COPING WITH CORONA….NANA AND MY FATHER DANCING IN THE RAIN

Today is a rainy day here in Florida, which is something we don’t get for sustained periods of time, except during the fall during hurricane season. I just love the rain. There is something almost magical about the sound of the rain knocking at the window on days like these, beckoning us toward a moment in time other than our our usual. The sound of rain against any skylight is enough to give me as much joy as watching a flock of birds flying in perfect synchronicity.

V formation photo, courtesy of Dreamstime.com

I always wondered about people who complain about the rain as if some little silly external event would ruin their day in some way. So very many people equate the rain with “awful weather” and that always surprises me.

The rain makes the grass grow; it cleans the air. Flowers get what they need when it rains, too. Rain fills up ponds, streams and lakes. It makes great puddles for children to splash in with their boots and raincoats. Rainy days bring worms out from the dirt, and I have always been fascinated by these creatures that we don’t often get to see. And who can deny the beauty of a rainbow, a promise that all will be well, after the rain clears. My dear aunt reminds me how beautiful the rain smells, especially in cooler climates in the Northeast.

rainy day photo with rainbow, courtesy of Dreamstime.com

We tend to put on comfortable clothes when we are inside on rainy days like today. We tend to experience a moment of solitude when the rain falls and might even enjoy being in “the moment” if we watch the almost hypnotizing and mesmerizing drops of rain as they fall softly and gently, then loudly and strongly. against the walkways and streets.

One thing is certain, however, the rain can force us to change the plans we had for the day. If we had planned an outing to the beach, the rain puts a damper on that. Similarly, if we had planned to go for a bike ride, the rain can also put a damper on that, too. I guess that’s part of the beauty and charm of the rain for me, however. The rain FORCES us to flex a little and to change our expectations a little. It might even push us out of our comfort zone if we need to drive in the rain. In some way, the rainfall is parallel to the world in which we live at any given time, especially during this pandemic. What IS happening at the moment is sometimes different than what we WANT to happen. We are forced to change our focus to something else, like working at home, learning from home, shopping solely from home, etc..when we would rather be in and around our extended family, co-workers, and friends along with our own immediate family.

I love the rain because it also makes me think of my Nana, who always told me that “The rain is God’s way of saying ‘slow down.’ ” My Nana told me a rainy day is a good day to crawl up on the couch with a soft blanket to read a good book. A rainy day is a good day to have a sauce or soup simmering on the stove.

A rainy day is a good day to pause and enjoy the gift of having the luxury of that extra special sliver in time that we didn’t expect to ourselves. A rainy day is an unexpected gift if we think of it in that way.

home made cookies photo, courtesy of Dreamstime.com

A friend of mine years ago used to keep cookie dough frozen in her freezer for rainy days, when she would take out just a few frozen balls of cookie dough to celebrate the day in all it’s glory. Such a wonderful idea that I have taken to doing as well. Tonight, we’ll have our cookie dessert BEFORE our dinner as a way to celebrate this beautiful day. In this house, we find a way to celebrate EVERYTHING.

Chocolate chip cookies, photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Rain also brings about fond memories of my father, who once had the patience to sit near a window when I was little during a thunder storm. He was an amateur photographer back in the day when cameras actually had film. Photography was as much a science as an art in those days, as one needed to understand depth of field and how to create it, as well as what camera aperture setting is necessary to capture the image we desired to capture. He wanted to capture that exciting split second when lightening raced across the sky and waited….. and waited…. and waited all day to do so. He was so very happy when he developed his film in his “dark room” in our basement when he discovered that he was able to do what he set out to do. The man taught me lessons over and over again about the value of patience and the need for beauty in watchful waiting that stay with me to this day.

lightening photo, courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Rain also brings me back to long ago when my daughter, “Teen Traveler,” loved to stomp around into the deepest puddles she could find when it rained. Her”devil-may-care” laugh and impish smile across her face always made me smile. Such happy memories make me smile today and fill my soul to inspire an attitude of gratitude for me on days like this.

