Whit's fur ye no go past ye

A hodge podge of Scotland memories 1. Scottish viking: 2. Things to do with pop cans: 3. Puffins galore: 4. Harry Potter train going over bridge in Glenfinnen: 5. Beautiful coastline: 6. My second favorite set of twins 7. A damsel in distress at Earl of Patrick's Castle in Skye: 8. The hottest Viking in Scottish history 8. Most beautiful place in Scotland, the last place we visited, Dunnottar 9. The Old Course in St. Andrews, where I parred the toughest hole on the course

Went to Balmoral today (summer home of the Royals), and left our mark on their property. Including Hollyrood (winter home of the Royals), we've now peed on two homes of the Queen (do we have fun traveling, or what?) Staying in the harbertown of Stonehaven tonight. Beautiful, fogged in views. Stopped along the road today and had ice cream at a store that also sold Scotch. Bought this bottle. First person to guess how much wins a free Subway sandwich (hint: we're in SCOTland).

So, in keeping with us not understanding much of what is said in this country, we offer up the following street signs O.k. and more touristy things. We went to an island called Orkney today and had a fun filled afternoon. Saw one of the oldest remnants of Civilization in history, a place called Skara Brae These remains were from about 5000 years ago, and consisted of about 8 "homes" identical in size and shapes. Then we saw the Ring of Brodgar, built about 4000 years ago, long before Stonehenge. Then, we went to even more ruins (lots of ruins in Scotland), except the cool thing about these is that they were on an island reachable only during low tide. So, 1st pic is during high tide, where you can see the pier submerged, and 2nd pic during low tide when you can walk across the pier. Had a blast with our friends Janet and Colin. They're going to Ireland for 2 weeks to play in a "Train" tournament. Best of luck!

This castle was built in the 1200s, and Janet's Great-great-great-great grandfather was the gatekeeper here. He got married in 1859, and lo and behold Janet was born 100 years later. They bowed down to her when we entered. We also saw a falcon exhibit, incredibly cool, strong, and powerful birds that swoop down at 200 m.p.h. to capture their prey. Today, we hiked with reindeer, and saw the first set of reindeer twins born in captivity in the last 65 years. Adorable! Then, we traveled to Loch Ness to see the fabled monster! Regrettably, Nessie was nesting at the time, so I've substituted this artist's authentic rendition of her. Now,several things about Scotland that you might find a wee interesting, if you can figure them out: Signs on road: "Please use layby to shorten queue." "Warning, otters crossing." Although they're part of the U.K. and drive on the left, they use feet and miles here. Some Scots are perfectly intelligible; others spak...

went to Mull, then Tobermary, then Fingle today. Saw the world famous Fingle Caves, an amazing volcanic island that looks like fingers pushing up lava. Will post pix if wifi cooperates.

Despite having a wonderful GPS, we have no idea if we're even still in Scotland. 1) they have roundabouts every 15 feet, 2) they drive on the wrong side of the road, 3) their steering wheel is on the right side of the car, 4) Stephanie has no idea where we're going. So far, I've only driven off the road once, and that was when Stephanie proclaimed that she saw a long-haired cow (looks like a yak). Edinburgh Castle was very old with lots of beautiful rooms. Saw the world's only rotating boat transporter (see pic), then giant horses (see another pic). Janet and Colin are great, although because of our driving escapades, we've only spent 5 minutes with them the entire trip so far. Also, although not particularly Scottish, here's me with a magnificent owl.

Steph apologized to the passport people, which they accepted, and issued me a passport. So Scotland Here We Come For Real, although the weather in Chicago is kind of crappy so we may update this post shortly.

Oh my God! You cannot believe how incredibly opulent and stately Edinburgh Castle is. With flying buttresses and massive columns dating back to the 15th century it is one of the most...what? You're Not actually in Scotland? Are you kidding me?!!!! Well, no we're not actually in Scotland yet. Why not? BECAUSE STEPHANIE FORGOT TO RENEW MY PASSPORT. Yep, you heard it right. We get to the airport yesterday to check in, the United lady scans my passport only to reveal that it expired 4 days ago. Needless to say, I was furious that Steph hadn't taken care of it. So, we've now rented a car, we're driving (not to Scotland) up to Chicago today, going to the US Passport office at 7:30 tomorrow morning, hoping that they let us in (because you're supposed to have an appointment), hoping that they can get me a passport the same day, and hoping that we can fly out tomorrow night. UGH! The carelessness of some people. You would have thought she'd have known...

So, first off, the title of our new blog basically means whatever is supposed to happen to you will happen to you. Since we're going to Scotland, we were supposed to go to Scotland (those crafty Brits). Flying into Edinburgh (pronounced Eddenbruh by people who don't know how to read) Sat. night, arriving around 1:00 a.m. Sun. morning, which is 7:00 a.m. their time, just in time to take an a.m. nap. Goal of the trip is 1) to have Steph mate with the Loch Ness monster, and 2) to get a par on the Old Course. Best guess is that neither will happen. Don't be a wee clipe, dobber. Come back often to read about our adventures in Scotland!