Life on the Vine

Okay...time to get to the REAL reason we went to Scotland - SCOTCH (aka single malt whisky). The boys (Tom and Phil) had been talking off and on about making a scotch run to Scotland and indulging in Scotland's finest libation.  I jumped in pretty early expressing my desire to visit Scotland too and closed the deal by dangling out the offer to be the designated driver.  During the summer our plans began to take shape.  We tried to lure my father-in-law into making the trip, who alas could not be tempted to cross the big watery pond of the Atlantic Ocean, and also invited along a girlfriend for me to pal around with, who as you know from my earlier post broke her ankle just weeks before the trip.  But, before knowing all of that, Tom figured that the expense of hotel rooms for everyone (possibly 5 adults, only two of whom would be sleeping together), plus a rental vehicle, plus meals, could be pretty steep.  So he tossed out the idea of getting a motor home....

It's been more than a month since we returned from our first lengthy vacation here in Europe.  Ten days in beautiful Scotland!  Tom had a trusty sidekick along...his best friend Phillip, aka Grey Squirrel.  My girlfriend G, who was by battle buddy in Baghdad, was planning to join us but she broke her ankle just weeks before the trip and ended up staying home. I haven't fully decided on how to best blog about the trip.  Edinburgh probably needs its own post, as does our pilgrimage to several whiskey distilleries.  And then there are the castles, forts and museums and the Scottish Highlands. Seven days of our journey was spent motoring around Scotland in a rented RV and the final two days were spent exploring Edinburgh.  I thought for this first post about the trip I'd share some pictures from the road to give you a feel for the countryside and the diverse landscape.  Meet 'Scout' - our trusty conveyance Entering the Scottish Highlands Cold ...