The Decade in Review – The AWT version

On 12.22.09, In Aye Wonder Tuesday, By Mike

I never like wishing time away. I think I have mentioned this on numerous occasions here. However, this decade may be an exception. As a result, I thought I would spend this Tuesday’s AWT reviewing the decade from a DiCarlo family perspective.

One of my life policies is to get the bad news out of the way early. As a result, I thought I would disclose here that I am Tiger Wood’s nookie bookie. Tiger has come to me on numerous occasions (more than the currently disclosed fourteen) and asked me to secure willing women for him. The cue that sprung me into action was Tiger singing “I’m dreaming of a White Mistress.” While at the outset I took to my new job with zest, I quickly realized its baseness. As a result, the selection process suffered and my choices for Tiger most often came from the dregs of the gene pool. I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies for anyone I may have hurt along the way.

Since I am sharing bad news, there’s this. It was recently disclosed that Christine was notified that, despite her performance early in the decade, she will not be immortalized in the Shopping Hall of Fame (SHOF). Apparently, but unbeknown to me, Christine has not been putting up SHOF type of numbers over the past three years. She is taking this notification very personally and recently dented an old purse when she threw herself in front of a parked car.  I know you will continue to lovingly support Christine, as I do, while she goes through this most difficult and challenging time.

Another member of our family – Grover, our beloved Brussels Griffon Terrorist, has been with us for the last half of the decade and has yet to really experience the high life. As a result, all he does is sleep, eat and lick himself. We are extremely concerned that this type of behavior may be habit forming and have scheduled a preliminary appointment with noted dog psychiatrist, Doctor Iwanna Bleedu-Dry. After consulting with Dr. Bleedu-Dry, we decided that the 100 session pricing on a per session basis was most economical. We’re hoping that soon Grover will be able to read and write. Wish us luck!

In 2oo7, we were hopeful that our Scotland project would bear fruit. It was such an amazing and unique project that even an idiot could make it a success. It turns out that we over estimated idiocy and the project failed famously. There was one benefit to failure, our reality TV series, Watching Wasserman Wallow, has been picked up by NBC to replace the Jay Leno Show. The pilot was an amazing success. We’re positively pleased as punch.

If everything goes as planned, Christine and I (and the sleeping, eating & licking, Grover) will finally relocate to our new mud hut in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on the Pakistan border. We have been talking about this move for the past 3 years and after considering, Flint MI, Bridgeport CT, Biloxi MS, Camden ME and Gary IN, we finally settled on Jalalabad because the name is so fun to say. (Djibouti came in a close second and Spitsbergen a distant third) The clincher for us was when we heard that Jalalabad has an active comedy scene. We will keep you apprised as we near the move date.

Early in 2000, I predicted correctly that the stock market would regularly go up and down. This incredible bit of prognostication has led me to consider some other new directions in life as I return from retirement and begin the job search.  Offers to predict the weather are pouring in. Yesterday, Farmers Almanac came calling. With our impending move, I may have to tell them that it would be a temporary position.

As 2010 beckons, Christine and I know that we can count on your continued support and love as we await the results of Grover’s testing, our impending move and the success of our reality tv show.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Dourly,

The DiCarlos

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Back from St Andrews But Not Really

On 11.02.09, In Hamilton Hall, Scotland, St Andrews, Travel, United Kingdom, By Mike

scotland-flag

On Wednesday morning when I arrived in Scotland’s Edinburgh Airport slightly knackered from my overnight 2-legged journey, I privately sighed. I was now back in a country that I not so privately love.  I don’t want you to get the wrong impression, I love America too. But if America owns my heart, for some reason, and one I can’t truly articulate, Scotland owns my soul.

