Our last day! Hard to believe it has been a MONTH! We began today with a breakfast at the Victoria Hotel and headed to the newly completed hospital in Kirkcaldy, where we were given a tour of the new biomass energy facility. A bit of a vocational day for the engineers in the group and just general interest to me and Ben. Emily begged off with my blessing. The redundancy in the engineering, especially because this was a life sustaining facility, was amazing to me.
We returned to the Busby's home for a lunch and some final packing and were driven to the airport hotel. We had a brief break and rejoined as a group to head off to Edinburgh for our last evening together. We ate at the Dusit restaurant (thanks, Jay, for the suggestion), and then hopped into several pubs, including the Bon Vivant and Jekyll & Hyde. A good time was had by all.
I hate long and sad farewells, so, we said our quick goodbyes and headed off to bed. Each of us had a different departure in the morning and our focus was on "moving on". Home for some (Casey and Emily), Scotland's famous golf courses for Jim, friends homes in Europe for Ben and, for me, the arrival of my wife, Kay, so we could begin our 2 weeks in France!
Bon Voyage to all and my warmest THANKS to all involved in our very successful Group Study Exchange!
Bob McClenathan
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Nearing the end (a late post)
So, it has been a few days since my last blog. In fact, the GSE has concluded. Nevertheless, I have decidedd to complete the blog with a couple of more notes. This note has to do with Thursday, our second to last day. We began with our presentation tot he Kirkcaldy Raith Rotary Club. They were very attentive and supportive of our talk and they seemed to enjoy it. Upon completion, I suspect there was a collective sigh from the team as we ahd just wrapped up our obligatory schedule of talks. I know I was relieved!
We need to express a group "Thank You" to Jarlath and Dawn Busby, who generously opened their home to our GSE team during their own vacation. They allowed our team to be together for our last couple of nights and it was "quality time" as far as I was concerned.
My own "vocational day" was cancelled due to inclement weather. It allowed me to read, and to pack and reorganize my gear (and, truth be told, I had no interest in venturing out into the cold rain).
We had a very nice evening at Jo's, with Alex, Robert, Tracy, Jay, and Norma. Thank you guys for your hospitality!
We need to express a group "Thank You" to Jarlath and Dawn Busby, who generously opened their home to our GSE team during their own vacation. They allowed our team to be together for our last couple of nights and it was "quality time" as far as I was concerned.
My own "vocational day" was cancelled due to inclement weather. It allowed me to read, and to pack and reorganize my gear (and, truth be told, I had no interest in venturing out into the cold rain).
We had a very nice evening at Jo's, with Alex, Robert, Tracy, Jay, and Norma. Thank you guys for your hospitality!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Blair Castle and transfer day
On Wednesday, we went to Blair Castle. This huge white castle is open to the ppublic and we were able to walk through and admire the ancient armor, the many weapons (like swords, pole arms, firearms, and cannons), the fine china, antiques, and the paintings of the various Dukes of Atholl through the years. It was a grand place and bespoke of the vast wealth of the family in days long past. On the grounds, we saw some red deer, both hinds and a stag.
We returned to Pitlochry for lunch and a bit of shopping before our transfer to Kirkcaldy Raith. Our new hosts met us for dinner at a local hotel and the food was fantastic. We have also been granted the opportunity to stay in the same house as a group, a very welcome chance at this point of the trip. We are grateful to Jarlath and Dawn Busby for their generosity and trust.
We returned to Pitlochry for lunch and a bit of shopping before our transfer to Kirkcaldy Raith. Our new hosts met us for dinner at a local hotel and the food was fantastic. We have also been granted the opportunity to stay in the same house as a group, a very welcome chance at this point of the trip. We are grateful to Jarlath and Dawn Busby for their generosity and trust.
Last full day in Pitlochry
This report is for Tuesday. We had some free time with our individual hosts. Mine took me to the local hydroelectric dam, where we watched the salmon jumping and saw the fish ladder. I also went to Robertson's, a store where I purchased some fine amber liquids to savor at home.
We rejoined and, as a group, gave our presentation to the joint clubs of Pitlochry and Aberfeldy. I think it went very well again. Everyone has given us great accolades regarding our presentation.
In the afternoon, we were given a tour of the Edradour distillery, the smallest in Scotland. Our kindly, but, feisty tourguide let us see many casks of whisky, let us taste a couple of them, and described the whole process to us again. She pointed out that the water for this distillery is the best in Scotland. That is true at each of the distilleries, I think.
Dinner was light finger food with our hosts. Just so everyone knows, if you have a TON of "light finger food" it is NOT a light meal. We washed it all down with various tasty beverages. We really had a nice time and I want to say "Thank You" to our hosts, Graham and Wendy Huggins (I really hope I got that right! because they really got the party right). Anorher special thanks is in order to Emily's host Jenni Moncrieff and her husband, who own McNaughton's, a fine shop in Pitlochry. They brought many pieces of authentic apparel, as did a couple of other hosts, to allow the GSE team to wear an ensemble of kilts and accessories (like the sporran and jacket and socks with flash). I gotta say, we looked HOT! I am sure no one will post those pictures on the blog (hint, hint).
We rejoined and, as a group, gave our presentation to the joint clubs of Pitlochry and Aberfeldy. I think it went very well again. Everyone has given us great accolades regarding our presentation.
In the afternoon, we were given a tour of the Edradour distillery, the smallest in Scotland. Our kindly, but, feisty tourguide let us see many casks of whisky, let us taste a couple of them, and described the whole process to us again. She pointed out that the water for this distillery is the best in Scotland. That is true at each of the distilleries, I think.
Dinner was light finger food with our hosts. Just so everyone knows, if you have a TON of "light finger food" it is NOT a light meal. We washed it all down with various tasty beverages. We really had a nice time and I want to say "Thank You" to our hosts, Graham and Wendy Huggins (I really hope I got that right! because they really got the party right). Anorher special thanks is in order to Emily's host Jenni Moncrieff and her husband, who own McNaughton's, a fine shop in Pitlochry. They brought many pieces of authentic apparel, as did a couple of other hosts, to allow the GSE team to wear an ensemble of kilts and accessories (like the sporran and jacket and socks with flash). I gotta say, we looked HOT! I am sure no one will post those pictures on the blog (hint, hint).
Monday, September 17, 2012
Vocational day in Pitlochry
Great job describing yesterday's activities, Ben. Thanks. I won't add anything there (although I added the fact that we had PIZZA for the first time in a long time!).
Today, I am reporting the activities for our vocational day here. As I have described, my vocational days are more sightseeing or golfing or whatever. My hosts, Bill and Barbara Bright, took me to Loch Tay to see the reconstructed Crannog. This structure, which can be entered and examined by visitors, is built on stilts on the loch. There is a nearby underwater archaeological excavation in which they are uncovering bits and pieces of this type of structure, thought to be 2000 years old or more. The reconstructed crannog includes a mini museum and heritage site where there is a tour and demonstrations of weaving, woodworking and daily living activities contemporary to the time of these stilted dwellings. It was well worth the trip.
Following this visist, we traveled towards "Queen's View" overlook over Loch Tummel. In keeping with the idea of early man's dwellings, we stopped to hike to a 1700's era earthen roofed stone village, where cattle herders watched over their herd. A small community of maybe 4 or 5 huts, these housed a few families up on the slopes above the Loch. After our lunch at the shop near the overlook, we took our scenic photos of the Loch at a time when the clouds lifted enough for us to get a good view. On the way back to town, we stopped at the Garry River Bridge, where some people bungee jump. That is not for me! Cheers!
