Wander Life

April, May and Beyond!

Well, I missed posting in April.  But just barely!  And I have some really good excuses.  Including:

A visit from my sister and brother-in-law.  It was, to use a British term, totally brilliant.  Loved having 'em here and loved exploring Scotland with 'em.

And explore we did.

Edinburgh:

St. Andrews:

Snack breaks:

Then back to exploring.

Stirling:

View from atop the Wallace Monument:

Checking out the castle:

And the town:

Then it was time to move on to Perthshire:

What's that you see, Steph?

Ah ha, Beatrix Potter Garden!  So lovely.

Moving west across Scotland, we came to Glencoe:

Passed Ft. William to the Glennfinnan Viaduct (aka the railline to Hogwarts):

Which had a lovely view all around:

Next, it was ferry time to check out a couple of Scotland's famed Hebride Islands:

The Isle of Iona.

Where we saw a cool old abbey.

And the Isle of Mull:

Where we saw a cool cow.

Yes, indeed, it was a great week of Scottish adventures.  With plenty of castles:

Duart Castle on Mull.

Inveraray Castle.

And, of course, a little time in Glasgow:

And the best part of all?  Getting to spend time with my sister and brother-in-law, of course.  They're pretty cool, don't ya know.

A definite thumbs up!

And as if that weren't enough to call April good, there were a few other happenings, as well.

Like my friends Paul & Tracie's wedding.  

It was a lovely affair with some great people.  

Fun friends, fun dancing,

fun cake.

And I know I'm really flying through the month here, but you know, there's a lot to get in.

Like some more ultimate frisbee tournaments:

This one was on a beach in Aberdeen (NE Scotland).

The Glasgow squad.  ...Someone told us to pose like models for this picture, and this is the result.  Clearly, none of us knows what that means.

And now you're pretty well caught up.  And it's May.  Wow.  My plans for the summer and beyond?

Well, I've just been accepted into the University of Glasgow's PhD in Creative Writing program, so it looks like Scotland won't be getting rid of me for another couple more years, at least.  Which is nice.  I like it here.  

The Lake District, a few hours south of Glasgow.

I haven't lived longer than two years in one place in quite some time.  Like, in the past decade.  So, that'll be different for me.  But, also good.  It's a good place.  With good people around. 

Hiking with university pals around Loch Lomond, just north of Glasgow.

So, I'm looking forward to the summer and the next couple of years.

BBQing outside my flat.

I've got some work to do this month, writing and more writing, and next month, I've got a couple weeks in Spain (then Paris) lined up, teaming up again with my old China-teaching-days friend Rebekah, whom I traveled Berlin and Denmark with last year.  Pretty excited for that.  ...Then maybe Bulgaria, Turkey and some places in between in July.  Backpacker-style, of course.  I can do hostel life for a couple weeks a year.  ...End of July, I've got tickets to support the US Women's Olympic soccer team when they play France in Glasgow.  The Olympics are officially hosted by London this year, but Glasgow gets to help out.  Should be fun.  ...And, last but not least, I'm going to try to get back to the ol' US of A for a few weeks in August.  There's still a niece I haven't met, yet, plus all the other nieces, nephew and rest o' the Family Farm to catch up with.  It'll be, what, 17 months or so, come August, since I've seen those rascals, and that really is pretty long.  

So, yeah, that's what's up and what's coming up.  I'll try to post again in May before heading off for warmer weather, but if I don't get a chance to, you can at least have Spainishy pictures to look forward to next time.  

And I hope summer's gearing up well for all of you, as well.  Three cheers for the sun!  Hip hip...        

Marching On

Next month's gonna be a good one (with a very cool visit from a very cool sister and bro-in-law and lots of cool pictures from cool travels in cool parts of Scotland).  So, as you can see, this month can't really compete with all that coolness.  

But I don't want to totally discount the latter half of February and the first half of March.  It's had some happenings.  More classes, more frisbee, more injuries - here are a few of the high(and low?)lights:

Went a couple hours north of Glasgow into the hills to try to get a little snowboarding in.  Wasn't enough snow for boarding, but the drive was pretty, anyway.

