Return from Europe

So, you know it should only take 5 hours to drive from Isle of Skye (Dunvegan area) to Glasgow. The so-called faster route took over 8 hours. We returned the rental care (mind you, without a scratch) and then we had a 20 minute taxi ride to the hotel in Glasgow. We took a train from Glasgow Central to Euston, then the Underground and finally the Hoppa bus and BAM! We made it to Heathrow. We flew from Heathrow to Newark, then onto Chicago before making it back to Kansas City. 

This photo is for Dax's friend, Dave, to prove that there really is 0-alcohol Heineken available. We at at the Pilot's Bar and Kitchen in Heathrow and it was delicious. It's a good thing we ate a big meal before boarding that plane. We had to sit in it and on the ground for 3 hours before taking off. Yikes! 

We were sitting on the plane for 3 hours with this lovely. She was so attentive to everyone and we connected right away. She was good to Isaiah, too. For her entertainment, we taught her our family tradition of "Altoid teeth" in public. We didn't have Altoids on our Virgin Atlantic flight, so we faked it. But, we bought some at Newark and texted her a photo of us. Yes, texted her. That is how we roll. Many of our dearest friends are people we meet traveling the world. She is from the Philippines, but lives in Rome. I'm thinking she would fit right in with our family. We wanted to take her home with us. 

Okay, so on our flight from Chicago to KC (I think that was the flight), this man looked so familiar. Never got a great photo of him because I didn't want to be too obvious and obnoxious. Does anyone recognize the guy by the window? We just can't place him.

There is no amount money that could get me to coach again, sponsor a club or even tutor. Why? This is why. Making memories with Dax and Isaiah is more important. There is nothing else I would rather be doing. The greatest gift we can give (and receive) is time together. I am grateful to my friends and other family members who totally get this. I don't know how many times I've cancelled a lunch or a movie because Dax made it home for a night with no notice. I appreciate that others "get it" too. You make our life easier by understanding. We won't get to spend 6 consecutive weeks together again for at least another year, so soaking up every moment matters. 

More Relaxing in Skye and Drive back to Glasgow

You can't really tell in this photo, but we have had tremendous rains and very high winds and we love it. We could stay in this house all day long for days.  There is nothing quite like being in a comfortable and roomy home with your family and absolutely no responsibility to do anything. This is much needed family time and I know we will hang onto these memories all year long until we have 5-6 weeks together again. We were directed by the owners to always keep the doors closed and locked due to the high winds. We have had sustained 40 mph and gusts much higher than that. The rain is horizontal! Fun to just sit and watch it together. Also, we have a bunch of big rabbits that live in  the hill around the house. They are right out there in it, like nothing is going on. It's their world. 

 Dax heard some "barking" at night and looked out to see 3 big foxes. The next morning we saw balls of rabbit fur all around. Guess they had a good dinner. Heck, as difficult as it is to get to a store, we should just eat rabbit. 

A friendly game of Monopoly that lasted 2 days. 

Isaiah was the winner and this is why. 

 A drive to a "bigger" grocery store. 

The store was about 20 miles away. It took a little over an hour. YAY for food! 

This is what our Sat/Nav looks like most of the time in Skye. 

Okay, just had to do some more photos of the spaceship, I mean bathing machine. I wish there was a way I could give it some perspective, so you could really tell how big this thing is!

 So, we took the route back to Glasgow which is longer, but faster, right? NOT! 

Made it to Glasgow to virgin Pina coladas and a "bucket of bones"--which means delicious ribs and wings seasoned like you have never tasted. When you are done, you are left with a bucket of bones. 

 This was somewhere between Glasgow and Euston Station/London.

Relaxing and Making Memories in Skye

We had to venture out and find a store. Does it look like there is a store anywhere? We heard there was one in Dunvegan. It took about 20 minutes to get there and it was, I believe, about 5 miles away. 

Do you remember the photos with all the umbrellas hanging about the street? I can't even remember the country--I think somewhere in Belgium. We ate outside there and met a nice family from Florida. They had twin boys and then another boy about the age of Isaiah. There were just on Isle of Skye and renewed their wedding vows at the Dunvegan Castle, complete with kilts for the family. Why the Dunvegan Castle? Because their last name was MacLeod. Anyway, the point being, if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have known there was a "store" within 20 minutes of us. 

These photos were on the way to the store. 

 Fasgadh's Store. Yes, that would be THE store. We were able to find a few necessities to get us through a few days until we found a bigger store. 

We saw sunshine! Views from our house.

One the way to Dunvegan Castle

Dunvegan Castle: It is one of the greatest Hebridean castles and the only one which has been continuously occupied by the same family for 800 years. It is quite interesting inside and is still occupied by the MacLeod Family.