The purpose of my visit was to meet up with the Monarchs House (our home in St Andrews) team of Angus and Kevin. Kevin has been the chef at the house since we bought it in 2001. If well over a thousand visitors to Monarchs House can be trusted, Kevin is St Andrews’ best chef. I wholeheartedly concur but his demeanor, in addition to his cooking, make Kevin a treat to be around. Angus Mitchell, our general manager since taking over from his daughter Amanda six years ago, is the best go-to-guy one could ever dream up. He has lived in St Andrews for his entire life and knows where all the bones are buried, no small feat in medieval St Andrews. Angus is knowledgeable, thorough, trustworthy, loyal and hard working. If you’re an absentee homeowner and this fellow was looking after your interests, you could sleep at night. He is also retiring at the end of November. Figuring out what to do without Angus in the mix was the meaning behind the trip.  BUT it was far more than that.

Waiting for me as I came around the corner signage proclaiming Edinburgh’s beauty was Club Cars, the taxi company Angus had sent to retrieve me. The driver was a familiar, friendly face that was keen to know how long it had been since I last visited. After a few comments about the fate of Hamilton Hall, the iconic red sandstone building I was involved with, the conversation turned light, warm and breezy just like the weather that day. As much as I talked and listened, my eyes searched the rolling hills of Fife as we made our hour’s journey into St Andrews. Farms, distant ruins, and a steam billowing train running vein-like through the middle of the county made everything seem so familiar. It was familiar because not much had changed since I last made this journey 2+ years ago and 33+ years ago.  Would St Andrews be the same? I had very little time ahead of me to before I could bear witness.

As we circled the Guardbridge roundabout for the final leg of the ride, I noticed my breathing. It was shallow. Once I saw the Eden Estuary, I knew it would be moments before I saw the church spires and the Hamilton Hall dominated St Andrews skyline. And then, there it was, in the distance, the building that was my dream project, Hamilton Hall. I shook my head in a final indignation at how unceremoniously the restoration had abruptly ended for everyone but it was right there in the taxi that I decided to put this disaster behind me once and for all. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy because everyone I saw in the ensuing 4 days had questions and lots of them. But it was a starting point.

Monarchs House was the final destination and as always, Kevin was there to greet me with a toothy smile and a warm welcome. Though I wanted to crawl into bed for a short nap, I also wanted a Monarchs House French press coffee. I was exhausted and I knew that if you are over tired, you can forget about getting sleep. (There’s your special bonus travel tip du jour.)  Shortly afterwards, Angus walked in displaying the warm Scottish hospitality that Monarchs House is known for. Both Angus and Kevin looked precisely as they did when I last saw them. It was like my ride into town. Nothing changes. We agreed to meet at 1 PM and Kevin would join us at 3 PM. We needed to get Angus outfitted with the sloped shoulders that retirement would bring him but we needed a plan for Monarchs House. I went upstairs to the Robert the Bruce bedroom and quickly released myself into the arms of Morpheus. Visions of Scotland danced through my head.

After meeting with Angus and Kevin, I decided to go for a walk around the town. It was a cracking day and unseasonably warm, perfect for exploring. Directly to the left of our house is Lade Braes Lane, a ten-foot walled in passageway into the town. On occasion, it is used as a smoking outpost and hideaway for the young students of the next-door Madras College. The really great thing about the lane is that it starts in town, runs by our house and ends 2.5 miles down the road at the Botanical Gardens.

Town is exactly like I remembered it, which is not to say there wasn’t changes, it is just that the changes were small and subtle. Things move glacially at St Andrews on purpose. If it went any other way, you’d see a McDonald’s on the corner. I noticed that many shops had closed and more storefronts than ever before were now available for let. After much resistance, the town has parking meters now. They installed the tower system, which serve multiple parking spots replacing the archaic voucher system. Another change I noticed is that it appears like St Andrews has become the coffee-drinking epicenter of the free world. There are coffee shops everywhere. In a town of over 15,000 university students, you can now get coffee or beer at multiple locations on any street in town. One pub that did close was the ubiquitous Aikman’s on Bell St. KT Tunstall used to gig there in the early 2000s but after 20+ years, it seems shuttered. On a further look around, I did see a couple of new buildings but all in all time stands still in St Andrews.