University Women's Indoor Ultimate Frisbee National Championships in Stoke, England.  

Our team played well.  Won some; lost some...

And, all in all, had a great time.

Even if I did fracture my wrist in the process.  No pain, no gain, right?  (And it's really not that bad - should be ship-shape in a month or so).

And other than that, just been enjoying classes and Scotland, I guess.  One more week of classes left, then just gotta work on some essays and portfolio writing.  Except, of course, for the first week of April when my sis & bro-in-law are here.  No writing then.  But lots of pictures and a full description afterward.  So...something to look forward to! (for me, anyway)  :)

Until then, here's just a couple shots of Scotland in March...

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

2012 Under Way

I know, I know.  I missed a January post.  But, come on, January's just kind of like that, right?  It happens, then it's done, and before you know it, it's February and everyone's still trying to get used to dating things with the correct year.  I think I've got it now, though.  2012.  Right, I can remember that.

So, here's a few 2012 things that have happened thus far....

Hanging out with friends.  I've known this gang for a year and a half now, and, yeah, I'm glad to know 'em.  We study writing together, but we also do things like playing giant Jenga.  It's a nice balance.

Dog-sat for a friend.  I do love dogs and would like to have one some day.  ...But for now, a week was plenty - got my dog-fix in without the commitment.  Win win.

Hurt my toe playing charades.  Not a major 2012 highlight, but it does distinguish January for me in some way.  It's still a bit wonky but nothing life-changing - they don't call me "Ol' Limpy" now or anything.

Survived a pretty big wind storm.  It knocked down a bunch of trees but none landed on my head, so I was grateful for that.

And, of course, frisbee.  Tournament season is under way, and our women's team recently went to regionals where we qualified for nationals (which'll be in England in a few weeks).  ...Sports just make me happy.

And there were some other things, too, I'm sure (like a Superbowl party and such).  And in addition to the classes I have as a student, I also have one as a teacher, teaching creative writing to undergraduates.  It keeps me busy, but it's a good group and fun to be teaching again.

So, there ya go.  2012 is off to a running start.  The next BIG thing that I'm looking forward to is my sister and bro-in-law's visit in early April.  But I'm sure February and March will have some good times, too.  Oh!  And I have a new niece!

Waverly Lou Stout born January 25th.  I haven't met her, yet, but I know she's a keeper.  

Hope all of you out there are also having a great start to the year, getting used to dating things with '12 and not breaking too many toes.... 

Scottish Holiday (with a hint o' Irish)

December already.  The fall semester's over; the first snow has fallen in Glasgow; and I had the good fortune of being visited by a good friend.  A very good end to the year, indeed. 

Bri and I have been friends since our California-living days, and we've had quite a few adventures 'round the world.  So it was great to have her visit and be able to explore Scotland and Ireland together. 

Per usual, the full photo album can be found on Facebook, but here's a glimpse of what we saw....

St. Andrews:

Belfast:

Dublin:

The drive between Dublin and Belfast (up and down the Irish east coast):

Scotland's scenery by rail:

Edinburgh:

Stirling:

Of course, Glasgow:

And plenty of good times together:

So, thanks for the visit, Bri.  It definitely made this holiday season a happy one!

And to everyone else, here's wishing you a very merry Christmas:

...and a happy New Year!

The Glasgow Life

Glasgow quite literally rocks.  Live music can be found pretty much any day of the week, and the music scene is well-known enough to attract bands from around the world.  Which, nicely for me, includes some sounds from home (the States in general, as well as some specifically from the PacNW).  Last week, I saw My Morning Jacket with a Seattle band called The Head and the Heart (pictured above) opening.  Last spring I got to see The Decemberists (from Portland) when they came to town; The National put on a good slow-down show in August; and Wilco rocked it a couple of weeks ago.  Yes, indeed, Glasgow is not in want of music.  

Glasgow's also got game.

Ultimate frisbee is getting into full swing again, and Glasgow University's team, FarFlung, is once again making the tournament circuit.  Last weekend, the mixed (co-ed) indoor regional tourament was held in Edinburgh, and I'm happy to report that we did well enough to qualify for Division 2 Nationals.  I will also be playing on the women's team again this year, but regional qualifiers aren't until February.

