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Circuitous Travel~Part 5

10 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

After a wonderful breakfast at the St. Valery Guest House in Edinburgh, we loaded up the car and headed to Wales.

Looking at the map, it is quite a distance from Edinburgh to the Eastern border of Wales. It has been so many years since we made this trip, that I honestly don’t remember all the towns and villages we passed through getting to Wales. I have a “log” where I wrote down where we went each day, and what we saw, but there are only two entries for this particular day.   I guess those two cities, with castles, were the main focus of our day.

And so, I will tell you what we saw that day. It was so awesome…and we enjoyed ourselves so much. I have not mentioned before that one of the things that has interested me and thrilled me so much on this trip – is all the castles and ruins that we have seen that were built by the Normans! And they are still standing! Many years ago, Fred and I made a trip to Greece, and the feeling of awe that I experienced there is much the same as it was on this trip to England, Scotland, and Wales. All these structures have been in existence for hundreds and hundreds of years – and are still standing! I remember Fred sitting on the stump of a column in Athens, on the Acropolis, and knowing that those buildings were there when Jesus walked the earth…and they are still standing! We stood on Mars Hill, where Paul preached his sermon. Yes, some structures or most are in ruins, but they are still there, to remind us of what was. Amazing!

 

Fred sitting in the priests seats in Dionysus Amphitheater at the foot of the Acropolis

In any case, our first stop in Wales was in the town on Conwy. It is on the north coast of Wales. From a website on the castles of Wales, I learned:

Jeff Thomas, author:

Words cannot do justice to Conwy Castle. The best, simple description is found in the guidebook published by CADW, the Welsh Historic Trust, which states: “Conwy is by any standards one of the great fortresses of medieval Europe.” Conwy along with Harlech is probably the most impressive of all the Welsh castles. Both were designed by Edward I’s master castle builder James of St. George, and while Harlech has a more storied past, Conwy’s eight massive towers and high curtain wall are more impressive than those at Harlech.

 

Credit Google Search and Jeffrey L. Thomas – Conwy Castle

 

 Unlike Harlech however, Conwy Castle and town are surrounded by a well-preserved wall lending an additional sense of strength to the site. Conwy’s well-preserved wall helps the town maintain a medieval character lost by other Welsh castle-towns over the years. Construction of Conwy began in 1283. The castle was an important part of King Edward I’s plan of surrounding Wales in “an iron ring of castles” to subdue the rebellious population. The highly defensible wall Edward built around the town was intended to protect the English colony planted at Conwy. The native Welsh population were violently opposed to English occupation of their homeland.

 

Conwy Castle entrance and bridge

 

Mr. Thomas continues:   Conwy is a town that time has simply chosen to pass by. Despite a few modern shops, Conwy still looks very similar to the town Edward envisioned some 700 years ago. The ancient town walls, castle and simple streets offer very little to remind the visitor of the modern world. Conwy is something of a paradox. Originally a symbol of English domination of Wales, in time the Welsh managed to reclaim the town, replacing English oppression with its own medieval character. Only at Conwy and St. Davids did we get the feeling of being transported back to ancient Wales.

 

Credit Google Search and Jeffrey L. Thomas

 

Credit Google Search and Jeffrey L. Thomas

 

Credit Google Search and Jeffrey L. Thomas

Credit Google Search and Jeffrey L. Thomas

Credit Google Search and Jeffrey L. Thomas

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 4

3 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 As an aside about Loch Lomond: Many years after this 1983 trip, Fred and I took a bus tour of England/Scotland with Fred’s parents and one of his sisters and her husband. I remember, as we passed by Loch Lomond, Fred’s parents were singing together the lovely song about the Loch, which was published in 1841. Here is the familiar chorus:

 

Oh, ye’ll tak the high road, and I’ll tak the low road,

And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye;

But me and my true love will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.

 

As Fred read this post (he’s my first reader and gives suggestions and catches any mistakes or quirky stuff I do), he asked that I mention to you that, when he and his sister heard his parents singing this song, they both had tears in their eyes. It was a beautiful and memorable moment for them. One neither of them have forgotten.

