Scotland Travel Journal ~Kenmore, Aberfeldy and Pitlochry

After indulging at the Highland Chocolatier we headed further out southeast from the A9 along A827 through Aberfeldy to the little Village of Kenmore. This post finishes off our Monday September 16th travels.

We lived in Kenmore, Washington for 20 years. Laura and her family lived in Kenmore for many years, too. We wanted to connect our Kenmore to this Kenmore in Scotland. Kenmore near Aberfeldy Scotland is on Loch Tay.

This photo above is from a walking trail that runs through Kenmore, Washington. Kenmore is located at the top of Lake Washington (Loch Washington) and is about 14 miles from Seattle, Washington.

The photo below is from Kenmore, Scotland.

Beautifully situated on Loch Tay.

We had a short walk about the little village.

Farewell to Kenmore Aberfeldy Scotland.

Laura spotted some castles along the way that would have been fun to explore but it was after visiting hours.

Driving back through Aberfeldy on Kenmore Street.

Further along the road we decided to pull into Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillers.

I have a travel tip for you. Even if you do not enjoy whisky, the distilleries are a great stop to stretch your legs and use the facilities which are mostly labeled Toilets here in Scotland and England. We found the toilets at the distilleries were always clean and nice.

More scenery on our way to Pitlochry where we would be staying for two nights.

After we checked into our rooms at the hotel we walked to the Pitlochry Dam and Fish ladder on our way to dinner in town. We were impressed with the views but there was nothing happening in the fish ladders. The river Tummel runs along Pitlochry.

 

We walked a little further to the Old Mill for our evening meal.

Our after dinner sunset walk to the hotel along the main road through Pitlochry was lovely.

We were ready for a good rest before we set out for more adventures on Tuesday.

Hats off to Josh for his first day of driving in Scotland and thanks be to God for our traveling mercies and blue skies!

Rejoice Today with One Accord ~ Hymn

Rejoice Today with One Accord

Rejoice to­day with one ac­cord,
Sing out with ex­ul­ta­tion;
Rejoice and praise our migh­ty Lord,
Whose arm hath brought sal­va­tion;
His works of love pro­claim
The great­ness of His name;
For He is God alone
Who hath His mer­cy shown;
Let all His saints ad­ore Him!

When in dis­tress to Him we cried,
He heard our sad com­plain­ing;
O trust in Him, whate’er be­tide,
His love is all sus­tain­ing;
Triumphant songs of praise
To Him our hearts shall raise;
Now ev­ery voice shall say,
O praise our God al­way;
Let all His saints ado­re Him!

Rejoice to­day with one ac­cord,
Sing out with ex­ul­ta­tion;
Rejoice and praise our migh­ty Lord,
Whose arm hath brought sal­va­tion;
His works of love pro­claim
The great­ness of His name;
For He is God alone
Who hath His mer­cy shown;
Let all His saints ad­ore Him!

Words: Henry W. Baker, 1861.

Four Somethings in October

I’m joining a new to me monthly blog party today called Share 4 Somethings 2024. Coming in late since there are only 3 of these left in 2024. Thank you to Jenn at Overflowing with Thankfulness for the party.

Today we’re talking about the things we loved or disliked, accomplished, improved upon/needs improvement, and noticed this month.

Since I’m coming in late, I’ll keep it simple.

Loved or Disliked…

October was a great month watching our kids (3 adult children and their spouses) and grands (two grands, a girl and a boy) soaking in the October moments on the westside of our state. I love that they make an effort to keep their relationships growing and enjoy time spent with each other.

I also loved seeing our grands with the pumpkins they picked at our local Pumpkin farm and corn maze. (photo at top of post)

I disliked the fact that our property taxes practically doubled this year. They are due on October 31st…scary. 🙂

Improved Upon/Needs Improvement…

I could use some improvement on my food plans for hubby and me.

Noticed this Month…

We live in a small country town in Northeast Washington State. We were on Main Street this week and I noticed this sign outside Redbird Boutique (a clothing store). The sign made me chuckle. Hunting season is real in these parts!

Wow! Here we are in the last weekend of October! Enjoy it while you can!

Thanks again, Jenn, for the linky party!

Scotland Travel Journal ~On the Road to Perthshire

On Monday the 16th of September we picked up our rental car and Josh began his excellent driving on the other side of the road. On this day our final destination was Pitlochry for two nights. From Stirling we headed out on the A9 northeast through Perth and onwards to Pitlochry with a side trip along the A827. At the last round about by Perth we pulled in a Service station to fill the gas tank. That Service station was loaded with cars and large semi trucks! Yikes! All along the way we were thanking our LORD again for such fine weather and his great care for us.

