Hassells in the Highlands

Our trip to Venice was only the beginning. We then drove to Edinburgh to see the Military Tattoo and the Festival - both run through the month of August. And we took the longer route by driving along the coast through Aberdeen (which also has a Costco - but we didn't stop there) and then on to St. Andrews, which some of you may know is the Birthplace of Golf. That was on Mike's bucket list. So, just as he indulges me at quilt shops - to just look at fabric and projects, and sometimes actually make a wee purchase - I gave him this small gift of time and dollars. Or rather, pounds. He gawked at the course. He gawked at the players. He walked on the path through the middle of a fairway and he breathed it in. He gawked some more. Then he went into a shop to buy a souvenir (or two). And then as we were leaving, he saw another man, whose dream it must also have been to play this course, standing on the bridge while HIS wife took a picture of him. ...

Inverness. It's a large city. To get to Thurso, we had to fly into Inverness and then drive the rest of the way. There are other options: train or bus. It is only 119 miles away, but it took us 3 hours to drive it. That seems like a lot of time, you say. Well,...the roads. They are mostly 2 lanes (one each direction) with no shoulders. And I am sure the lanes are smaller than what they are in the US. Mike actually is driving 60 mph most of the way. But I guess there is something about all those curves. Not quite "The Road to Hana," but curvy. And, I have to admit, we found a nice little coffee shop that offers all kinds of homemade baked goods to go along with their wonderful coffee, which just happens to be at a public parking lot. So, we made a 20 minute stop. (Actually, we discovered it on the way up last week, so we sort of planned to stop on the way down). We needed to drive to Inverness this weekend for a couple of reasons. 1. We needed to return the rental ...