Newly Released!!

 It's finallly here! And available in paperback and Kindle. Here's the description of the story:

Life is fragile, unpredictable, challenging. It can change in an instant.

It was a normal busy day for Skylar Jones, reading to youngsters at the library, picking up groceries at the store, wondering what her birthday celebration would bring and what she would wear for her dinner out with her husband. And then she opened the door to her home and time exploded.

Dr. Kolby Grayson, a skilled plastic surgeon specializing in reconstructive surgery built a team of doctors and nurses who worked well together repairing facial damage for those injured in tragic events in their lives. He was able to look at a patient and envision immediately the way he could work to restore normalcy to a disfigured face, that is, until his sight was lost.

Skylar and Kolby come together through the work of others who care for them. Skylar becomes Kolby’s reader for his medical journals and he, a safe harbor for her where the physical scars she fought to conceal could not be seen.

Could their life changing experiences that brought them together become the catalyst for healing and a more lasting relationship?  Was it all in God’s plan for their recovery? Would they see it as such?

Paperback link

Kindle link

Isle of Man, Douglas

 So we had criss crossed the Irish sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland and now to Isle of Man which is part of the UK. I'm not clear on how all the countries fit together in the UK and still are separate but it's too complicated for me to worry about. 

Douglas, the captial of the Isle of Man which is truly an island was very welcoming. In my research I had found that there was a small gauge steam railway that had a 15 mile run to the end of the island from Douglas. 

A man who was handing out maps of the town and island tried to show us how to get to the station which I knew was only a fifteen minute walk. His speech was very confusing so we thanked him and I turned on my data roaming again to be sure we found the station in time to get on the 9:50 train. 

Google map guidance got us there with a little time to spare. We purchased return (round trip) tickets to Port Erin for about $20 USD each. The problem was trying to find a seat on the train.

The train was made up of carriages that sat four or five people across on two benches facing each other. There were many of the units that were labeled reserved for tours. When we got to the first five or so of the train, they were labeled for cruise ship. Now, yes, we knew that meant excursioin people but no one was around and it was almost time to leave. What to do?

Well, we were on a cruise ship, the only one in town, so why not? We boarded and had the carriage to ourselves until a woman came huffing and puffing and jumped in quickly. She was a local guide who was with another private group and there wasn't room for her to sit with them so she grabbed the first seat she could find.

She laughed when we told her our predicament and said everyone was very easy going around here and there wouldn't b a problem. And there wasn't. And she was delighful talking everything from history of the railcars to politics of the world. The conductor came around and said he had to leave on time with or without the cruise group. 

The guide and her group got off in Castletown which was about 3/4 of the way down the line. There is a castle to explore there and a few other scenic spots the guide mentioned. We stayed on though as I think we'd seen enough castles already and we did have a ticket to the end and back.

The railcars or carriages as I called them dated back to the 1920s and 30s. They were a bit older and much smaller than the cars on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway. I have to say as well we thought they were refurbished a bit nicer too.

At one point the return train paused as did we and a coin of some sort was passed between the two to show that they had passed and the track ahead was clear.

Arriving in Port Erin we found we had a little less than an hour to wander and snapped a few pictures of the shoreline before returning to the railway cafe for tea and a sandwich. There is a rail museum there but we passed it up for the refreshments. We were missing lunch on the ship with our time away.

It was a nice ride again through the countryside with the heavy white steam floating over the sheep and cows and the homes that we passed. Oh, the guide had offered one other spot of information we found interesting. The train does not use coal to heat the water for the steam. They manufacture some sort of recycled organic material that is environmentally safe. I didn't research to find out where the recycled stuff came from. I trust they knew what they were doing.

The ship would leave early as it was our last night and lots needed to be done before disembarkation in Belfast the next day. There would be a little glitch waiting for a taxi in a long line but solved with an Uber. A short ride to the City Airport, a long wait to drop bags for our flight, a short flight to London Heathrow, an overnight stay at the hotel there and then a nice long day of flying home and of course, the jet lag. 

We would be taking with us some fond memories to cherish but also anticipatings our next adventure--a partial world cruise with a vist to Japan to see family and another cruise from Tokyo to Vancouver to avoid the really long flight home from Tokyo. 

And for those of you who have stayed with me on the journey, here's a look at the book, In An Instant, available in paperback on Amazon and soon on Kindle. I have to get home first.

Greencock, Scotland, The Port For Glasgow

 One glance out the window of our stateroom and we could see that we were all set to explore this day in Glasgow. The weather was so much better. The night had been as well and with a little more rest and adrenaline pumping to see Glasgow, we sest off after breakfast for our excursion that would take us into the city.

The bus ride was quite comfortable and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the beatiful and tranquil Scottish countryside. This was the reason I had wanted to come and it was all I had imagined.

Our excursion was really nothing more than a fifty minute bus ride to the city with the promise of four hours for us to explore on our own then the bus ride back home. It was a perfect fit for us as we like exploring on our own. 

I turned on the data roaming on my phone so that I could use the GPS My City app for our self guided walk. We have AT&T international on our phones and when we have data roaming on, we are charged $12/day to use it. We just have to remember to only use it on land. The charge is a lot higher if we use it on the cruise ship (don't ask how I know). 