Leaving Loch Lomond, we began our way back to Edinburgh. We passed through Luss. Of interest to me, I found on Google Search and Wikipedia:

Saint Kessog brought Christianity to Luss at some uncertain date in the ‘Dark Ages’. A number of early medieval and medieval monuments survive in the present churchyard, including simple cross-slabs which may date to as early as the 7th century AD, and a hogback grave-cover of the 11th century. A well-preserved late medieval effigy of a bishop is preserved within the modern church. The present Church of Scotland place of worship was built in 1875 by Sir James Colquhoun, in memory of his father who had drowned in the loch in December 1873. The church is noted for its online services as well as for holding over one hundred weddings per year, most from outside the parish. Luss is the ancestral home of Clan Colquhoun. [Remember – I mentioned recently that my ancestral history is the Colquhoun clan! Wish I had known that when we were on this trip!!]

Here is a picture of the Luss Parish Church. Beautiful!

 

Credit: Luss_Parish_Church_By wfmillar, CC BY-SA 2.0, httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid=14350248

 

Still within the Loch Lomond area, is Tarbert. There is a castle there, as well. Here is some information I gleaned from Google Search and Wikipedia:

The castle at Tarbert was originally an iron age fort and was subsequently fortified by Robert the Bruce. By the 18th century it was in disrepair and most of the stone was re-cycled into expanding the port and the local houses.

 

 

From Tarbert, we drove through Crianlarich. Here’s some info on it, again from Wikipedia:

Crianlarich has been a major crossroads for north and westbound journeys in Scotland since mediaeval times. In the 1750s, two military roads met in the village; in the 19th century, it became a railway junction on what is now the West Highland Line; in the 20th century it became the meeting point of the major A82 and A85 roads. As such, it is designated a primary destination in Scotland, signposted from as far as Glasgow in the south, Perth in the east, Oban in the west and Fort William in the north…. Crianlarich is very popular with hillwalkers….In 2001, the village had a population of 185.

From Crianlarich, we drove through Callander and back through Stirling, and finally back to Edinburgh and a peaceful night in St. Valery’s Guest House – our final night’s stay in that lovely B&B.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 4

27 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

After another good nights rest and breakfast at the St. Valery Guest House in Edinburgh, we took a bus tour of Edinburgh. We usually like to do that – take an official tour of whatever city we are in, then later, explore it on our own. The tour might take us to places and areas that we might not find on our own.

The tour took us to the Edinburgh Castle,

 

                                   The castle from the street below

 

                                    Main Gate to the Castle

 

                                   Battlements

 

Palace Holyrood,

 

 

St. Giles Cathedral.

 

                                  Credit Google Search

 

We were fascinated by it all. We were impressed to find a soldiers dog cemetery on the grounds.

 

 

While Fred’s ancestral family is from near Perth (actually Forgendenny in Perthshire), I’ve recently discovered that my ancestral family is from the southwest part of Scotland, Galloway. I didn’t know that then, or we might have made a special trip to that part of Scotland.

After the bus tour, we got in our car and did a driving trip around. We left Edinburgh and drove by the Firth of Forth bridges to Stirling. From Google search I found:

Stirling is a city in central Scotland. At the heart of its old town, medieval Stirling Castle is on a craggy volcanic rock. On the Abbey Craig outcrop, the National Wallace Monument is a 19th-century tower. It overlooks the site of the 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge, where William Wallace defeated the English. The Battle of Bannockburn Experience has interactive 3D displays on the history of the 1314 conflict.

 

Here’s a picture of the Stirling Castle:

 

                          Stirling Castle – Lt.Wikipedia.org – Google search

 

We drove through Thornhill. From Google Search, I found:

Thornhill lies on the main A76 road from Dumfries to Kilmarnock as it follows Nithsdale north through the Southern Uplands. Its broad streets meet at a small roundabout on which you find the focal point of the village, the Mercat Cross [Scot for Market Cross].

The origins of Thornhill might date as far back as the Romans, who built a road through Nithsdale and a fort a little to the north at Carronbridge. By the 1600s there was an established settlement here, complete with a mill, though a wooden bridge over the River Nith built in the 1400s to provide a route to the west had already been lost in a flood.

