From Peter Nardozzi, with minor editing by Kyle MacLea, the tale of his trip to Scotland, in abbreviated form. 13 Dec 2006.

I can't find our itinerary, didn't have a digital camera or computer, and my memory's gone, yada yada yada. But here it is in short form from the archives of my mind.

I already explained Sandie's motivation [was to look at Scottish fiber arts] and mine was to find information about the MacLeas [in the home country]. Before we left I had read a long book on Robert the Bruce, and was looking forward to visiting some of the battlefields.

We spent some time in London and then took the train for a wonderful ride through the country and arrived in Edinburgh. I rented a car(wrong side of road) and almost hit my first parked car while attempting to find our accommodation for that evening. While in Edinburgh we stayed at the University dormitories, and had a fun time with all of the different eclectic venues of the annual International Fringe Festival.

While there we also visited the Castle, watched the changing of the Guard, and talked to the author of a book we had bought, Scottish Clan and Family Names, Roddy Martine. He sent us to the Court of the Lord Lyon--where we found our first information about the Mac Leas, a small Highland Clan (now called Livingstons or Livingstones, in most cases) from the Isle of Lismore and Western Argyll who originally bore this Gaelic spelling spelled in different ways.

We made phone calls along the way in our travels, but only talked to Mac Leas that we found in phone books. There weren't many but we chatted with a few, explained who we were and why.

We then drove all over Scotland, taking many back roads, for two weeks, passing through the moors, collecting specimens of heather, avoiding sheep (there were no fences), crossed over small mountains, and passed delightful villages with homes surrounded by beautiful hybrid Roses.

We stayed in Bed and Breakfast guest homes, a Hunting Lodge near the King's private preserves (in the a.m. after breakfast a small party of Hunters arrived dressed in Sport Jackets and knickers with a pack of hounds for a Hunt) and a Castle where we had afternoon Tea and a 6-course evening meal served by staff in formal tuxedos.

The other days we stayed in small Scottish Hotels, ending up in a Holiday Inn in Glasgow.

On the trip, besides just exploring and buying sweaters, hats, and Scotch, we visited two Distilleries (sampled the single malt scotch), many sheep farms, several pubs, a Shakespearean performance in an old Roman Amphitheater, and squeezed in a visit to Loch Ness (no signs of Nessie, though).

One day we took a trip to St. Andrews, walked around some of the course and I borrowed a club and had my pictured taken on the 18th hole in front of the OLD Clubhouse with 2 Japanese Business men (Millionaires I'm sure).

Our most extensive time was spent in Sterling were I went to the actual Bannockburn Battlefield were Robert the Bruce had defeated Edward II. I spent quite a lot of time there finding landmarks from the book and in the Heritage visiting center and close by at the William Wallace Monument.

The next day, Sandie spent it at the Scottish Wool Centre in Aberfoyle were she attended a showing of different breeds of sheep. She spent time in their various departments. She was invited to sit and spin with two women on both an old and a modern wheel. She attended various demonstrations of combing, dyeing, etc. Before leaving she bought two fleeces, one of a new breed "LOMAN" and one a "Highland Blackface." We were able to bring both of these uncleaned raw "in the grease" fleeces through U.S. customs (unheard-of now). She later washed, clean and dyed the Loman, and won 3 Blue Ribbons for her hand knitted socks.

We ended the trip by driving across to the Isle of Skye, staying and having a wild night of drinking copious pints of room temperature beer and singing with a bunch of sailors in a waterfront pub. The next day we took the ferry to the mainland on the other side and drove to Glasgow.

In Glasgow, a MacLea met us at a restaurant, and after a brief chat in which we talked about my grandmother, grandfather, mothers and Uncle's sense of humor he made a suggestion. He recommended that we go to the Glasgow Theater and see "Lexi" (?????) a well-known Scottish comedian. My wife is a fan of Billy Connolly, an irreverent TV comedian in the US, so we bought tickets and attended.

One hour and a half later we walked out of the theater, which had been filled all evening with roaring continuous belly laughs, scratching our heads. I didn't get anything. Sandie, my wife, said she got few a pokes at the Queen, when she could get by the brogue. Humor is an ethnic subjective event anyway, but it's definitely made even more difficult with accents.

We flew out the next day to Boston. You most do this with your wife some day, we planned and booked everything ourselves.

Peter Nardozzi, to Kyle MacLea, 13 Dec 2006.