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So ... who's doing anything notable this summer?

jeffbear said:
Where are you going in Scotland? My ancestral home and a place I've visited quite a few times.
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Edinburgh for 4 days (with a day trip to St. Andrews)

then

4 days in Dublin

1 day at a Castle northwest of Galway

1 day in Doolin

1 day in Dingle

2 days in Cork

1 day in Kilkenny

then back to Dublin

a lot of driving, distillery tours, pubbing, and walking/hiking
 
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I've had a pretty interesting summer both professionally and personally. Professionally my company was acquired, along with a bunch of other software companies, by a major 3D Printing company. That has led to a bunch of integration, consolidation of manpower and systems. It's been quite stressful but somehow rewarding as well. Personally, we went to to Branson, MO. Brother in law has a lake house there and did a bunch of boating and jetskiing (which I have never done before and am now hooked!). In a week we are spending a week out at Nag's Head. Can not wait and makes this week feel even longer. :p Also the kids are heavily involved with the Garner Town Players, photography and LAX. So much parental busing thrown in as well.
 
SlapShots said:
So, are you on a tour or doing something you planned for yourself?
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Well, I have a friend in Edinburgh and he convinced us to do Scotland. It is festival season in Edinburgh, so that should be great

For Ireland, we were going to start on the West Coast until i found out about the Gaelic Football event. (Unfortunately Penn State is playing Central Florida the day before---that day we are doing a tour of Wicklow.

The rest we somewhat planned ourselves--identifying places we wanted to go based on my wife's experience (she's been there before) and talking to friends. The distillery in Cork was a must since they make my two favorite (Green Spot and Red Breast) Irish Whiskies there. We also said we wanted to stay in a castle one night.

We then gave that to an agency---they worked out everything else, we tweaked it a bit and now have a action packed, exhausting vacation. I can't wait.
 
Boardwork said:
Well, I have a friend in Edinburgh and he convinced us to do Scotland. It is festival season in Edinburgh, so that should be great
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Edinburgh is a beautiful, wild beast. Be prepared for literally anything weather-wise ... and for walking up hills. LOTS of hills. Make sure to make time to just take a hike up Arthur's Seat and to take in a clear evening (if you get one) strolling Princess St gardens. Totally worth it. Also ... Mary King's Close. Creepy in the best Edinburgh way.

If you want to prep correctly .... listen to Mike Scott's song Edinburgh Castle about three or four times before you set foot in the place. That should get you in the right head space.

Enjoy a pint of McEwan's 80 and send me the bill :0)
 
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HeyKurtz said:
You need to do it...it's worth the journey. I went once about six or seven years ago and can't wait to go back.
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I suspect I'll break down and go to Oz eventually. It's just about the last place on my travel bucket list that I haven't checked off.
 
jeffbear said:
Edinburgh is a beautiful, wild beast. Be prepared for literally anything weather-wise ... and for walking up hills. LOTS of hills. Make sure to make time to just take a hike up Arthur's Seat and to take in a clear evening (if you get one) strolling Princess St gardens. Totally worth it. Also ... Mary King's Close. Creepy in the best Edinburgh way.

If you want to prep correctly .... listen to Mike Scott's song Edinburgh Castle about three or four times before you set foot in the place. That should get you in the right head space.

Enjoy a pint of McEwan's 80 and send me the bill :0)
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Thanks for the tips......
 
Nothing too special... got a new house, got a new job, need my wisdom teeth and a varicose vein removed... you know, the usual.
 
Attended a talk this evening by John Dean, Nixon's Counsel, about the only 'Watergate' figure who tried to stop the coverup and who told the truth in the hearings, grand juries and criminal courts. His discussion was fascinating. he & another transcribed the entire tapes. The National Archives had listened and categorized the conversations but did nothing about putting them into writing. It's the basis for his new book, "The Nixon Defense".
 
Was that Dean talk part of the lecture series in Greensboro? Can't remember the name of the series-- Bryant?
 
jeffbear said:
I suspect I'll break down and go to Oz eventually. It's just about the last place on my travel bucket list that I haven't checked off.
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I did it 28 years ago. I spent 3 weeks there for work and then another week on vacation. Traded down from first class to coach so my wife could join me for the last week. Our flight out got screwed up so we went LA-Honolulu-Sydney instead, so if you don't want to do the LA-Sydney non-stop it's an option. Took the Sydney-LA non-stop on the way home...loooooong flight.
 
June 28- July 19:

Raleigh to Indianapolis
Indianapolis to Forreston, IL (2 days)
Forreston IL to Kewaskum WI (2 weeks) - Brewers Game in Milwaukee, Dundee Ice Age Visitor Center, Kewaskum Fireworks on July 3, Milwaukee County Zoo, + many other side trips.
Kewaskum WI to Horse Cave, KY (1 night) Mammoth Cave!
Horse Cave KY to Nashville, TN (day trip) Johnny Cash Museum, and lunch
Nashville to Kodak TN (1 night)
Kodak TN to Chataloochee, NC in Great Smokey Mountains National Park (day trip) Saw an Elk. Weather was great!
Chataloochee to Raleigh, NC ..

3,200 Miles on the Truck
 
SlapShots said:
Was that Dean talk part of the lecture series in Greensboro? Can't remember the name of the series-- Bryant?
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No, it was at Quail Ridge Books and we got to chat a bit, too. He is very gracious. We didn't subscribe to the Bryan series this past season as we weren't all that enthused by the speakers but next season is outstanding: Ron Howard, Bill Bryson, Robert Reich, Margaret Attwood and Anderson Cooper.
 
*AH* said:
No, it was at Quail Ridge Books and we got to chat a bit, too. He is very gracious. We didn't subscribe to the Bryan series this past season as we weren't all that enthused by the speakers but next season is outstanding: Ron Howard, Bill Bryson, Robert Reich, Margaret Attwood and Anderson Cooper.
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A friend went and said the tape that Dean played really put Watergate in a much harsher light for her-- said the excerpt made the actions all the more real and thus, more sinister. Are you on a mailing list for Quail Ridge? I was a steady customer for years when the store was on Falls and then it moved over to Wade Avenue it was less accessible to me and once Nancy sold it, I really got out of the loop. I wish I had gone as it sounded absolutely gripping.
 
For the record, Quail Ridge Books is now owned by some friends of mine, the Poole family, and STILL well worth supporting with your trade. They still run the visiting authors events on a regular basis ... usually three or four per week. You can subscribe to an email newsletter or follow them on Facebook or Twitter for updates.
 
jeffbear said:
For the record, Quail Ridge Books is now owned by some friends of mine, the Poole family, and STILL well worth supporting with your trade. They still run the visiting authors events on a regular basis ... usually three or four per week. You can subscribe to an email newsletter or follow them on Facebook or Twitter for updates.
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The N&O article about the sale to the Poole family (wife) conveyed her intentions to maintain Nancy Olsen's standards. It really was more a matter of location than anything. Once it was moved from Millbrook@Falls (years ago) the frequency of my visits dropped off. Good move on Nancy's part to get next to the then Wellspring and now Whole Foods. I like independent bookstores and rue the day they all become extinct. By the way, I did track down their web site and got on their mailing list.
 
Yeah ... they needed to get down closer to the colleges to have any chance of keeping enough foot traffic to survive. It's a close run thing in terms of profitability, but the Pooles see it as a labor of love and have plenty of other business interests to help prop things up.
 
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