It has been said that “It’s not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” (Vivian Greene). It’s about finding something that gives us joy, even though we are faced with a change in our plans or what was expected. It’s about finding joy when we stop to look and listen to what’s going on around us, beyond us. It’s about remembering my Dad, a beautiful and patient man with a beautiful heart and Nana, a pillar of strength, a kind- hearted soul who would feed anyone who needed a place to come on any given holiday.

“Well I love a rainy night; I love a rainy night.
I love to hear the thunder;
watch the lightning when it lights up the sky.
You know it makes me feel good.

Well, I love a rainy night; it’s such a beautiful sight.
I love to feel the rain on my face;
taste the rain on my lips,
in the moonlight shadows…”

-“I Love A Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbitt

Life is good, even when it rains. Carpe diem, friends……

COPING WITH CORONA….ARMCHAIR TRAVEL TO ASSATEAGUE ISLAND

I had always dreamed of visiting Assateague Island in Maryland and Virginia since I heard all about it from some people I met many years ago. Another “bucket list” item. Assateague Island is the place where the children’s story, Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, takes place. In the story, a family tries to raise a pony that was born to a wild pony on this island. During the summer, usually in July, wild ponies on the Southern tip of the island are rounded up and swim to Assateaugue Island. Here the ponies are auctioned off to control the size of the herd and to raise funds for the veterinary care of the ponies. This week-long event is a BIG deal, with over fifty thousand visitors from all around the United States and Canada. A short youtube clip below, by National Geographic, captures the excitements of the annual pony swim:

Of course I had to make the journey with my family to this special place, where you can camp among wild ponies, a few years back. What makes Assateague Island so wonderful, in part, is the availability of some campsites right on the beach. Imagine looking out your RV or tent only to find wild ponies walking through your campsite. It is magical and like nothing else I’ve experienced before. Part of the Island is managed by the National Park System, and part of the island is managed by the state park system. Camping is only available in the Maryland district of the island. Campsite reservations are required from March 15 until November 15, and the site below takes for reservations six months before then. Most weekends sell out quickly. From November 16 through March 14, campsites are first-come first-served . This is an experience for which you should plan ahead, as even the firewood needs to be purchased within fifty miles of the park.

National Park information can be found below:

https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=Assateague%20Island%20National%20Seashore&entity_id=2576&entity_type=recarea

Maryland State Park information can be found below:

https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/assateague.aspx

There seems to be some difference of opinion as to how these wild ponies got to the island, but most say a Spanish Galleon with these ponies aboard sunk off the coast, and the ponies swam to shore.

If you are traveling with children, a stop to Ocean City Maryland, might be a good place for the kids to burn off some energy after being in the car. Ocean City, Maryland, has a lot of beaches and a wooden boardwalk with shops, restaurants, and hotels. There is also an amusement park there, at the Southern tip, called Trimper’s Rides. This is a historic themepark, which originally was opened in the 1890’s. It is under new management now, and there were plans to add at least nine more rides in 2020. I’m not sure what the status of this new expansion is, however, with the current Covid-19 situation. Normally, the park opens from Memorial Day until October, and there are both indoor and outdoor rides.

https://www.trimperrides.com/home

For a unique camping experience, consider camping on Assateague Island. For those of you who don’t wish to camp, you can drive through to see the wild legendary ponies that live there. Keep in mind, however, that both Assateague Island parks and Trimper Rides are currently closed because of the pandemic.

Enjoy a little unique travel to Assateague Island when the travel restrictions are lifted. This would be a great road trip when that happens and something for which to look forward.

Life is good; carpe diem, friends…….

You can read all about the annual “pony swim” week here:

https://www.chincoteague.com/pony_swim_guide.html

LIFE THROUGH A LENS….”SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND”

Saturn photo, courtesy of Dreamstime.com

It always amazes what I don’t know that I don’t know. With both a whole wide world and a world wide web around me and with access to a barrage of information at any given point in the day, I am always amazed at what I have missed. When I was in elementary school, we were told that Saturn’s rings were comprised of rock. I’m not sure if we even knew there is a great deal of ice in the rings of Saturn at that time. Evidently a whole lot has happened since then. I knew we had sent several probes to Saturn over the last years, but I somehow missed how much information was gathered during the last exploration of Saturn.

