American Mom in Scotland

I've given a lot of thought to the 4th of July this year. We've bounced back and forth between a huge party and just us chickens. Mostly living in Scotland and being an American has sort of clarified what it means to be one on Independence day. It also helps when you have to explain to people you've invited over for hot dogs and hamburgers what the heck Independence day is celebrated for.  Most people look at you funny and say "you still celebrate that?" but it's okay. They don't have to get it. It really is more about how you feel about where you come from I guess.

I am thankful more than ever that my daughters were born in a country where they can do and say and be anything they want to. Really. And that I am free to say and have opinions on anything I want to and not fear being dragged out of my bed at night and disappearing into the dark.  I can vote, own property and walk with my head exposed in public.

A lot of people complain about the status of our country right now. Go ahead...you have the freedom to complain about the government all you want and not fear reprisal, torture or death. Try that in Zimbabwe right now. People in the US argue gays and lesbians shouldn't have any rights. The UK just deported a gay teenage boy back to Jordan, where he was tortured and killed for being gay.  At the worst, we just sit and argue about it, maybe organize a march or protest. People in the US argue immigration should be controlled.  Our local newstand owner came here from Pakistan 7 years ago and his home was firebombed because he was an immigrant.  His sons life was threatened at school and he finally moved his family to our little village 6 years ago, needless to say they are still a little gunshy regardless of the fact they are now British citizens with the rights and privileges as any other.

What it means to be an American is different for everyone...just like our opinions, there are millions of us. For me it is the absolute sarcastic ass next to me tearing up at the sound of our national anthem. Or being able to listen to Taps, knowing both Dad and John sacrificed so much in their military lives for us in our civilian ones.  It means the film "A River Runs Through It" reminds me so much of home, the scenery and the fact it was the last movie we watched with my family before we left for Scotland...I can't watch it without a full on sob. (Sorry Mark)  It means looking at the pictures of the California fires makes me want to go help my friends.  A picture of the Rocky mountains makes my stomach do butterflies.  Same with pictures of Alaska. It means being an absolute goofball with your friends the night before leaving the country, knowing the hangover and jetlag will probably kill you. But you will miss your friends and have to anyway!

It means looking around me for signs this 4th of July that my children are recognizing what it means to be an American. Molly said yesterday that she wanted to "make fireworks"...(great!) we had to say no. Nora said "everybody else here is missing out not celebrating July 4th, Americans are the best partiers"...(have to agree there) (what can I say the twins are 9)  And Megan said "It means I'm free. I'm alive and I have opportunity." that's my girls.

Happy 4th of July...Bless the USA

Big Sur itself is now under direct threat of destruction from wildfires. I posted earlier this week about evacuations, but now all of the coastal area including down to the Esalen Institute and 4 state parks is under mandatory evacuation order.

Advertisements in the local paper and online are offering housing, transportation and even pasture land for horses displaced by the fires.

Evacuation sucks. That's all there is to say about it. You have to leave without much notice, no real idea of when you get to return...most times it is just what you can grab and run with that you keep.  A lot of people have asked us what we would do if we could go back the day before Katrina and say to ourselves...I would have to say, Self..take the kids, take the dog and don't stay. Forget the pictures, grandma's silver...run. Go. You really don't want to witness the next 8 days.  But it happened to be the one time in my life I didn't listen to that little voice in my head. when you are in that moment you don't want to leave your home and your neighbors. You want to stay as close as you can and be there to pick up the pieces. And I am glad we did. We have friends who are more like family now. People who slog through tragedy together stick together.

Big Sur is already a tightly knit community...we spent time there when we lived in Pacific Grove. This will make them even more so...they just don't see that yet.  They just have to remember that each of them has a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker, going through this at the same time they are and they can prop each other up.  They will see it on each others faces when they return home..."how'd you get along?"  or "What you got?" will be the question and the look on their face will be the answer... a guilty smile means I am ok...a tearful headshake means...it's all gone. And they just need a hug most of the time...those go a really long way. Further than FEMA or SBA or Red Cross. I promise. Well, that and a big glass of California Wine...

Chin Up...

The fun side of living here is the hype of the entertainment scene. It is a small island after all.  So today MGM studios leaked the official trailer for the new James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" (yep, nobody gets the title here either, we are hoping the film explains it) Mr. Bond supposedly avenges the death of his love interest from Casino Royale. Problem is she double crossed him and now it's his mission to find out who she worked for. Dame Judy Dench returns as M. (You can find the trailer, where else, Youtube)

It looks like a dark side of the British spy, played again by actor Daniel Craig. And I am thinking the whole darn cast is really dedicated. The production has been cursed with accidents...two with stuntmen and the famous Bond cars(one seriously injured)...Aston Martin DBS(A 160,000 pound luxury car)...and one where Mr. Craig himself cut off part of his finger. Jeeze Louise...

