Springtime and a Lowland Fling

Word reached us in mid-March that Tyler and Kathi had tied the knot in Denmark, and photos came showing their lovely wedding in a lighthouse, just the two of them, so romantic. 

In April my friend Beth and I took off north in her car. She dropped me off in Princeton so I could do some work with my research buddies George and Dory in Princeton, at Rutgers, and later in Newark and NYC. Then I took the Metro North up to Milford where Beth put me up in the cottage behind her old home (now belonging to new owners). We walked on the beach and explored Milford, and then the next day I showed her my favorite places: the Trolley Trail in Branford, Stony Creek, Chaffinch Island Park, and the Foote-Ward cemetery. She also got to meet my friends Gordy and Andrea, and Lois back in New Jersey.

Back at BayWoods I was running for a seat on the Board of Directors. In the first week of May I learned I had won, joining two incumbents. So this will add a load to my life at BayWoods, we shall see what transpires. In mid-May Bill and I took off on our long-awaited trip to Scotland and England. We flew to London where the first night we ate dinner at our favorite restaurant, Margaux, on the Old Brompton Road. The train ride to Edinburgh was quite lovely, especially along the coast. We finally arrived at North Berwick, home of our friend Dave Berry, who had invited us and myriad other friends for what he called A Lowland Fling. We had a great room overlooking the High Street. There was a welcome dinner, a city walking tour led by Dave, and a wonderful party Saturday evening at the local pub, where Dave played

the drums with his old mates he had gathered together. A half pint of Guinness Stout and I was up there dancing to Sweet Caroline and Gimme Some Lovin. Sunday was the boat trip to four islands, each with their different birds, one with a lighthouse built by Robert Louis Stevenson's family which might have been the inspiration for Treasure Island. We hated leaving, but Monday left for Edinburgh and spent the afternoon at the National Gallery, meeting some of our new friends for lunch. On Tuesday we went to Glasgow, highlights were the Transportation Museum and the Willow Tea Room, but unfortunately I came down with a cold. Back in Edinburgh we discovered Howie's, which served excellent Scottish food in an historic building with windows all around. Later that week we took the train to Beverley, where we attended a concert in the beautiful church St Marys performed by the Early Music group The

Ministers of Pastime. The next day Bill came down with the same cold so we had to cancel the next night's concert, The Tallis Scholars. But the hotel was comfortable and we got a lot of rest our last couple of days. 

Back at BayWoods I hardly slowed down, went to an event at Quiet Waters Park and then a few days later went on a "pedalling" boat cruise of Baltimore Harbor. The summer beckons, we're planning our annual trip north to Gilmanton, with my Chester group meeting the last week of July. Oh, and Beth and I signed up for a trip to Ireland in April/May 2024!