It was in 1979 that we first saw Saturn and just a few of its moons in a series of flyby shots from the Pioneer 11 spacecraft. The images were blurry and not good enough to get information about Saturn’s surface.

In 1980 Voyager I did another flyby of Saturn and some of its moons, giving us much better images. We saw the surface features of some moons and atmosphere.

In 1981, Voyager 2 again showed us some more photos and temperature findings as well. We saw that the rings of Saturn had changed as well.

In was in 1997 that the Titan spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral and carried the Cassini craft that was tasked to find out new information about Saturn, the ringed planet that is the seventh planet away from the sun. In 2002, twenty months from reaching Saturn, the probe captured its first image of Saturn. In 2004, Cassini discovered two new moons around Saturn (Methone and Pallene) to total sixty moons around Saturn. Also in 2004, on June 30, Cassini became the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, a breathtaking example of technology in action. On January 13, 2005, the unthinkable happened. The Cassini launched a probe, the Huygens probe, which actually landed on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, for seventy-two minutes, which represented the first time, and only time so far, that anything landed on any outer solar system world. Scientists realized that Titan contains large clouds of water vapor above it. Scientists also discovered that there are geysers of liquid water and organic material that burst from another moon, Enceladus, and decided that they are from pockets of water near the surface of that moon. Fascinating discovery. Scientist also discovered (in 2013) that it rains DIAMONDS on Saturn (and Jupiter, too), as the element carbon is present. Evidently when there are lightening storms there, methane is turned into soot which hardens into graphite and finally into diamonds as they fall to the planet. According to the BBC, there are theorized to be about 1000 tons of diamonds created per year on Saturn. Some sources (Nova series, “The Planets: Saturn”, season 46, episode 15) say the size of the diamonds can range from a small speck of dust to the size of a small apartment! This is absolutely amazing to me. On Earth, diamonds form naturally when carbon is buried about one hundred miles below the surface. After being heated to approximately 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and being compacted under pressure of around 725,000 pounds per square inch, it needs to quickly move to the Earth’s surface with magma in order to cool down. What is rare here on Earth is ubiquitous on Saturn.

If you are interested, Saturn is visible in the early morning sky in April, along with Jupiter and Mars, approximately one hour prior to sunrise or just before dawn in the Eastern Sky. You will be able to see Saturn with the naked eye but will need a high powered telescope to see its rings. Today, on April 15, Saturn and our moon will appear close together in the sky from Earth. Normally, Saturn is visible in the evening sky from July to December, which is something to look forward to after our stay at home orders likely will be lifted.

April 15 Saturn and Moon picture courtesy of Space.com (Via Starry Night software)

“Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond

Find light in the beautiful sea, I choose to be happy
You and I, you and I, we’re like diamonds in the sky...”

-“Diamonds” by Rhianna

Try something different. Why not get up early tomorrow to see this wonderful sight in the morning. Find “light in the beautiful sea” and “choose to be happy” during this uncertain pandemic. “Shine bright like a diamond” by helping others, checking in on family and friends, and staying positive during this tough time. Attitude is everything, they say.

Life is good; carpe diem, friends…….

COPING WITH CORONA WITH A LITTLE DIY PINEAPPLE DOLE WHIP

Stuck inside from self-isolation or stay at home orders? Wondering when you might return to a normal life again? Why not try some diversionary Dole Whip, or “Food of the Gods”?

Several years ago when I was in Hawaii, I went to the Dole plantation in Oahu, Hawaii. Dole Plantation in Oahu is a wonderful place to visit, as they have a twenty-minute train ride around the plantation with several different gardens to meander through as well as a pineapple maze to walk through, too. It was there that I first ate the “Food of the Gods” and thought it was a little bit of heaven in the first bite. The plantation is normally open daily from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM (except Christmas Day), although it is currently closed temporarily because of the pandemic.