Today, I am reporting the activities for our vocational day here. As I have described, my vocational days are more sightseeing or golfing or whatever. My hosts, Bill and Barbara Bright, took me to Loch Tay to see the reconstructed Crannog. This structure, which can be entered and examined by visitors, is built on stilts on the loch. There is a nearby underwater archaeological excavation in which they are uncovering bits and pieces of this type of structure, thought to be 2000 years old or more. The reconstructed crannog includes a mini museum and heritage site where there is a tour and demonstrations of weaving, woodworking and daily living activities contemporary to the time of these stilted dwellings. It was well worth the trip.
Following this visist, we traveled towards "Queen's View" overlook over Loch Tummel. In keeping with the idea of early man's dwellings, we stopped to hike to a 1700's era earthen roofed stone village, where cattle herders watched over their herd. A small community of maybe 4 or 5 huts, these housed a few families up on the slopes above the Loch. After our lunch at the shop near the overlook, we took our scenic photos of the Loch at a time when the clouds lifted enough for us to get a good view. On the way back to town, we stopped at the Garry River Bridge, where some people bungee jump. That is not for me! Cheers!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Aviemore conference and arrival in Pitlochry
Ben Doyle:
This morning, the five of us gave our presentation for district 1010. Though now presenting to a much larger audience, our speech was delivered without a hitch and was very well-received. Following a walk into the resort town of Aviemore, we got lunch at a local cafe. Brick oven PIZZA! Afterwards, we met our next hosts and traveled to the small, rural town of Pitlochry. We are all quite excited for the opportunity to see the Royal Marine concert tonight, and then for our various vocational activities tomorrow.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Transfer to Aviemore
Friday was a day of transfer to the District 1010 annual Conference at the mountain resort town of Aviemore. We met at a local cafe in Crieff for a coffee or tea (or hot chocolate for me) and headed to Perth to be met by those "volunteered" to drive us to Aviemore. Lunch was at Bruar, a popular shopping destination, and then on to the hotels. We had a nice evening, scattered about the various tables, sharing tales of our experience so far with the district conference attendees. After dinner, we adjourned for some drinks. All in all, a relaxing day so not much to report. Thanks to "some" of the team for getting their vocational days documented in the blog. Others: it is your turn at bat....
Friday, September 14, 2012
Group visits around Crieff
So this report is about Thursday and our trips to visit local noteworthy places around Crieff. We began the day with a visit to the "Famous Grouse Experience" at the Glenturret Distillery. We learned the steps necessary to process the barley into whisky from milling to bottling. The tour included experiencing the changes in aroma as the malting process evolves and the yeast ferments the sugars. We were able to taste test their new "Ice Grouse", "Famous Grouse", "Naked Grouse" and "Black Grouse" whiskys. It truly was an experience.
After a lunch at a local animal park, we went to Drummond Castle Keep, which is normally closed to the public. We were given a private tour of the keep tower which is undergoing renovation. It was very rustic and primitive, but, seemed to evoke thoughts of its earlier rough purpose. The nearby gardens were expansive and well kept. They were a Victorian formal layout and very beautiful, in spite of a gentle rain that fell while we were there.
After the gardens, we all went our separate ways. My hosts took me back up the Turret River to the reservoir, past the Highland Cows grazing on the way, and I took in the views of the Loch under lowering drizzly skies. It was well worth the trip. Thanks, Sir John and Lady Morag, for adding that to my list of sights. Dinner, conversation and drinks followed.
After a lunch at a local animal park, we went to Drummond Castle Keep, which is normally closed to the public. We were given a private tour of the keep tower which is undergoing renovation. It was very rustic and primitive, but, seemed to evoke thoughts of its earlier rough purpose. The nearby gardens were expansive and well kept. They were a Victorian formal layout and very beautiful, in spite of a gentle rain that fell while we were there.
After the gardens, we all went our separate ways. My hosts took me back up the Turret River to the reservoir, past the Highland Cows grazing on the way, and I took in the views of the Loch under lowering drizzly skies. It was well worth the trip. Thanks, Sir John and Lady Morag, for adding that to my list of sights. Dinner, conversation and drinks followed.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Vocational Day Update - Casey Deller
Casey Deller – Vocational Day #1 – Hosted by Simon Byford
Civil Engineer and Project Manager at Sir Robert McAlpine. Simon is the PM (note: an award
winning PM) for a 53 Million Pound construction project at the Edinburgh
International Conference Center. The project includes the addition of a 150ft x
120ft convention space featuring sound proof partitions and a floor that can
raise and rotate at 1 meter intervals for varying seating styles. The convention center, 2 floors below grade,
is structurally independent from the 8 floors of commercial office space
above. Also featured is a car elevator
to executive parking 3 levels below grade and a modern turntable to turn
tractor-trailers to pull in underground before being rotated to allow to back
to the docks. It was a very interesting
day learning the similarities in the design/build process in Scotland and
comparing it to the processes in the USA.
Interesting concept: Edinburgh
requires that on major construction projects, 10% of the workforce must be
hires from local unemployed sectors, a move to boost employment and apprenticeship
training experiences.
Casey Deller – Vocational Day #2 –
Hosted by Bill Burr of CHAP Homes. Bill
is from CHAP Homes, one of Scotland’s leaders in residential development, as
well as engineering, general construction and other related activities. The Eco Village is a unique
project in it’s simplicity. CHAP owns
and operates a surface quarry. At the
end of the quarry’s life (5 years) rather than restoring it to medium-quality
farmland, they intend to develop a new community of varying density residential
uses, commercial, public (schools, park), all with a sustainable, green
approach. Interesting concept: Scotland requires that all residential
developments provide for a mix of home pricing. The thought is that by mixing
low income housing with all other sectors, there will be no areas of extreme
poverty and economic decay.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Vocational Day in Perth! - Ben Doyle
This morning, I traveled to Perth to visit the extremely large company of Aviva. They are a global provider of insurance, retirement, and investments for individuals and companies of all sizes around the world. I shadowed with their diverse I.T. department, and had an incredibly organized schedule, allowing me to meet the managers of each department. I was able to get a thorough tour, description, and walk-through of the procedures and projects for the departments of: IT and Change, Support and Design, Application Design & Management, Application Testing and Implementation, and their I.T. Support Services. It was an amazing opportunity! The company is also in the middle of a large undertaking, upgrading their primary management systems to a brand new design. Several of the engineers walked me through the programming and necessary changes, which I found fascinating. I exchanged information with several of their departments, and hope to keep in touch and exchange ideas in the future!
Vocational Day in Perth
Well, not a vocational day for me. I visited the Scone Palace in Perth and walked through the palace enjoying the amazing antiques and decor. We also saw a replica of the Stone of Scone, which once sat here, where the Kings of Scotland were crowned on Moot Hill on the grounds. My generous hosts, John and Morag Taylor, also took me to Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument for my photo opportunities. Once again, the weather was fine. I guess we will pay a price, someday, for having such great weather. Tonight we will have dinner at President Ian's home with the team and our host families. I am hoping my team will pop in some comments here regarding their vocational days.
A day off in Perth
So today was a relaxing day off from the hectic pace we've been on. Lounged around the hotel for a while and had a leisurely breakfast. At 11AM we went off to downtown Perth by walking across the railroad bridge (yes, on a walkway not on the rails) stopping on an island that had a golf course. Jim was drooling at the prospect of getting in a round but he was a team player and stayed with the rest of us for our relaxing day. Ultimately we went back to The Bothy for lunch, at around 1PM or so, and soon rerturned to the hotel to rest and change clothes for our transfer to Crieff. We dressed for our presentation to the Rotary Club of Crieff and were driven directly there by the club members, Sam and Jimmy. The presentation was acceptable, I think, but not our smoothest. Nevertheless, we were congratulated on our talk. We then each went our separate ways to our host homes.
