If a Scotsman can fly

So can I; with the appropriate liquid spirit.
Finding the of the flying Scotsman made it easier to plot our conquest north through England. DG learned to navigate from his father. His father is a former amateur pilot who always had the appropriate FAA sectional maps, supplemented by the AAA road maps. Just like Amelia Erhart he learned to follow the major roads from city to city (oh yeah, there are no roads across oceans, little problem there.) Never think of it as being totally lost, just enjoy the adventure as you discover new and exciting places. No wonder I never make it home for the krill season. TR

Defending the City

In the August conquests we first took the city of York. Here I am perched on the mighty city defensive wall, protecting the city from the foreign invaders, oh,- right. . . that was us. We found large piles of dog poop placed at strategic intervals along the wall, obviously placed there for unwitting troupers to slip in. Being that most of the wall only provides a wall above the walk way on one side, with a sheer 20 foot drop on the unprotected side (where are the tort lawyers in this country?) the dog shit is obviously a clever plot to trip up the invaders from the south. Somehow we prevailed. Onward! TR

World War II Memorial

Parents, Grandparents, or Great Grandparents, we all have a connection to someone who played a role in World War II. The experienced shaped who we are as a nation. Thousands of WWII veterans visit the Memorial every day, and thousands of them die every day. Let us not forget who they are, what they did, and why they were compelled to do it.

Peace, tolerance and understanding,

TR

Soaring

A very pretty fall day, makes a flightless bird feel like a soaring eagle.

TR

Where in the world is woodchuck!

Just stopped by on Saturday afternoon to see if there were any fuzzy rodents around.

TR

Much Better View

In light of my complaint about the view from the last hotel room in DC, I thought I would post about the view from the latest hotel room in DC. The picture really does not do the view justice. The pentagon is just across the expressway to the left. You can see the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, old post office, Capital, and the National Cathedral. A million dollar view and for about 60% of the cost of the view of the brick wall. DG came down with a very bad head cold as we were headed out on this trip and has been ordered to rest. TR

Alarm set for 4:30 AM

We need to be at the airport by 5:30 AM to check in for a 6:30 AM flight to Washington DC. oh, wait a minute, didn't I write about this already? That was two weeks ago, the last time we did this trip. This time we are going to a major national conference. DG will be speaking as part of four different programs in 2 1/2 days. Nice intense 12-14 hour days. Friday the schedule starts at 7:15 AM and ends at 8:00 PM. Oh, the price of fame and absence of fortune.

Enjoy!

TR

Long Hard Week Coming Up

I am taking it easy today, relaxing in the garden and getting ready for another challenging week. A couple of days of trying to finish up everything in the office, one day of endless back-to-back meetings, and then three days in DC for a major conference. Yes that is six days work this week . . . and Friday the boss reminded me that Monday is a holiday and the office is officially closed . . . like I have time to take an extra day off this week.

TR

Inns of Court

WH thinks I should buy one of the English Barrister wigs. They are terribly expensive, but then with DG's thinning hair something should be done. We wandered through the Inn, I have no idea if this area is open to the public. DG just smiled at the guard, waived and walked by as if he owned the place. No one came after us, so I guess it was OK. The English have a wonderful tradition of professional apprenticeship for lawyers who are going to practice in court, complete with the participants being required to dine together for at least a minimum number of times. American lawyers are so rude to one another, maybe there is something to be learned here.

TR

Time to Party!

Congratulations to our ever lovable uncle Bert, he is turning $# on Wednesday. Funny, he doesn't look a day over #%. They say that being around children will keep you young.

We wish we were there to celebrate with you!

Love,

TR & DG

A Nice Private Jet

Three weeks ago when we flew to Atlanta this little private jet was parked at the local airport. I know it looks like an airliner, but it is one man's personal jet, a new Boeing 747-400. The owner had been in town for a couple of days attending a horse auction. The ground crew loaded two van's full of luggage onto the plane, no worries about the carry on limit here. Rumor has it that the owner has an Airbus A-380 on order so that he can have the biggest and best in the sky; we are going to need a bigger airport.

TR

Phoenix Park Hotel

Here I am enjoying the view from our $300 a night hotel room hear Capital Hill in Washington, DC.

TR

Time to Celebrate

Time to celebrate! It was announced this afternoon that the state of Kentucky was awarded three years of funding to create a program that DG and his program are essential to the development of. The email read, " we have been funded, congratulations on three more years of continued employment." This is the first time in two years that the "Foundation" has had secure funding to continue DG's work on behalf of seniors.

TR

Clock set for 4:30 AM

We need to be at the airport by 5:30 AM for a 6:35 AM flight to DC. DG has a few days of rather intense meetings, then a late flight home on Wednesday.

TR

Apple Season

Fall was in the air a week ago, this morning it is back to 84 degrees. I watch the weather in Florida, Michigan and here in Kentucky. Not unusual it is warmer here then it is in the other two places this morning.

Fall reminds me of apple harvest season. Not much of an apple crop here in this part of the country, it snowed and froze hard in early April in the middle of the bloom. What we need are apples preserved from the prior years to tide us over at times like this. The Norman’s figured out how to do this centuries ago when the perfected a couple of delights known as Norman Cider and Calvados.