They are thinking this better be a damn good movie at this point.

The film itself doesn't come to theaters until October 31st...And pictures are everywhere...Good news is we get the film first in the UK...The US gets it on Nov 7th.

According to a new study by the Joseph Roundtree Foundation estimates of what it takes financially to make it in the UK, bare bones, basic minimum are around 13,400 pounds a year per person. Before tax and housing or transportation costs (why these were not included is beyond me) And government estimates are lower than this particular foundation.

A family with 3 children ( se' moi) to meet the basic living standard should have 465.71 pounds a week, equal to 1862.84 a month, before housing and childcare or transportation. Factor in those costs for our area and our monthly should be at 3362.84. 

Let's just say we are more than a day late and a pound short. And we aren't the only ones. The BBC site this article was released on logged a record number of responsed to the article by noon UK time today. People are fed up.  Let's see, 40% income tax, 10-15% council tax, television tax, gas tax, VAT of 17% on darn near everything...people here are getting taxed into the poor house. The UK uses official income measures and the poverty level is set at 60% of the median household income, with the poverty line adjusted for family size.  The government doesn't take into account regional costs though like costs of transportation from rural areas for school, work or medical care.

The foundation also admitted that they could not prove anyone earning less would be subject to hardship, and families earning above the prospective numbers could still be in "substandard" conditions.

A comment from the BBC site..."Question...how much does it cost to run my life? More than it does to ruin it!"

Enough said.

To Alaska...our former home for 4 years. Alaska became the 49th state on June 30th 1958. Voted into being by Congress and celebrated by most Alaskans as a way out of paying income taxes and not being represented in Washington DC.  Now Alaskans pay income tax, are represented in DC, and get a hefty oil revenue check every year called the Permanent fund dividend.  And they don't have to pass through immigration when they go to the lower 48 anymore. (that is what they call the rest of the country, excluding Hawaii)

I miss Alaska sometimes, mostly the summer.  On occasion I still miss a snow storm at 20 below too. And the wildlife. You are not the top of the food chain there. I carried a handgun Rich gave me as a matter of course, just working around the yard. We had bears, moose, lynx, arctic fox...And the northern lights...well...those are something you can't really explain properly. The first time we saw them was on September 11th, 2001. We were sitting on the couch, watching the wrenching pictures like everyone else, and our neighbor came and knocked on the door...he told us to come outside and see. There was a long looping streak of eery green in the sky.  It sort of danced and looped around for almost an hour...we were thinking it was literally an opening to heaven. We didn't watch any more tv after that.

Happy Birthday Alaska...

The comment function of the blog is back on. Play nice. Or I'll curse you with Monty Python.

Seriously...

Last week while our guests were here, we took a little side trip to someplace I hadn't been yet...so a short review.

St. Giles Cathedral is just down the Royal Mile from the castle. (Edinburgh castle) There is a record of it's parish existing as far back as 854. It was officially consecrated in it's present spot in 1244 and is dedicated to the patron saint of a 7th century hermit who is the saint of the crippled, beggars, infirm and lepers. The evidence of this is everywhere, even in small alcoves where you can light candles (almost unheard of here, due to fire hazards) and plaques on the walls thanking St. Giles for the gift of Anesthesia and good health.

The cathedral itself has huge stained glass windows depicting everything from the last supper to Saint Giles life and death.  The cathedral holds a special place in the history of Scotland and was the meeting place of parlaiments after the Scottish reformation in the 1550's and was even used as a prison, a fire station, a police station and a coal supply.  One particular corner is named in the archives as a holding cell for "harlots and whores".

In the 1820's restoration work began to return the cathedral to it's former glory and to begin building the Thistle chapel...a chapel to honor the Knights of the Thistle...Scotland's highest honor. The chapel was completed in 1911 and you can visit through large ornate metal gates.

The Thistle chapel is completely different than the cathedral. It consists of all carved intricate wood. Not the stone work you see in mosts churches and chapels. There are 16 seats all around a rectangular room and each ornate seat has a beast upon the top spire noting the order of the person who sits there.  It is one of those places in the world that makes you sit still and hush for a minute.

By the way, this is the ceiling of the Thistle chapel. All carved wood.