When I arrived back home to the northeast United states immediately after my trip to Hawaii, I searched high and low for Dole Whip, which wasn’t at that time readily available. When I flew to Walt Disney World a few years later, I was delighted to see the delicious Dole Whip available at the Magic Kingdom. Pineapple Dole Whip is a creamy blend of pineapple in a soft-serve ice cream base. It is refreshing and as close to perfection that I’ve ever experienced.

Now that we live in Florida we go to Walt Disney World as often as we can, and one of the first things we do in the Magic Kingdom is to head straight for the Dole Whip, which can be ordered with a slice of fresh pineapple and pineapple juice to make a “float.” I prefer my pineapple Dole Whip pure and simple, without any pineapple or pineapple juice, though.

There have been many “copycat” recipes on the net in the years that followed but NONE are as satisfyingly sapid as the original pineapple Dole Whip. This week, however, the Disney app released the coveted compound, and I swear I heard angels sing the moment I heard the good news! Maybe I even heard a horn play. The recipe is so easy that it lends itself to a spontaneous splurge for something sweet.

Disney Dole Whip Recipe (individual portion): Combine one scoop of vanilla ice cream, four ounces of pineapple juice, and two cups of frozen pineapple in a blender until you can’t wait any longer……

While you are at it, or another day you decide on a delicious diversion, you might try the recipe for pineapple Dole Whip that Dole has released:

Pineapple Dole Whip Recipe from Dole: Combine 1 cup of pineapple (frozen), one banana (peeled and frozen), 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of powdered sugar, and 1/4 to 1/2 cups of unsweetened coconut milk, one teaspoon lime juice in a blender until you can’t wait any longer……….(then put into your ice cream maker as you normally would).

While coping with the pandemic, why not try a little recipe for one for pineapple Dole Whip? It might just give you the daily diversion you need right now for a little sweet spontaneity.

Life is good; carpe diem, friends………….which recipe is YOUR favorite? Let me know if you try them and consider visiting Hawaii when the pandemic is over if you can. Life is short.

Click here for more information about visiting the Dole Plantation in Hawaii:

https://www.doleplantation.com/

Note: 5/18/20….after trying both recipes for Dole Whip, I just couldn’t make the Dole one work. It tasted too much like banana to me. We LOVED the Disney recipe for DIY Dole Whip, although it didn’t taste EXACTLY like Dole Whip in the park. It was very close, though. Plan on eating it right after you make it, however, as it does NOT freeze well at all. Also the taste somehow changes after freezing as well and isn’t nearly as good.

COPING WITH CORONA WITH A GOOD OLD FASHIONED BUBBLE BATH

Being stuck inside the house during the recent stay-at-home orders, I have had the luxury of extra time. Time seems to have slowed down to a snail pace in contrast to our busy contemporary society. People coming, people going. Even the numbers of cars on the road have dwindled, and with many “essential” stores closing early, the town looks much like it did when I was a young girl. For the most part, most neighborhood stores were closed in the evenings when I was little until the “Big Box” stores opened. That changed a lot. The days of relaxing at home after dinner were replaced by errands, drive-through pharmacies, or take out orders some time after that in many homes. In those older days, many people used after dinner time for baths for both hygiene and relaxation.

I used to take a bubble bath at least weekly, in addition to my daily shower, until a few years ago. There was always something selfishly indulgent about carving out a half hour all to myself, letting myself enjoy the moment of solitude in the bath among scented bubble baths. Tonight I decided I would steal away some time to get back into the habit of the weekly bath. I remember when I was youn, putting my head underwater so that my ears were submerged for a period of time while my nose was above the water. Resting like this, I could close my eyes and actually hear the sound of my breathing and maybe even the sound of my heart among the solitude under water. If you are short like I am, you might still be able to submerge most of your body, except the tops of your kneees, under water. Sometimes I would take a book into the bathtub and rest it on my bath caddy that sat in front of me while I soaked. Sometimes I would take a cup of hot tea or a cool beverage as well.