Back to Mainland Scotland
Monday the 10th was mostly a travel day. Our 9:30AM departure from the Lerwick area brought us to the Sumburgh Airport an hour prior to our 11:25 flight to Aberdeen. Danus took me past St. Ninian's Island on the south west coast of Shetland, where there is a large tombolo, or gravel and sand spit, connecting the island to the main part of Shetland. Our flight was mostly smooth and we ended up landing early in Aberdeen. We were escorted by the Aberdeen Deeside Rotarians to the train station where we said our sad farewells. The train ride was smooth and quiet and took us past Dunnotar Castle (though we couldn't quite see it from the rails) and into Perth. We were soon taxied to the Sunnybank House Hotel where we upgraded ourselves into individual rooms for privacy and peace and quiet. Becasue we missed lunch, we quickly shot off to town to the Grand Italiano Restaurant and enjoyed a great meal. Of course we had to follow that up with a couple pubs, like The Ship Inn, the Kirkside Bar and The Bothy. Perhaps this day was our most relaxing respite so far.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Little of Downtime in Perth
Jim again...
Been a couple of days since I posted. We departed for Shetland Islands and have since flown back and gotten a day off in Perth. Shetland was an unbelievable island. There are more sheep there than people. At Shetland, my vocational day with Casey was a visit to Solum Voe refinery project. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2014 and will cost 5.5 billion pounds, or only 8 billion dollars. When gas production is completed, 40 years from now, the site will need to be restored to its original condition. For this reason 76 million tons of Peat is being stored on the site in dams. They are amazing structures. The site ranges in elevation from 12 meters to 72 meters on a set of benches. Amazingly, they work four weeks on and two weeks off and live at the site. In fact, a whole city was built to house the workers with a gym, hospital and several cafeteria's.
My host family, Martin Gloria and Michael were great. They had a little dog Poppy, too. Martin owns his own garage and Land Rover franchise. I can't thank them enough for what they did for me. It was a wonderful time on Shetland.
Now off to Crieff, bye for now.
Jim
Been a couple of days since I posted. We departed for Shetland Islands and have since flown back and gotten a day off in Perth. Shetland was an unbelievable island. There are more sheep there than people. At Shetland, my vocational day with Casey was a visit to Solum Voe refinery project. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2014 and will cost 5.5 billion pounds, or only 8 billion dollars. When gas production is completed, 40 years from now, the site will need to be restored to its original condition. For this reason 76 million tons of Peat is being stored on the site in dams. They are amazing structures. The site ranges in elevation from 12 meters to 72 meters on a set of benches. Amazingly, they work four weeks on and two weeks off and live at the site. In fact, a whole city was built to house the workers with a gym, hospital and several cafeteria's.
My host family, Martin Gloria and Michael were great. They had a little dog Poppy, too. Martin owns his own garage and Land Rover franchise. I can't thank them enough for what they did for me. It was a wonderful time on Shetland.
Now off to Crieff, bye for now.
Jim
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Aberdeen and Shetland - Ben Doyle
As an added bonus before leaving Inverurie, my host had arranged for me to meet with a network engineering consultant from eFirst Business Solutions, which was located near Aberdeen. This was quite an opportunity. We had an informal meeting to discuss newer methods of server maintenance and upcoming products for potential upgrades. He had a lot of insight that I found quite valuable! We were set to meet for an hour, but by the time we looked down at our watches, almost two had passed. I was extremely appreciative for all of his time.
In Aberdeen, we met with one of the council officials who was kind enough to give us a tour of the new council building, called the Townhouse. Very ornately decorated; it was quite an impressive tour. We then went to see the popular Tolbooth museum, which was used for the trial and imprisoning of criminals in the past. Our tour guide was quite knowledgable and full of interesting stories for every room.
For our last day in Aberdeen, we went to Dunnottar castle (a return trip for some of us, but a very welcome one). The weather couldn't have been more perfect for hiking up and down the hills/steps leading through the castle. Afterwards, we headed to the airport to make our way to Shetland. A short flight later, we were warmly greeted by our new hosts.
Our first morning in Shetland had us meeting different professionals for a vocational visit. I met with the director of the Shetland Islands Council Computer Center. He was very friendly and especially kind to meet with me on a Saturday morning. We toured the entire center and discussed several upcoming projects for Shetland. The morning flew by, and after a final visit to their data and networking center, I headed back to my host family.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Emily Provencher:
Good morning from Shetland! Yesterday was the halfway point of our trip. I would like to thank all of my hosts for taking good care of me and everyone who has helped make this trip possible.
My vocational days have been some of the most enjoyable here in Scotland. I went to the Procurator Fiscal Office and Sheriff Court in Perth and Aberdeen. The biggest difference in the legal system here is that the role of a prosecutor is shared by the procurator fiscal and the advocates in the high court. Also, solicitors wear robes/gowns to court. Sheriffs and advocates in the high court wear wigs and robes. No attorneys in the United States wear robes, only the judges. No wigs in the U.S.
In Scotland, the grading of a case is either summary or solemn. In Pennsylvania, we have summary, misdemeanor and felony cases. Scottish criminal juries are made up of fifteen people and eight "guiltys"(majority) are needed for a conviction. Whereas criminal juries in the U.S. require twelve unanimous votes, plus there would be two alternates.
The best moments have been when I'm with my group. Here are some of my favorite pictures of all of us.
Good morning from Shetland! Yesterday was the halfway point of our trip. I would like to thank all of my hosts for taking good care of me and everyone who has helped make this trip possible.
My vocational days have been some of the most enjoyable here in Scotland. I went to the Procurator Fiscal Office and Sheriff Court in Perth and Aberdeen. The biggest difference in the legal system here is that the role of a prosecutor is shared by the procurator fiscal and the advocates in the high court. Also, solicitors wear robes/gowns to court. Sheriffs and advocates in the high court wear wigs and robes. No attorneys in the United States wear robes, only the judges. No wigs in the U.S.
In Scotland, the grading of a case is either summary or solemn. In Pennsylvania, we have summary, misdemeanor and felony cases. Scottish criminal juries are made up of fifteen people and eight "guiltys"(majority) are needed for a conviction. Whereas criminal juries in the U.S. require twelve unanimous votes, plus there would be two alternates.
The best moments have been when I'm with my group. Here are some of my favorite pictures of all of us.
Full day at Shetland
Today the weather was drizzly and dreary. Temperature cool but not cold, in my opinion, so tolerable. Danis, my host took me out to western Shetland discussing the oil industry, geology and such along the way. Along the western soast, we saw stark cliffs jutting from the sea with a host of gulls nesting and drifting on the winds. The seas were fairly calm, I am told, compared to "normal" seas. He also took me to a unique trio of mill houses. Unlike our old mills in the US, the wheels were turned by the water, but were mounted horizontally because the slope of the land didn't permit the traditional vertally mounted wheel. Anyway, they were interesting and unlike any mill I had ever seen. By the time our walks were finished, my shoes were soaked. I will probaly have "prune feet" for a week, since these are my only shoes (due to restricted baggage on the flights here). Oh, well. This evening we are going to Jarlshof, in the south of the island, which has been continuously inhabited for 4500 years. I will try to post on that later.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Off to Orkney, er Shetland I mean...