All of that walking made me a bit thirsty myself. I could have stopped at any of the many pubs that I passed on my way around town but I wanted to put in an appearance at the St Andrews Golf Club where I am a member. I knew that I would be interrogated at the Club but I wanted to drop in and say hello to my inquisitors.  After entering the club with a swipe card, I walked into the main room where there is usually epic socializing taking place. I glanced down at the blue couch to my left and sitting there, as expected, were the four horsemen of the apocalypse, my drinking mates for that early evening. I will spare you their names only because they would hate to get a reputation for being nice to me. But being nice to anyone without a couple of well-considered and good-natured digs is the modus operandi of this group. After greeting me with  “we were just talking about you 10 minutes ago,” I was then told that my (new) haircut was “poufy” and that the “extra weight looks good on you.” Welcome back.

Later that evening, I met up with an old friend and one that I have kept in touch with for years. Since he had something else on his diary that evening, our best option was for drinks at 9 PM at the Russell Hotel. My friend suggested it, though he knew it was my favorite local place, in order that we could be in the company of the lovely and friendly manageress there, Helen. Later in the evening, my friend’s wife popped in for a final drink and some final laughs. What a great way to spend my first day back in St Andrews.

Rather than bore you with a day by day accounting of my travails, I will leave it at this. My trip was everything I expected and more, just as it always is. When I paid my final visit to the St Andrews club on Saturday, one of my friends there, the most curmudgeonly of the lot, came over to me and hugged me as he was leaving for the day. He leaned over and quietly said so that no one else could hear, “next time, don’t be as long, lad.” It was like the first time I had been to St Andrews 33 years ago, when a total stranger invited me off the street and into his house to have supper with he and his wife. Nothing changes. And I like it like that.

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Aye Wonder Pre-Flight

On 10.27.09, In Aye Wonder Tuesday, Scotland, By Mike

wonder1I feel pressed for time but I am determined to keep up the flow of posts here at Aye Wonder. I am especially sensitive to the fact that Tuesday’s Aye Wonder is aways the most read posting of the week. You must like incoherrent ramblings. Well, there will be great rambling today with little sense to be made of it all.  So here goes nothing, literally and figuritively.

☞I am going to start with the song of the week so that you can have a soundtrack for the posting. The artist’s name is Ma’ayan Castel and I know very little of her story. I do know that she works here in Boston to supplement her music career but is originally from somewhere else. My source says Israel but I don’t know for sure about that either. What I do know is this, she has a lovely voice, kind of a cross between Sade and Everything but the Girl. Her EP is available on iTunes and is worth picking up. You’ll definitely crave more Ma’ayan Castel. The song here is Broken Mr. False Pretense. Have at it.

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☞Don’t know if you saw this, a French Court has convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud. Unlike the US, France has always refused to recognise Scientology as a religion, arguing that it is a purely commercial operation designed to make as much money as it can at the expense of often vulnerable victims, the BBC’s Emma Jane Kirby reports from Paris. More to come on this for sure.

☞On October 13, I wrote about David Letterman’s masterful public handling of his affair and postulated that his affair would be out of the news in no time. Mark Sanford, Steve Phillips, et al. take note. Take responsibility and let the chips fall where they may.

☞Yesterday, I read with interest Rick Newman’s piece on the US News & World Report website entitled 9 Signs of America in Decline. No one wants to hear this, of course, but it is the undeniable course of events as evidenced by history. Take Athens, they advanced the City-State concept and the Greek Empire flourished. Then in comes Rome and builds an army for the ages and rules the world. Along comes Spain with its Armadas, followed by the British Navy and followed by America with its natural resources and work ethic. At every point in history, some country led because of the strength of its commodity. The new commodity and the world’s new leader is China and their work force. Read Newman’s article here. Depressing but true.

☞I have a joke for you that I have been telling for years. It is a rare joke in that it’s clean AND it’s funny. Here goes:

One day, a father was addressing his three sons on the fantail of the sampan in the Yangtze River where they lived. “Honorable sons,” he began earnestly, “who throw honorable outhouse from fantail of sampan into Yangtze River?”

Not one of his sons responded.

He repeated, “Honorable sons, who throw honorable outhouse from fantail of sampan into Yantgtze River?”

His question was met with silence.

