It all started in the little town of Wiggins, Colorado…We started our grande adventure in Cromarty, Black Isle of Scotland!
We started off by getting coffee in downtown Inverness at Cafe Nero–and headed to the Farraline bus station to catch our bus (of course, we got the megarider, 4 zone bus card, from StageCoach!)
We dismounted the bus at Victoria Hall in Cromarty and walked down to the firth to watch the water lap up on the shore lines and made our way down High Street, to visit the Library (I needed to use the ladies room) and librarian gave us a local site seeing map.
We continued our walk and picked up another coffee to go at the local venue and we checked out the Gaelic chapel and the courthouse and Hugh Miller Cottage from the exterior as they were closed.
We walked further along the path and came to the East High Church and entered. It has always been one of my most favorite places on the planet. It’s a preserved and restored Medieval Churches, full of carvings and stone scrolled head stones and more.
There so many headstones carved and scrolled out by the Protestant Reformer Hugh Miller, his handywork and skills are seen in so many forms, not only in the graveyard but around Cromarth and Inverness as well. Stunning! As seen by the photos, Kevin can’t get enough of it either!
We followed the signsTaking note of pretty rod iron fences along the wayNoting stone walls and holly treesthe old organ from the churchthe reverands office doorCarvings by Hugh MillerKevin being the walk around the perimeterShopping/goodies tote in haulMe in one of the best places on earthSeveral headstone carved by Hugh Miller, the Protestant Reformer, Fossil Findeer and MasonEast High Church, Cromarty, and Anna PotthoffHeadstones Anna PotthoffAnna Potthoff, AdventurerEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyKevin R. Harris @ East High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyThe coffers help keep the church going as it’s medivel and volunteer supportedEast High Church, CromartyWe had to get coffee before our adventure started Getting coffee at NeroEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyEast High Church, CromartyCoffee timeDropping off postcards on the corner in CromartOne of my favorite houses, I love the gates and the old treesEnjoying the walk towards the firthCoffee @ Nero while we waited for our bus slotOne of my favorite houses, I love the gates and the old treesEnjoying the walk towards the firthDropping off postcards on the corner in CromartGetting coffee at NeroCoffee time
Our first day, officially, here in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands of Scotland! It’s Sunday so things are a bit slower and/or with limited hours so we are enjoying a leisurely day about town, drinking coffee, enjoying fish and chips and lovely cuisine, dining out at Johnny Foxes and navigating by the steeples in town–while checking out the historical cemetery at Old High Church.
The windy streets and cobble stoned corners, half streets that connect winding pathways and more are ever so intriguing. Having been here before myself, I can easily navigate my way around but for Kevin, we got him a folding Old Town map with some fun symbols!
The Castle on top of the Hill, Inverness Castle, was once truly a castle, recently a courthouse and holding jail and now is being converted into a museum, Kevin’s first view of a castle, at least from the outside.
His favorite part so far? Greig Street Bridge that bounces as you walk across the River Ness, that flows down the middle of town, right past Leakey’s bookshop!
A lovely fun filled day that started off by my sweetheart booking a special, day long tour for me with the concierge desk man, after viewing through some pamphlets and books, everthing was arranged by Thursday evening–so all I had to do was take my receipt and hop on the tour bus at 7 a.m this morning-with promises of a bilingual/multilingual tour guide (English featured.)
To start off, the tour bus stopped at several locations to pick up other adventure goers–and I was blessed to have a nice accountant from Argentian lady set next to me, as it was a very full tour. She only spoke spanish, with a very limited smattering of English and with the multilingual tour guide speaking in Spanish, German adn French and a few words of English, my day was started and finished in Spanish, the most common language of the tourists and German, the other language spoken on the bus-for a day filled with history and exicitement.
First stop was a the Tres Ojos Caves, so aptly named for the three caves, each bearing natural water pools with a different eye color in each. Cynthia, the lovely Argentian lady, and I became travl buddies for the day and enjoy walking up and down the 500+ stairs of the caving system and she assisted in simplifying the spanish for me to understand–reading spanish is easier but listening is a bit hectic when it’s fast!
Las Damas Cave–the legend goes that if you put your feet in the fresh water, make a prayer and a wish and a splash, the prayer and wish comes true
The next few stops included the Christopher Columbus museuem and the Presidental house, neither which are view-able at present for various reasons but still a site to behold–and the seeds are from the palm trees and they are prevelant everywhere!
Eating lunch in the old part of the city inside of ruin walls
The group walked through the aldstatd, the older part of the city with the pantheon ruins, a museum that once was a fortress (see photos) and then the St. Marie De Menos Cathedral and then a free period of shopping and enjoying the plaza and live music!
My Argentianian companion described the day perfectly, lots of really informative venues, many cool sites and it’ was so hot outside, we were the butter on the stove (we were melting!)
And if any one has an opprotunity to try it. Mamanhuana is worth drinking! I also drank coffee and enjoyed the live music from an elderly musician on the Parque Colón, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
My siblings and I always love to watch the pigeons (which we say “PIE-GONES” beause my brother mispronounced when he was a kid) and so if I see pigeon in the plaza, i got to take photos Drinkingcoffee on the plaze
The group of 8, myself included, arrived yesterday, via ways of Newark, New Jersey airport! We arranged this vacation some months ago and it has come to fruition! I am the youngest of the group and my grandfather is the senior adventurer at a few months shy of 90!
Yesterday, upon arrivel in the evening, we all checked in to our prospective rooms and got ourselves set up and met up for dinner at the all inclusive resort.
The “first” day on the restort, I spent the bulk of it on Tortuga beach at the enclosed resort–which included playing with a local Macaw and got a beach side pedicure–from a beach pedicurist–an absolute delight and much needed–which inspired my grandfather to also get his feet worked on–we both were calloused and crunchy but when our lovely lady was finished, we became beach worthy!
