Links
Archives
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Day 12/13/14: home again, home again, jiggedy jig
Day 12;
Jim and I went out to the Ord distillery so I could load up with a bit more whiskey. A bit more of a flashy place. The whiskey that's made here is only available in Thailand, Korea, and other parts of Asia (I asked why I couldn't find it in Dingwall). Next time we're here, we'll tour that one to see how much different it can be.
After a terrific roast beef dinner, Jim was off to drive Taxi and I packed as much as possible into the golf travel bag. Good thing too, if memory serves me right, the suitcases will be full / heavy.
Tracey went to Tesco. Important stuff! Tesco is a cross between superstore and Walmart: It's killed off a LOT of small business in the UK and those that are aware of what it's done are quite resentful.
Day 13:
Another great breakfast and then time to pack. We'll go over to Doug's place and check it out (R+J's son) and then we're off to the train for Glasgow.
We didn't do much in Glasgow, but we did go to a terrific restaurant in the town of Paisley (adjacent to the airport in Glasgow).
Day 14:
We're on the plane at 11 and back to Calgary.
Jim and I went out to the Ord distillery so I could load up with a bit more whiskey. A bit more of a flashy place. The whiskey that's made here is only available in Thailand, Korea, and other parts of Asia (I asked why I couldn't find it in Dingwall). Next time we're here, we'll tour that one to see how much different it can be.
After a terrific roast beef dinner, Jim was off to drive Taxi and I packed as much as possible into the golf travel bag. Good thing too, if memory serves me right, the suitcases will be full / heavy.
Tracey went to Tesco. Important stuff! Tesco is a cross between superstore and Walmart: It's killed off a LOT of small business in the UK and those that are aware of what it's done are quite resentful.
Day 13:
Another great breakfast and then time to pack. We'll go over to Doug's place and check it out (R+J's son) and then we're off to the train for Glasgow.
We didn't do much in Glasgow, but we did go to a terrific restaurant in the town of Paisley (adjacent to the airport in Glasgow).
Day 14:
We're on the plane at 11 and back to Calgary.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Day 11: shopping and golfing.
Tracey went off doing some shopping and picked up a few things she had been thinking about getting.
Meanwhile, I had a real treat: a brand new golf course (opened July 10) that's already ranked in the top 25 of the world (http://www.castlestuartgolf.com/).
The fellow whose mom's funeral was last week offered to take Jim and me to his course on Monday. On the weekend, Dave phoned and changed the offer from his course to the one where his son is head greens keeper. So, rather than having to cough up the £150 to play, we were comped and got a real golf adventure.
The course is along the firth and it's "possible" to hit the water from every hole (you'd really need to shank it bad), only 7 holes are right on the water. Castle Stuart is on one hole and the kirk (church or private chapel) and graveyard is on another hole.
We started off playing in about a 30 mile wind. Pretty stiff. It calmed down by the time we were done. One of the holes was a 325 par 4. I knocked it to about 10 feet from the flag and made the putt for a smooth eagle. Ended up banging out a smooth 43 / 40 with one lost ball (in the North Sea).
R made a terrific spaghetti dinner for us. Played some cards and called it a night.
Meanwhile, I had a real treat: a brand new golf course (opened July 10) that's already ranked in the top 25 of the world (http://www.castlestuartgolf.com/).
The fellow whose mom's funeral was last week offered to take Jim and me to his course on Monday. On the weekend, Dave phoned and changed the offer from his course to the one where his son is head greens keeper. So, rather than having to cough up the £150 to play, we were comped and got a real golf adventure.
The course is along the firth and it's "possible" to hit the water from every hole (you'd really need to shank it bad), only 7 holes are right on the water. Castle Stuart is on one hole and the kirk (church or private chapel) and graveyard is on another hole.
We started off playing in about a 30 mile wind. Pretty stiff. It calmed down by the time we were done. One of the holes was a 325 par 4. I knocked it to about 10 feet from the flag and made the putt for a smooth eagle. Ended up banging out a smooth 43 / 40 with one lost ball (in the North Sea).