Today was a travel day as we planned ot head to the Shetland Islands. Before departure, though, we were able to get back to Dunnotar Castle. This incredibly interesting castle sits upon a bluff over the North Sea. Our weather was probably the best Scotland has seen in a year, no exaggeration intended, as the temperature was approaching 80 degrees, calm winds and mostly sunny skies. Our hosts said it is very rare to see the North Sea as calm as we saw it today! Dunnotar Castle is a place where the Scottish crown jewels were hidden at one point in history. We had lunch in the Maritime Hotel in Stonehaven along the sea wall, dining at their outdoor tables, and basked in the sunlight.
We took our flight to Shetland and arrived in time to share dinner in the homes of our hosts. My host, Dennis Skene, took me to an Indian restaurant and the food was excellent. Yes, Skene is a name from Aberdeen and he can trace his ancestry back to that place and family. Off to see Shetland tomorrow.
We took our flight to Shetland and arrived in time to share dinner in the homes of our hosts. My host, Dennis Skene, took me to an Indian restaurant and the food was excellent. Yes, Skene is a name from Aberdeen and he can trace his ancestry back to that place and family. Off to see Shetland tomorrow.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Aberdeen Deeside day 2
Today (September 6th, 2012) we traveled to the center of Aberdeen to the Town House, or city offices. We were escorted through the facility by a counsellor and staff member who told us many facts about the history of the building and hte administration of the city. We saw the ornate ceremonial chambers, sparkling chandelieres, amazing decorative ceiling treatments, and heard about the events that take place in each room. We crossed the street to the Skene House, which we also toured, and ate lunch in the cafe in its basement. Think very cozy dungeon decor. The food was good and we enjoyed our time there. We celebrated Emily's birthday with a card and a cake that our hosts were able to arrange (at our request).
After lunch, Casey went fishing in the Dee, Jim went golfing on an ancient local course, and Emily, Ben and I went to the Toll House Museum. The gist of the museum is that it is an early structure in Aberdeen, dating from the 1600's or before, and was where debtors paid their debt or were tried and then, if necessary, punished with gallows or banishment or public humiliation. We all escaped withour significant harm or embarassment.
After lunch, Casey went fishing in the Dee, Jim went golfing on an ancient local course, and Emily, Ben and I went to the Toll House Museum. The gist of the museum is that it is an early structure in Aberdeen, dating from the 1600's or before, and was where debtors paid their debt or were tried and then, if necessary, punished with gallows or banishment or public humiliation. We all escaped withour significant harm or embarassment.
Aberdeen Deeside day 1
I am writing about Wednesday, September 5th, and we've moved on to The Rotary Club of Aberdeen Deeside and our new host families. I am staying with Mike and Jean Hedges, who are taking great care of me. I had a deeply challenging and difficult day this day because it is another vocational day. I was forced to go golfing again. I did not embarrass myself to much, so I chalk this up to a victory. Brian Gill of the Aberdeen Rotary and Quentin Tweedie hosted me and purposefully struck the ball porrly sometimes to make me feel better. Great hosts and great fellowship, in my opinion. Perhaps the team will put some information in the blog again regarding their own vocatioinal experiences? The weather was PERFECT.
Our presentation went amazingly well tonight. I think it was our best, so far. Of course, everyone congratulates us on our performance, but let's face it, no one is really going to complain. Rotarians are just too nice! Perhaps they subscribe to the "if you don't have anything nice to say...just don't say anything" philosophy. It is likely that they are thinking, "whew, I survived another of those blasted GSE speeches" and move on. Cheers!
Our presentation went amazingly well tonight. I think it was our best, so far. Of course, everyone congratulates us on our performance, but let's face it, no one is really going to complain. Rotarians are just too nice! Perhaps they subscribe to the "if you don't have anything nice to say...just don't say anything" philosophy. It is likely that they are thinking, "whew, I survived another of those blasted GSE speeches" and move on. Cheers!
Banchory and Inverurie Vocational Days - Ben Doyle
Our time in Banchory was unforgettable! I want to sincerely thank all of our hosts, host clubs, and hospitable friends that we've met along the way. They have truly made this an amazing experience. For my second vocational day, I visited a small network management company called Arrowdawn. I use "small" to describe the number of staff (5-6), however, they provide the network infrastructure and support 100-150 companies, including a major airport! I worked with their technician, Adam, in the morning which was enjoyable to see the daily tasks and issues he encounters. Many were similar to the issues I see at work, and it was interesting to observe the different methods used to troubleshoot and resolve them. In the afternoon, I worked with another technician, Mike, and studied a call management system. This was particularly exciting because I have never had the opportunity previously, and they have always been an area of curiosity. Both technicians and the company's owner, Gordon, were incredibly friendly and helpful!
After leaving Banchory, we arrived in Inverurie and had time to tour some of the surrounding towns. My host, Bill, brought Jim and I to a falconry exhibit, where we were able to feed and interact with hawks, owls, and eagles. Very exciting! On my vocational day, I visited the large company of AMEC. They provide business operations and I.T. support for some of the major oil companies, including BP and Shell. I was given an in-depth look at their web applications and in-house management systems, built and maintained by their engineers/software developers. I was shocked at the level of detail and accountability that they were able to include in their practices. It was a very informative and enthralling day.
Among the castles, Jim, Emily, and I were fortunate enough to see Dunnottar castle, which has been one of the highlights of the trip. Built out on the shores of the North Sea, it was designed for defense. Though some has fallen into rubble in the proceeding years, it is an amazing sight! It stands alone on a cliffside, accessible from a single, narrow staircase, beginning several hundred feet below on the beachfront. This and many, many other experiences have continued to make this the trip of a lifetime!
After leaving Banchory, we arrived in Inverurie and had time to tour some of the surrounding towns. My host, Bill, brought Jim and I to a falconry exhibit, where we were able to feed and interact with hawks, owls, and eagles. Very exciting! On my vocational day, I visited the large company of AMEC. They provide business operations and I.T. support for some of the major oil companies, including BP and Shell. I was given an in-depth look at their web applications and in-house management systems, built and maintained by their engineers/software developers. I was shocked at the level of detail and accountability that they were able to include in their practices. It was a very informative and enthralling day.
Among the castles, Jim, Emily, and I were fortunate enough to see Dunnottar castle, which has been one of the highlights of the trip. Built out on the shores of the North Sea, it was designed for defense. Though some has fallen into rubble in the proceeding years, it is an amazing sight! It stands alone on a cliffside, accessible from a single, narrow staircase, beginning several hundred feet below on the beachfront. This and many, many other experiences have continued to make this the trip of a lifetime!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Hi All,
This is Jim. First of all I would like to thank all of my host families. We moved on again last night and I have another fantastic family. From Barry and Karen, Bill and Margret, Ian and Midge to now Diane and Dave. Everyone has been fantastic. Rotary and Rotary International has been amazing as well.
Today was our third service day. I had two great experiences. I went to a quarry where 75 percent of the granite was supplied to Aberdeen. They are proposing a Heriatage center to honor all of the people that have worked at the quarry. I saw a presentation and when completed will be a great tribute to the me that worked in the quarry. The quarry is 1200 feet long by 600 feet wide by 400 feet deep and granite production began in 1740.
Next I went to the construction of the Aberdeen Olympic Pool Center. While most would think this does not tie into Dams, the construction of the pools is very similar to how spillways are completed. I will be able to bring back some tecnical guidance developed here and definately share this with local contractors and engineers we deal with.
Another amazing day with our Team and look forward to meeting the fine folks at Aberdeen Deeside tonight and give our presentation. And as they say here have a couple of cups of lemonade.