Our first planned stop for the day 10 miles from Pitlochry was Iain Burnett Highland Chocolatier which was just 5 minutes off the A-9.

Iain created his special Chocolate Kitchen and magical chocolate shop in a small village in Highland Perthshire, an area renowned for its dairies, berries, honey, and natural beauty. It took 3 years and 120 variations of recipe and techniques to create the first Velvet Truffle. His team comes from local families that share the passion for craftsmanship and his apprentice chocolatiers train for over 3 years.

The Chocolate Lounge was fun and unique.

After being seated in the Chocolate Lounge it took some time to decide on what to order. It was not easy to make our choices.

Three of us chose the 4 piece selection of Chocolates.

I decided to go with the All Things Chocolate Experience! Thick dark hot chocolate, a Salted Caramel Dark Heart, Dark Chocolate Cake and a Coffee. I did share my cake.

After we indulged we enjoyed poking around their gift shop and chocolate shop.

We made a few purchases and it was time to head further out on the A827 to Kenmore. More on that journey next.

Truth for Today #120

Thursday October 24th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

Deuteronomy 10:14

Behold to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 

Psalm 33: 8-9

Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever, amen.

From Dianna:

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 

From Willow:

Psalm 13:5-6.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

From Cheryl:

 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Psalm 121:1-4

From Vera:

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭100‬:‭1‬-‭5‬

From Nikkipolani:

Isaiah 26:12-13

Lord, You will establish peace for us,
For You have also done all our works in us.
O Lord our God, masters besides You Have had dominion over us;
But by You only we make mention of Your name.

VW’s and Smiles Hodgepodge

Thank you to Jo From This Side of the Pond for our fresh Wednesday Hodgepodge questions!

1. Monday was National Apple Day…did you eat an apple or enjoy something made with apples on Monday? Do you like apples? Do you prefer your apples raw, baked, or in cider? Do you have a favorite variety of apple? 

I did not eat anything apple on Monday. I do like apples but don’t have them often. I enjoy them raw, baked or in cider. I like the tart apples.

2. Do you think there’s any truth to the saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’. Of the following healthy habits which do you find easiest to incorporate into your life and which is the most difficult for you to adopt-

adequate sleep, a balanced diet, plenty of water, eat breakfast, don’t smoke, exercise, limit alcohol,  include fruits and vegetables in your diet, manage stress, limit screen time

There might be some truth to that saying as far as it being a part of more healthy choices.

The easiest for me is; don’t smoke, since I’ve never smoked. Unfortunately I did inhale a lot of second hand smoke in the 60’s and 70’s working in offices where smoking was still okay. The most difficult to adopt is a balanced diet.

3. Who taught you how to drive? Do you enjoy driving? Would you rather be the driver or the passenger?  Do you have a favorite scenic drive near you? 

My brother, Fred, taught me to drive a stick shift. He even let me learn in his VW Bug. I think I taught myself to drive an automatic. While I’m typing the answers here on Tuesday the 22nd, it happens to be Fred’s 75th birthday.

This photo of my siblings and me from 2009 is the most current photo I have of our brother Fred. Left to right; Kathy, Vera, Fred, me, Lana and Steve. My brothers Tim and Leonard are missing from this photo.

The first car I purchased with a car loan and the first car I owned that I actually liked was this VW Bug.

I do enjoy driving if it’s not snowing or raining hard. On a scenic drive, I prefer to be a passenger so I can take photos. On a shopping trip that involves navigating parking lots and getting to several different store destinations, I prefer driving. We are blessed with many scenic drives in our neck of the woods. Driving to Wal-Mart is scenic. Driving along the Columbia River is a favorite!

4. What small habit has had a big impact on your life? 

Smiling. Since early years I have found it easy to smile, especially to smile at people. Smiling has opened up some interesting opportunities and conversations.

5. Tell us about something nice that happened to you recently.

It is so nice living close enough to our grands that we can see them and get that ‘hello’ hug and that ‘goodbye’ hug and any snuggles in between.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We have been enjoying some beautiful fall colors on all our drives here in Colville.

The golden larches are my favorite!

I’ve figured out my photo issues and I hope my photo platform is slow in making any new changes for me to figure out!!

This is a quote I copied from an article I read this week.

“Discontent makes a wasteland of the greenest garden—-even Eden. But contentment bears fruit in any circumstance.” Andrea Hoglund

Happy Wednesday, Hodgepodgers, Faithful Bloggers, and readers. I’m thankful for you all.

October Delights

Our Colville kids traveled over the mountains to visit the Westside Aunties and Uncles and oh boy did they load a lot of fun into a few days!

Thomas Family Farm in Snohomish was a great destination for a variety of activities!

A Monster Truck ride!

Sifting for treasures.

