We had quite a thunderstorm come through and we were without power for about five hours here in Flower Mound, Texas. I’ll get around to posting about our time in Dallas when we get home.
The wind is howling as I hurry to get this posted. See ya soon y’all.
Dinner at the Rusty Moose in Airway Heights on our way to the Spokane airport.
Our flight to Dallas left the Spokane airport at 5:30 am. Since we live about 2 hours from the airport we decided it would be wise to spend the night at a hotel at the airport on Friday. That worked out well. We were able to walk to the airport on Saturday morning in good time to check in and go through security. Our brother-in-law and sister picked us up at Dallas-Fort Worth airport when we arrived before noon.
This was our first time to see Steve and Lana’s new home. It is beautiful and comfortable. Lana prepared Cottage Pie for dinner and soon a few of Steve’s family members arrived along with our brother Leonard’s family. It was a nice relaxed evening getting caught up with everyone.
On Sunday morning we met up at Leonard and Mandy’s church for the 11:15 service and then enjoyed lunch at their home. Yummy fajitas with all the fixins hit the spot.
We had a good discussion about the sermon around the table.
Our sister Lana and her husband, Steve.
Our brother Leonard and wife, Mandy.
And here are our niece and nephew.
The day ended with a good rain storm.
Tomorrow we are planning a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Hope your March is starting well.
Today we are traveling by air to another state for a visit with loved ones. Here are some clues as to who we will be visiting and the state they live in. I think you’ll be able to guess with these clues. All these photos are flashbacks taken many years ago and a couple years ago.
We are going to be in one of the states above from the second row of quilt squares.
We will be visiting two households.
The kids in these photos are now teens. The adults are all in new decades of their lives.
Any guesses? We’ll see y’all on the other side of our trip and hopefully we’ll have lots of blog fodder to share.
This was a sign pointed out to us by our Scottish Reformation Guide on our way from St. Giles to Grassmarket in Edinburgh. There are so many historical signs and events that happened in Edinburgh it was funny to read this one on one of the colorful buildings.
In the midst of busy, those days when ‘nothing’ happened are a treat.
Mount Rushmore September 2021
Joyce From This Side of the Pond has fresh questions for us to ponder for Wednesday Hodgepodge.
1. Many of our earliest presidents created words or expressions widely used today. Teddy Roosevelt is credited with mollycoddle, pack rat, frazzle, and loose cannon…which of those words/phrases currently relates to your life in some way?
mollycoddle: to treat with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence and attention
I was going to say none of these relates to my life in some way but then mollycoddle was in a sentence in the book I am reading, The Vanishing Conscience, Drawing a Line in a No-Fault, Guilt-Free World by John MacArthur. It made me smile to see it right there in print. Here is the sentence I read and then the context of my reading.
We cannot mollycoddle our sin.
“Paul is not suggesting that anyone can obtain life or merit God’s favor by the process of mortification. He is saying it is characteristic of true believers that they put to death the deeds of the body (mortification). Nothing is more natural than for people “led by the Spirit of God” to mortify their sin. One of the proofs of our salvation is that we do this. It is expected of believers. It is the expression of the new nature.
In other words, the true believer is not like Saul, who wanted to pamper and preserve Agag, but like Samuel who hacked him to pieces without mercy and without delay. Saul may have wanted to make a lap dog of Agag, but Samuel knew that was utterly impossible. Similarly, we will never tame the flesh. We cannot mollycoddle our sin. We must deal with it quickly and severely. “
So yes, I want to mortify my sin not mollycoddle it and make excuses for it. It can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit.
2. Have you visited many (or any) of the US Presidents homes, monuments, libraries or related sites? If so what’s been your favorite? Are there any you particularly want to see? Here’s a link to presidential sites listed by state which is kind of fun to read-Presidential Places by State. And since several bloggers who participate in the HP each week live outside the US, here’s a link to Presidential Places Outside the US. Have you seen any of those?
The most concentrated presidential sites I’ve seen were in Washington D.C. in the Spring of 2011. At the National Portrait Gallery you can view paintings of all the U.S. Presidents. The Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington Monuments and statues of other presidents are prominent and scattered throughout the area. You could go on a presidential scavenger hunt.
Outside the Lincoln Memorial
At Arlington National Cemetery we were able to see the grave of John F. Kennedy. When we were in Dallas we went to the ‘Grassy Knoll’ to see where JFK was shot.
My parents lived in Yorba Linda for a few years where the Nixon Library is located. Whittier was part of our stompin grounds, too, growing up so we passed Whittier College many times. When Greg was working in Thousand Oaks California his company Christmas event was held at the Reagan Library and Museum and we enjoyed an evening there taking in history including Airforce One that we were able to walk through.