Jim
This is Jim. First of all I would like to thank all of my host families. We moved on again last night and I have another fantastic family. From Barry and Karen, Bill and Margret, Ian and Midge to now Diane and Dave. Everyone has been fantastic. Rotary and Rotary International has been amazing as well.
Today was our third service day. I had two great experiences. I went to a quarry where 75 percent of the granite was supplied to Aberdeen. They are proposing a Heriatage center to honor all of the people that have worked at the quarry. I saw a presentation and when completed will be a great tribute to the me that worked in the quarry. The quarry is 1200 feet long by 600 feet wide by 400 feet deep and granite production began in 1740.
Next I went to the construction of the Aberdeen Olympic Pool Center. While most would think this does not tie into Dams, the construction of the pools is very similar to how spillways are completed. I will be able to bring back some tecnical guidance developed here and definately share this with local contractors and engineers we deal with.
Another amazing day with our Team and look forward to meeting the fine folks at Aberdeen Deeside tonight and give our presentation. And as they say here have a couple of cups of lemonade.
Jim
Inverurie day 2
Our second day in Inverurie included a stop at the Provost's office in the morning. Provost Webster and Roddy ? gave us the statistical breakdown consistent with a Chamber of Commerce in the US, with population, land area, trends, economic growth and such. Clearly, Aberdeenshire is taking advantage of the North Sea oil fields. There are numerous commercial enterprises associated with the oil industry in the area and unemployment is around 1.2%. Pretty good. Land values are also high. We are told that this does not extend throughout the whole of Northeast Scotland, but most of the area we are visiting is "doing pretty well".
Later, we went to the police department for a talk about the upcoming merger of the (7) various police departments in Scotland into one unit. Intended to be an efficient and lower cost system, currently, it seems to be a challenge they are still struggling with. I believe the merger is in about a year or so.
After a light lunch at the police station, we had some free time. Casey and I went fishing and some others went drinking- I mean they went to a distillery. Fishing is apparently not my bag but Casey broke the ice and landed one! To cut myself a break, it was very windy and, as a rookie fly fisherman, I was lucky to even get the flies into the water. Stupid fish.
We spoke at the Rotary Club of Inverurie, listened to the club's "glee club" sing some local songs for us, and said goodbye to our Inverurie hosts as the next Club, Aberdeen Deeside picked us up.
Later, we went to the police department for a talk about the upcoming merger of the (7) various police departments in Scotland into one unit. Intended to be an efficient and lower cost system, currently, it seems to be a challenge they are still struggling with. I believe the merger is in about a year or so.
After a light lunch at the police station, we had some free time. Casey and I went fishing and some others went drinking- I mean they went to a distillery. Fishing is apparently not my bag but Casey broke the ice and landed one! To cut myself a break, it was very windy and, as a rookie fly fisherman, I was lucky to even get the flies into the water. Stupid fish.
We spoke at the Rotary Club of Inverurie, listened to the club's "glee club" sing some local songs for us, and said goodbye to our Inverurie hosts as the next Club, Aberdeen Deeside picked us up.
Inverurie Club
We visited the Grampian Transport Museum today. They had a restored steam engine on display out in front of the museum (dating from as late as WW2 and used so that soal and oil could be saved for warships and such by burning wood instead). There were many features here worth mentioning, such as the motorcycle area (no Harleys though), some fire equipment, trolleys, race cars, and even a section on bicycling (especially popular since Britain did so well cycling in the olympics).
The region is a possible "origin of curling", though this is in dispute. Nevertheless, we were taken to an outdoor pond area that is flooded each year to create a curling field. We then had lunch of light sandwiches in the nearby golf club.
The area IS the origin of the Black Angus cattle (not in dispute) and we stopped by the large cast metal sculpture of the steer for a photo op and then a quick side trip to Tillyfour Farm, where the cattle were first bred during Queen Victoria's time.
Craigivar Castle was our next stop, and the weather was amazingly perfect. This was probably our best castle stop yet, because of the capable and engaging young tour guide. She took and interest in our questions and seemed to have almost all the answers. I felt this was the most detailed tour of them all, especially focusing on the family and the items in each room.
We spoke at the Oldmeldrum Rotary Club tonight and were pretty well received (I think).
The region is a possible "origin of curling", though this is in dispute. Nevertheless, we were taken to an outdoor pond area that is flooded each year to create a curling field. We then had lunch of light sandwiches in the nearby golf club.
The area IS the origin of the Black Angus cattle (not in dispute) and we stopped by the large cast metal sculpture of the steer for a photo op and then a quick side trip to Tillyfour Farm, where the cattle were first bred during Queen Victoria's time.
Craigivar Castle was our next stop, and the weather was amazingly perfect. This was probably our best castle stop yet, because of the capable and engaging young tour guide. She took and interest in our questions and seemed to have almost all the answers. I felt this was the most detailed tour of them all, especially focusing on the family and the items in each room.
We spoke at the Oldmeldrum Rotary Club tonight and were pretty well received (I think).
Monday, September 3, 2012
First Post
Hi All,
Scotland for me has been fantastic. To summarize everything would take too long... Since I have not blogged, I would like to really tell you about my two vocational day. My first was to the Forth Road Bridge, built in 1968 and at the time the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world. I was given acces to the whole bridge. I even got to got to the top (450 feet). It was an amazing experience. Although not in my field as a Dam Safety engineering many design traits were discussed with the owners especially the foundation. The foundation conditions is very important to us and the designs between bridges and dams are very similar. After my meeting I have gained valuable knowledge that i will be able to take back to my employer and share with my fellow employees.
The second vocational day was with the Wood Group. A company specializing in safety, especially in the Oil and Gas industry. This industry is starting to boom in Pennsylvania and is heavily regulated by my employer. The Wood Group has studied many aspects of the Oil and Gas industry and it findings have increased the safety in the industry. The detailed analysis found in these reports can easily be brought back to the states and used to further enhance safety there.
I would like to thank Barry Coldurd at the Forth Road Bridge and Dennis Keown at the Wood Group for hosting me. As for tomorrow we move on again to Abeerdeen Deeside. As they say here, Cheers.
Jim
Scotland for me has been fantastic. To summarize everything would take too long... Since I have not blogged, I would like to really tell you about my two vocational day. My first was to the Forth Road Bridge, built in 1968 and at the time the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world. I was given acces to the whole bridge. I even got to got to the top (450 feet). It was an amazing experience. Although not in my field as a Dam Safety engineering many design traits were discussed with the owners especially the foundation. The foundation conditions is very important to us and the designs between bridges and dams are very similar. After my meeting I have gained valuable knowledge that i will be able to take back to my employer and share with my fellow employees.
The second vocational day was with the Wood Group. A company specializing in safety, especially in the Oil and Gas industry. This industry is starting to boom in Pennsylvania and is heavily regulated by my employer. The Wood Group has studied many aspects of the Oil and Gas industry and it findings have increased the safety in the industry. The detailed analysis found in these reports can easily be brought back to the states and used to further enhance safety there.
I would like to thank Barry Coldurd at the Forth Road Bridge and Dennis Keown at the Wood Group for hosting me. As for tomorrow we move on again to Abeerdeen Deeside. As they say here, Cheers.