A modern bath tub (photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com)

Tonight, I dipped into the warm tub after turning the lights on low with some candles around the room, on the counter and along the sides of the tub. I put on some relaxing classical music, and I soaked with my head under water, except my nose, for a period of time, enjoying those stolen moments all to myself. There is nothing like the peace I feel when I hear my breathing underwater, along with the sights of the calm candlelight and scented bubbles.

After my bath during which I allowed myself to think about nothing, absolutely nothing, I began to consider the history of baths in this country and how now they are considered almost obsolete. New homes are built mostly with tiled showers instead of bathtubs. There may be ONE bathtub in a home now, where there used to be bathtubs in every full bathroom. Such a pity.

When the Pilgrims arrived in America, according to History.com, they were not accustomed to bathing regularly. They thought that submerging their whole body in the water was somehow unhealthy and immodest. In fact, History.com suggests, ” “The idea of being clean wasn’t closely associated with water in the 17th century anywhere in the western world.” Bath houses became a place for the wealthy for medicinal cures or as a place socializing. Of course, in ancient times, the bath was important for socializing among people of all classes, and there is evidence of baths in the homes of the more affluent citizens of Ancient Rome.

While coping with self-isolation, why not dip into your own bathtub again for a few indulgent moments. Put on your favorite music, take a beverage or a book, maybe light some candles and reduce your stress with some time put aside just for you.

orchid flowers and candles for the tub (photo courtesy of Dreamstime.com)

“Splish splash, I was takin’ a bath ‘long about a Saturday night
A rub dub, just relaxing in the tub, thinkin’ everything was all right
Well, I stepped out the tub, put my feet on the floor
I wrapped the towel around me and I opened the door
And then a splish splash, I jumped back in the bath…..”

-“Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin, 1958

I am grateful for the luxury of extra time that these stay at home orders have given me and plan to enjoy these extra hours while I can. Life is good; carpe diem, friends………..

COPING WITH CORONA WITH A CONTEST OF THE DAY

Many years ago one of my best friends who shares my same sense of humor and I decided we would challenge each other to a contest to use an archaic word in a conversation with someone else that day. The word was to be used in normal conversation without a laugh or smile, never letting on to the other participant in the conversation that we put each other up to that word. Now this is my friend who has been with me through so many times where we laughed so hard that we almost cried. One time I actually choked on my food in a restaurant for real. You know when you laugh so hard that your stomach actually hurts, and you almost can’t breathe? I know this feeling well and love it. There is something about laughter that is simply delightful. One word we used that day was “hijinks.” Another was “hoodwinked”. Try using THOSE words in a conversation with a straight face!

WebMd.com tells us that laughter increases blood flow, may reduce blood sugar levels, and may reduce stress to increase an immune system response. That all may be true, but a good ol’ fashioned belly laugh simply feels good, if nothing else.

Fast forward to today. I was just on the phone with one of my best friends, laughing about one thing or another as we normally do. Reaching out to my best friends daily while I am social-isolating during these stay-at-home orders makes me smile. Game ON! I told my friend about the word a day contest I had with my friend many years ago and it turns out this friend had as similar contest with her friend in SIXTH grade! Game ON! Tough competition. Maybe the first person who uses the word first the next day could win eating the first piece of pizza the next time we met. I love a good contest and have been DYING to win a contest that would allow me to eat the first piece of pizza. I will surely pick the BIGGEST piece with the MOST toppings. When else can I deliberately eschew the good manners that my Momma taught me?

Hmmmm………what word to pick? I remember telling my friend a while back that it fascinates me that there are many words in other languages that cannot be translated and that I remember reading that there was actually a word in another language that meant something like “the roof of my mouth is burning or on fire.” A GREAT word to win the first-slice-of-pizza contest to be sure. We agreed to that word:

“Pelinti”: word in Buli, the language of Ghana in West Africa. Pelinti means “moving food quickly around your mouth after you’ve belatedly discovered that it’s still piping hot,” according to syntacta.co.uk. Evidently pelinti happens to me EVERY SINGLE FRIDAY NIGHT while I eat pizza during our Friday pizza and a movie celebration in our home. I think I should have the hang of it by now, but no.