The girls last few days of school is this week and it's kind of nice knowing we don't have a lot planned this summer, for a change. Usually this time of year we have a cross country move on our plates.

Molly and Nora have the normal last day of school half day stuff going on, but Meg has more of a collegiate style. Her particular classes end on different days than her friends so her last day was yesterday, some of her other friends are finishing up today and yet more go until tomorrow. Kind of strange. Anywho...

We had planned on a 4th of July BBQ on Friday afternoon...but wouldn't you know it nobody else has the day off. Don't they recognize it? (Just kidding Claire, my friend Claire rolls her eyes at the mention of Independence Day) So Friday evening it looks like just a few burgers and dogs on the grill and a couple beers. Well except for the kids. They get sodas.  And wouldn't you know, no fireworks.  It stays light here almost as long as when we lived in Alaska so we will have to wait until Hogmany in December to see any sparklers. 

The kids are a little disappointed about the fireworks, but we have a gigantic American flag to hang out front and annoy the neighbors with. I plan on hanging it over the big window in front so you can't miss it. We are at the end of a cul de sac...so when people turn the corner, the red, white and blue is the first thing they will see!

Well, it's not quite the NASA space center size, but you get the picture.

My sister in law and nephew came to visit from Seattle last week and other than the fact it rained and blew Scottish gales the whole time...it was great!

We took them to Roslyn Chapel on the first full day and showed them the intricate masonry and view of the glen. It is a fascinating place, other than the fact it's featured in the Da Vinci Code. The masonry carvings all mean something and my personal favorites are the seven deadly sins and the seven greatest kindnesses. It took me three trips to find them.  The girls love going up to the top. There is a large catwalk constructed outside to walk around the top of the chapel. The chapel has been covered with a large tarpauline since 1996 to protect it from the elements, so that was one place we managed to stay dry.

The next day Rich took them in to Edinburgh Castle. The twins and I stayed behind.(We've been before and the girls have a new castle mentality at the moment) And they pretty much walked until their socks melted. They came back about 7 hours later and now know the meaning of the phrase knackered!

On Friday the theme of the day was crash and burn. The thing about jet lag is it sneaks up on you. Especially when you are trying to cram in as much sightseeing and visiting and stuff as you possibly can from the moment you step off the plane.  But they managed to take time from the nap taking to go visit the falconry at Dalhousie Castle, just down the road.  Dalhousie falconry has a variety of birds of prey including a kestral hawk and a great grey owl. You can sign up for falconry lessons here and learn how to raise and fly these magnificent predators.  I am drawn to the golden eagle...he talks to me every time I go there!

Saturday looked like another lazy day, but I convinced them to go see Tantallon Castle on the north sea. (see Rich's blog) The twins had a birthday party to go to and have been there before, so it was just Lynn, Sebi, Rich and Meg. This is a great kids castle.  When I took the girls, we spent about 3 hours there just climbing all over this thing. It's huge. And the views are spectacular. There are 4 spiral stone staircases that are at least 3 stories tall. It tests your endurance as an adult, but the kids love it.

Lynn and Sebi left Sunday afternoon...hopefully the jet lag doesn't get them too bad on the other side.  It sucks when you live on the other side of the planet!

We only had one miscommunication regarding chips/crisps/fries. It was quite entertaining! Funny how quickly you slip into the local language and then someone comes to visit and looks at you like your speaking Greek.

Rich put the Hickey family crest on his web page...here it is...They originally came from County Clare, Ireland.

So before I get in trouble...Equal billing for the Wilson's...(Although a much smaller rendition) The early Wilsons in Scotland were a sect of the clan Gunn and literally the name means Will's son or son of William. The earliest Wilsons came from England but the name spread like wildfire after the Norman conquest of 1066, and the surname became popular among feudal lords to define boundaries and families within their fiefdoms.

You tend to see a lot of crests and coats of arms in the shops here, but you only get the local names, so if your family name isn't local you won't find it here. Kind of strange.  We got that question from a guest...how come I can't find my last name...well it's Welsh...you have to go down to Wales and find it there or on the internet.  Also some names are diluted and spelled so differently than they were when the original crests came about, but there are heraldic research sites out there that can help you out. www.luz-herald.net is a good one. They will even help you create a family herald or crest if you don't have one. It is a French firm, because laws on heraldry are strict in the UK, but looks like an interesting site if you need help with the research.  One of our neighbors has used them for a grandparents anniversary present and was pleased.

Monterey County is a place we used to call home. We lived in Pacific Grove, off Highway 68 and 17 mile drive for a year and a half.  One of our favorite weekend day trips is on fire...Big Sur. It is on the Pacific Coast Highway and one of the most beautiful places in the U.S. not to mention home to some of the nicest people anywhere...