Jim
Today began with our sad farewells to our Banchory hosts. Many thanks for a wonderful time! Our new hosts, from Inverurie, took each of us on a slightly different tour of the area. My host, Mike Barron (and wife Ishbel who we later met at home), took me to Dunecht House. This huge mansion has been vacant for a few years, but is maintained in fairly nice condition. Huge gates and beautiful grounds. The gate house is five miles from the house! We also visited Fraser Castle and saw its octagonal horse stables. Mike wanted to point out the differences in the granite in the area, so we also popped in to a nearby quarry where a whiter stone is now being produced. I had a little break in the afternoon which I filled with chatting and then the team was reassembled for dinner at Wardes, the home of Ian and Midge Mathers, for dinner. We had a great social mingle with our host families and the Mathers. Thanks to Midge for an especially good meal and to all for the fellowship.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Thank you, Ben and Emily, for chipping in on the blog! Whew, that is a weight off my shoulders. Nevertheless, I will attempt to continue the description of the trip in my own style and allow the others to add their thoughts, as needed (or as instructed by ME).
So, on to Braemar we go. The hour and a half trip was through beautiful countryside, with blooming heather amongst the silver birch and mixed in with patches of ferns. Really worth seeing at this time of year. Also, some of the hillsides are just fields of heather alone and are a pale purple all over. We followed the Dee River upwards into the Scottish Highlands, past Ballater to Braemar. The games are the last of the Highland competitions for the year, I believe, and are especially famous for their royal visitors (as Emily has demonstrated with her first post!). We witnessed the highland dancing, hammer throw, some races, tug of war and many other events, and we strolled around the grounds of the gathering. We were welcomed warmly by the Rotarians in the International Tent, where we signed in and had a quick liquid pick-me-up, and noticed that we were on display as the GSE team for the district on a posterboard. We're famous! Well, a little anyway.
We also trooped through the quaint little town of Braemar and popped into several of the shops. The Upper Deeside Rotary was running a dice game to win bottles of "Famous Grouse" Whiskey. I think one of our team won a small sample bottle but I can't remember whom.
Perhaps the most exciting moment was when the royal family passed by, literally within 10 feet or so of us, and we were able to snap some memorable shots (see Emily's post of yesterday). We have confirmed that the Queen and her husband Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, were present (and are both in the photo displayed in her post), as were as Prince Charles and Camilla.
On the drive back, we stopped for a quick view of a "landowner's" property (essentially a huge castle-like mansion), a suspension bridge for a hiking trail (because it was scenic), and a quick stop in Ballater (to view the "royal warrants" displayed on someof the shops). Upon our return to Banchory, we adjourned to the Banchory Golf Club for dinner and an evening of socializing with our host families. Really, a perfect day. Exchange to Inverurie on the morrow....
So, on to Braemar we go. The hour and a half trip was through beautiful countryside, with blooming heather amongst the silver birch and mixed in with patches of ferns. Really worth seeing at this time of year. Also, some of the hillsides are just fields of heather alone and are a pale purple all over. We followed the Dee River upwards into the Scottish Highlands, past Ballater to Braemar. The games are the last of the Highland competitions for the year, I believe, and are especially famous for their royal visitors (as Emily has demonstrated with her first post!). We witnessed the highland dancing, hammer throw, some races, tug of war and many other events, and we strolled around the grounds of the gathering. We were welcomed warmly by the Rotarians in the International Tent, where we signed in and had a quick liquid pick-me-up, and noticed that we were on display as the GSE team for the district on a posterboard. We're famous! Well, a little anyway.
We also trooped through the quaint little town of Braemar and popped into several of the shops. The Upper Deeside Rotary was running a dice game to win bottles of "Famous Grouse" Whiskey. I think one of our team won a small sample bottle but I can't remember whom.
Perhaps the most exciting moment was when the royal family passed by, literally within 10 feet or so of us, and we were able to snap some memorable shots (see Emily's post of yesterday). We have confirmed that the Queen and her husband Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, were present (and are both in the photo displayed in her post), as were as Prince Charles and Camilla.
On the drive back, we stopped for a quick view of a "landowner's" property (essentially a huge castle-like mansion), a suspension bridge for a hiking trail (because it was scenic), and a quick stop in Ballater (to view the "royal warrants" displayed on someof the shops). Upon our return to Banchory, we adjourned to the Banchory Golf Club for dinner and an evening of socializing with our host families. Really, a perfect day. Exchange to Inverurie on the morrow....
Update from Ben
Benjamin Doyle:
Wow! This trip has been absolutely amazing so far! With how much we have seen and done, and great people we've met, it seems like we've been here for a month! Our time in Edinburgh was incredible, getting to see the Fringe festival as well as the Tattoo ceremony. With the beginning of the GSE program, we transferred to Kinross, and onto our first host families, rotary club meetings, and vocational days. The Clubs and families have been extremely friendly, generous, and hospitable. It's sad leaving just after getting to know each group, but we're excited to see many of them again at the district conference in Aviemore!
For my first vocational day, I went to the Perth & Kinross Council, and met with the I.T. Director. We reviewed their security policies, long-range planning and emergency strategies, and entire network operations systems. While this may seem dry to a few readers, it is exactly what I love doing, and I thought it was AWESOME! I then met with their senior networking specialist and got to share ideas back and forth about emerging technologies and potential areas of upgrade and improvement. One of the major points that I enjoyed was the difference between their work in the public sector, and mine in the private. I have a whole new appreciation for the simplicity and efficiency that I'm able to work with at our company.
After Kinross, we bid farewell to our gracious hosts, and headed onward to the town Banchory!
Wow! This trip has been absolutely amazing so far! With how much we have seen and done, and great people we've met, it seems like we've been here for a month! Our time in Edinburgh was incredible, getting to see the Fringe festival as well as the Tattoo ceremony. With the beginning of the GSE program, we transferred to Kinross, and onto our first host families, rotary club meetings, and vocational days. The Clubs and families have been extremely friendly, generous, and hospitable. It's sad leaving just after getting to know each group, but we're excited to see many of them again at the district conference in Aviemore!
For my first vocational day, I went to the Perth & Kinross Council, and met with the I.T. Director. We reviewed their security policies, long-range planning and emergency strategies, and entire network operations systems. While this may seem dry to a few readers, it is exactly what I love doing, and I thought it was AWESOME! I then met with their senior networking specialist and got to share ideas back and forth about emerging technologies and potential areas of upgrade and improvement. One of the major points that I enjoyed was the difference between their work in the public sector, and mine in the private. I have a whole new appreciation for the simplicity and efficiency that I'm able to work with at our company.
After Kinross, we bid farewell to our gracious hosts, and headed onward to the town Banchory!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Emily Provencher:
The past nine days have been "magical" here in Scotland as Jim said. We have been so busy! My two host homes have been phenomenal. The Pollers and the Hammonds have welcomed me into their homes, and I am very grateful to them.
Today was definitely a highlight for our team. We went to the Braemar Gathering and were feet away from the Queen! Here is a fantastic picture that Dr. Bob took.
The past nine days have been "magical" here in Scotland as Jim said. We have been so busy! My two host homes have been phenomenal. The Pollers and the Hammonds have welcomed me into their homes, and I am very grateful to them.
Today was definitely a highlight for our team. We went to the Braemar Gathering and were feet away from the Queen! Here is a fantastic picture that Dr. Bob took.
This post is for Friday the 31st of August which was a whirlwind day. We began the day with a tour of the Cordiner's sawmill (the elder Cordiner is a Rotarian) and a discussion with the owners about the market for their wood products and byproducts. It was really interesting learning a bit about the machines that turn trees into lumber. This was followed by an excursion to Craithes Castle. A well reburbished and apppointed castle nearby to Banchory. Some intereting features were the thick walls, spiral staircases (always clockwise to aid in defense), painted beams overhead in some rooms, beautiful gardens on the grounds, and the ornately panelled ceiling in the upstairs room (used as a court or tribunal).
