| Thanksgiving with Leslye, David and Janice Scotland, 2008 (or "The Year the Dog Ate the Money", or "The Year of Mamma Mia") |
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| How Does a Dog Gain 160 Pounds in 5 Minutes? David and Leslye have a beautiful Samoyed named Wilson, who's as gentle as anything but as willful and stupid as--well, a Samoyed. But not that stupid, as it turns out. He knows how to open a purse, and and as it happens, he has a taste for banknotes. Shortly before Janice and I arrived, he got into Leslye's purse and ate 160 pounds--about $220 in real money. (Stop me if you've heard this before.) So, the rest of us followed him around for the next four days, examining his stools and excavating them as if they were ancient Grecian pottery. Over a four-day period, about 60 pounds was recovered, In case you're wondering, this is what a 20 pound note looks likes after it's been processed through a dog. |
| I'm sure that Leslye and David lead rich and rewarding lives when Janice and I aren't with them at Thanksgiving, but I swear, I think they just spend the whole year looking for offbeat and fun things to do during the few days in November when we're with them. Here are a few of the highlights of this year's trip. |
| Tuesday: Janice had arrived on Monday, but she picked me up at the airport when I got in from Paris. We stopped for wine at M&S, where we also worked through whatever bad Thanksgiving karma we were still carrying around. Which reminds me, I don't know what it means, if anything, but I think the UK is starting to embrace Thanksgiving as a holiday. Not only were there Thanksgiving displays in the stores, but people were trying to learn more about it and thinking that it might be something that everyone should observe. Along those lines, Leslye had signed up Janice to speak to a meeting of the Rainbow Girls about the meaning of Thanksgiving. When we arrived, the girls were coloring pictures of turkeys and Indians. Janice did a great job (tactfully omitting the part about how Pilgrims were giving thanks for not being in the UK anymore) and was immediately signed to a repeat performance next year. |
| Wednesday: The day began with a brisk walk around the estate where we kept an eye on the dog, waiting for him to poop. (See box at left.) |
| Thanksgiving: The day of days. David and Leslye entertained sixteen of the most charming and interesting people in East Lothian, Janice and me at a wonderful dinner in the greenhouse in the backyard. Here it is afer the table was set in the afternoon, and after the guests arrived in the evening. |
| Friday was a day of rest and a nice long walk along the beach. We visited friends in the evening, and apparently, I left my camera at home. On Saturday, Janice and road-tripped over to the Kingdom of Fife. (Look it up.) Along the way, we were passed by a van (see photo) which claimed to provide "mobile kilt repair". I bet they had some stories to tell. We had lunch in the village of Anstruther, then drove up to St. Andrew's to look at the golf courses. In case you're wondering, there was so much frost on the ground, the courses looked like beaches--unless maybe they actually were beaches. In Scotland, you just don't know. That evening, we went into Edinburgh for the Christmas festival and dinner at The Dome. The Dome is a grand old bank building that's been converted into a restaurant and bar. Here are two shots of the ornate Christmas tree in the main room. One was taken with a flash; one without. I thought the difference was interesting. |
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| As always, it was a Thanksgiving of fun and friendship not to be forgotten. I know that someday (maybe soon), David and Leslye will get tired of looking at us at Thanksgiving, and that will be a sad day indeed. In the meantime, I'm just hope they're out there looking for fun things to do next year! |
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| The movie was so awful that it could only be enjoyed in a room full of Scots wearing ABBA-inspired sequins and feathers. (Oh God. It sounds like a Mike Myers movie.) Lucky for us, Leslye had reserved "gold seats" for us on the couches up front. We felt special! Janice won a bottle of Glug in the raffle. Here she is trying to hide it from us. As if. |
| On Wednesday evening, we attended what must have been the social event of the year. There was a very nice young man in town who was going off to Rwanda on a six-month mission trip. (Below left, he's talking to David; below right, he's with his proud mom and dad.) To raise money for some of the things he wanted to do while he was there, he organized a Mamma Mia party on the day after the DVD was released in the UK. When Leslye emailed to ask if I'd be interested in going to a Mamma Mia night in Scotland and asked Janice and me to be the "paparazzi", I knew the trip would be memorable. It was a blast. Guests were encouraged to come in costume, and lots did. (Not me, of course.) |
| There was everything from turkey and dressing to apple pie. It was a wonderful evening. |
| ...and here's Janice, soaking up the ambience. |