So….. go ahead and find a reason to laugh until your belly hurts. When was the last time you did that? It feels GREAT. And throw in a contest of the day to cope with Corona. You might be glad you did. Maybe YOU can win the first slice of pizza next time.

Life is good; carpe diem, friends……..

COPING WITH CORONA……GROWING A GARDEN

Aerogarden two weeks or so ago with romaine lettuce

There is something about starting a plant from a seed and watching it grow. The daily anticipation of wondering if the seed has germinated. Then the daily anticipation of wondering if the first leaf unfolds. Then the daily anticipation of wondering if the the first “true” leaves unfold.

While maintaining self-isolation, we decided to get back to our “roots” as gardeners, a hobby we have not tended to in quite some years. Growing up in the northeast, gardening was so much easier than here in Florida. There was the watchful waiting of looking for the very first crocus to bloom as a harbinger of spring. There is something magical about watching a flowering plant wake up, unfolding it’s bloom among snow on the ground.

When we moved to Florida several years back, it amazed me that the plants we grown indoors in pots were the landscape plants outside my house. Something wasn’t quite right about that, but something wasn’t quite right about gardening and putting my hands in soil while risking surprising a poisonous snake at the other end of my trowel.

I had given up gardening in the fourteen years I’ve been living in Florida, but when we recently started self-isolation and social distancing from the Covid-19 pandemic, we decided it would give us something to look forward to if we started a plant from seeds. Watching and waiting for the seed to germinate somehow soothes my soul. Surrounding myself with something growing while being stuck inside was just what I needed.

Would I grow a green plant or a flowering plant? Would I grow edible flowers? Would I grown some vegetable to sustain me in case the food supply chain became scarce. I sent away for seeds for my Aerogarden with excitement. I had decided upon romaine lettuce seed pods, knowing how delicious freshly harvested lettuce is. It is too hot this time of year to grow lettuce outside here in Florida, as it is a cold weather crop.

Two weeks ago, I set up my Aerogarden indoors and inserted the seed pods into the hydroponic growing machine along with the nutrients and water that they plant needs. It always amazes me when I see plants growing without soil and reminds me that we all can “bloom where we are planted” and can thrive with less than we THINK we need.

Each day, I look forward to checking on the status of my new plants and today I tried my first piece of lettuce from one of the plants. It was the freshest tasting lettuce I had ever eaten. Romaine lettuce from the market doesn’t really seem to have much of a flavor, but these dark lettuce leaves from my Aerogarden are tender and delicious.

Aerogarden today with bigger romaine lettuce plants

The need to grow something hit me all over again. Before the stay at home orders and shortly after planting my Aerogarden pods, I went to the garden center to purchase some herbs to grow in pots on my patio so I could be less likely to inadvertently bump into a not so friendly slithering friend. Walking by and touching the leaves of aromatic plants gives me joy. Maybe even bliss. It provides me with that in-the-moment magic that I adore. There is something about using my five senses when I am around plants that gives me that same feeling as when I see a flock of birds above my head while they change direction yet still maintain formation. There is beauty all around us that captivates my eyes and soul.

It is so easy to stop doing something you live for the time being for whatever reason. There are a million reasons why we USED to love something that we no longer do. The pandemic has given us the luxury of a little more time in our homes. Why not take up a hobby you used to love all over again to find some joy.

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow…..”

-Audrey Hepburn

Find a way to believe in tomorrow, for it will be here sooner than you know. Life is good; carpe diem, friends……….

COPING WITH CORONA, PART 6…….A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN INVERNESS, SCOTLAND

Gorse, a hardy and ubiquitous evergreen shrub in Scotland

Cabin fever continues. Wanderlust waits for no one. Coping with voluntary self-isolation with more armchair travel……….travel soothes the soul and gives one something to look forward to some day soon…..

Today I am visiting Scotland again in my mind. I am thinking of spring green grass, enduring castles, vibrant yellow daffodils in the spring, warm tea and scones, and visiting dear friends.