R made a terrific spaghetti dinner for us. Played some cards and called it a night.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Day 10: Distillery and the falls
The six of us started off at the Dalmore Distillery in Alness. Pretty neat stuff. Pretty much a natural process. Just add barley and yeast and wait for the whiskey to show up. The tour guide walked us through the whole process. We got to look in a couple of the barrels where the mash was working (wee barrels about 30 or 40 feet high). The first barrel/vat smelled like porridge. The 2nd one we stuck our heads in started smelling like the real stuff.The warehouses are big enough to stack barrels 9 high (the small warehouse - 3 high). The barrels hold a couple of hundred bottles of whisky. There were 5 special barrels sitting in the warehouse where we were that were put in a few minutes after midnight, jan 1 2000. You can bet that they'll sell THAT for a lot of money.
John's dad and grandad used to work there, he found a photo in the visitor center with the 2 of them on it. The distillery will copy the photo and get a copy to John. So, I bought a couple of bottles just on principle.
After the tour when they were getting ready to give us a taste, Tracey was signing the guestbook when they said "don't gulp it". So, once she was done signing: gulp. The lady who had given us instructions just looked at her and said, "there she goes doing what I said not to do." Tracey goes "huh?" They gave us a taste of pure whiskey and then put a bit of water in it because it's supposed to make it better. I liked it more without the water.
From there, we were off to the Falls of Shin up past Dornoch. We actually got to see the salmon trying to jump up the falls (got a couple of pictures of that). There's a center at the Falls owned by the dad of the guy who died with Princess Diana (owns Herods (sp?)).
John's dad and grandad used to work there, he found a photo in the visitor center with the 2 of them on it. The distillery will copy the photo and get a copy to John. So, I bought a couple of bottles just on principle.
After the tour when they were getting ready to give us a taste, Tracey was signing the guestbook when they said "don't gulp it". So, once she was done signing: gulp. The lady who had given us instructions just looked at her and said, "there she goes doing what I said not to do." Tracey goes "huh?" They gave us a taste of pure whiskey and then put a bit of water in it because it's supposed to make it better. I liked it more without the water.
From there, we were off to the Falls of Shin up past Dornoch. We actually got to see the salmon trying to jump up the falls (got a couple of pictures of that). There's a center at the Falls owned by the dad of the guy who died with Princess Diana (owns Herods (sp?)).
The way home was over the strui and through the million dollar view. I think it's probably worth it. Normally, the good highways are along the coast. This one through the hills was a bit exciting because it gets VERY narrow in places (Picture below is us meeting a truck at one of the "Passing Places"). By exciting, I mean "listen to Ryan squeel like a little girl 'cause it's narrow").
For dinner, we went up to Tolloch Castle (http://www.tullochcastle.co.uk/) which is supposed to be haunted. Jim and I snooped around a bit for the painting of the "green lady" who is supposed to be the one haunting the place.
Day 9: Over to the sister's house
Pretty short entry today because SOME people were a bit hung over (over here, they call it "ruff"). (see yesterday's entry about the bingo).
We were at Jim's sister's place for dinner today. We stopped and picked up his 86 year old aunt (she was pretty neat). Tracey loved her and wants to bring her home with us. I say "No"!
It was a big BBQ with more food than is probably healthy to eat at once. Just to name a few: chicken breasts, chicken wings, onion bodgies(?), steak, teriyaki steak, hot dogs, potato wedges, boiled potatoes, salad, coleslaw, mushrooms and pasta
While we were over there, John tried to speak "Canadian". It was pretty funny listening to him try to talk like Tracey "oh my god you guys". John also says "squirrel" really funny, sounds like squid-el. Johns got a pretty big target and it's fun to pick on him; takes all the pressure off of me.
Afterwards, it was back to J+R's for some cards and then bed. We played a bit of poker and somehow or another *I* managed to win.
We were at Jim's sister's place for dinner today. We stopped and picked up his 86 year old aunt (she was pretty neat). Tracey loved her and wants to bring her home with us. I say "No"!
It was a big BBQ with more food than is probably healthy to eat at once. Just to name a few: chicken breasts, chicken wings, onion bodgies(?), steak, teriyaki steak, hot dogs, potato wedges, boiled potatoes, salad, coleslaw, mushrooms and pasta
While we were over there, John tried to speak "Canadian". It was pretty funny listening to him try to talk like Tracey "oh my god you guys". John also says "squirrel" really funny, sounds like squid-el. Johns got a pretty big target and it's fun to pick on him; takes all the pressure off of me.