The epic Apple gun!

Pumping water for the duckie race.

Putt putt.

And some excavating!

Thomas Family Farms for the win!

I was sent many more photos of this packed long weekend that I will be sharing for my memories of the life and times of our family.

O Savior, Precious Savior ~ Hymn

O Savior, Precious Savior

O Savior, precious Savior,
Whom yet unseen we love!
O name of might and favor,
All other names above!
We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
To Thee, O Christ, we sing;
We praise Thee, and confess Thee
Our holy Lord and king.

O bringer of salvation,
Who wondrously hast wrought,
Thyself the revelation
Of love beyond our thought;
We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
To Thee, O Christ, we sing;
We praise Thee, and confess Thee
Our gracious Lord and king.

In Thee all fullness dwelleth,
All grace and power divine;
The glory that excelleth,
O Son of God, is Thine;
We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
To Thee, O Christ, we sing:
We praise Thee, and confess Thee
Our glorious Lord and king.

O grant the consummation
Of this our song above,
In endless adoration,
And everlasting love!
Then shall we praise and bless Thee
Where perfect praises ring,
And evermore confess Thee
Our Savior and our king.

Words: Frances R. Havergal, 1870.

Scotland Travel Journal ~Stirling Finale

The Victoria Arms was our lodging choice for Stirling. We dropped our luggage off here in the morning and when we returned after 5pm our luggage was in our rooms for the night.

After we freshened up we entered our Restaurant destination into one of our phones and started our walk to dinner.

Rob Roy McGregor (1631-1734). On our way to dinner we came across this statue of notorious Scottish outlaw Rob Roy, who joined the Jacobite rising of 1689 with his father when he was just 18 years old. His father was jailed for treason for two years. When he was finally released, his wife, and Rob Roy’s mother, had passed away. Rob Roy hid out in the Highlands under the patronage of John Campbell, the 2nd Duke of Argyll, and he built a house in Glen Shira. His fortunes began to rise again as he became a cattleman, but he lost all of his money and cattle due to a duplicitous chief herder and was declared an outlaw, his family thrown out of their house which was then burnt down on the orders of his principal creditor, James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose. This began a blood feud between the two which lasted until 1722, when Rob Roy was forced to surrender and was imprisoned until 1727. He was released in part because of the success of Daniel Defoe’s biography of Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue, and he died in 1734.

We made it to Brea.

We all enjoyed our choices for dinner and dessert!

Laura found some interesting signs in the facilities…

and…

We enjoyed conversation with the mom and adult daughter seated next to us who happened to be from the United States, too. The mom enhanced our conversation by complementing a subtle feature on Josh’s hat.

We had a lovely walk back to our lodgings in the moonlight. We retired to our rooms for a much needed rest. Sunday September 15th was complete.

On Monday the 16th of September we enjoyed our breakfast at Victoria Arms before we packed up and ordered a taxi to take us to Enterprise Car Rental Agency in Stirling.

Looks like another beautiful day, Thank You LORD!

Scotland Travel Journal ~ Wallace Monument

On Sunday the 15th of September our sight seeing would end at the Wallace Monument. We could see it in the distance and were hoping for a tourist bus to take us there. We walked down into the center of town and stopped for a coffee and a snack before we found out that the Tourist bus had ceased operation at the end of August.

At the central bus stop in town Josh found out from a bus driver that we could take the #10 bus and it would get us up to the monument. After many stops along the route we were dropped off right at the parking lot for the Monument. We opted to wait for the mini shuttle van to take us from the parking lot up to the Monument.

We ventured inside and bought our tickets for the climb.

Greg and I made it to the Hall of Arms. Josh and Laura made it all the way to the top, 246 steps, in a narrow winding staircase!

The Arms of Great Britain

We all made it to the Hall of Arms and watched the video available.

The Arms of Sir William Wallace.

In the hall of heroes Laura and Josh spotted one of our heroes on this trip, John Knox.

At the Royal Chamber you could design your own coat of arms for your battle shield.

Find out about William Wallace here.

Laura found this little figurine along the way.

It was very windy at the top.

You can read the historical account of this battle and the history of this time here.

We were blessed with spectacular views on this beautiful day.

We took the tram down to the cafe and gift shop and I talked Greg into letting me photo him at the taking of Stirling bridge photo op. Josh and Laura made it down the 246 steps and took one of the last shuttles back down to the parking lot. We had ordered a taxi that arrived soon after. The taxi took us back to our lodging for the night and we finally checked into our rooms. We were surprised that the taxi ride cost us less than the bus. We had a dinner reservation at 6:00 so we freshened up and got ready to walk to the restaurant.

I’ll save our photos into town, dinner, and our Inn for another post.