“Let me tell you story,” his parable began. “Many years ago, father of independence of United States of America, George Washington chop down cherry tree. George Washington father say, ‘Who chop down honorable cherry tree?’ George Washington reply, ‘honorable father, I cannot tell lie, it was I that chop down honorable cherry tree.’ Now, because George Washington tell truth, he no receive punishment or retribution from father. SO, I ask again, who throw honorable outhouse from fantail of sampan into Yangtze River?”

The middle son looks at his siblings on either side of him and steps forward, “Honorable Father, it was I that throw honorable outhouse from fantail of sampan into Yangtze River?”

With that the father leans back and punches his middle son square on the nose knocking him to the ground.

Embarrassed, the son leaps to his feet and hurriedly and nervously says, “Honorable Father, you say George Washington tell truth and no receive punishment or retribution YET I tell truth and receive punch in nose. Why is that, honorable Father?”

The Father looks at his son with a professorial look and says, “that because, George Washington Father not in cherry tree when George Washington chop down cherry tree.”

I don’t know why but I have been wanting to write that one down forever. Poor you. Tell it at dessert on Thanksgiving.

☞It looks like is it all but assured that Apple will introduce a new tablet computer in the first quarter of 2010. Expect it to save the newspaper and magazine industries. Imagine an iPhone (without a calling facility) that is 10.5 inches long and weighs less than a pound and a half. It will surely be the new product everyone will want.

☞Did you know the World Series still hasn’t been played? I say that just to get under the skin of my friends who are Yankee fans. It just seems to me that baseball should be over by now.

☞Here’s another throw back into the field of play from deep center field. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi annoy the hell out of me. That is all.

☞I am bringing a small Hi-Def video cam along with my regular camera with me to St Andrews. Expect another photo montage. I apologize in advance.

☞And finally the AYT quote of the week.

Scotland, thank God, is not for everyone.
~Robin Douglas-Home

And that lads and lassies is this week’s bit. Hope you liked it.
Aye Wonder.
What about you?

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When Pigs Fly Across the Pond

On 10.26.09, In Football, Language, Mind the Gap, Patriots, By Mike

Jumindthegapst a quick note today. There are several loose ends I need to tie up before I head off to Scotland.

Yesterday from 1-4 PM, I sat attentively in front of my televesion watching the New England Patriots play the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. It was the NFL’s annual game in London at the Venue of Legends or Wembley Stadium as it is better known. Pre-game coverage was as exhausting as the Democratic National Convention. Some found symmetry in the return of the pre-Tea Party Patriots to the Motherland.  In a nation, that like ours, is fascinated by celebrity, the infiltration by Tom Brady and his super model wife, Gisele Bundchen, sent the paparazzi into camera flash overload. It was a home game for Tampa Bay by draw but this was not home for either 40 man squad.

I am an Anglophile. I admit it. But  I guarantee that you have never heard me use the expression, “across the pond.” Yesterday, the pre-game and play-by-play announcers used that expression ad nauseum. Its usage almost seemed mandated by the NFL in order to psychologically reduce the distance and time zones of their newest market, London. Transatlantic or overseas sounds too far away. Lets use “across the pond!”

As I sat in front of the tv listening, I heard more “across the ponds” in 10 minutes than I heard in a lifetime. I am leading the campaign to retire that idiom.

And here are some more I hope to never hear again:

Piece of cake
Drop in the bucket
All Greek to me
New York minute
When pigs fly
The whole nine yards
Raining cats and dogs
Heat of the moment
Elvis has left the building

And the rest. Do you have any you hope to never hear again?

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St Andrews in All Its Glory

On 10.22.09, In Photo, Photography, Scotland, St Andrews, By Mike

scotland-flagA million times I have professed my love for St Andrews and Scotland. I know. You’re tired of it. Well, stay with me this one last time, if you will and instead of telling you, I’d like to show you why I love it. What follows is a brief gallery of all of the wonderful places I can walk to from Monarchs House in less than 10 minutes. And I promise you, there are hundreds more places that are equally wonderful and breathtaking.

Okay. That’s my piece said.

Have a look for yourself.
(if you roll over the photos, you will see a navigation bar. The last icon on the right gives you a full screen look-see, if you’re interested that is.)