I have a photo somewhere of the George Washington statue at the University of Washington, Greg’s Alma Mater.
We’ve been to Mount Rushmore and to Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City has the coolest display of statues of all the presidents on several corners in town.
John Quincy Adams
Favorite? It is hard to choose a favorite. It’s a tossup between the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore and the Reagan Library and Museum.
3. February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day…will you celebrate? Given your choice of cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cheesecake with a cherry topping, or black forest cake which would you choose?
Cheese cake with cherry topping would be my choice (and I might just scrape the cherry topping off). Greg enjoys cherry pie.
4. Last time you worked a puzzle of some kind? Something that had you puzzled recently?
Finished this puzzle a week ago.
I had to puzzle over converting a recipe from serving 24 people to serving 400 people. Calculating the quantities of the ingredients was something I puzzled over and then I puzzled over how many veggies to buy for veggie trays.
5. Of the early blooming flowers (January-early March depending on your zone) which one’s your favorite? snowdrops, lenten roses, pansies, violets, snapdragons, reticulated iris, crocus, winter jasmine
Do you have any of these in your own yard/garden?
I don’t have any of these growing on our property here but when we lived in Kenmore we had a couple Lenten Roses. They are my favorite.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
George Washington Statue in the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. and outside the Cathedral.
I’m posting my Hodgepodge early this week. See you all tomorrow when I’m recuperating from our big event on Tuesday. Maybe I’ll have the presence of mind to take some photos.
After our wonderful tour with Jimmy on Monday September 23rd we were ready for lunch. We took the steps down Advocate’s Close and found the Devil’s Advocate.
Fish and Chips one more time before we left Scotland.
After our lunch we could face the stairs to go back up Advocate’s Close to the Royal Mile.
Our destination would be Holyrood Palace which is at the opposite end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle.
Located on the Royal Mile, the Mercat Cross holds a prominent position within the Old Town. Its proximity to other historic sites, including St Giles’ Cathedral and the Museum of Edinburgh, places it at the heart of Edinburgh’s cultural and civic life.
The Mercat Cross holds significant cultural importance in Edinburgh’s history. It was not merely a market hub, but also the focal point of civic gatherings and proclamations. Its distinctive octagonal structure, adorned with a unicorn and the royal coat of arms, reflects the intersection of commerce and monarchy in medieval Edinburgh.
The John Knox House is on the Royal Mile.
John Knox’s House dates from the 15th century and has been largely unaltered since the 1550’s when the Mosman family, Goldsmiths to Mary Queen of Scots, remodeled the house. John Knox, leader of the Scottish Reformation and founder of the Presbyterian Church, only lived here for a short period before his death in 1572.
The ground and first floors of the house are presented as a museum about John Knox, the evolution of the Protestant faith in Scotland, and the conflict between John Knox and Mary Queen of Scots. There are a few audio commentaries and lots of written information to read.
On the second floor of the house, you see a wood-paneled apartment that is preserved in the state that John Knox would have known. This is the most interesting part of the house.
We found the Secret Garden through an archway along the Royal Mile and had to take a photo of the Thistle
After the garden we finally were at the end of the Royal Mile at Holyrood Palace.
Holyrood Abbey was founded by David I, King of Scots in 1128, and Holyrood Palace has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 15th century. Queen Elizabeth II spent one week in residence at Holyrood Palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carried out a range of official engagements and ceremonies
This beautiful doorway was a perfect photo op and it became Josh and Laura’s Christmas card.
We bought some souvenirs in the shop at Holyrood.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse Fountain
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle. Holyrood Palace is the setting for state ceremonies and official entertaining.
We walked back along different roads to Grassmarket and then up Victoria Street.
Looking down Victoria Street.
Since this is the last of my posts from Scotland I wanted to add Greyfriars Bobby in the Kirk. We saw this spot earlier in this day. Do you know the story behind Greyfriars Bobby or have you seen the old movie?
Our last full day in Scotland was another record breaking steps day. Goodnight to Monday September 23rd.
On Tuesday September 24th we had coffee and breakfast snacks at the Black Sheep before we checked out and called an uber to take us to the airport for our flights home.
We loved our time and what we experienced in Bonnie Scotland. Cheerio.
From Grassmarket, Jimmy took us to The National Museum of Scotland and to the National Library where we saw more artifacts and information about the Covenanters and The Reformation.
This printed satin banner, known as the ‘Thrissels Banner’, dates from 1640. The text on the banner was written by Thomas Cunynghame. It expresses opposition to the Crown and to the contemporary policy of religious anglicization.
On the left is the ‘staff’ of the banner, shown as a sword with a crowned thistle and bible at either end.
John Knox is a notable figure in Scotland’s history and in Christendom.