The other’s in my group decided to spend the day in the pool with the swim up bar and live entertainment, about 1 block away–and enjoy the full amnenities of the resort.
My Sweetness, along with his mother and abuelita (little grandmother) have a delightful garden at their house this year and have bestowed upon me a lovely variety of garden fresh produce and “farm” fresh eggs (yard fresh really with their awesome flock of ladies.) So, what is a girl to do but make a veggie meal out of it!
1 bunch of scallions, large bell pepper, large eggplant
1 jar of Marinara sauce (if you can make it from scratch, kudos!)
1 cup of Cornmeal flour
4 eggs
1 bag of shredded mozzarella or sliced provolone
Coconut or olive oil
Seasoning/spices of your choice
Slice up the scallions and bell pepper into “spears”
Have and slice the eggplant into 1/3-1/2 inch slices, trying to make the thickness as uniform as possible for even cooking
Layer bottom of baking dish with a bit of marinara and half of the bellpepper and onions with about 1/3 jar of marinar
Dip each piece of eggplant into egg wash and cornmeal flour twice and lightly fry on both sides until lightly brown in olive or coconut oil
Layer eggplant on top of first layer of veggies, top with cheese
layer another round of veggies, marinara and eggplant
Top with remaining marinara, a bit of salad and remaining marinara sauce, bake for 30-45 minute as 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until cheese is toasted and melted on top and dish is hot completely through.
If you prep this in an aluminium take away dish or baking tin, you don’t have to bake it immediately but can freeze it as a meal prep for later–bakes nicely from frozen or can be shared as a welcoming dish, a freezer meal for the expectant parents, a warm meal for a loved one recovering or just as a special treat for someone and the aluminium toss pass never needs to be cleaned or returned! (No need for the church ladies to write their name and phone number on the bottom anymore!)
I like to lightly sprinkle McCormick Grill Mates “roasted garlic and Herb” seasoning between each later for a little extra pizzaz. Happy Cooking!
Nicole Maneri is a fellow co-worker and our manager has set up a GoFundMe to help Nicole out.. She had an unexpected medical emergency and has been hospitalized. She was admitted with Mxydema Crises along with a kidney and liver infection. She has been at the hospital for a week and will continue to be there next week. She has 2 young boys that she has to provide for and will not have income coming in for 2-3 weeks. Please help me raise money so she can feed her children and pay her bill-even $5 would help!
A lovely and delightful way to enjoy Spring time in Upstate South Carolina–Clemson hosts a lovely waterfront park, just off of Tiger Boulevard (parking is easily done at the local Wendy’s and the trail head is just a 1/2 block away!)
The trails are all marked and either paved or done with a board walk style, offering many picnic tables and benches and hanging swings over beautiful docks and more! I witnessed many couples and groups of friends using the lovely accomodations along the trail!
I walked a total of 40+ minutes, taking a little break in the sunshine to get some sunshine on my very winter white legs, while I enjoyed a picnic that I purchased at Wendy’s-I chose the $5 grab bag (with a slight upcharge for a larger drink!)
The breeze was blowing lightly off of the Lake while I enjoyed watching the fishermen ply there talents and skills from their boats, thoroughly enjoying the light refreshing days of Clemson, S.C.
A super easy meal to make–with very common, often in household ingredients (and if you purchase ingredients, the items not used can be used in other stuff easily!)
1 large yam, washed and coarsely chopped
2 big carrots, peeled and shredded/chopped
1 medium purple onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky, doesn’t matter)
1 tablespoon Curry Powder
1 tsp each, dried ginger, black pepper, Garam Masala, sea salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3 Tilapia Filets (I like the frozen ones from AlDI)
4 cups of cold water
Put everything in a large, deep skillet or medium sized pan, except fish
Simmer and stir for 10 minutues, put the fish on top, cover and let simmer for 40-45 on medium heat until fish is done and veggies are soft/cooked through. Mix well to break up fish and incorporate everything together.
Can be eaten as is or served over cooked rice. If eaten as it, serves 2-4, if served over rice, served 6-8.
+Can be altered to be vegetarian or vegan by eliminating the fish!
The days are growing longer and springing forward with the time change today extends the sunshine, albeit cutting an hour of sleep off. What’s a person to do but to catch the rays on the riverbanks and perhaps rock out to the humms of the rapids.
While seeking a different venue (my digital map wasn’t working properly) I came upon the river and it’s idealic location, simply because Lay Bridge Road is closed/blocked off, allowing a pseudo parking area to be created and locals/adventureres to enjoy the serenic setting. Catechese Dam on lay bridge road is also a minor historical site as well.
I stopped by the local store and chose a few items for a picnic, sticking my purchase in a re-usable small shopping bag as I don’t currently own an actual picnic basket and the durable bag makes it easy to carry my food items to and from the site (plus, the handles don’t dig into my fingers, especially important when carrying items on an adventure!)
While I am a fairly skilled person I realized that hunting and gathering for my food isn’t really conducive for feeding myself, packing a picnic is a very affordable way to eat well without breaking the bank or spending a small fortune on take-out (my entire picnic would have easily fed 2-3 people for less than $8 total.) I usually pack a bit extra–in case I stay out a bit longer than expected, meet a new friend, etc-one may never know what excitement adventures lead too and who doens’t like good snacks and food to eat and share?
The weather has been dreary, grey rainy skies lately and with a clear, sunshine filled cool day, it was a lovely adventure to enjoy the river and lay on the banks and soak in the sun, eat my picnic and enjoy the sounds of nature serenade me with their melody. A special treat? A group of 4 kayakers paddled by with their colorful paddles and head gear on!
A little video I snapped of the river, about 1/4 mile from the historical damn sign