First up on the list was the Glasgow Cathedral. It is a medieval church dating back to the 12th century and was probably the farthest from our drop off point so we headed there. We had some concern about being able to get in since it was Sunday and there was the possibilitly it would be closed for tourism because of services. 

About a twenty minute walk later, we saw people going in very dressed in Sunday best. There was even a group of military in dress uniform. Perhaps there was a special service. A gracious lady at the door was asking people if they were here for the service and informing the tourists that the cathedral would be closed until one for touring. 

As we passed by the door, I paused and at least got one shot of the magnificent interior and some stained glass windows. At least she didn't chase me away as I paused to take it quickly.

Glasgow has a lot of murals painted on buildings and I found the one of the man holding a little bird to be sweet. I don't know how they manage to paint those and have them be so like a small museum portrait or painting.

One of the interesting spots on our list to visit was a lighthouse. We were both puzzled over how or why a lighthouse would be in the middle of a landlocked city. It is a city landmark that once housed the offices of the Glasgow Herald newspaper and dates back to 1895.

Princes Square was another place we found quite fascinating. As we were walking to the destination which we thought was a green square in the city, we discovered this really large ornately decorated building. After taking a picture of it, I looked at my walk guide and discovered it was actually called Princes Square. The description invited us to explore inside.

The inside of Princes Square was actually an indoor mall with shops and restaurants but the architectural appointments were quite lovely. A lot of  carved wood on the spiral stairs, a big atrium with a glass ceiling, tiled floors and lots of green plants. It reminded me a little of the Cleveland Arcade, not quite as big but very impressive.

St. Enoch Square was another fascinating building actually. It dates back to 1870 and was orginally a church and has come all the way to being a coffee cafe. The area around it abounded with people shopping and out for the good weather day. The crowds had increased and so had the musicians including one who was a one man rock band with blaring speakers. No bagpipers though.

With a little over an hour left, we decided we'd better find somewhere to have lunch. Normally we would find all sorts of outdoor cafes but they seemed lacking in the area we were exploring. Not only that but most of the places we found were some type of Asian--Japanese, Thai, etc. and some we didn't recognize. Others had a menu with very unfamiliar looking dishes or way too much to eat for lunch. We finally saw what was called Stack and Still. Intriguing. We went in.

The stack was any kind of pancake you could imagine. I'm not sure if the still refered to all the toppings you could get (including chicken) but they claimed there were over 900 different ways you could have your pancakes.

I had a single stack, Bob had a double. He had chocolate chips, I had grilled peaches and we shared the maple syrup. The coffee was good, or so Bob said as I drank my tea. We were both starving for good brewed coffee. Hard to come by on the ship or on land. The plan is to bring some instant Nescafe packets the next cruise to be sure that #1 we get decaf at night and #2 that we can have "brewed" coffee instead of espresso. Americano gets very boring after a while, as does cappucino and latte, believe it or not.

Our bus met us right on time and we rode back to Greencock, early enough that we could have done a short walk there but too tired to try. Besides we had a specialty restaurant date for dinner to get ready for, Asian. Glad we passed on that at lunch.

Passing On The Port of Greencastle, Ireland

 The Irish weather wasn't doing much better than it had on the west coast of Scotland. After a really rough night at sea (you always know it's rocky when the barf bags are set out at the elevators), we arrived in Greencastle, Ireland, and were greeted by lots of wind and mist and some rain.

Greencastle was to be the gateway to Londonderry. Originally I had researched and was sure I'd found that there was a shuttle that ran to Londonderry. I was a little disappointed to be proven wrong. Only a little disappointed as I was tired from a bad night due to my cold symptoms as well as the rock'n'roll ship. And besides all that, we had been to Londonderry before so we weren't missing out on anything new.

We arrived on time in port and the captain set about trying to anchor. Some of the tenders were set out and we could see them bobbing in the water. I was rethinking our plan to go ashore and wander about. 

The ship moved closer to shore and after three attempts, the captain finally announced that we would have to abort the port. There was no way they could safely handle the tenders and there had already been some damage to one in trying.

Another day at sea. A day for me to rest. A day to catch up on some writing/publishing. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone but there might be a new book out there available. I'll announce it soon. Meanwhile, I nursed my cold, slept a lot and enjoyed a lot of tea. Hopefully our next port, Greencock (gateway to Glasgow) would be more accessible. We'd never been to Glasgow.

Misty Ullapool Scotland

 Our day in Ullapool was another misty wet weather day with a few quick peeks at the sun. Every time we put our rain jackets on, the sun would come out and it would warm up. We'd pack the jackets back in the bag and ten minutes later, we'd need them again. 

Ullapool is a small fishing town and we could see several fishing boats when our tender dropped us off. Standing there in the mist was a Scot and his bagpipe to greet us.

And more steps!

 Our plan was to walk along the river and the Loch Broom. We found the river walk easily enough and enjoyed walking along the fast moving river with small waterfalls. 