The whole area is dry as a tinder box and hot weather followed by lightning storms have not helped at all.  The firefighters have not been able to do much but try to save structures they know are in the path of the blaze, and  let the fire go and burn in steep terrain they can't reach. The area is under mandatory evacuation notice (been there, done that) and the Red Cross has done the right thing this time ensuring animals are allowed to come to shelter areas with their owners.

Now, being a former evacuee, I can tell you this will be a long process and being stuck in this situation is disheartening, uncomfortable and can make the strongest man weep tears of frustration.

If you have a moment, donate it. If you have a penny, donate it. If you have a pence, donate it. For tomorrow...you may be the one in this boat...crying these tears.  Politics and rhetoric aside, people don't care where the help is coming from, as long as it comes.

Here is a photo of the Bixby Bridge on a better day.. Point Sur Lightstation....

Around here the popular holiday or vacation spots seem a little off to us. Now, granted we came here with the understanding this was like living in a vacation spot...And we've visited places all over the states that people traditionally refer to as vacation destinations. We have even lived in some of them.

Alaska was a little more off the beaten track for the average American tourist. The interior of Alaska saw more adventurous tourism like climbers and hikers looking to conquer Mt Mckinley...North America's tallest mountain.  And the weather was a challenge as well.

When I say off...I mean, well, war torn(words off the brochure, no joke). Or dicey. Or even that maybe the civil war isn't over yet...but come spend your tourist dollars (or in this case pounds) here.  In these tough economic times holiday goers are trying to find new and "undiscovered" places where the money they have goes a little farther. That part I understand. However, I am having a hard time buying into the hard sell tourism companies are using to push places like Bosnia, Croatia and even parts of Zimbabwe. Yes I said Zimbabwe. Unless you have been under a rock lately, the dictator, I mean president Mugabe has just stolen the election, beaten and starved the opposition and otherwise told the rest of the civilized world to bugger off.  Sounds relaxing and tranquil, don't it?

I am all for adventure and trying new things (obviously) however I am not for vacationing in places where the US Army special forces has to come and pick me up. Just personal preference. I know my luck.

About 200 years ago, poet William Wordsworth wrote these lines...

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers

Every once in a while Rich and I evaluate where we stand and how we got here. I know it sounds stupid and more than a little self indulgent, but it helps us stay grounded and not get too far ahead of ourselves. It also helps to understand the nutty progression of what goes on in our jet set lives.

We started out our Scotland adventure by selling off almost everything we owned. Including vehicles. What we now own consists of 6 rubbermaid storage bins, an antique table my father rebuilt and an old grandfather clock...all stored in my Mom's garage. A picture of my grandfather as a child and his dog lives at my sisters house. Now most people we talk to say "You did WHAT?" but really it isn't that complicated. The emotion of it was already done 2 years before.  During Hurricane Katrina, we already thought we lost all our material possessions. And we were ok. After that experience you kind of disconnect with stuff and reconnect with the people in your life. It sounds corny and simple but it worked for us. And honestly we don't miss any of it. I don't even miss my shoes. (sorry sis)

So this comes to the obvious question...would we do anything different? Probably. Would any of the big decisions be different? Probably not. We don't have "stuff" but we don't have any debt, therefore aren't really tied down.  Before that conjures up infinite visions of living like a rock star...I can tell you from experience living out of a suitcase and in hotels for months at a time doesn't "Rock" unless you are somebody like 3 Doors Down or Paris Hilton.  It means doing laundry in the laundrymat, cooking in a microwave and eating at untold numbers of International House of Pancakes. (we have a frequent customer card) Not to mention being generally bored out of your mind.

Back to where we are now...Scotland...beautiful, romantic, expensive. We take it month by month and hope this experience isn't something the kids will seek therapy for.  Each month seems to ease up on the leash a little. We take a deep breath and listen to the kid next door play the bagpipes. Or we go visit a castle ruins. Or I meet another transplant from abroad, somebody who came from Somalia and is just happy to be alive and not running for cover. She was happy just for the opportunity to start over. And happy to give her child the chance to grow up in better circumstances than she did.

That made me feel like the luckiest mom in the world.

 It really isn't about getting there, it's about the journey.

This expatriate mom is taking a few days off to entertain her sister in law and nephew whilst they are here from Seattle. 

I'll be back in a few days to post of our adventures and the reactions of our guests to Scotland.

Awe, Crap...it's already raining... Get out the wellies!!!