Starting in Inverness at the small airport, we rented a car to find the Loch Ness Monster last spring. Or rather, we went to visit the Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands and JOKED about finding the Loch Ness Monster. The weather was cool but pleasant this time of year last year. Daily high temperatures are approximately 49°F, rarely falling below 39°F or exceeding 56°F. Daily low temperatures are usually around 36°F, rarely falling below 25°F or exceeding 43°F. Next to the Loch Ness we found two visitor centers that were small but gave our drive there a purpose.

Town Center in Inverness, Scotland, across the River Ness

Accommodations at the Best Western Palace and Spa in Inverness were stylish, clean, updated and charming, and they handed us a good ol’ fashioned key to our room. Our “River View Family Room” was in a mansion built in the 1800’s and was facing the River Ness, in front of Inverness Castle, which was built in 1836. The River View Room was worth the extra cost, as the ceilings were high, and there was a breathtaking picture window, too. The gray tones in the room’s decor and the chandelier gave the room a sense of quiet elegance and tranquility. There are no elevators to the second floor of the building that that we stayed in, which was right beside the main building, however. This hotel was one of the few in Inverness that had a large heated pool, which provided a welcome break from the cool weather outside. “Teen Traveler”, my daughter, swam there for hours catching up with her Scottish friend that we had come to visit. The hotel is just across the bridge from the town center with lots of shops, pubs, and even a major shopping mall (Eastgate).

Our room key at the Best Western Palace and Spa, Inverness

River View Room at Best Western Palace and Spa, Inverness, with a view of Inverness Castle

This is the official website of the Best Western Palace and Spa in Inverness, Scotland:

https://www.invernesspalacehotel.co.uk/

Inverness Castle, along the River Ness, dotted with spring daffodils

Inverness Castle was rebuilt at the site of the original castle in Inverness, which was built in 1057 and destroyed. Legend has it that King Malcolm III of Scotland built the first Inverness Castle in 1057 to replace an earlier castle close by, which he destroyed, and in which Macbeth is said to have murdered Duncan I. Such history. Such culture. The present day Inverness castle houses offices, mostly court offices, and has limited public access inside.

A visit to a local kilt making shop in Inverness provided to be an unexpectedly interesting stop. The Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre and The Highland House of Frasier, located about a five minute walk from our hotel, showed a small movie about the cultural heritage of the kilt in Scotland. In one section of the Visitor Centre there were many mannequins wearing assorted kilts from years ago, too. What was particularly amazing, though, was to watch the present-day kiltmakers make kilts before our very eyes. These kilts are hand-sewn with ten stitches to the inch and are made from about eight yards of fabric. After seeing the intricate handwork that takes about two days per kilt, it is easy to see why these kilts are so expensive. They produce quality work and will ship all over the world. This place is definitely worth a visit if you have time.

Still making kilts by hand at the Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre in Inverness

Driving west of Inverness, we traveled by car to Urquhart Castle, which is a ruin of one of the largest castles in Scotland. Sitting along side the Loch Ness, it is about thirteen miles south-west of Inverness and about a mile and a quarter east of the village of Drumnadrochit. Kids seem to love seeing the trebuchet there. The movie, “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (1970), was filmed here. It is also said to have inspired the writers of Disney Pixar when they visited Scotland to get ideas for the movie “Brave”.

Urquhart Castle, said to have provided some inspiration for the Disney Pixar Movie “Brave”

On place in Scotland that I dream of visiting some day, but we didn’t have time to visit, is Fingal’s Cave, on the island of Staffa in the inner Hebrides. This sea cave is formed by a volcanic eruption and is made entirely of hexagonally jointed basalt, almost like the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Some say the cave was connected to the Giant’s Causeway at one time. It is also said by some that Mendelssohn visited the cave and was inspired to write one of his overtures (“The Hebrides”). Fingal’s Cave was known by the Celts as “The Cave of Melody” because of its natural acoustics. Guests can visit the cave by boat ride from one of the nearby islands (from Fionnphort, Ulva Ferry, Iona, Tobermory, Oban and Kilchoan). There is a walkway that visitors can use to go inside the cave, but boats only travel here and land in calm weather. The footing can be slippery and not for everyone, though.