After lunch (which included venison burgers for Ben and me), we returned to town for our "afternoon off". Well, no one took the afternoon lying down. Ben and Emily went to Dunnottar Castle. They RAVED about it and I am jealous that I didn't go. Jim went golfing and put me to shame, scorewise. I think he reallly had fun and said the whole course was uphill, though I find that hard to believe. Casey went fishing in the Dee River and learned some new techniques, discovered some new gear, and had a great time. Sadly, the fish had already learned the new techniques and new gear, and they too had a good time avoiding his hook. Oh well.
I went to a Blind Shooter's Competition. I learned a lot about a new sport that will be in the ParaOlympics in Rio in 4 years. Perhaps there are some folks back in the USA, who could take this up. Maybe I will follow up on this upon my return. I would like to.
Dinner was in various homes. Emily and I ate in the home of Jim and Tina Hammond, along with my host John Kaighin, and had a wonderful time (though Emily did have to put up with a bit more talk about the Blind Shooting). Tomorrow: off to Braemar.
After lunch (which included venison burgers for Ben and me), we returned to town for our "afternoon off". Well, no one took the afternoon lying down. Ben and Emily went to Dunnottar Castle. They RAVED about it and I am jealous that I didn't go. Jim went golfing and put me to shame, scorewise. I think he reallly had fun and said the whole course was uphill, though I find that hard to believe. Casey went fishing in the Dee River and learned some new techniques, discovered some new gear, and had a great time. Sadly, the fish had already learned the new techniques and new gear, and they too had a good time avoiding his hook. Oh well.
I went to a Blind Shooter's Competition. I learned a lot about a new sport that will be in the ParaOlympics in Rio in 4 years. Perhaps there are some folks back in the USA, who could take this up. Maybe I will follow up on this upon my return. I would like to.
Dinner was in various homes. Emily and I ate in the home of Jim and Tina Hammond, along with my host John Kaighin, and had a wonderful time (though Emily did have to put up with a bit more talk about the Blind Shooting). Tomorrow: off to Braemar.
We have been having a great time. Maybe my team will, eventually, report their vocational days (hint to team), but in the meantime, I can report that I had a successful vocational day. Jeff Wilkinson and I defeated our playing opponents (Eric Dair and Bill Bell) on the 18th hole. Clearly, they had been told to let the guest win. In all seriousness, though, these gentlemen were wonderful hosts and great company. They hardly laughed at all at my golfing misfortunes! Thanks guys!
This evening we were invited, with a great many Rotarians from Banchory-Ternan, to thte Gordon Highlander's Regiment Museum. We learned a bit about the Victoria Cross, about the many campaigns of this noteworthy regiment throughout history, and we had a light dinner of sandwiches and wine. Another very pleasant evening was had by all.
This evening we were invited, with a great many Rotarians from Banchory-Ternan, to thte Gordon Highlander's Regiment Museum. We learned a bit about the Victoria Cross, about the many campaigns of this noteworthy regiment throughout history, and we had a light dinner of sandwiches and wine. Another very pleasant evening was had by all.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
What a crazy idea it was to go fishing, pouring rain and limited time frame meant that we had to get up early, don major rain gear, rent boat and rods, motor out into the lake (and you must note that I am not a nautical person, so I had no idea what I was doing) where we unsuccessfully attempted to fly fish for the lake's trout. In any event, the rain DID stop very shortly after we began fishing, so there was that small comfort, and no one was injured or drowned. I envied our sleeping Emily and Jim. Admittedly, Jim probably could not have gotten out of bed after his evening with Barry studying the finer points of Scotch Whiskey (or so i suspect).
Upon our return to our home families, we collected our belongings and sadly parted company. In all sincerity, we all felt we had met some of the finest people possible and will miss them greatly. Alistair, Neil and Ken were our drivers for the Dundee area, where we exchanged to our new drivers from the Banchory-Ternan Rotary Club, John and Andrew. We had a sort of gradual changeover because Alistair remained with us to visit the Discovery Point exhibits. This is an anchored wodden ship thet took one of the first trips to the Antarctic and included Shackleton in its crew.
John and Andrew did a great job of leading us over the Cairn o' Mount (probably misspelled). We had lunch on the way. Casey had dicovered that Netherton (read Harley Davidson roots) was practically on the way. After a brief search, we found the original house of the Davidson family and saw that it was being renovated. What a great point for our presentation (which includes Harley Davidson as a main topic).
Upon entering Banchory, we stopped for a quick visit to the Feugh Creek, to look for jumping salmon, and the Dee River. At our presentations that night, at the Club meeting, only the team leader messed up again, missing the same point in his presentation. I guess he will have to "work on it" a little more. The team did great again. Tomorrow is another vocational day....let's see if the team can get their first vocational day reported here before I move on with the blog.
Upon our return to our home families, we collected our belongings and sadly parted company. In all sincerity, we all felt we had met some of the finest people possible and will miss them greatly. Alistair, Neil and Ken were our drivers for the Dundee area, where we exchanged to our new drivers from the Banchory-Ternan Rotary Club, John and Andrew. We had a sort of gradual changeover because Alistair remained with us to visit the Discovery Point exhibits. This is an anchored wodden ship thet took one of the first trips to the Antarctic and included Shackleton in its crew.
John and Andrew did a great job of leading us over the Cairn o' Mount (probably misspelled). We had lunch on the way. Casey had dicovered that Netherton (read Harley Davidson roots) was practically on the way. After a brief search, we found the original house of the Davidson family and saw that it was being renovated. What a great point for our presentation (which includes Harley Davidson as a main topic).
Upon entering Banchory, we stopped for a quick visit to the Feugh Creek, to look for jumping salmon, and the Dee River. At our presentations that night, at the Club meeting, only the team leader messed up again, missing the same point in his presentation. I guess he will have to "work on it" a little more. The team did great again. Tomorrow is another vocational day....let's see if the team can get their first vocational day reported here before I move on with the blog.
Well, sorry to all, my team seems to be too busy to file their reports. I guess that is how it should be, perhaps. Please keep your eyes peeled for future posts that are out of order and go back to that first vocational day.
Moving on to the next full day of team activities which finds us at Dumfermline-Carnegie's breakfast meeting to give our presentation. Everything went well with the notable exception that the team leader messed up his talk and skipped one slide. It was not a crisis, but my team noticed the defect and called me on it later. Youth these days have no respect. Well, in truth, they only teased me a little.
Immediately after the presentation we all jumped on a nearby train to ride across the old 1890's rail bridge, both architecturally and historically significant, across the Firth of Firth. A quick walk, quite difficult for Emily in her 12 inch stilletto heels, down to the Firth. OK, maybe they were 4 inch, but, still a challenging hike down a slippery or muddy trail. Everyone made it safely down and there were no complaints at all, it just required some caution and patience. After a quick coffee (read "hot chocolate" for me) at Hawes Tavern, we hopped onto the Maid of the Forth, a ferry boat, to view Inchcolm Island and to get the view from the Firth. It was interesting to see Edinburgh from this vantage point in the distance.
Lunch was at the home of Neil Maclure, and his wife, who really did an amazing job for us. Delicious sandwiches (including vegetarian soups and sandwiches for Emily that were too good for me to pass up), shortbread, oatcakes and the aforementioned soups were provided in plentiful amounts. It was also wonderful fellowship. Sadly, a you will soon read, Casey began to drop hints about fishing in the area.