So, as you can see, life in Glasgow's not all about the books.  It has some good study breaks, too.  :)    

 

Bookin' It

The second year of my MFA in Creative Writing is underway.  Which means this is the scene for much of my day:

Sometimes I go to coffee shops, twice a week I go to Number 5 University Gardens for classes, and, of course, I run errands, go for my daily run and engage in various social activities.  But I spend a good part of my day, most days, right here.  Reading and writing.

Our reading list this year is pretty hefty, a lot of classics, as well as some popular and not-so-popular modern stuff.  Thanks to my folks (mailing and bringing some books from home), Amazon (UK) and several pretty good local used bookstores, my collection over here is growing rapidly.  I think I brought 10 books with me when I moved to Glasgow a year ago.  Now I've got this:

Thankfully, I like books.  (I also like my elephant bedside lamp, but I'll refrain from going any further on that tangent or else I'll probably end up listing everything in my flat that I appreciate and why.)  But, yes, books.  I'm spending a lot of time with them, and I have to say, they're pretty good company.  

So, that's how I'm spending my time as the weather gets a little colder and the days get a little shorter.  Hope everyone else finds some good company this fall, as well.  (And I'll try to continue to keep the right sidebar ["In My Backpack"] up to date for anyone who's interested in knowing who my friends of the moment are.)     

 

Back to School Special: A great time with family!

So, summer's officially over.  My classes started up again this week, and, yup, I'm right back into a mountain of books (and what a beautiful mountain it is!).  But before I get too far along into the new school year, I wanted to give one last recap of the summer.  'Cause I had family visit!  And it was fantastic.  Per usual, you can check out Facebook for the complete album, but here are a few highlights:

The Loch Ness Explorers Team: lil' bro Jake, Uncle Ron, Aunt Jane & Aunt Dee.  They came to Scotland for 10 days, and I went up to Inverness (a town in the Highlands about three hours north of Glasgow) to spend it with them.  And we actually saw A LOT of Scotland.  We took day trips from Inverness to check out the west coast (and the Isle of Skye), the way-up-north (if you look on a map, you can see Scotland's kind of a weird shape, but yeah, we went nearly as far north as you can get), Shetland Island, sights of natural beauty, historical sights, Scottish culture (including some good food) and lots more.  It was a great time.  Fun to explore more of Scotland and fun to spend time with people I love.

Dunrobin Castle on the northeast coast of Scotland.  Pretty fancy.

With a great view of the North Sea.

Eilean Donan Castle.  I mean, you gotta admit, Scotland does have some pretty great castles.

Castle Explorers.

Shetland ponies on Shetland Island.

And we even saw a viaduct.  

So, yeah, here's to the wonderful visit - seeing Scotland with you was a blast!

Jake agrees.

Postcards & Portfolios

The reasons for my lack of blog posting in July:

Czech Republic

Slovakia

Hungary

Serbia

Montenegro

Croatia

...and Bosnia

Then, after traveling Europe for three weeks, it was time to return to Glasgow and get back to the whole working-on-a-graduate-degree thing.  Which, as of yesterday, I just completed.  Well, completed the first degree: an MLitt in Creative Writing (which, for you Latin speakers, means Magister Litterarum...or, in nonLatin, means Master of Letters).  I still have another year to complete master's degree #2, the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, but since those classes don't start again for another month, I think I can technically say I'm done.  Done for now.  Done mastering the letters.  Woo hoo!

So, yup, that's where July went.  Flew by in a blaze of hostels, trains and typing.  Up next is the very exciting visit from some family: my Uncle Ron, Aunt Dee, Aunt Jane and lil' bro, Jake.  Time with them will be the perfect way to send the summer holiday out with a bang.  Can't wait!

Until then, I'll be here in Glasgow, taking a break from writing...except for maybe a few postcards.  : )  [By the way, there are more photos of the seven-country trip around East & Central Europe on Facebook...if you feel so inclined.]  Hope the summer is winding down (winding down already?!) well for all of you!  