Two useful websites that describe visiting Fingal’s Cave are the following:

https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/unique-experiences-map/seeing-a-unique-cave/

https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/staffa

Scotland is part of the United Kingdom and is known for its lush green landscapes dotted with castles, kilts, bagpipes, and whiskey. This is definitely a beautiful and charming place to visit if you can.

“…………See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light and
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth….
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
Beautiful day.”

-“Beautiful Day” by Bono

Go out and have a “beautiful day” for yourself. You can still get into the car to drive to watch a breathtaking sunset over a field, lake, or somewhere special while still maintaining “social distance or self-isolation.” Maybe you can even fly a kite with a spirit of whimsy near your home if you have the need to do something that you haven’t done in a while. While every day may not be beautiful, there is beauty in every day.

Life is good; enjoy the day. Carpe diem, friends………….

COPING WITH CORNONA……HOPE SHINES BRIGHT

“Some hope for the future
Some wait for the call
To say that the days ahead
Will be the best of all…..

……Hope shines brightest in the dark
When nothing’s ever seen
Lighting undiscovered places
No-ones ever been…..

…..Hope for the Future”

-Paul McCartney, “Hope For The Future”

COPING WITH CORONA, PART 4…..MAGIC MOMENTS

Cabin Fever. Wanderlust. Tough to be inside. Spring Break today, ” Teen Traveler” and I decided to venture out of the house to where we could maintain an appropriate “social distance” from others to protect ourselves from Covid-19. Living in Florida, we decided we would find a remote beach area where there were few people present. We searched for the perfect “Cast Aside Covid Cove” with a song in our hearts and our usual spirit of adventure.

Turtle Sculptures were originally auctioned off and placed in Vero Beach by Turtle Trax to raise awareness for mental health. There are over thirty turtle sculptures similar to this one in Vero Beach.

We traveled to Vero Beach, FL, where we found WAY too many people in the parking lots and on the beach for us to maintain our “social distance”, but we enjoyed our day trip to this magical place that is dotted with sea turtle sculptures in so many places. Vero Beach wasn’t as isolated a spot as we wanted, so we decided to drive further south until we found some hidden beach access somewhere else.

Local Beach access on A1A in St. Lucie County. Blink and you’ll miss it…..

I wanted to share this day with “Teen Traveler” to show her how we prepare for Corona to come knocking on our door. We think. We come up with a plan. We prepare. We have FUN! A day spent all alone with “Teen Traveler” where we went on a road trip, we laughed, we talked, we laughed some more, we listened to music from our respective generations, and we laughed some more was just what we needed.

There were few people on the beach, but there was a red flag waving in the breeze. Native Floridians know this means to stay out of the water for some peril or another. One red flag means that the surf is high or there are dangerous currents or both. So, we decided to go into the water only up to our knees, but the surf was so high the waves hit our waists as they came rolling in toward shore. The water was cool at first (for the Native Floridians in the crowd), but we adjusted okay.

“Teen Traveler’s” Life Through a Lens………..

Being with my daughter reminded me of a song by Sia……….

“… I’ve been waiting for a magic moment
But maybe there are magic moments
Could it be a magic moment now?
I’ve been waiting for a magic moment
But maybe there are magic moments
Baby it’s a magic moment nowBut darling it’s a magical, magical life, life, life
Oh honey, it’s a magical, magical life, life, life
And baby it’s a magical, magical life, life, life
When you can find magic in every day, night, night, night….”

“Teen Traveler” contemplating…….serious one moment………….

….then making “sand angels” in the sand instead of the snow the next minute…………..

We had a great day and we are already thinking of where we might take a day trip next week. Clear kayak on a Florida spring? Fly a kite at another beach? One thing is for certain. On Earth we have ONLY these five minutes. Time to go out to make a memory, as there is beauty everywhere.

Life is good. Carpe diem, my friends………

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