We darted off to the local library where David Munro (a geologist and local historian) shared some history of the Kinross area and lead us over to Loch Leven for a short boat ride over to Loch Leven castle, perhaps first constructed as early as 1257 or so, where Mary Queen of Scots had been imprisoned once for 11 months. It was a very simple castle, I think Mot and Bailey would be a fair description, with its one main 5 storey tower, a surrounding wall, maybe 120 to 150 yards to a side, and a smaller tower (Glassin tower) where she was held.
Dinner was in the home of Club President Sandy and his wife, and included the other host families and many Rotarians involved in our experience. The food was excellent (thanks, Trevor, though I'll never forgive you for withholding the vegetarian dish recipe....just kidding) and the company even better. It was the culmination of an amazing few days in Kinross. Our hosts could not have been more welcoming or more supportive. Unfortunately, Casey strongarmed Neil Maclure into a fishing trip the next morning, with Ben and I agreeing to go. Silly us.
Moving on to the next full day of team activities which finds us at Dumfermline-Carnegie's breakfast meeting to give our presentation. Everything went well with the notable exception that the team leader messed up his talk and skipped one slide. It was not a crisis, but my team noticed the defect and called me on it later. Youth these days have no respect. Well, in truth, they only teased me a little.
Immediately after the presentation we all jumped on a nearby train to ride across the old 1890's rail bridge, both architecturally and historically significant, across the Firth of Firth. A quick walk, quite difficult for Emily in her 12 inch stilletto heels, down to the Firth. OK, maybe they were 4 inch, but, still a challenging hike down a slippery or muddy trail. Everyone made it safely down and there were no complaints at all, it just required some caution and patience. After a quick coffee (read "hot chocolate" for me) at Hawes Tavern, we hopped onto the Maid of the Forth, a ferry boat, to view Inchcolm Island and to get the view from the Firth. It was interesting to see Edinburgh from this vantage point in the distance.
Lunch was at the home of Neil Maclure, and his wife, who really did an amazing job for us. Delicious sandwiches (including vegetarian soups and sandwiches for Emily that were too good for me to pass up), shortbread, oatcakes and the aforementioned soups were provided in plentiful amounts. It was also wonderful fellowship. Sadly, a you will soon read, Casey began to drop hints about fishing in the area.
We darted off to the local library where David Munro (a geologist and local historian) shared some history of the Kinross area and lead us over to Loch Leven for a short boat ride over to Loch Leven castle, perhaps first constructed as early as 1257 or so, where Mary Queen of Scots had been imprisoned once for 11 months. It was a very simple castle, I think Mot and Bailey would be a fair description, with its one main 5 storey tower, a surrounding wall, maybe 120 to 150 yards to a side, and a smaller tower (Glassin tower) where she was held.
Dinner was in the home of Club President Sandy and his wife, and included the other host families and many Rotarians involved in our experience. The food was excellent (thanks, Trevor, though I'll never forgive you for withholding the vegetarian dish recipe....just kidding) and the company even better. It was the culmination of an amazing few days in Kinross. Our hosts could not have been more welcoming or more supportive. Unfortunately, Casey strongarmed Neil Maclure into a fishing trip the next morning, with Ben and I agreeing to go. Silly us.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
I think at this point each of the team members should put in a description of their "vocational day". Mine, however was the easiest to describe and was amazing. Rain cancelled my scheduled golf match (so I saved myself all the embarassment) and, instead, was taken by Malcolm and Eddie to the Royal and Ancient Club at St. Andrews. We dined in Malcolm's club there (the "New Club") which overlooks the 18th fairway of the old course, and visited the golf museum nearby. A great day for anyone with an interest in golf and golf history. I especially enjoyed watching the waterlogged die-hard golfers slogging through the very deep casual water of the course while we enjoyed our snacks. We toured the town of St. Andrews, as well, seeing the remains of the St. Andrews cathedral and some of the remaining walls for the city nearby. I will pause here to allow the others to add their vocational day information (and will pick up soon whether they enter data or not!).
Sunday the 26th OUR FIRST DAY OF GSE- we were picked up by several drivers immediately after a breakfast in the Edinburgh campus cafeteria. and drove the 30 or 40 minutes to Kinross, across the Firth of Forth Bridge. Another newer bridge is being built to replace this bridge due to aging of the suspension cables. I was able to enjoy a pleasant walk with my very excellent hosts, Malcolm and Fiona Mapp, before we all had to return to Kinross for a little luncheon meeting with the district governor Cath and other Rotarians involved in our exchange. This was followed by a photo op in the hotel courtyard.
Our afternoon trip took us to the Falkland Palace, where Mary Queen of Scotts spent a lot of time. There were beautiful gardens and (perhaps) the oldest tennis court in the world. We had a nice dinner in a different hotel with many of the host families and Rotarians involved in the exchange.
Our afternoon trip took us to the Falkland Palace, where Mary Queen of Scotts spent a lot of time. There were beautiful gardens and (perhaps) the oldest tennis court in the world. We had a nice dinner in a different hotel with many of the host families and Rotarians involved in the exchange.
Saturday morning (25th) we were off to Edinburgh town. Rain was fairly persistent and a bit uncomfortable this morning but a quick bus ride brought us to the Waverly train station near Princes Street where we ducked into a shop for coffee and hot chocolate. By the time we departed the shop, perhaps an hour later or so, no more rain! We chose to climb the 387 steps of the Scott tower (in honor of Sir Walter Scott), or maybe it was 378 steps. It was a little tight near the top but it provided us a great view of the city and the castle thorough the light mist that intermittently fell. Lunch was in a pub and we then returned to the castle for a more detailed visit, which included viewing the crown and scepter, the WWI memorial hall, the Argyll Tower and the prisons.
Dinner was in the Kalpna Restaurant. The vegetarian food was amazingly good. We meet Kate Yoder, an Ambassadorial Scholar from District 7390 and who is attending University here in Edinburgh, for that dinner. She was thouroughly enjoyable company, and a huge credit to our District. We then went to the Greenmantle pub for a drink after dinner.
Dinner was in the Kalpna Restaurant. The vegetarian food was amazingly good. We meet Kate Yoder, an Ambassadorial Scholar from District 7390 and who is attending University here in Edinburgh, for that dinner. She was thouroughly enjoyable company, and a huge credit to our District. We then went to the Greenmantle pub for a drink after dinner.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Casey Deller: Our flight from Newark to Edinburgh went well, outside of a Travelex debacle for one of our team members and some crying children on the flight. The plane had some nice technology to keep us entertained, each seat had an entertainment monitor with 70 movies, plus tv shows, games etc for each person to choose from. We arrived here around 7 a.m. local time (2 am ome - time) and got rides from local rotary 'chaps' to the university, which is very nice. Edinburgh is a pretty neat City. It has very old historic sections mixed with new architecture and modern technology. We got had access to only 2 of the 5 rooms when we arrived, so we dumped all our gear and hiked to Aurthur's Seat, a mountain for hiking overlooking the city. We hiked up to the top and the views were pretty magnificent. We hiked down, past a church ruin site built in the 1100's. We walked through the city, past the parliament, the royal palace in Scotland and down the Royal Mile, a street which leads to the Edinburgh Castle on another hill. Great sites and architecture. Plus the Edinburgh Fringe is going on, with most of that street closed with live theatre and other activities going on. We then toured the castle, which was very cool. Records for numbers of photos on a trip are bound to be broken Now we are back at the university, resting, napping (fighting off the jet lag)and getting ready for the evening. We are going to the dinner and then to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a bagpipe and traditional Scottish music competition; think 'marching band with bag pipes.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
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