainy, but you could almost always see blue sky, and hoped it was heading your way.
We next headed to Eilean Donan Castle to make sure everything was in order for the wedding on Friday.
As we were leaving, an RAF fighter jet did a low fly by. In the U.S., we like to save those for college football games.
Once we confirmed everything was set, we headed to the capital of the Isle of Skye, Portree. First thing we did was have a proper pint of hand-pulled cask ale. I like the fact that no one bats an eye if you have a pint in the middle of the day.
This sign outside of the pub gave me a chuckle.
As the sun was setting, we headed to the Faerie Glen in Uig. What a majestically beautiful place. Definitely off the beaten path. To give perspective, you can see Aubry and Kris left of center. The other random white spots are sheep.
Kris takes her turn at sheepherding.
We didn’t think much of the signs till we almost hit a sheep standing in the middle of the road.
A shot down by the water before heading to the castle to make it official.
‘Tying the knot’ or Handfasting in the Scottish tradition. Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Foss !!!
The happy couple at the reception in paper hats.

Celebrating Greyhounds Calendar

The Celebrating Greyhounds Calendars are finally in. I was lucky enough to get 4 or 5 pics in. Depending on how you look at it.

This is Linda and Rex’s Harry looking like he is getting knighted by a Frenchie.
Kris’s favorite shot of Jaime. From our Charlottesville walk.
Shot of Stanley in the snow in the desk calendar.
The same shot in landscape used in the wall calendar.
I just sent this in for giggles. Never thought it would make it in. Look for it on the inside of the back cover.
Congrats to fellow VAGA hounds: Ana, Pippi, and Macy who made it in. I also recognized many dogs from fellow bloggers. Congrats to all.

Mish Mosh

This post has various pics with no particular theme. The earthquake we recently had managed to shake out the petal insert to the hummingbird feeder. Now, instead of hovering, they can sit on the edge, and stick their entire head in for a relaxing drink.

We met up with Trina and Jason last weekend to go visit some Charlottesville area wineries before heading to Ten for sushi. Kris admires my Orion beer bubble.
After a monkfish liver appetizer, we ordered enough sushi for an army with plenty of beer, sake, and wine to wash it down.
Fenway never did figure out how to use the doggie door. He patiently waited for us to notice him.
Stanlely and Stella sacked out on the couch.
Fenway waiting to be let back in. Jaime knows how to use the door, but sometimes a girl likes to have the door opened for her.
Got a new pair of Five Fingers, the Bikila, specifically for running.
A huge spider in the backyard.
Fenway snuggling with the orange gorilla.
Stella came in yelping the other day limping. A scary scenario since she was fine when she went out. Luckily, it was only a couple of acorn tops stuck in her pads.
I haven’t really used the video capabilities of the 7D. I thought a Roo session would be good practice. Beth gives her two cents in the last couple of seconds. 

Feeding time? Beth gets quite frisky for an old lady. Notice the two lazy brindles on the couch.