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Dum Spiro Spero*

On 10.21.09, In Golf, Golf In Scotland, Mind the Gap, Monarchs House, Scotland, St Andrews, By Mike

mindthegapA week from today, I will arrive in Scotland for the first time in 28 months. I am hoping to play a round of golf but the primary reason for my visit is to bid farewell to our long time general manager, Angus. Angus is retiring and calls my visit the “hand over.” If you’re a long time reader of this blog, you know that a small group of us have a home in St Andrews called Monarchs House that is rented out to golfers making the pilgrimage to the home of golf. Angus has been looking after the house and all the golfing visitors for 8 years.

St Andrews is not like many other places and very far removed from any town in the States. First of all, it is a magnificently beautiful medieval town. Unlike the U.S., there are no signs of wooden structures; everything is built from stone. Throughout the town, there are ruins that tell of the violence of the Reformation in the mid 1500s. St Rules Tower dates back to 1127. St Andrews also is home to Scotland’s first university and the third oldest in the English speaking world, founded in 1413. But it’s not just the history of the town or even the golf that makes me love St Andrews in particular and Scotland in general. I love the way of life, the people and the topography.

St Rules Tower

St Rules Tower

Recently, after all my years, I finally came to conclusion about why I love where I live and why I love the other places that I visit. There is a commonality in all of the places I gravitate toward. In Boston’s Back Bay, I overlook the Charles River and I am very close to Boston Harbor. I can also walk to anything that could satisfy my needs; food, drink, shopping, entertainment, open spaces and friends. In St Andrews, I am a 2 minutes from any of the beaches and able to walk the entire town and visit its shops and play golf. Here are a few of the other places I love: Plymouth, Sag Harbor, Newport, Marblehead, Savannah, Saucelito, Puerto Banus and San Francisco. All are water centric and all have lovely walkable old towns. Bring me to the mountains, away from water, and I can feel myself silently die.

In St Andrews, I intend on visiting all of my old haunts. They can expect me at the Russell Hotel for dinner and to say hello to Helen the manageress. I will have a drink at the St Andrews Golf Club to say hello to Gordon, Oggie, Alf and the rest of the boys (all over 70). I plan to see my old friend John, the one that always refers to my wife as the lovely Christine.  I am going to have a dram with my friend Mike and commiserate about what could have been with Hamilton Hall. But mostly, I am going to breathe Scotland and all that it is to me. I never get excited about travelling until it happens but this trip has me on edge. As I found out 28 months ago, you never know when it will be your last.

* DUM SPIRO SPERO means “While I breathe, I hope” in Latin and is generally attributed to Cicero. The notable origin of the motto is St Andrews, Scotland. It’s attribution to Saint Andrew and his bones (relics) being taken to this small fishing village on the North Sea, contributed to its direct linkage between the saying, the town, the University of St Andrews and the Saint.

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Photo Hunter #24 – Sports

On 10.10.09, In Golf, Golf In Scotland, Photo, Photo Hunt, Photo Hunter, Scotland, Sports, St Andrews, Travel, United Kingdom, By Mike

phunterThis week’s theme is sports and I maintain, if you’re walking, it’s a sport. If you are riding, it’s a game. Just my opinion, you don’t have to agree with it.

For years now, I have traveled to Scotland on a regular basis with a group of seven other guys. There is nothing better than golf buddy trips. This photo was taken of me in the mid-nineties standing on the Old Course’s Swilcan Bridge in St Andrews. It was a great black and white shot that I have since PhotoShopped to give it an early 1900’s “colored in” postcard like feel. (you are wondering, I’m the guy who looks like a fridge with a head!)

Visit TNChick.com to see the PhotoHunter photo of the week,

Photo Hunter

photo

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Aye! It’s a new Aye Wonder Tuesday.

