Those Crazy Schuberts

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Our friends Betsy and Justin had a little baby girl at the end of October and we got to meet her when she was about 3 weeks old ….

Both mine and Andrew’s first time holding a baby in a very very long time …

But she was so sweet and calm and adorable she made it easy ….

Check out the whole gallery here: Meeting Elora

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I think I’ve mentioned this before…. But Andrew doesn’t sleep as much as normal people.

My default with no alarm is about 8.5 hours each night. Andrew’s is 5 or 6 hours each night.

Needless to say, he spends a lot of time awake, alone, watching movies in the living room.

But in the last few weeks, Andrew has been using his sleepless nights to work! Like a crazy person!

He’ll work his ‘day job’ from about noon til about 10p, and then once everyone leaves completely reset one of the rooms to set up for his personal clients….. They arrive at about midnight, record til 5a or so. Then he has to RE-reset the room back.

He’ll come home and sleep for about 4 hours, then go do the same thing again!

But he loves it …. And I love that he’s such a hard worker…Always so proud of him.

A few weeks ago, he started a little bit earlier on a Friday night so I stopped by after work to get some photos of him in action ….

Luckily for me, Jenae loves to go down to the studio to help him. Which means I get to stay home and sleep, and he has assistance so he’s not there even longer!

recording a musical saw!

View the whole gallery here: Recording Charlyne and Miles

P.S. For those of you paying attention, that is Charlyne Yi – actress, artist and musician. You might recognize her from House MD or Paper Heart or Knocked Up.

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photo of the week (Instax from Stirling, Scotland)

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One Tuesday afternoon a week or so ago I was at work, stealthily and sneakily checking my personal email on my iPhone that I’m not supposed to have on at all and saw that there was a new house listing in our MLS filter.

So, of course, I stealthily and sneakily pulled up the webpage to look real quick before hiding my phone again ….

The first thing I look for is the street name – just because that gives me a general idea of the neighborhood the house is located in.

There are some neighborhoods that we are discounting right away (although there’s not an easy way to filter just those streets out of our MLS listings), and there is one neighborhood in particular that we would LOVE to live in but can’t possibly imagine being able to afford.

So, yea, when I saw that the new listing was IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD and just a tiny bit over our target budget I called Andrew right away!

(low voice since I’m in my cubicle at work) “Andrew. A house just popped in for that neighborhood. Go look. Call Bryan. Ok bye.”

Since Andrew has far more flexibility re: phone, email, internet while he’s at work he handles most of the contact with our realtor, etc.

We made plans to see it with the realtor Thursday morning, but happened to be in Santa Clarita Wednesday morning and just drove by.

Adorable.

Seriously, just from the curb it *looks* like the kind of house/feel/neighborhood Andrew and I have both always pictured

So excited!

Thursday morning came and our realtor had to cancel – remember when I mentioned he’s also a fire battalion chief? Yea, that means when a tree crushes a Shell gas station he has to cancel on us.

Totally understandable, but we spend (ok, I spent) Thursday being a little stressed out. Houses in this price range in this neighborhood just don’t appear every day.

PLUS, Andrew’s mom drove by again on Thursday morning and says she saw 2 families looking at the house.

Awesome.

What if it sold before we could see it?

Not that we definitely knew we wanted it, but we wanted to at least get the chance to see it!

I think we nagged Bryan a bit.

oops.

We got a call from him Thursday night saying he would be free Friday morning.

Plan! Date to see the cutest little old house …..

(Julie met us there)

(amazingly huge gorgeous back yard that Andrew is just completely in love with)

The problem is it really is a LITTLE old house.

If it had maybe 200-300 more square feet I could totally see us buying it…. OR if we had an extra $65,000 or so sitting around to build on to the house before moving in.

But it’s 3 bedroom / 1.5 bath and 1120 square feet.

There is literally not enough room in the living room for our furniture. It’s just barely bigger than the apartment we’re in now (which doesn’t include all our stuff in storage). Plus I really have a hard time buying a house with only 1 full bath.

Sad.

But we’re going to watch the price … maybe if it goes down some more we can talk about it ….

That yard!!