Afterwards, it was back to J+R's for some cards and then bed. We played a bit of poker and somehow or another *I* managed to win.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Day 8; off to a "football" game
We're going to a soccer game today! that should be a blast.... I'm up and writing about the last couple of days while everyone else gets functional. I thought Tracey died 'cause she slept an extra hour after i was up.
Michelle and John will head home, clean up, and then come get us for the game. i suspect there may be a nap in my future.
We stopped at a pub for lunch on the way. I had the roast pork with fries, mashed potatoes, and baked potato (for real).
The football game was a blast, I really enjoyed it. We had sun, rain, wind, and more sun. I was disappointed that there was no hooliganism.
In fact, this was the first rain we were in while we were here. Took us a week to get into rain.
After the game, we swung past the region for a pint and then off for dinner.
Tracey and Rande went off to bingo (she won about £25, Jim and I watched a movie and hung out. I was asleep and then at about 1AM (I was wearing my goggles 'cause I figured she'd turn on the light) ... at 1 AM I woke up with my goggle being pealed up over my eyes with Tracey saying "are you awake?"
Apparently, after the bingo, they went dancing and supposedly invited ALL the guys over to visit in Canada.
Michelle and John will head home, clean up, and then come get us for the game. i suspect there may be a nap in my future.
We stopped at a pub for lunch on the way. I had the roast pork with fries, mashed potatoes, and baked potato (for real).
The football game was a blast, I really enjoyed it. We had sun, rain, wind, and more sun. I was disappointed that there was no hooliganism.
In fact, this was the first rain we were in while we were here. Took us a week to get into rain.
After the game, we swung past the region for a pint and then off for dinner.
Tracey and Rande went off to bingo (she won about £25, Jim and I watched a movie and hung out. I was asleep and then at about 1AM (I was wearing my goggles 'cause I figured she'd turn on the light) ... at 1 AM I woke up with my goggle being pealed up over my eyes with Tracey saying "are you awake?"
Apparently, after the bingo, they went dancing and supposedly invited ALL the guys over to visit in Canada.
Day 7; Back to Dingwall
Another long day (they all seem to be).
Had a great breakfast at the Campanile Hotel and then WE were off shopping. All of us made purchases of one type or another.
There was a "living statue" on the street in front of the shops. A couple of girls were watching him. I threw a coin in his bin and he said 'thank you' and they freaked out 'cause they weren't sure what was going on (You can just see them poking out behind him).
I bought a lotto ticket for the 85 Million £ lotto. I suspect i know where this is going...
The train left at 4:11 for Dingwall. We played cards (ride the bus) and generally made fools of ourselves. The original conductor on the train sounded pretty drunk (he only lasted 2 stops). J started to impersonate him at which point people wouldn't sit with him. They didn't like it when i won 2 of the 3 games of cards.
Once we returned to J + R's we played poker. Their son Doug was here waiting for us (he set everything up). I only lasted until midnight before i couldn't function any more. Card wise, i stopped functioning much earlier than that and was the first one out of the game (after winning some decent pots the first few hands). Tracey was in bed for hours by the time I got there. Michelle eventually won the game.
Had a great breakfast at the Campanile Hotel and then WE were off shopping. All of us made purchases of one type or another.
There was a "living statue" on the street in front of the shops. A couple of girls were watching him. I threw a coin in his bin and he said 'thank you' and they freaked out 'cause they weren't sure what was going on (You can just see them poking out behind him).
I bought a lotto ticket for the 85 Million £ lotto. I suspect i know where this is going...
The train left at 4:11 for Dingwall. We played cards (ride the bus) and generally made fools of ourselves. The original conductor on the train sounded pretty drunk (he only lasted 2 stops). J started to impersonate him at which point people wouldn't sit with him. They didn't like it when i won 2 of the 3 games of cards.
Once we returned to J + R's we played poker. Their son Doug was here waiting for us (he set everything up). I only lasted until midnight before i couldn't function any more. Card wise, i stopped functioning much earlier than that and was the first one out of the game (after winning some decent pots the first few hands). Tracey was in bed for hours by the time I got there. Michelle eventually won the game.
day 6: Off to Glasgow
Up early and off to the train. The 6 of us went for an overnight trip to Glasgow. Lots of fun travelling with this group.