I also found that there is a monument there to the explorer Joseph Thomson (after whom the Thomson’s Gazelle is named).

From Thornhill, we drove through the towns of Aberfoyle, Dryman, Balloch (where there is a castle situated at the southern tip of Loch Lomand), and Jamestown (which is rapidly becoming part of Balloch). Unfortunately, we apparently didn’t take any pictures of these towns.

We had wanted to see Loch Lomond, and we did, stopping only to take a few pictures.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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Circuitous Travel~Part 3

20 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

CIRCUITOUS TRAVEL – PART 3 continued

And so we left Edinburgh, went through Queensferry

 

Credit Google Search

to go over the Forth Bridge which goes over The Firth of Forth, an estuary of several Scottish rivers, and on to Dunfermline. Here are a few pictures we took of the Forth Bridge (for trains),

 

the bridge for trains and cars,

 

 

and the bridge for cars.

Again, from Wikipedia I gleaned: Dunfermline – The town was first recorded in the 11th century, with the marriage of Malcolm III, King of Scotland, and Saint Margaret at the church in Dunfermline. As his Queen consort, Margaret established a new church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which evolved into an Abbey under their son, David I in 1128. Following the burial of Alexander I in 1160, the abbey graveyard confirmed its status as the burial place of Scotland’s kings and queens up to and including Robert The Bruce in 1329.

 

We found it to be a fascinating place to see. The ruins are beautiful, as is the current church, which is still in use.

 

The Church yard

 

Abbey & Palace – credit BikELove

 

Abbey & Palace – credit Historic Environment Scotland

 

Credit Google Search and TripAdvisor

From Dunfermline, we drove to Falkland Palace and Garden. Here are a few pictures we took there.

 

Palace entrance

 

Falkland Palace

 

From the Falkland Palace website, I found: Falkland was the country retreat of the Stewart kings and queens of Scotland, located within easy reach of Edinburgh, yet far enough distant to provide a welcome escape. Here the royal court could indulge in hawking and hunting, plus more genteel recreations like archery. Falkland boasts the oldest real (or ‘royal’) tennis court in the world, built in 1539 for James V.

The Falkland Gardens are quite beautiful, but are relatively new, being laid out in 1947.

From Falkland Palace and Garden, we finally arrived in St. Andrews on the coast.

 

 

After wandering around the golf course and the original golf club house, we purchased some goodies for ourselves as mementoes. We purchased a cashmere scarf; I purchased some Gunn Clan pins (Fred is a direct descendent of the Gunn Clan);

 

Credit Google Search

 

Fred purchased a Gunn Clan tie, which he still wears proudly. Here is a swatch of the Gunn Clan tartan. We think it is quite beautiful.

 

 

We were told there, that when a Scot female marries, she is not allowed to wear her husband’s tartan. She is always associated with her father’s tartan. Interesting.

We returned to Edinburgh, where we walked around the town a bit and shopped, as well. I purchased a Gunn Clan book; a Gunn Clan pin and necklace; and one meter of the Gunn Clan tartan. I intended to make some garment for our daughters. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t get that done until this past Christmas. I made a long scarf for each of them, with self fringe. They are delighted with it.

Also in all of this shopping – especially for the tartan, I discovered that I have a family tartan, as well. It is the Colquhoun Clan – very similar to our American word/name of Calhoun. The tartan is very similar to the Gunn tartan, with similar colors. I think it’s pretty, as well.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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Circuitous Travel~Part 2

6 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

Circuitous travel, continued. I did want to add this photo – our daughter, Karen, found it on Google Search. This is what travel is like in a C-130; that’s the way we traveled from Germany to England. Fortunately, Fred says it’s only about a 2-hour flight.

 

               Credit Google Search

Okay…on to our travels in England. We left the B&B in Mildenhall, home of Mr. & Mrs. Amber, and started our journey north toward Scotland. Our first day’s travel took us eventually to Durham for an overnight.

 

Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right – York

On our way north, we stopped in Cambridge. Within Cambridge University, we went to Trinity College and walked around a bit, taking pictures of the College.

