New Member of the family

No, certainly not more children ;-).....

Since Scott is, well, "fixed" (and he recommends the procedure to all of his male friends who are done with having kids), it couldn't be more children. Plus having more children at our age would frankly kill us.

No, I succumbed to the numerous request from Erica and Brian and we adopted a new kitten. Her name is Hannah and she is a short haired tabby who looks much like Rascal, our other cat.



Speaking of Rascal, she doesn't quite like Hannah and we have to keep them separated from each other, but we see some signs of promise - they have been in the same room together and Rascal has managed NOT to hiss at Hannah. We are just taking it slow with the assimilation.

Apart from a couple of whiny evenings, Hannah has adjusted to living with us - she now curls up with us while we are watching TV and no longer jumps on top of the countertops. Erica and Brian really enjoy having a kitten who doesn't snub them (Rascal is just OLD and sleeps all day long).

15th Anniversary!

Today is our 15th wedding anniversary!

Married on a beautiful fall day in Massachusetts.

Scott wrote up some Anniversary memories in the card he gave me:

1st Anniversary - Cruel denial of a golf outing - on the 11th! (Parkersburg, WV)
My response - it was our "Anniversary Weekend", and of course I didn't want him to be playing golf on Friday night!

5th Anniversary - Erica was only 3 months old - Evansville, IN (and he draws a cute picture of a little baby)

10th Anniversary - French Lick (and he draws a picture of us playing golf)

15th Anniversary - Chicago - Wicked (and he draws a very good picture of the Wicked Witch of the West)

20th - ??

25th - ??

Well, we haven't "done" the 15th Anniversary Wicked trip yet - that is this coming weekend and we are really looking forward to it.

Quick summary of Scotland

The good:
Pretty nice weather (Wednesday was sunny and 70 degrees)
Absolutely gorgeous landscape and scenery
A beautiful bride and groom
A wonderful new branch of the Chang family
Kilts everywhere!

The bad:
Airline delays and more airline delays
Getting to see every terminal in the Newark Airport (never a good thing)
US Dollar exchange rate to the British pound and prices in Scotland

The ugly:
Narrow winding roads in Scotland
Our drive from Glasgow to Oban - Brian got sick in the car

But overall, it was a great experience and we really like Andrew and wish he and Michele a wonderful life together.

Now for some pictures:

On route to Dunstaffnage Castle, a hike along the Western coast of Scotland





We stayed at the Ganavan Sands Holiday park, in the cabins seen off in the distance to the right:


My sister and her family


On our hike, we encountered some sheep:


On the Isle of Kerrera:


The bride and groom - on the ferry ride to Mull


Another family picture at Glengorm Castle grounds, on the Isle of Mull:


Glengorm Castle, where the Reception was held. It is also a B&B and we were one of the lucky ones who stayed overnight.



Led by cousin Theo, all of the men and boys participate in traditional Scottish dancing. Brian stands out in this sea of kilts.


Another Castle, as seen on our ferry ride from Mull to Oban: