HAPPY BIRTHDAY Maggie!!!

Our little girl turned one year old today.  How time flies.  July 5th of last year we bought a tiny 2 pound pup home and today she is a 12 (+ or -) pound tiny little pup. She is celebrating with her friends Nookie and Neeko next door.  The humans are BBQing and the pups are going to just have to sit there and drool, but not for long... the humans have chocolate cake and the pups have their own cake made with puppy goodies.  We are all sure to have a very good time.  Here are a few pictures of the birthday girl taken yesterday and today in her birthday finery.  Enjoy!

The birthday pup in her party dress

Running like a Westie!

So pretty!

Egad!  In the creek party dress and all!!

Can you tell she doesn't care for hats???

Many thanks to our great friend and neighbor Cristal for the outdoor photos.

Hugz,
Gramma

Moving on to Dublin......

The streets of Dublin were alive with artisans of all sort demonstrating their talents as we made our way from Trinity College in Dublin to our hotel on Drury Street.  Irish music could be heard from street bands, jugglers tossing their pins... an occasional singer of old Irish ballads.. it was magical!  We were in the city for one day only and we had to make the most of it.  We went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College, Phoenix Park and Dublin Castle.  As a special request we asked to be taken to the Powerscourt Estate in County Wicklow. These are some of the photographic memories of the day...

Phoenix Park, site of the Papal visit of  John Paul II in 1979.

The "Long Hall" in Trinity College library.

Powerscourt Estate... the outside patio work was formed into these intricate patterns with pebbles and 
moss.  The view isn't too shabby either!

Looking back at the manor house and the fountain at the bottom of the bilateral stairways to the gardens.  
The weather was iffy at the very least.

If you make a 180 degree turn from the previous photo you can feast your eyes on 
this gorgeous lake with twin winged horses.  
The estate is massive and threaded with walking trails.

Statuary is everywhere on the estate grounds.  I'm a sucker for a nice butt, 
so this was my favorite.

I hope you've enjoyed these brief overviews of our wonderful 
tour of the UK.

Hugz,
Gramma

Olde Edinburgh... Oh how I miss you

We arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland by train from London, GB on March 4th, 2014.  What a beautiful city!  After we checked into our hotel the first thing we did is head for "The Royal Mile" on foot.  My goal was to find the tartan plaid for clan McLallen from my late mother's side of the family.  My brother and I have been curious for years as to the look of the family plaid, and until this day were unable to locate the pattern.  The trip wasn't without some side tracks.  We got lost navigating the winding streets and courts and closes.  We ran across an older (ninetyish) couple out for a stroll and asked for directions. Twenty minutes later, after a climb up a long flight of ancient stone stairs that went from one street to another, we got some great advice from the older gentleman.  He looked me straight in the eye and says "mind your tongue now, use it!" If that was lost in translation, he meant that if we're lost again, ask again.  I was just besotted with the way he phrased it and the serious look on his face when he shared. so off we went in search of the plaid.  Several tartan stores later we found it, well, a sample of our plaid.  I've ordered a couple of yards and expect to see it soon.  In the meantime, I'll share a few of our favorite sites in Edinburgh.

Statue of Greyfriar's Bobby... you have to Google this, so interesting!

Memorial headstone for above mentioned "Greyfriar's Bobby."
No we didn't take Maggie with us.

The winding streets we were dealing with before we got lost.

Statue of Thomas Hume.  If you rub his right toe it's supped to bring you good luck!  Another Google opportunity!

Ruins of the abbey at Holyrood Castle.  
Breathtakingly beautiful!

I hope you enjoyed this short tour.

Hugz,

Gramma

The Train to Edinburgh!

What a fabulous time we had on our 4+ hour journey to the city of Edinburgh, Scotland from London, GB.  The train follows the eastern coast of the country and the views were amazing.  The food wasn't bad either.  We ate our first "Steak pie" on the train and it was yummy to say the least.  Here is a little taste of the magnificent views.

Hugz,
Gramma

Just a few pictures from London today...

The old London Phone Booth.

Most of the old phone booths are just for show now.  We did not see any in use on our tour of the city.  
This particular phone booth was just a short walk from 
The Mandeville Hotel where we stayed while in Great Britain.

Piccadilly Circus
Not a great picture.  We took it from the roof window of tour guides Mercedes.
Traffic in London is unbelievable!

St. Paul's Cathedral
Thinking this is where the late Princess Diana was wed to "whats his name"?

The Millennium Eye, yes, we rode on this!

Coming soon....... Our Trip of a lifetime!

Greetings,
Ron and I just returned from a ten day tour of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Ireland).  I'm in the process of sorting out our photos and will have a more extensive post with pictures soon.
Hugz,
Gramma