Summer Here & There

One of the nice things about being in Europe is that there are A LOT of countries relatively close by.  In the States, it's easy to visit other states.  In Europe, it's easy to visit other European countries.  A cheap flight and an hour or two later, and you can find yourself surrounded by a different culture, a different language, different money, different food, and, yeah, just general differences.

So, it seems only natural that I should get out and explore a bit this summer.  Since a friend of mine (from China teaching days) was going to Germany & Denmark for work, that seemed like a good place to start.  Per usual, the full photo album is on Facebook, but here are a few highlights....  

Berlin.  If you like art and/or history, you'll love Berlin.  And what a train system.  Definitely makes me want to check out more of Germany.

Then on to Denmark.  

Um, yeah, pretty.

We went through the country by train and stopped in the middle, the northern-most tip and Copenhagen.  And I loved everywhere.  Seriously, a very beautiful country, beautiful language, good food.  The only negative is that, with the exchange rate from US dollars to Danish kroners, things are pretty expensive.  Other than that, it might be one of my new favorite places.  I suppose it might be a different story in the winter, but in the summer, at least, it's pretty stellar.

I feel like I could just put picture after picture up here - just a lot of very cool sights.  Any place with water and colorful/impressive buildings makes me pretty happy.  

And how can seeing Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid in Copenhagen bring anything but a smile to your face.

And, of course, seeing a friend is pretty great, too.  Thanks for a great trip, R!

 

So, yes, the summer of here & there is a good one, thus far.  July holds a trip to Prague, and in the meantime, I'll carry on writing (15,000 word portfolio due in August. Hmm, I'm thinking...travel writing? :)) and maybe taking some little trips around Scotland.  Like this one last weekend to the Isle of Skye:

Nice, indeed. 

The Great May Days

What a month!  I started out the month by working on a sheep farm in northwest Scotland and finished it out with roadtripping around the UK with my parents.  And, in between, there was some frisbee-playing and Flat-Stanley-picture-taking.  Pret-ty awesome.  

Hopefully, you're all on Facebook, so you can check out the photos there, but, as is my fashion, I'll recap some of the highlights here.

First, a beach frisbee tournament in Aberdeen (NE Scotland).  (And, yes, Stanley got to go.)

Next, the sheep farm.  I spent a week there, helping with the lambs, driving the land rover on errands and putting in a garden.

This was the farm where I worked, near a town called Ullapool.  10,000 acres of sheep, deer, lakes, hills, cows, and a waterfall.

Feeding time.

Running errands (and left-handed shifting).  It took 30 minutes to make it down the driveway.

And all in all, a great sheep-filled week.

Then...!  My parents visited!  Ta da!

Man, we had a blast.  We started out in Glasgow (psst, that's where I live in Scotland) and then spent about 10 days driving in a big loop around the UK.  North Wales, south Wales, west England, central England, east England, Edinburgh, and back to Glasgow.  Amazing.  We ate fish n' chips, full English breakfasts, meat pies, haggis, scones and Tex Mex.  We drove on the left, slept in B&Bs, researched some genealogy, saw castles and monuments, museums, beautiful scenery and Welsh ponies.  It was fun, fun, fun, and though the summer just started, I'm going to have to say, yes, a contender for a highlight of the summer, for sure.

I hardly know what pictures to highlight on this post - there were so many stellar sights.  The full (or more-full, anyway) album is on FB, but I'll just give you sample here:

North Wales

South Wales

Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace)

Oxford

London

Yorshire

And back up to Scotland (Edinburgh)

Quite the trip.  Quite the gang!

Up next...time to get back to some writing and summer in Glasgow.  My next visitors will be my little bro, my Aunt Jane and my Uncle Ron & Aunt Dee in September, so until then, I'll be keeping busy with my usual routine.  I am taking one trip in a couple weeks, though, to visit friend Rebes (we taught together in China my first year) while she's in Germany and Denmark.  So, that's what's up next on the horizon.  I've never been to either country before, so...should be another fun wandertrip.  : )

So, until then, hope all of you are having a great Memorial Day and starting to see some sunshine.  May was great, so bring on June!