We ended up walking through a residential area as well. The buildings were quaint even if they were a bit plain. The homes had very small yards but they filled them with beautiful hydrangas and flowers and all sorts of greenery.

Getting a bit chilled and wet, we headed back to the tender and to the ship. 

Our captain would later come on to tell us that we were in for some choppy weather. He wasn't kidding. I expected there would be times of rough weather on this cruise, we were in the North Sea area after all, but I didn't expect to come down with a cold as well. So not sleeping well to begin with and then trying not to get rolled out of bed was quite a challenge that night. Ah, the perks of cruising.

What would we find in Greencastle?

Stornoway, Scotland--Lews Castle

 Our friends from Aberdeen had warned us that Scotland could be a wee bit soggy at times. When we arrived in Stornoway, it appeared that could be the case. This time we were taking no chances. Our experience in Edinburgh had taught us to be prepared. Rain jackets stuffed in a sling bag, we boarded the shuttle into town. 

The deep water port was out a ways or so it seemed as the bus had to circumnavigate a lot of construction but before long, we were deposited at the bus stop next to the river in Stornoway. A rather serious wooden fellow greeted us as we set off to the Lews Castle. 

The trail along the river was flat but once we crossed the footbridge, we were greeted by steps. I could hear my knees groan after all the steps we'd managed at Dunnator. It wasn't bad though. There were not nearly as many and once we reached the top, it was a gradual trail leading up through the woods. 

With the dreary skies and the mist in the air, the woods felt like we were traveling to Oz but without the yellow brick road.

Construction of the castle was begun in 1847. It has had quite a history of owners and purposes for the Victorian structure. At present it is more of a venue for meetings, weddings and other get togethers. 

I was glad that we would actually be able to go inside as the mist had turned more to a misty rain. There was no need for moisturizer this day. 

The only area open to the public is the first floor and it was quite impressive, especially the ball room. They were already setting up for some occasion so we probably timed our arrival perfectly.

 There are several rooms and suites on the upper floors that can be booked but we weren't allowed up to see them.

A cafe and museum allowed us to continue enjoying our visit indoors. The museum was nicely done with very interesting displays of the people and their skills and occupations in the area. The most interesting item I found was a painted whale ear. I had no idea that whales had ears. The whalers, back in the day, used to carve scrimsaw on the bones and paint faces on the whale ears. Interesting artwork.

painted whale ear

With the windy, misty rain (I think it was clouds we were moving through) we made our way back to the bus and the ship. The island is noted for its handmade tweed fabric and I would have been tempted to buy something except for the fact that wool has never been my friend. I guess it's a good thing I don't live here.

Invergordon And The Loch Ness

 Wonderful sunshine greeted our day. We had a leisurely start as our excursion was scheduled for mid-morning. Knowing what false hope we had in Edinburgh with a clear start and then pouring rain, we put our light rain jackets and umbrellas in our totes and set off for the Marina Lounge to check in. This would a long excursion for us. Anything over four hours is long and this was to be at least four and a half but it would be a beautiful ride through the Scottish countryside.

Our guide for this adventure to Lock Ness was quite entertaining. She had a laugh that is impossible to describe and she used it often. There was no way we were not going to smile this whole trip. She was also quite full of information and she barely took a breath describing the countryside the bus was taking us through, including the glimpses we got of the highland cows. She was quick to point out that they were more like pets and not bred for food.

In about forty-five minutes or so we were making our way along the shor of the Loch Ness. Loch in the Scottish vernacular means lake. The loch is almost 23 miles long and at its widest point is 1.7 miles across. The depth is what holds the mystery. It reaches almost 8oo feet down into a crevice created by a fault line. Is that where Nessie lives?

Our stop was the Uruquhart Castle. My fear was that we would have hundreds of steps up and down again as my calves were still sore from the climb the day before at Dunnator. My fears were relieved when we say a nicely paved way to the castle that was a gentle up and down with few steps unless we wanted to climb the tower or other lookout points. 

In over 500 years of Scottish midieval history, the castle has been subject to boulders catapulted at its walls, fires set to destroy it and eventually barrels of gunpowder lit to blow it up. It's amazing anything at all is still left. 

As we explored and enjoyed the views of Loch Ness, eyes always searching for the elusive monster, I wondered if the inhabitants back in the day had appreciated the spot on the beautiful lake.

We trekked up to a couple of lookouts to see the views but passed on the narrow spiral staircase (not from midieval times I believe) to the top of the tower. 

Now, the report of a monster in the loch dates back to 565AD. The modern legend however began in 1933 by a sighting reported by Aldie Mackay, a hotel manager who reported along with her husband of seeing a large whale like creature. The local newspaper published the news.

Now for our guide's take on the legend. The most recent sighting she said was in March, the common time of year to "see" the monster. It happens to coincide with the beginning of the tourist season. The statement was followed by her hearty laugh.

Our ride home took us through Inverness, the capital of the area we were in. Lots of information was given to those of us on the bus, many of whom were already nodding off from the long day and I'm sure the day before. It was late in the afternoon before we reached the pier again.

The sun had shone brightly all day long. What a blessing! Great to be out in it with a cool breeze and wonderful pictures and memories to carry with us.