 

    Credit Google Search and UK Fundraising

 

 

After leaving Cambridge, we headed to York.

From Wikipedia I found: York (Old Norse: Jórvík) is a historic walled city at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The municipality is the traditional county town of Yorkshire to which it gives its name. The Emperors Hadrian, Septimius Severus and Constantius I all held court in York during their various campaigns. During his stay 207–211 AD, the Emperor Severus proclaimed York capital of the province of Britannia Inferior, and it is likely that it was he who granted York the privileges of a colonia or city. Constantius I died in 306 AD during his stay in York.

For a little more history from Wikipedia: In 1068, two years after the Norman conquest of England, the people of York rebelled. Initially the rebellion was successful but upon the arrival of William the Conqueror the rebellion was put down. William at once built a wooden fortress on a motte. In 1069, after another rebellion, William built another timbered castle across the River Ouse. These were destroyed in 1069 and rebuilt by William about the time of his ravaging Northumbria in what is called the “Harrying of the North” where he destroyed everything from York to Durham. The remains of the rebuilt castles, now in stone, are visible on either side of the River Ouse.

 

 

 

York Fire Station

 

So, as you might see, York is a most interesting place to visit. We walked around the town a bit, most impressed with the York Minister Cathedral. Quite majestic and beautiful. It seems to dominate the city. One of the interesting points in York is Clifford’s Tower, which is the “keep” of York Castle.

 

 

It sits high above the street level and is a prominent vista for the town.

 

A reconstruction of York Castle in the 14th century, viewed from the south-east

We climbed the stairs and took this picture of the city of York from there.

 

 

We left York and drove northwest to Harrogate.

 

Credit Google Search

 

From Harrogate we drove again northwest to Ripon and Fountain’s Abbey. From Wikipedia: Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 407 years, until 1539, when Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

 

 

    Credit Google Search

 

We had a grand time walking through the ruins. Janet, especially, enjoyed running about through the ruins. I remember asking the gentleman at the ticket counter if there was a story about Fountain’s Abbey. His reply? “Yes.” Nothing more.

From Fountain’s Abbey, we drove northeast to Durham, where we spent the night in another B&B.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 1

30 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

Circuitous travel – I had never heard that phrase until we were about to leave Germany (1983) and return to the United States. If you aren’t familiar with that phrase, it means that you will travel from point A to point B, but not in a straight line, i.e. you will make a stop – or several stops – along the way, that are not really related to getting to your destination.

I found the following online: The Air Force defines circuitous travel as any route other than the one that would normally be prescribed by the TMF between places listed in members travel orders.

 All that information to say that, our family took advantage of circuitous travel when we left Germany and returned to the States. We took two weeks leave, and went to England.

After we had hired someone to clean our government apartment – and it was approved “clean” – we were allowed to leave Germany. We had a friend drive us to Ramstein AB (with Karen crying all the way, because she was leaving Brian behind).

 

Credit Google Search

 

We boarded a C-130 there.

 

Credit Google Search

 

It is a transport plane, and we sat knee-to-knee with each other, in canvas seats, for the time it took to fly to RAF Mildenhall, England.

 

Credit Google Search

 

We were given foam ear plugs to wear during the flight – which we really needed. That is a NOISY plane!! I made the mistake of taking one of them out of my ears, just to see how noisy it was – and regretted it immediately! It was really LOUD! So then I attempted to re-insert the foam plug into my ear – and it wouldn’t fit! So I had to endure that noise for the remainder of the flight.

 

 

About half-way through the flight, one of the flight crew came around with a cardboard box. It was filled with candy bars, and we took our pick. That was the extent of services on that flight. And that crewman didn’t look too pleased to be doing that job, either. I’m sure he would rather have been flying/navigating/etc. on that plane, rather than passing out goodies to the passengers.

 

aCredit Google Search and Amazon

 

We finally landed at RAF Mildenhall in England. Fred had arranged for a car to be delivered to us there. It was a Vauxhall, 4-door sedan, and nearly new, with just a few miles on it. It, of course, was right-hand drive, but was automatic shift. Fred hadn’t driven many stick shift vehicles in his life time, and wasn’t too keen on driving the English round-abouts with a stick shift. So we were glad to have the automatic.