Jenny Geddes chair of which I was very interested. I’ll share more about it with a photo from St. Giles Cathedral in another post.
From the museum and library we made our way to Greyfriars Kirkyard.
If you venture down to Greyfriars’ Kirk graveyard, which these days sees hordes of Harry Potter devotees brandishing their wands and reciting Potterite spells, you will find a large monument at the bottom right of this fascinating corner of Edinburgh. The monument towers above you and recalls the Covenanting struggle. The monument, first erected in 1706, then rebuilt in its 1771 version, has undergone restoration work up until recent times.
The Martyr’s Monument.
‘Halt passenger, take heed what you do see…’ The text then outlines the Covenanters’ cause ‘Gainst perjury, resisting unto blood: Adhering to the Covenants and Laws, their lives were sacrific’d unto the lust of Prelatiffs [bishops] abjur’d …’. The words ‘CHRIST their KING’ is deliberately written in large letters, designating their struggle against tyrant kings who wanted absolute power over Church and State. At the bottom of the monument, it states that ‘one way or other [were] Murdered and Destroyed for the same Cause, about Eighteen thousand of whom were execute at Edinburgh, about one hundred of Noblemen, Gentlemen, Ministers and others, noble martyrs for JESUS CHRIST.’
We heard about the Reverend Alexander Henderson at this site of his burial.
He was one of Scotland’s greatest Covenanter Ministers.
He died in Edinburgh in 1646 and was buried in Greyfriars kirkyard. He had been behind almost every important development in the Covenanting movement since 1637. At the General Assembly the following year, Baillie declared that Henderson ‘ought to be accounted by us and posterity, the fairest ornament, after John Knox, of incomparable memory, that ever the church of Scotland did enjoy.
Click on his name above to read more about the history of this ‘fairest ornament’.
THE COVENANTERS’ PRISON
Behind these gates lies part of the southern section of Greyfriars Kirkyard which was used in 1679 as a prison for over one thousand supporters of the National Covenant who had been defeated by Government forces at the battle of Bothwell Brig on 22 June. For over four months these men were held here without any shelter, each man being allowed 4 ounces of bread a day. Kindly citizens were sometimes able to give them more food.
Some of the prisoners died here, some were tried and executed for treason, some escaped, and some were freed after signing a bond of loyalty to the Crown. All those who were persecuted and died for their support of the National Covenant in the reigns of Charles II and James VII are commemorated by the Martyrs’ Memorial on the north-eastern wall of the kirkyard. The Covenant, which was first signed in Greyfriars Kirk in 1638, promised to defend Presbyterianism from intervention by the Crown.
Jimmy our tour guide, was so knowledgeable and we were in awe of all that we were learning on this tour.
Our last stop with Jimmy would be St. Giles Cathedral. Such a fitting end to this amazing tour of the Covenanters in Edinburgh. It was a humbling experience.
That will be another post.
Monday September 23rd was our last full day in Edinburgh and Scotland. This would be a day filled with walking and stairs and information. We were thankful on this morning that Greg was well enough to walk and not miss our special tour.
We took the Lady Stair’s Close to get up to the Royal Mile. We stopped to take some photos outside the Writer’s Museum.
Early on the Royal Mile there were fewer folk milling about. That would change soon.
We scheduled a private Scottish Reformation Tour on this day.
I included the link above. We were to meet Jimmy at 9am in front of St. Giles Cathedral.
Soon we saw who we assumed was Jimmy and he came right to us assuming we were his clients for the morning.
St. Giles was not open to the public yet on this particular morning so Jimmy took us around to the parking lot between St. Giles and The Supreme Court building. We would visit the inside of the cathedral at the end of our tour.
It looked to Jimmy’s keen eye that something was going on in the Supreme Court building so he managed to gain us access into the hall outside the courtroom.
It was quite fascinating to see all the ‘big wigs’ standing around and some pacing back and forth the length of the room discussing their cases.
Back outside we were on the search for parking space #23.
Here at space number 23 in the car park is approximately where John Knox is buried!
The Scottish Reformation leader’s grave was paved over and is now a parking lot. The stone inscription reads;
‘The Above Stone Marks
the Approximate
Site of the Burial
In St. Giles Graveyard
Of John Knox
The Great Scottish Divine
Who Died 24th November 1572′
It’s said that Knox wanted to be buried within 20 feet of Saint Giles, so he was laid to rest right outside the church in what was once a proper graveyard. However, the site has since been tarmacked over and is now a functioning parking lot. A plaque in parking space number 23 marks the approximate location of his now-lost grave.
Knox was a 16th-century preacher who commanded that his people be able to read the Bible in their own language. He was a key figure in turning a nation of Catholics into one of Protestants. His fire and brimstone sermons and teachings often put him at odds with the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots.