On 10.06.09, In Aye Wonder Tuesday, Barack Obama, Endway, Music, Quote, By Mike

wonderHow time flies. Five months have past since I last wrote a single word on Aye Wonder. But I have come to the conclusion that writing is good for me because 1. I like writing 2. it’s a great release of frustration 3. it keeps me curious about the outside world. Another big reason I am writing again is that many of you have said that you missed my shoot from the hip musings. You like going to the dentists too, huh? Well, I am grateful for your support. That all said, I’m a little rusty, a little less quick witted and full of tales from the last five months. Bear with me. And without further adieu, today’s Aye Wonder Tuesday.

☞Last year at this time, we were knee deep in McCain/Obama. I wrote regularly back then because there was so much to talk about. Nothing has changed. There is still plenty to talk about. Since Obama became President, we have fractured even further as a nation. Yesterday, I received this photo from an old friend and former boss.

image001

My answer? Ahh. NO. Has President Obama done a good job? No. Not really. Has he done a bad job? I don’t think he has done a bad job either.

Lets give a quick look at some of the eveidence. First of all, we are talking to the rest of the world again. That has to be good. He has more diplomacy in his little finger than George Bush ever exhibited. He’s done a great job instilling family values; not by policy but by example. Personally, I think an overhaul of the health care system is needed in this country and Obama is tackling that issue not with aplomb but he’s getting it done. The economy is a different issue all together.  He has failing marks from me on that issue but I emphasize that the grading period isn’t over.

This period in our history is vastly different than anything we have experienced in our lifetime. There are no quick fixes. We have a serious demographic problem. Baby Boomers, the largest demographic body to ever move through any society in the history of the world, are liquidating. They are getting old and selling everything they bought in the 80’s and 90’s. But here’s the dilemma. Who do they sell to? If you were the largest demographic group in history who will replace you? Who will buy your vacation homes? President Obama can’t do much about that.

☞Enough of that. Did I tell you I was managing a band for the past nine months? Endway is their name and they have made great strides over the past nine months. Breakout is imminent. College students love them. Their third album, Running Man, is an outstanding summer soundtrack but can be listened to anytime especially when you need to feel great. (By the way, you can get the band’s album for free at www.endway.com) Some days are great. I make new contacts, rekindle old ones and generally have fun. But there are other days when I throw my hands up into the air because of the failings of collaboration. All in all, it’s the good, the bad & the ugly. Yesterday = very ugly.

☞If any of you are golfers and love going to Scotland, I posted a PDF on my Golf in Scotland page above. Even if you are not a golfer but enjoy amazing scenery, you might want to take a peak at it. A Boston based developer recently opened a new course in Argyll on the Kintyre Peninsula. It’s called Machrihanish Dunes. And it is truly a gem. I can’t wait to play there.

☞And speaking of Scotland, I have not been in over two years, the longest drought in my life since I was twenty years old. It has been surprising to me that I have missed it every day. I can’t think of another place or thing, for that matter, that I have yearned for. All that yearning is hopefully coming to an end when I make my way back to St Andrews at the end of October. It’s a trip that’s long overdue and eagerly awaited.

☞Have you been reading about the new movie studio moving into Massachusetts in Plymouth? It is a massive undertaking. Two years ago, the state legislature approved a tax rebate to those making movies or tv shows in Massachusetts. Since then, revenue to the state from this industry has sky rocketed. Governor Patrick intends for the entertainment business to be one of the top 5 industries in the state over time. Lets hope that we don’t drive them out as we have in the past to other industries after welcoming them with open arms.  You’ll be reading a lot more about this.

☞Sometime ago, I started reading the Daily Beast. If you want to stay informed on a variety of subjects but don’t have loads of time, this may be for you. The Daily Beast is the quickest read ever. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. Go directly to www.dailybeast.com.  You will amaze and amuse your friends and family with your new found knowledge of current affairs and dirt.

☞I never stop listening to music. Music is a great support mechanism. Aye Wonder Tuesday has always been the place that I keep tabs on the music I am listening to at the moment. I am introducing you to two artists, Gin Wigmore and Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. They couldn’t be more dissimilar. Gin is from New Zealand by way of Australia. She’s 22, has a unique voice and seems to me to be a good natured (and beautiful) Amy WInehouse. Oh My by Gin is your first track. Stephen Kellogg has been around for awhile. He’s 32! Ha. His music has kind of an alt-country sound to it and his song Born in the Spring hit me hard the first time I heard it. Listen up and see if you agree.

