Three Weeks Later

We're at Heathrow again, this time to head home. And after three weeks and nine beds, we're looking forward to home. The train ride south from Glasgow to London was smooth, comfortable, and a couple of minutes early. It's nice being in a country where train schedules are more than a vain hope.

Our last night here was spent enjoying a riotous dinner with my nieces Den and Carol and their husbands Mark and Grant. It was another reminder to us that people are a major part of our travel joys and memories. (You can check the pictures Carol posted on Facebook.). Please remember, guys, that I'm not responsible for anything I might have said at dinner except the sincere hope that one of these days we'll see you in the Pacific Northwest.

Tonight our own bed. For one night. And tomorrow a needed trip to Abbotsford.

 

 

Farewell Scotland

It wasn't exactly the day we planned, but it was a fine day nevertheless. We headed toward Edinburgh for a closer look at the kelpies and to check out the Falkirk wheel. On the way we stopped to pick up an old Gospel Recordings colleague of Valerie's who is living in Glasgow. Judging from the pace of the conversation in the back seat, Norma was intent on filling in as much of the last forty years as she could in one day.

As it turned out, the Falkirk wheel, once we found it, was closed for a month of maintenance. It's an intriguing alternative to a series of canal locks, and I'm glad I got to see it, albeit not in action.

From there we eventually found our way to the kelpies, not that they're easy to hide. Let's just say that iPad maps is not quite perfect. This being an off-season Tuesday, the kelpies were closed as well, though it's not clear just what that means. How do you "close" these astoundingly huge sculptures of horse heads?

The sky, however, wasn't closed, and we enjoyed this view of the Forth Bridge before chasing the sunset back to Glasgow. Scotland is beautiful, and so are her people. We've connected with a couple of dozen, some family, some old friends, and some new friends. Those relationships are part of what is making this week in the UK wonderful.

 

The Bonnie Banks

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes

Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond....

Loch Lomond is one of my favorite spots in Scotland, and a trip here would seem incomplete without returning again to those bonnie banks. For me there was a strange symmetry to this visit. The first time I came here was in 1988. My father, on the tail end of an anniversary trip with my mother, had succumbed to a heart attack, and I had flown over to conduct a funeral and bring mom home. Dad's ashes were scattered in Clydebank, and before returning home, we were taken on a restorative drive to nearby Loch Lomond. Years later we would scatter mom's ashes in the same place. Monday, a couple of days after Hama's passing, we enjoyed that same drive, soaking in the calm beauty of God's creation.

Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae

On the bonnie bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

 

Family

Sunday was a family kind of day. We cherish those connections, both within our natural family and those within the family of God. We attended church with Bob McArthur and enjoyed hearing him preach. Bob and his family have warmly embraced us and made us feel at home. Then it was off to see Betty Hardie in Bearsden (widow of cousin Ted) and her son and daughter-in-law. Tea, goodies, memories.... And then off to Linlithgow and the Ingram clan, passing the kelpies on the way. Lots of laughter, a delicious dinner, and of course some good Scottish singing.

And in between we've been reading and encouraged by lots of emails expressing your love and prayers for us as we respond to Hama's passing. Thank you. We are blessed to be family.

 

It's a Beautiful Place

Scotland is simply beautiful. Our Saturday adventures took us to Ayrshire where around each new bend awaited green fields and grazing sheep, a picturesque Scottish town, the rugged coast, or another castle. We enjoyed literary and historical connections stopping by both the birthplace of Robert Burns and Culzean Castle that served as Eisenhower's headquarters during World War II. And we saw sights like this one at Dunure that reminded us that for all of it's power there are some things that time can't erase.

After a good dinner with our host family, we tried to check up on Valerie's mother, a long distance odyssey that eventually led to the discovery that she had passed away Friday night during surgery to repair her displaced fractured hip. Hama, who withstood all that time could throw at her for 96 years, is at home with the Lord in a place even more beautiful than Scotland.

 

 

Birmingham and Beyond

When we first planned this trip, Birmingham was not on the agenda. Then I accepted an invitation to serve on the Canadian board of Reach Across. Since Birmingham is the ministry arena for some Canadian RA people, we added a small detour and spent a night with them. It was a short but truly delightful visit and an opportunity to see first hand this diverse area that is home to the people they serve. We thank God for these faithful folk.

An unexpected surprise last night was a phone call from Abbotsford letting us know that Valerie's mother, having dislocated her previously fractured hip, was back in the emergency room and almost certainly facing surgery. She was in good spirits having insisted on lunch when she arrived at the hospital. When the nurse told her we were on the phone, her response, loud enough for us to hear, was "tell them not to come!" We spoke to her doctor at length and are confident she is in good hands. In addition to everything else, we are thankful for a working cell phone.

We're back on the train headed for Glasgow. The trip takes us through some beautifully scenic country. Pictures through a train window are less than ideal; this one is on the edge of the Lake District. On to Scotland....

 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We're in transition, and it's a planes, trains, and automobiles kind of day. We left our Jerusalem hotel at 3:40 a.m. and were driven to Ben Gurion Airport. We cleared Israeli security quickly, efficiently, and politely, and without being frisked, removing any articles of clothing, taking Val's CPAP apart, or dumping a perfectly good bottle of water, all of which we have experienced back home. Israel has their act together, and TSA could learn a thing or two.

British Airways got us comfortably from Israel to London, and even let us nap on the way. Getting out of Heathrow was a bit quicker than two weeks ago, but not much. We got our rail passes validated and took the Heathrow Express in to Paddington Station. From there we took a taxi to Euston Station. (If you're traveling through London, you can pretty much count on having to use more than one of the many train stations here.) I am again convinced that London has the world's best taxi drivers. And now we're enjoying a bite of lunch on the train to Birmingham. Stay tuned; we're still on the move.