On our walk to Victoria street we came across this Famous Heart.
The Heart of Midlothian is both a historic mosaic dating to the Middle Ages and a landmark that denotes the location of Edinburgh’s Old Tolbooth administrative building. Locals often spit on the sign as a good luck charm, a tradition that has morphed from its original meaning of disdain for the many executions that took place at this site over the years. The Heart of Midlothian F.C., the local soccer club, takes its name from the mosaic and the Old Tolbooth.
The Heart was installed as part of a replacement building to the Old Tolbooth in 1561, and after this second building was demolished in 1817, the Heart was all that remained. It has been an inspiration for the writings of Sir Walter Scott and has become an iconic part of the city’s culture and historic identity – even if many now don’t remember its true origins.
FYI: Tolbooth is a Scottish term that refers to a townhall, jail or guildhall where tolls are collected.
From here we walked down Victoria Street to Grassmarket.
Victoria Street is said to be an inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books but J.K. Rowling denies that it is. Nonetheless fans flock here and stand in line to get in the museum on this colorful street.
This is where the ‘meat’ of our Reformation Tour began as we were told that this was the route that martyrs would take from their sentencing in the courts above then down Victoria Street to the public gallows. Once we reached Grassmarket we stood around this monument to Martyrs and Covenanters who lost their lives at this spot for their faith.
The Grassmarket is an wide open street on the south side of Edinburgh’s Old Town. The city had the public gallows there, and many Covenanters were executed during the Covenanting period.
A circular memorial, erected by public subscription in 1937, marks the site, and an adjoining plaque lists the names of the many Covenanters who were hanged there.
In a recent renovation of the locality, a representation of the gallows’ shadow was made on the ground using different coloured stone, as seen in the picture to the left.
Our tour continued from here. We made stops at Greyfriars Kirkyard, The National Museum, The National Library and St. Giles Cathedral.
At this stage in January, many months later, I’m not sure of the order of those stops! Travel failure in not writing a journal while on our trip. I’ll put it down to the fact that our days were so full we didn’t have a lot of down time in the evenings.
Hello to February. I was hoping to have our Scotland Journal Posts done by the end of January but it will take a few days into February to accomplish that.
Josh and Laura toured Edinburgh Castle on Sunday the 22nd of September. Laura shared her photos with me.
From this view of Edinburgh that Laura captured at the top of the castle walls you can see the Church I was visiting while they were in the castle, The Parish church of St. Cuthbert. Further in the distance the three spires you see are from St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral that we visited later in the afternoon.
The castle is a worthwhile place to visit for any first timers to Edinburgh. You can read about the history of the castle here.
My next few posts will be from our last full day in Edinburgh. We had a private tour in the morning and continued to walk our legs off in the afternoon!
Back to the present: Today is the last day of January and in our little corner of the world we are getting some light snowfall. Hope all is well in your corner!
On Saturday September 21, 2024 we left Dunfermline to Stirling to turn in our car rental. That went well and the car agency dropped us off with our luggage to the Stirling train station. We bought our tickets for the ride from Stirling to Edinburgh which were very reasonable. While we waited for the train to arrive we played a game of Phase 10.
When our departure time was close we waited on the platform.
Safely on board for the ride to Waverly Station in Edinburgh.
It was raining lightly when we got to Edinburgh so we got a taxi for our short ride to the apartment we rented. This choice by me turned out to be my least favorite of the trip and it was a space that just felt like it closed in on you. The instructions for retrieving our keys for our unit was easy enough and we got somewhat settled and headed out to catch a hop on hop off bus to get an overview of Edinburgh. In retrospect we could have ditched this idea and just found a nice pub to eat a meal in.
Standing proudly in Princes Street Gardens, the Scott Monument is one of the most iconic Edinburgh landmarks, a must-visit for tourists and locals alike. Dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, it is one of the largest monuments to a writer anywhere in the world.
A glimpse of Edinburgh Castle.
The hop on hop off was a bit of a fiasco as our original bus had a malfunction and we had to wait on the street for a new bus and then it went downhill from there. Greg became more ill with the malady I had gotten over and he was shivering and he could not get warm. We got off the bus at the end of it’s cycle and looked for someplace warm to eat. The Pub recommended to us was full to the gills so as we wandered back towards our apartment we popped into the Hawksmoor without any reservations but they found us a table. We ordered hot tea for Greg right off. That was helpful. We had a decent meal and turned in for the night.
Sunday was a nicer day for three of us but Greg stayed in bed all day working on getting better for our last full day in Edinburgh on Monday.
I’ll save Sunday’s and Monday’s adventures for more cheery posts soon.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 