It was a bit of a long walk to the hotel and then we were off to the Kelvingrove Museum (http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/index.cfm?venueid=4) . Although the purpose of the visit was to see the Dr. Who exhibit (http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/showExhibition.cfm?venueid=4&itemid=226) I *did* make sure to get a photo of the legendary haggis (above). Not a lot of effort put in on the exhibit, I was disappointed (it was a bit of a dog).
One of M's buddies told her about a place that supposedly had 100s of types of beers. I think he was drunk when he was there. We walked to this place and it too was a disappointment. We ended up across the street where there was room for a table for 6. Played a lot of a video trivia game with M + J, had dinner there, and then cabbed it back to the hotel. With all that walking, we were asleep by 9pm.
I got a chuckle out of this one little "hole-in-the-wall" fish and chip place (note the name):
It was a bit of a long walk to the hotel and then we were off to the Kelvingrove Museum (http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/index.cfm?venueid=4) . Although the purpose of the visit was to see the Dr. Who exhibit (http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/showExhibition.cfm?venueid=4&itemid=226) I *did* make sure to get a photo of the legendary haggis (above). Not a lot of effort put in on the exhibit, I was disappointed (it was a bit of a dog).
I have to admit though, one of the statues was more kingly than the others:
One of M's buddies told her about a place that supposedly had 100s of types of beers. I think he was drunk when he was there. We walked to this place and it too was a disappointment. We ended up across the street where there was room for a table for 6. Played a lot of a video trivia game with M + J, had dinner there, and then cabbed it back to the hotel. With all that walking, we were asleep by 9pm.
I got a chuckle out of this one little "hole-in-the-wall" fish and chip place (note the name):
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Day 5: More golf
J was off to a funeral at Tain today. I was going to golf there, but they were having a tourney so I went back to Dornoch. As luck would have it, I was in the SAME sand trap as 2 years ago. I think they're erecting a sign...
Got paired up with a couple from Windsor and a single from Ohio. Pretty uneventful game, 40 / 46. The lads at the air force base were busy in their Tornadoes though, I counted 27 going over. Many more that I couldn't count.
The round was so slow that when we were done I asked J if Christ came back while I was gone.
Turns out that J's friend isn't going to host me on Tuesday after all. His SON is going to host me and we're going to Castle Stuart! Ranked in the top 25 in the world! Score.
http://www.castlestuartgolf.com/
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
day 4: time to golf
Got up today and golfed at Nairn. 43 / 39 for an 82. NEAT old course. Right along the water for the first 7 holes. Shot one into the North Sea on principle! J came along and carried the umbrella for me. Great weather; about 30 seconds of drizzle followed by low clouds. No wind. I was smacking the ball pretty good.
Again, had to learn the lesson of "stay out of the gorse" the hard way.
T stayed back at R+J's house and had some quiet time before she goes to the gym tonight.
Later on, we had dinner at a pub with J+R+M+J. Returning to Dingwall one of J's friends stopped by to talk about the funeral they were going to tomorrow. Turns out his friend is a golfer and offered to host me on Tuesday at his little club (£7).
Monday, September 14, 2009
Day 3: it was a long f***ing way for a cup of tea.
Up at 9 and off to Aberdeen (about 120 miles) to see J's Aunt (and mom who was there visiting). On the way home, there were 18 roundabouts in Aberdeen and 39 between Aunt Kay's house and Dingwall. Aunt Kay really reminds me of my Aunt Nora. She's got a huge 4 bedroom house that's very neat. She's got an old greyhound dog that I didn't react to. We had tea, biscuits, and some small sandwiches. 
One of the neighbors came over. He had just been in Canada...Calgary, Edmonton, Kindersley. All the hot spots. Says he's heard of Wilkie.
We drove past Nairn, that was kind of neat. It's only about 30 miles from here, I hope to golf there.
One of the neighbors came over. He had just been in Canada...Calgary, Edmonton, Kindersley. All the hot spots. Says he's heard of Wilkie.
We drove past Nairn, that was kind of neat. It's only about 30 miles from here, I hope to golf there.