By this time, it was getting rather late in the day. For some reason, Fred had not arranged for a B&B for us to stay in that night. So he began calling those in the phone book, and those the people in the terminal knew about. About the time I thought we were going to have to spent the night in the car, he was able to connect with a lady who said she would put us up, but she had to roust her children out of their beds to do so. So we finally had a bed to sleep in for that night. We had breakfast with them the next morning, and Janet had a few cats to play with and love on before we left.

Fred said it was the most expensive stay of any we had the rest of the trip. But it was worth it!

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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Cat-Astrophy

23 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

Do you have a pet? Have you ever had a pet? Cat? Dog? Bird? Fish? Snake (yuk!)? Turtle? I could go on and on….

I’ve written a previous post about my adventure with our family cats (please see my post of April 21, 2013 – Boots and Tippy), and how much we enjoyed them. And included in that post was the information about my Aunt Jessie and Granny’s dogs. That was really the best of both worlds – we had cats, and 10 minutes away from our house was Granny and Aunt Jessie’s house with dogs. Loved them all.

 

Bill and Judy and Boots 1956

 

Boots and Trixie

 

But then I met and married Fred. His family was a military family, and his parents said that, because they moved so often, it wasn’t practical to have pets. So Fred didn’t have the pleasure of growing up with animals around the house, as I did. And, consequently, he didn’t feel the need for pets in our house. And that feeling was emphasized following his entrance into the military, himself. Same feeling as his parents – we moved so often that it wasn’t practical to have pets. So we never did.

But that’s not to say that I didn’t miss having a cat or dog following me around the house. But I also have to admit, even now, that, because we travel as often as we do, it is quite convenient not to have to arrange care for an animal.

And I find it interesting – and amusing – to find that both our daughters have pets: Karen and her family have cats; Janet and her family have dogs.

But that brings a memory to me of a time that we cat-sat for someone. We were in our first tour of duty in Germany – Wiesbaden. It was 1968, and Karen was just one year old. A family from our church went on vacation, and asked us to keep their new kitten for the few days they would be gone.

 


Credit Google Search and the Kitten Lady

 

It was cute little thing, and Karen was quite taken with it. I remember she had a set of winter mittens – hooked together by a long yarn cord. She would run through the apartment – holding one of the mittens, with the other trailing – and the kitten would chase it. She had great fun out of that.

On to the crux of this story: it was my habit to put her in the bathtub to play in the water while I cleaned the rest of the bathroom. We would have conversations, as well. I had done so one particular day when we had that kitten with us. I had cleaned the toilet, and had the lid propped up to let the seat dry. The door to the bathroom was open – and that kitten made a mad dash for the toilet – and jumped up to sit on the closed lid – only to realize, mid-leap, that the lid was up and the toilet was open! With front paws splayed, that kitten landed smack in the water in the toilet bowl! And then leaped out with a loud yowl!

 

Credit Google Search and Warren Photographic

 

That poor, wet, bedraggled kitten was quite pitiful to see! But it was one of the funniest things I think I’ve ever seen! I never knew animals could have an expression of pure terror on their face – but that one did that time!

Karen and I had quite a laugh over it. And everyone I have ever related this story to, has also gotten a good laugh out of it.

It was quite the cat-astrophy in the making!!

 

 

 

 

 

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A Good Sign

16 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

Frequently, I come across something that peaks my interest. I’ve shared some of those things with you who read my posts. We’ve seen “good signs” in stores and eateries, and even in the hospitals we’ve been in.

All that brings to my mind a sign we have seen in our favorite barbecue restaurant. You see….we were introduced to 4 Rivers bbq some time ago, but their restaurant was far enough away from where we live that we didn’t get there very often – only if we were in that part of town for some reason.

 

 

 

Consequently, when we discovered that a 4 Rivers restaurant was being built about 10 minutes from our house, we were over-joyed! It has become one of our favorite places to eat. Nothing “fancy” about it, but the food is terrific! In previous posts, I’ve mentioned that 4 Rivers catered the meal for the “joint replacement reunion” (please see my post of January 22, 2017).