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☞And what Aye Wonder Tuesday would be complete without a quote of the week. This is dedicated to all of the know-it-alls of the world. You know who you are.

When you don’t know what you don’t know, you think you know it all.
~My Dad

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is your first installment in what promises to be ( threatens to be? ) the return of Aye Wonder.

Aye still wonder.
And hope you do too.

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Photo Hunter #23 – Walking

On 05.02.09, In Photo, Photo Hunt, Photo Hunter, Photo of the Week, Photography, By Mike

phunterI wasn’t expecting to post today but I woke up at 4 AM and thought; what else is there to do at this time of the morning? When I remembered that Saturdays are Photo Hunter day,  I went over to TNchick’s site to check out today’s theme. As soon as I saw that today’s theme is walking, I knew right away which photo I was using.

This photo was choreographed in the sense that we asked our 4 caddies at Golf House Club in Elie, Scotland to walk ahead of us and flip us off for the photo opp of the century. After a little coaxing, this was the result. Thanks to Steve Walsh for having the vision for this shot!

Photo Hunter

caddies-flip

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Woe is Me

On 04.16.09, In Mind the Gap, Scotland, By Mike

saltire

Woe, Woe is MeI really miss Scotland. I do. My cynical friends from England will read this and think I’ve gone off my meds. But England and Scotland have been wedded for just over 300 years and have predictably grown apart (like the US north and south appear to be doing now!).  Truth be told, it’s Scotland that is the self sufficient county. They have great cattle, game, fish, poultry, vegetables, ale, whisky and most importantly, oil. Like England, it is a beautiful country but Scotland has a much more diverse topography. The Highlands are breathtaking as are the Inner and Outer Hebrides, an archipelago of islands off of Scotland’s northwest coast. Visit once and Scotland will get into your bloodstream faster than a dram of Glenmorangie. It’s an amazing place and a place that I haven’t visited in 20 months, the longest dry spell since I visited there for the first time 30+ years ago. Go behind the tab for more…

Why I miss ScotlandSometime ago I wrote a post about the 10 Reasons I Love Scotland. You can read part one, here and part two, here. Today, I’d like to tell you, a year and half removed from the country, what I miss the most about Scotland; why after all this time is it a place I think about every single day.

I have considered this scrupulously. I know what I love about Scotland but the reasons can’t entirely be why the country is so under my skin. No, my rapturous love for Scotland is all about the way of life. One of the things about living in America that we take for granted is that everything is so incredibly convenient. We have huge fridges that store a week’s worth of food.  We live in a world where the town center is no longer important; the mall is important or the Super Stop & Shop. In Scotland (and England) the town center is the cog of life. I must admit that when I was younger, the town center was even more important there than it is now. But for better or worse (I say worse), the US way of doing things is rubbing off in the UK. I think there’s something really great about walking to the butcher, the fish monger, the produce store, the cheese and bottle shops to pick up the evening’s meal. You see your neighbors, stop for a pint, share a laugh with your pastor or make golf plans along the way. The town center has a pulse, its own life. I positively LOVE that. In St Andrews, where my home is, I can walk everywhere. If I wanted to go out for dinner, I could walk to 25 restaurants and an equal amount of pubs. If I wanted to see a movie, I could walk to the local cinema where three current movies are on offer. I wouldn’t have to jump in the car and drive to the multiplex where there are 15 films vying for my attention. OK, so I don’t have as much of a choice but is that a terrible thing? I could wait until next week when all three movies change. Even though I live today in the middle of a large city, I long for a simpler life. But I don’t want to live in isolation. A small town, where I can walk to everything, suits me. I can walk to golf, the beach, the botanical gardens, the theater or the cafe. Is that available anywhere in the US? Maybe in a resort town but then you are faced with isolation in winter. Scotland has everything I want.

Yet, I am still here.

18updateHere’s a quick joke for you:

What’s one thing you will never hear in Scotland?

Oh that car? That’s the bagpiper’s Porsche.

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