Sonoma to Yosemite

A longish journey through country varying from mile after mile of wineries, wide rivers, fertile flatlands to the foothills of the Rockies. I stayed overnight at the Vantage Lodge at Bucks Meadow, on the edge of the Yosemite National Park. My solo picture is of an intriguing sounding bar just back down the road a bit, by one of those rivers. It seems Scotch whisky has some low cost competition around here! It looks like a biker stop, & I wouldn't want be in their way after visiting that bar. In case anyone is interested there is a bartender job going!

Sonoma

It is Sunday morning and I'll be leaving Sonoma for Yosemite later today. Erica and John have been fantastic hosts again, and the neighbours have been equally welcoming here. Friday evening ended up in a pretty late-night session singing along to John's guitar and harmonica, or to the Rhapsody internet service. Lots of Elvis and Proclaimers stuff, I seem to remember! And that was after my induction to Wii tennis and 10-pin bowling. Yesterday we took a tour of some of the wineries in the Sonoma valley, taking many samples along the way, and visiting the Jack London museum. I'm very glad that John was doing the driving! Last night we had a very fine meal chez Maria, and with neighbour Nancy there too.

Thank you to all of you for a wonderful couple of days. My pictures are of Erica and John at Benziger winery, some of their vines, signposts to more wineries, and the moon from Maria's garden - with some of her very own Redwoods!

Carmel

Another quick update. Deirdre volunteered to drive down to Carmel yesterday, for which I am very grateful. we had a very pleasant trip, with lunch at Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf before a long walk with Ellie on the beach at Carmel. The swell and the waves are pretty powerful and impressive; so this isn't a place to go for a dip in the sea. But it is clearly a great place to go for a walk with a dog, especially one like Ellie who loves to chase balls and doesn't mind getting wet.

On the way back I had to take a photo of "Garlic World" at Gilroy - a town which apparently bills itself as the garlic capital of the world when they have their annual festivals in July! I'm afraid we didn't have time, though, to check out the menu.

In the evening D&D and I had a fine meal at the local Brewery restaurant, (after watching the VP candidate debate on TV) and before the late night arrival of Stephie from Tahoe.

Saratoga

Just a quick update here. I'm now ensconsed at the Anderson mansion in Saratoga with David and Deirdre and Ellie the chocolate labrador. Looks like we will be heading down to explore Carmel this afternoon. I think Ellie is looking forward to a walk along the beach!

On the road again

Yes I'm back on the move again. Yesterday's long journey from Glasgow to San Francisco worked out exactly according to plan, but it was via Edinburgh and JFK, and so added up to a pretty long day. I'm staying with Erica and John for a couple of days, and they have been fantastic in welcoming me to their part of the world and in providing a whistle-stop tour today. Highlight was of course our lunch at the Stinking Rose. This is a specialist garlic restaurant, and as soon as I heard about it I knew I had to pay a visit! My excellent lunch consisted of garlic,onion and potato soup (good stuff, but very different from the Nepalese stuff), roast chicken and potatoes with 40 cloves of garlic (no kidding) and then of course the garlic ice-cream (again no kidding!).
My pictures are of the Stinking Rose, me with the soup, Erica with the ice-cream, and some views of SF on what has been a beautiful sunny day. Perfick!

September update

Well now it is nearly 3 months since I returned from my Asia travels, and I’m due to depart for the USA on Monday. I am looking forward to being on the move once more.

I seem to have been pretty busy over August and September, but have nothing very exciting to report. I managed about 6 shows at the Edinburgh Festival, mostly pretty good. Newsrevue has become a regular for me and they were up to their usual standard. I’ve had a couple of trips up north to see friends and relatives. The landmarks were the 25^th anniversary of my father’s death (although I can hardly believe it has really been that long) and Ali Baxter’s 21^st birthday. My nephew Douglas has come to stay for his 3^rd year at Glasgow University; so I have had to do a bit of adjustment to the setup here to fit him in. I am pleased to have him here though, and know that I will feel happier on my future travels to have someone living in the place.

Last week I had a “first”, in working for a day as an extra in a film that the BBC are making – a remake of Buchan’s “39 Steps” which I understand is due to be broadcast on Boxing Day. Don’t expect a major presence from me though. I am just a face in the crowd (in the scene where Hannay suddenly and unexpectedly appears on the stage at an election rally and has to make an impromptu speech). They want me to go back on Sunday for some more of the same. It is all quite interesting as a new experience – but I’m a wee bit disappointed that I will miss out on another (more interesting) scene while I’m away next week.

On Monday I fly to San Francisco, for just over a week of being a tourist there before heading to LA to meet up with Elaine and Chloë for our trips to Disneyland and the like.

My photos are of the ski team reunion in Edinburgh, and me in my 1914 working man’s gear for the 39 steps!

Back for a month

To follow on from my last posting here, the Leonard Cohen concert in Edinburgh turned out to be something special, just as expected. It is encouraging to see and hear how (at 73) he is getting better with age. I’ll attach a picture. I have a video I wanted to post too but the file seems to be too large. It was good to meet my cousin Janet and her husband Bryan there – who had travelled all the way from Bristol for the event! That's me and Janet before the show.

Last weekend I met even more of my rather wide extended family up in Aberdeen and in Dufftown at the annual Highland Games there. The format seems to have remained unchanged for ever, and I reckon that is a real strength. The weather is a big variable though, and I’m pleased to report that this year it was ideal. I took along Ali Baxter (Linda and Vic's son from Aberdeen) and the highlight was probably his lucky programme winning the prize of two bottles of the local produce! My pictures are of the Buckie Pipe Band coming down Conval Street in Dufftown (where my Granny McWilliam used to live) and of Auntie Annie and cousins Kate and Eleanor.

And a couple of videos – some of the massed pipe band march at the Games (with how not to toss a caber in the background), and another showing how to do it right!

My return at the beginning of July coincided with the start of a by-election campaign in Glasgow East, and I decided to get involved. It seemed that there was a chance here to make a difference to something; so I did a bit of leafleting and canvassing work in the cause of the SNP. I’m delighted with the result, which has helped put the cat amongst the pigeons at the Labour Party, and it is pleasing to feel that I might have contributed a bit. Apologies to any Labour fans out there. I've tried to steer reasonably clear of political bias in this blog but this time it is unavoidable.

I’ve been thinking about my next bit of travelling too, and am now booked to go to the USA for a few weeks in October, and for a few days in Italy at the start of November. In the US the highlight will be hitting the tourist spots around Los Angeles with Elaine and Chloë. I’m hoping to spend a long weekend in New York on the way back. In Italy it is Judy McK’s 40^th celebration which is the big attraction.

Back in Glasgow, Emina has moved on (to Oxford) and I have the place to myself for a while. In September my nephew Douglas, who is a student at the University here, will be taking her place.

This weekend is the start of Festival time in Edinburgh and I hope to get across for several visits, and at least a dozen or so shows. In the meantime Glasgow had the River Festival. It was pretty good, and I'll include a photo of the Clyde to show that it sometimes doesn't rain here.

On the work front, I’m not doing much other than contemplate some options, but I’ve been stepping up my activity as a panel member with the Glasgow Children’s Hearings system. I’m up for reappointment at the end of the year and I need to try to make up for my rather long absence in recent months!

Finally, regarding the all-important garlic soup subject, I’ve had a few more attempts (despite Emina’s protests), and I have to confess that I still have some work to do to match the Himalayan variety. I will enjoy trying though.