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After visiting Stirling Castle and the nearby cemetery … by this time it was far too late to go on to Edinburgh so we headed home.

This time Kevin drove the car with GPS and Mom and Dad rode with Andrew and me.

Now, I’m pretty good at reading maps. Without the GPS to confuse me, I’m sure I could have gotten us around the country just fine with the AAA map Mom and Dad got.

But for whatever reason … we followed the car with GPS.

On the way TO Stirling we ended up going way out of the way on a highway parallel to the one we wanted.

On the way BACK from Stirling, we’re following Kevin (who is following GPS) … who goes on the MOST DIRECT route back to Aberfeldy. Which is NOT the route on the larger (faster) highways.

Nope. Instead we spent SEVERAL miles on a one-late road.

One-lane for BOTH directions. The kind of one late when you’re praying the whole time you’re not going to encounter any other cars, because then either they or us will have to back up til we find some kind of turnout.

And considering long stretches of this one lane had waist-high meadows on either side, I’m not so sure how easy that would be.

But, like I said … It was the most DIRECT route.. Straight north instead of east-north-west.

(landscape photos all taken from the moving car)

By the time we got back to Aberfeldy I was hungry-hungry! I had barely eaten anything for almost 3 days now (from being sick) …

We got home and agreed to walk into town to find some food.

Since Andrew had already (basically) scoped out the route and the restaurants he led the way.

Aberfeldy is teeny tiny but there is a little ‘square’ – what feels like the center of town.

Located there is a little takeaway fast food restaurant called ‘A Place on the Square’ that serves pizza, burgers and (among other things) “Donner meat” …

For someone who grew up in California, Donner meat can only mean one thing: The Donner Party of 1846, known for cannibalism.

Aweome.

(we found out later that Donner meat is lamb).

We settled on dinner at “The Fountain” – a pub that was more affordable, but whose kitchen was about to close so we were hurried through our order.

Still on the lookout for vegetables, I ordered “vegetable lasagna” thinking at least I’ll get some tomatoes… (even through the lasagna is even served with ‘chips’). Everyone else ordered some version of meat and potatoes.

Sadly for me … my ‘vegetable lasagna’ was mostly cheese, cream and noodles. Very few tiny pieces of veggie, no tomato sauce at all … and far far too rich fro my sensitive stomach.

(It would have been funny if I wasn’t so hungry!)

Luckily for me, Andrew came to my rescue (again) and gave me half his meal while finishing off the lasagna I couldn’t eat.

Then it was a walk home in the dark ….

We got back to the cottage and Andrew ate some of his carrot cake and they opened a bottle of whisky they had bought in Oban ….

Then to bed for our early morning the next day for Edinburgh!

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After Stirling Castle …we walked a *little* bit down the hill to the cemetery at the Church of the Holy Rude.

The church of the Holy Rude dates from 1129, founded as the parish church of Stirling.

King James VI was crowned King of Scots here in 1567 (Mary Queen of Scots’ son). This makes the church and Westminster Abbey the only churches in Britain still in use that have been sites of coronation.

Andrew loves cemeteries – can’t get enough of them.

As we walked back up the hill after lunch, we walked right by the cemetery at the Church of the Holy Rude and promised ourselves that we would come back.

After Stirling Castle closed, and right about sunset, we wandered over to the cemetery and wandered around.

This is a REALLY old cemetery – with gravestones dating from the 1600s or so.

It seems to be a bit sprawling, with additional plots and corners tacked on here and there.

It also *appears* that people are STILL being buried in this cemetery.

It was certainly pretty and striking and a bit haunting (in the non-literal sense).

Andrew likes to go to cemeteries to sit with a book and I can definitely see the appeal.

The Church of the Holy Rude cemetery also gave rise to Kevin’s second made-up song.

To a very similar tune to the William Wallace song, Kevin started singing some of the names and dates on the headstones near us …

♫ Mary McMurphy; Died 1860; Age 76!

John Roberts; Died 1812; Age 34

Michael Magness Died 1840; Age 8 months ♫

- then interrupted himself to say, “Oh, that’s sad!”