We are also pleased that the restaurant is closed on Sundays. They believe that everyone within their employ should have the day/time to attend a worship service of their choice, and so they have a Sunday to do so.

They have several “signs” placed around the restaurant, but this one has taken my fancy! See what you think:

 

From the 4 Rivers website:

“4 Rivers had its humble beginnings. Just me, a smoker, and an age-old challenge—cooking brisket.”

John Rivers never set out to create the most successful BBQ chain in Florida. He’s not a classically trained chef or graduate of culinary school. It was in Texas that he found the two loves of his life: his wife and the delicate art of brisket. And it’s been those very two godsends that inspired 4 Rivers as we know it.

John spent 20 years in the healthcare industry before retiring as president of a billion-dollar company. During that time, he had the opportunity to travel the country, honing his taste and talent for brisket perfection. As he soaked up the flavors and practices of ‘cue fare countrywide, John’s dream of de-regionalizing BBQ was born.

 

“This was never supposed to be a restaurant. My definition of helping meant doing what felt most natural when comfort was in order—feed those in need.”

4 Rivers Smokehouse began with the launch of the “Barbecue Ministry” in 2004, when John hosted a cookout fundraiser to support a local family whose young daughter was battling cancer. This one event resulted in a passion for supporting local schools, churches, and charitable organizations, and a few years later, smoking thousands of pounds of meat out of a garage just wouldn’t cut it anymore.

 After trials, tribulations, and a whole lot of burnt ends, we finally flipped that “Hot Brisket Now” sign on in October of 2009. Within the first hour, a line had formed out the door…and then around the corner.

 Today, we have several locations across the state of Florida, with plans for continued expansion and more than 1,000 amazing folks on our 4 Rivers team. Most importantly, the Barbecue Ministry remains our foundation and focus, and will until the cows come home.

 

So the “sign” we find there goes right along with their beginnings and policies. We enjoy the food, the atmosphere…and their signs!

Also from their website:

FUN FACT:

 Why four Rivers? In short, it represents our family, John, Monica (wife), Jared (son) and Cameron (daughter). But they also appreciate the serendipitous double meaning with Genesis 2:10, where four rivers branch from that which flows out of Eden. Now you know!

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Ouch! ~Part 2

9 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

Continuing from last week:

From Fort Worth, we drove down to Austin, TX, by way of Waco. We stopped in at Baylor University, where my father had graduated in 1924. He was one of the three students in the very first graduating class in the School of Music from Baylor University.

 

Baylor University Music Program Class of 1924

 

In Austin, we met up with a cousin of mine I hadn’t seen since 2001, along with his wife and his brother. We had a great couple of days with them, as well.

 

 

From Austin we drove down to San Antonio, TX – one of our favorite cities! We had lived there for three years in the 1980’s, while Fred was an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School.

 

Graduating class of new Air Force Officers

 

That first night, we had dinner with a German friend and her husband. We had met them in Germany in the late 1960’s. She was actually a friend of my Mother’s, before she became my friend. She had married an American military person, and they moved to the U.S. and San Antonio, in particular. We hadn’t seen them since we left Germany in 1970. Still dear friends.

After now having seen all the friends we had planned on seeing, we were free to “do” San Antonio at our leisure. We started off by going downtown. We had been members of the First Baptist Church while living in S.A., so stopped to see if anyone was there. Fred met someone, who said the church was, essentially, closed (it being Saturday). But we were welcome to park our car in their lot and do the famous “San Antonio River Walk” from there. So we did just that.

 

Credit Google search

 

At least, we started out on the River Walk. That had always been one of our favorite things to do in San Antonio. We walked along, enjoying the sights and sounds – and wonderful smells of Mexican food! It’s just a sidewalk on either side of the river. We were also enjoying watching a momma duck and 11 babies swimming furiously in the river.

 

 

And here’s a picture with a turtle near the ducks!

 

 

With some people coming toward us, Fred and I narrowed down to single-file. That’s when I stubbed my toe on an uneven piece of sidewalk concrete – and down I went! Hard! I remember hitting my right cheek with such force that I thought I had shattered my cheekbone!