When DG and I were in Normandy in August he ordered a bottle of Norman Cider with dinner one evening. Oh my, good stuff. It has a nice fall crisp flavor with a slight scent of autumn on a farm. It is very easy to drink, and it kind of sneaks up on you, it is about 11% alcohol. When we finished dinner DG was wondering back to the wonderful hotel room and he saw a freshly cut field of wheat. Suddenly he had fond memories of walking through wheat stubble as kid, three minutes later we are standing in the middle of a 50 acre wheat field in the middle of Normandy, remembering the joys of the past and creating memories for the future.

If the cider is not quite enough for you, the Norman’s also distill it into a heavenly brandy known as Calvados. Driving back to the hotel in Normandy late one afternoon stopping at various D-day sites and memorials, we came across signs for a country fair. After a moment’s hesitation DG pulled in and parked next to a Morgan. The only one he has ever seen on the wheel. The fair was in a freshly mowed hay field behind a village church. On the left as we entered the field there was a line of local ponies with ride offered for 5 Euros. Looking at the relative size of DG and the ponies, I was glad that he decided to pass on that (though he would not have had far to fall.) The local farmers were just sitting up displays of local vegetables, cheeses, wines and Calvados. DG bought a single serving sample bottle from the farmer in this picture. It was the distilled essence of autumn in the Calvados region of France, a taste worth liberating France for.

TR

A tall blonde in Amsterdam

I think DG needed another one of these this afternoon. He was up two-hours before sunrise and off over the river and through the woods for a breakfast meeting with the governor and a couple-hundred right wing nut cases. If they mentioned the all and powerful W one more time I think he might have snapped. When he had finally had all he could take he made like the cowardly lion and ran down the corridor and leapt for safety. Then there was the email. Did everyone get the memo that DG was going to be out of the office all day and this was the day to send email? In a fit of sanity, DG turned it off about 4:00 pm; the messages will all be there tomorrow.

TR

Slow Train to Amsterdam

So much of my travels are hurry up and wait that once in a while it is nice to just take my time. To indulge in this I took the slow train from Brussels to Amsterdam. The ride took about 4 hours and stopped in about 15 places. The train was full of young backpackers going to places like the Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amsterdam for what ever reason it is that young people go to these places. The Dutch allow smoking on the platform between the cars. The moment we crossed the boarder from Belgium to the Netherlands the young people started going onto the platform to smoke tobacco. At least it smelled like they were smoking tobacco. We were not across the square in front of the train station in Amsterdam when someone within sniffing distance lit up something that DG had not smelled in 25 years, oh yeah, on the side walk, in clear view at midday on a Sunday. The rules are different there (though I think this is still illegal.) Ah, yes, a nice relaxing slow moving visit (even if we were doing the forced march through western Europe.)

TR

I am not in this picture, because I was hiding from the smell. Yes, the ancients burned, composted and recycled. From the smell of things at Fountains Abbey they also used composting toilets. It is amazing that the smell persists after all these years. I would not want to go back to living like that. No way!

TR

Fountain’s Abbey

Our adventure at Fountain’s Abbey began with an endless stroll through the woods. The trail was pretty and winding and ended with a climb up a steep hill and lunch (Woodchuck received an email with a picture of the ale of the day.) Boy was I ready for an ale after that climb. After lunch we went back down the hill to the ruins of the Abbey. Wow! And this is a few hundred years after Henry the VIII had the roof torn off and the place left to collapse. This shows what happens when you build to last.

TR

Revisiting the past, to see the present

There are certain second trips that have to be made. No logical explanation, someone just has to go. A second visit to an exotic location is generally going back to a revisit a place that someone really enjoyed visiting the first time. But, what about going back to visit someplace that was ok but held no special memories? DG used the explanation for returning to Amsterdam that he needed find out if it was the city or the company on his first visit that left him feeling ambivalent about the city. He felt compelled to return. WH coined the phrase, psychically redeeming the city. And so we were off for a quick overnight stay in Amsterdam.

In the vein of trying to decipher if was the city or the traveling companion that was a pit in 1991, there were a couple of things we had to do. We stayed in the same hotel, under new ownership, but as wonderful as ever right on the square across from the main train station. The hotel was not the issue with Amsterdam; it was and is very nice, very comfortable and very accommodating. Next, we had to take a boat tour of the canals. DG even bought a picture of us boarding the boat, to go next to the one taken 16 years ago (he has aged and picked up a couple of pounds; but his hair is about the same.) The boat tour was nice, probably nicer in the winter, the greenhouse windows made it a bit warm for we Antarctic types.

These things being accomplished we looked for differences. The first trip DG flew in landing in the fog with near zero visibility and out with a quick taxi ride to and from the airport. This time we arrived by slow train. Between Brussels and Amsterdam the train made about 15 stops in about four hours. We slowly cruised through Dutch countryside passing idyllic villages, modern and traditional windmills. On the first trip DG failed to see a windmill, because you have to leave town to see one. Fear and insecurity kept DG and his traveling partner 16 years ago from straying from the very well beaten tourist path. Then we explored the city. Now Amsterdam has a colorful side, some would say seedy side. For many this is part of Amsterdam’s appeal, for others it is the source of great concern. The first time DG visited there was great concern about turning down many of the narrow shadowy side streets. This time the attitude was different. Not careless, or reckless, but willing to stop, look, listen and proceed. Other then being solicited by a couple of working girls (boy were they barking up the wrong tree) things went very well. The journey to rediscover Amsterdam was also a journey of self discovery for DG.

Bottom line, Amsterdam is still a strange town. Not on the list of places we want to return to over and over again (we do need to go back and see a museum or two that we lacked time for on this trip.) At the same time Amsterdam is an interesting city that will help you see and understand yourself just a little better.

TR