I feel like that song will be in my head forever…

We stayed for awhile …. until almost sunset …

One of several cemeteries we visited while in Scotland

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Real quick: I was interviewed about travel and childhood trips and my to-travel plans by a blog friend in Nigeria!! Check it out here!

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Photo of the week (homemade french onion soup):

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Once we finally got to the castle … we had bathroom breaks and postcard shopping and ticket buying.

Completely out of the blue and as a surprise, Dad bought the entrance tickets for all six of us.

And not just entrance tickets, but an “Explorer’s Pass” for ₤25 each, giving us entrance to 3 different castles or sites run by Historic Scotland.

SUPER generous and extremely convenient for the rest of the week …. Except, now I had to keep track of these big, unwieldy tickets (turns out they fit nicely in a Rick Steves book)

FROM RICK STEVES:

Stirling Castle

“He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland”

‘These fateful words have proven, more often than not, to be true. Stirling Castle’s strategic position – perched on a volcanic crag overlooking a bridge over the River Forth, the primary passage between the Lowlands and the Highlands – has long been the key to Scotland.

This castle of the Stuart kings is one of Scotland’s most historic and popular.

Offering spectacular views over a gentle countryside, and a mildly interesting but steadily improving exhibit inside, Stirling is worth a look.

Stirling marks the site of two epic medieval battles where famous Scotsmen defeated huge English armies despite impossible odds: in 1297, William Wallace (aka Braveheart) fended off an invading English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. And in 1314, Robert the Bruce won the battle of nearby Bannockburn.

Soon after, the castle became the primary residence of the Stuart monarchs, who turned it into a showpiece of Scotland (and a symbol of one-upmanship against England).

But when the Crown moved to London, Stirling’s prominence waned. The military, which took over the castle during the Jacobite Wars of the 18^th century, bulked it up and converted it into a prison – damaging much of its delicate beauty.

Since 1966, the fortress has been undergoing an extensive and cost costly restoration to bring it back to its glory days and make it, once again, one of Britain’s premier castles.’

It was at Stirling Castle that Kevin started singing his first (of many) made up songs…. About “William Wallace, greatest Scotsman ever: … who apparently accomplished such feats as white-washing all the buildings in record time, and riding all the horses and other such nonsense…

According to Wikipedia, Stirling Castle has only recently been restored. The Royal Palace building *just* reopened in June of 2011 – 6 royal apartments have been restored to how they looked in the 1540s, when the castle was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots.

Further restorations aren’t scheduled to be completed for another couple years still …

{more from Wikipedia}

The first record of Stirling Castle dates from around 1110 (900 years ago), when King Alexander I dedicated a chapel there.

Stirling was also the site of 2 major battles during the War of Independence (with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce)

Almost all the current buildings were constructed in the 1500s by the Stuart kings (James 4 to 6). Mary Queen of Scots was crowned in the chapel royal in 1543 – and later (1565) nursed Lord Darnley through an illness there.

Their son (James VI) was baptized at Stirling Castle.

After 1603, Stirling Castle became principally a military center. Until 1964, the Castle was owned by the War Office and used as a barracks for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Many of the buildings have since been restored.

Once inside the castle (just past the ticket takers), the first part of the castle-proper is called the Forework. There are outerwalls and cannons to one side of you, a garden and small museum in the other direction, or you can just go straight into more and more courtyards with hidden hallways and many corners and plenty of places for ghosts to hide.

(interior of the Great Hall)

It’s pretty hard for all 6 of us to stay together. Between Dad reading everything that is posted, Andrew with his 360-degree photos and mom/Chelsea/me with our dSLRs, we’re all going at VERY different paces.

I just made sure to stick with Andrew.

I feel like everywhere in Europe has the potential to be haunted.

There are just centuries and centuries of history and untold accounts of death (including murder, assassination and other sudden deaths).

We didn’t see any ghosts at Stirling Castle, but apparently there is a “green lady” ghost who is said to be the ghost of one of Mary Queen of Scots’ servants.