OUCH!

When Fred – and the passing tourists – managed to get me on my feet, I realized that I had done something really bad to my right shoulder – something really painful! I thought perhaps I had dislocated my shoulder.

Unable to continue on with the River Walk, we headed back to the car. I knew that I had to go to the hospital, but was a little hungry. So as we headed to get something to eat, I texted our daughters, my brother, and my best friend, with the words “Altercation with sidewalk. Sidewalk won. Lunch first, then ER.”

That ER visit lasted four hours – and we were so glad we had taken the time to eat first! After some tests – including xrays, CT scan, and MRI – the conclusion was that I had a hairline fracture of my clavicle (collar bone), as well as a hairline fracture of my right eye socket. I saw four doctors, including an opthamologist, with instructions to follow-up with doctors here in Orlando.

Here is a photo of my eye as we were leaving the hospital. As you can see, my eye was already turning purple after just four hours.

 

 

And here is a picture of my eye as it was by the next morning. That lasted for about six weeks. Not a pretty sight, right?

 

 

So, my ouchies are better – healing well – and I am seeing the required doctors. But it is certainly not something I would like to repeat!

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

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Ouch!

2 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

 Recently, Fred and I took a driving trip – something we hadn’t done in many years. When Fred mentioned it, I asked him if he was sure – I tend to fall asleep in the car! However, he was sure. Most of the places we go to visit are far enough away that we like to fly to them, rather than drive. But this trip was prompted by a situation we hadn’t heard of before.

 

 

Our son-in-law, Brian, found a really good “deal” here in Orlando – or Central Florida, to be exact. Seems that there are just too many rental cars in the Orlando/Central Florida area between Christmas and Spring Break. So the car companies were making a really good offer – rent one of our cars for $4.95 per day (you read that right – $4.95 per day) and you can drive it for a minimum of one day and up to 30 days – as long as you drop the car somewhere outside Florida! And most of the companies let the renters have the car with unlimited driving miles! And since I call my husband “my tight-fisted Scot” (said with a Scottish accent!) – it was an offer he couldn’t refuse!

So we signed up for a 16-day trip. Fred also said he would like for me to be able to see some of the girlfriends I had made along the way of our life, but hadn’t seen in many years. So we began planning our trip.

 

 

But before I begin our trip – I must tell you that, even though we hadn’t seen these people in many, many years – we had kept up with them, either via Christmas cards, or letters. We had not lost touch with them.

And so, when the time to start driving arrived, we picked up the car and started out. We drove from Orlando to Pensacola the first day – and that’s a long trip!

The next day we drove over to Pascagoula/Moss Point, MS, to visit a friend we hadn’t seen in over 50 years. She and her husband married the November before Fred and I married in June – 56 years ago! And we hadn’t seen them since. Her birthday is one day after mine, so we called ourselves “twins.” We had a nice lunch with them, then visited in their home for a few hours, then started on our trip north. We stopped in Meridian, MS that night, before heading up to Tuscumbia, AL the next day. There we visited for several days with my best and dearest friend in all this world. And just a side note – did you know that Helen Keller is from Tuscumbia? I didn’t know that until we visited there.

 

Credit Google Search and Bio.com Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan

 

Four days following, we drove to Shreveport, LA for an overnight, before heading to Gladewater, TX the next day. There we visited a good friend I had worked with while Fred was in Seminary, in Fort Worth, TX, over 50 years ago. We hadn’t seen her and her family since 1974 when we moved to Panama City, FL from San Antonio, TX. After visiting with them for a few hours, we drove on to Fort Worth, TX. We spent a couple of days there, just re-visiting some of the places we had lived, worked and visited during the four years we lived there. In that time, we visited with the couple we had met on our Viking River Cruise in Europe (please see my post of February 21, 2016 – The Cruise of a Lifetime – Part 4). It was so good to see them again. We found we had a lot in common with this couple, and thoroughly enjoy their company.

~~~~~~~~~~Ouch! will be revealed next week~~~~~~~~~~

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