Scotland

Here's the route we took through Scotland. We knew exactly where we were going.

How stereotypical is this? A kilt store next to a bagpipe store.

Babak reading by the window at our first B&B.

Remember those cows that were strewn across NY? Looks like they've migrated to Scotland.

Alas we didn't find any sculptures of highland cows. They're really hairy. Here's a baby one:

Then we went down to the old Templar Church of Roslyn (of da Vinci Code fame). Check out the scowly-growlies above the door.

Some more from Roslyn. Seriously weird. For one thing, why is death trying to kill his foot?

Hmmm.

Sheep. Yup, they got sheep here, lots of 'em. Bahhh.

At the Scone Palace, these loud peacocks were particularly friendly.

Also at the palace was a really bush maze. First time I'd been in one where you actually get lost...

But eventually we figured it out and made it to the racy sculpture in the center.

The palace itself. Doesn't this picture look like the "upgrade palace" page in Civilization? This was one of those palaces that was still inhabited. I think the Lord was upstairs when we were there.

It was hell getting out of that teapot.

Babak reading by the window again.

Moo

Art imitating art.

One of many waterfalls we saw. This one involved a short hike, and was best seen from these abandoned hermit caves.

The lovely town of Elgin.

So that's where all the bacon came from...

Couple things to notice here. First: the name of the aisle is "Crisps, Nuts, Nuts". Next, the brand of "crisps" (chips) is "Latinos." Great Scots.

Babak had an epiphany.

Claudia wishes she were taller.

Sunset was at 9PM, and the sky was still light until 10:30 or so.

This is the Isle of Skye - crazy terrain. The cliffs in the distance are called "Kilt"

On the way back from Skye. It's pretty much breathtaking any where you look, any time. And if you don't like the lighting, just wait 5 minutes.

Imagine: it was even more amazing in the direction she was pointing.

Nummy scallops.

Dramatic castle number 17.

Giants are huge here too, almost the size of a mountain really.

St. Andrews: first golf course on the planet. It's still boring though.

Random street.

Same street, this time with a rainbow. Rainbows were as rare as castles and funny accents.

Yup, a castle. This one is the one that the Queen Mother grew up in.

This is where we camped our second to last night - hiked a few miles from the road with no one around. Let's hear it for Open Access laws. It looks like nice weather, but in about 15 minutes it starts snowing, and the winds got so strong that they snapped the tent-poles.

This is during the winds. We're only smiling because that was the expression on our face when the cold front moved in, and our faces just froze this way.

Disneyland and Ryan's Graduation

Some pictures from our trip to LA for Ryan's graduation and, well, Disneyland.




It's tough to figure out who is sillier.


Damn, that's one long scenic route!


Not sure what's going on here with Shelley's hair.


Churro: check.


The teeth in the nose are kind of disturbing.


It's not a very good picture if you care about things like focus and lighting and all that. But there's got to be a story in here somewhere.


Dinner with Allen...


and Ryan...


and Julie.


Finally, Lisa went crazy and had to be restrained.

She go, I go..... CHICAGO!!

I flew to Chicago for a weekend to hang out with my dear sister. I've never been. Suffice to say, we had a grand ol' time.


Waiting for the train. There where 3 things I was really excited to do in Chicago. One was to ride the "el". It's just something I've always seen on TV. Okay, fine. The truth is I have a thing for public transportation.... on rails.


And there it is! Item #1 -- Ride the L.... Check!


On our walk to brunch, I noticed this random inspirational graffiti. We later realize it's part of a series. This really de-ghettofies Chicago in my mind.


Brunch at the Milk+Honey Cafe. Rec'd by J-Wo!. This caprese was sooo good. And I have to say, table of 2 is so much easier to get than any other number. Well, maybe one trumps that if there's a bar.


My sister got this amazing hot chocolate. She drank about a fourth of it. But she did relish the ginormous marshmallow. The foamy steamed milk was top notch at this place.


A little bit of breakfast... (the huevos racheros casserole. Oh sweet lord... It was as good as it looked. But alas, we were eventually soundly defeated.)


... and a little bit of lunch. (this was the portabello panini. I said I was going to just take a bite of my half. I lied. I finished it all in one gulp.)


More Chicago inspiration... ahh, warm fuzzy feelings.


Oh geez... I didn't know you cared so much. =P


We walked everywhere in the Wicker Park area, even across this bridge. Which was really hard, cuz the weather sucked -- it was rainy, cold, and windy.


Finally from brunch to dinner. Item #2 -- Eat (Chicago-style) pizza.


Augh, so full.... why did I do that to myself?


Well, to stretch my stomach so I can experience Item #3 -- Eat a (Chicago-style) hot dog.


With our doggie treasure cooling in a greasy brown bag, we head back to the apartment. We stood in this tunnel for a looong time, waiting of the blue line. And then, we finally saw a train coming, only it was coming the wrong way!


... it wasn't a train. It was a service crew probably going to fix the train that should have been there an hour ago. Our poor hot dog was getting cold.


Sunday!! We decided that Sunday would be for sight-seeing. To play tourist. We emerged on Washington Ave. into the heart of the (Chicago) Theater District.


There's the famous theater "(Chicago)". Lis, these tulips are for you!


And in case you don't believe me when I said there were tulips EVERYWHERE.


Then we headed to Millennium Park where we practiced casting magic missles.


Ha! Mine is bigger than hers.


Okay, so here's what we were actually "holding". The famous (Chicago) Bean. I don't understand why they have a giant reflecting bean. Maybe it's their symbol for clean air. Yuki says it's a blatant Tiffany's ad.


It's windy.


It's raining. Our reflection in the Bean as we huddle together under an umbrella.


A huge fountain. I wondered if this was what was actually generating all this rain. It's simple, water pours out of this brick construction. The wind spreads it over the city.


You may not see it, but there's another gigantic fountain behind our umbrella.


And we walked over to Lake Michigan. We walked about a block along it and gave up. It was just too cold and windy. And really, we see bigger waves in the Pacific.


We didn't make it to Sears Tower. We walked halfway there and gave up. We didn't have any motivation to see it. What's the big deal? It's just a tall building.


Rail tracks of the "el". If you squint, you'll see that the building on the left is the (Chicago) Institute of Art.


We rounded out our weekend with dinner at a nondescript Italian restaurant. (Blanking on the name right now) It wasn't marked on the outside but it was packed. This Veal Masala was soooo yummy.


And finally, this little fountain shows how windy it was in Chicago. Either that or the fountain was crooked.

Weiner dog races, police dogs, sheep herding, crazy band people, oh my!

Another successful picnic day. This time, Matt finally was able to join us. Carmen came too; she likes picnics.


This was when we still had energy. What you don't see if Babak's new Joby clinging to its dear life as it holds our camera on top of a rail.


Carmen... er... pollinating... um... yeah... never mind.


Jay and Courtney directing an aspiring young artist.


Babak with his favorite moose...


Carmen and Matt were so "tuckered" (how's that for a Mattism), that they napped during a blaring battle of the bands showdown.


By the end of theday, Matt got really hungry. (okay, so this picture needs some photoshop work, but I like it better for it's attempt to be something neat.)


But for you that want to see the "fixed" version... here it is. Thank you, Mr. Babak.