After milling about all over the castle – there is no audioguide or real cohesive plan of how a visitor can see everything. I fell like Andrew and I missed something – the castle was closing. And by then it was too late to visit the William Wallace Monument…

So, instead, we walked a *little* bit down the hill to the cemetery at the Church of the Holy Rude…..

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Kevin makes friends everywhere.

He arrived in Edinburgh about 3 or 4 days before the rest of us and spent all that time in the city by himself.

He went to some pubs and some Fringe festival shows….. and along the way he made some friends.

Including 2 guys from California! Jesse and Richard (I think).

When Kevin and Chelsea and Mom and Dad came home from the west coast, they said they had seen Jesse and Richard at the restaurant they went to in Oban…

… and then – in the middle of Stirling Castle – who should come around the corner but Jesse and Richard AGAIN!

Granted, Scotland IS a small country… and we WERE going to very touristy places.

Nevertheless…. It is funny that Kevin makes friends everywhere and then runs into them again on the other side of the country.

Only Kevin…

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Monday – August 15

I had on the tentative itinerary that we would spend both Monday and Tuesday in Edinburgh.

But (of course) once we were all together in Scotland, by dad decided he wanted to go somewhere that I hadn’t fit into the itinerary.

I hadn’t even considered Stirling when I was planning the itinerary, but Stirling was south of us so we could (conceivably) go down there for ½ a day then take a train to Edinburgh … (in theory).

In reality, we all took our time getting ready and didn’t end up leaving the cottage until the late morning or so.

I was still feeling a *tiny* bit sick but much better and I was ready to go…

Since Andrew had spent all day Sunday driving, he was more than happy to drive to Stirling… Kevin and Chelsea rode with us in the Mercedes. Mon and Dad drove the Ford (with the GPS) and we followed them.

STIRLING – From Rick Steves:

“Once the Scottish capital, the quaint city of Stirling (pop. 41,000) is a mini-Edinburgh with lots of character and a trio of attractions: a dramatic castle, dripping with history and boasting sweeping views; the William Wallace Monument, honoring the real-life Braveheart; and the Bannockburn Heritage Center, marking the site of Robert the Bruce’s victorious battle.”

Arrived in Stirling, looked around for parking and finally ended up at the very top of the hill, parking at the Stirling Castle.

Then off to find lunch,

With 6 people it’s not always easy to come to a decision, but someone gave us a pub flyer for a discount at “Nicky Tam’s” … so we ended up walking to the bottom of the hill and eating there

{passed Lord Darnley’s house on the way}

Nicky Tam’s is a pub – at lunch time the only room for six people was on the second floor.

It happened to be right by the kitchen, but we also got the full second floor room all to ourselves.

Our waiter was extremely nice and helpful – in fact he may have even been the owner. From the way he was talking it sounded like he could be.

I was on the hunt for vegetables (already tired of ‘chips’ and other forms of potato). There are not NEARLY enough vegetables in Scotland. I ended up ordering a side salad and a side of mashed potatoes.

The boys all ordered venison burgers and Kevin even ordered an appetizer of nachos …. The nachos were served with what I assume was guacamole with honey in it … Weird.

For dessert, we ordered what our waiter mentioned several times as special. He claims his chef actually makes this dessert at home and brings it in every day.

Hot sticky toffee pudding with cream

Basically soggy cake. But so rich, and this one was served with butterscotch and ice cream.

Andrew was pretty much in heaven.

After lunch we walked all the way back up the hill to Stirling Castle. We passed, among other things, the church of the Holy Rude and graveyard on our way to the castle….. Coming up!

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Photo of the week (Andrew recorded a musical saw a couple weeks ago):

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“last summer” as in 2010!

I found a roll of film recently… I keep my to-be-developed film on a shelf near the front door with my to-be-read-next books. Somehow this roll of film from summer 2010 got lost in between the books and we just re-discovered it when we were getting the film from Alaska and Scotland to be developed.

First of all: Special thanks to Andrew’s brother Daniel and Jenae for giving me the Holga for my birthday a couple years ago.

and special thanks to Andrew for always dropping off/picking up the film for me ….

Here are just a few highlights from that roll from last year….

Clearly I need a steadier hand, but that can be worked on….

From Katie and Joe’s wedding: