I made it back from Scotland in one piece after a great week with my friends. I had never been to the home of Robert Burns, William Wallace and haggis but I come back with an appreciation for the place. The thing that strikes you right away is the history of the country and how they have preserved much of it. Centuries old stone buildings are still in use as homes, offices and hotels. Ancient ruins and cemeteries are preserved. Playing the golf courses where the game as we know it began was a humbling experience. Links golf on undulating fairways with deep rough and dastardly pot bunkers everywhere is extremely difficult. And then there's the wind…40 MPH at some places. My golf ball supply was much depleted on the return trip. My game was nowhere near good enough to score well so I just kept swinging and enjoyed the views. And the views are spectacular. From St. Andrews to the Highlands…the coast line views just kept topping each other. Driving through the Highlands reminded me of the foothills of the Rockies…with sheep farms dotting the landscape. And don't let anyone tell you the food in Scotland is no good. We ate well at almost every place we went…fresh seafood and lamb…and haggis. I know that some of you gag at the sound of the ingredients of the dish but I'm here to tell you…It's good! We had it the first morning we were there and my friend Myles ended up eating in 3-4 more times during the week. To my palate it tastes like meatloaf and when mixed with Neeps & Tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes) is a tasty treat. Great beer in the pubs (Belhavens Best was a personal favorite although Tennants was a go to choice for much of the week) . The ability to avoid the nonsense of the US presidential race for a week (although some of the caddies were curious about how Trump could rise this far). Watching the Olympics in the pubs as the British rugby teams won matches was a lot of fun and just hanging out with my long-time friends for a whole week was a special treat. if you are a golfer you should plan on making the trip…but even if you don't golf…go anyway . You will enjoy it.
Haven't followed much of the American sports scene for a week although the internet was available. The British and Scottish papers (still full sized and packed with stories, unlike their American counterparts) were full of soccer stories (their pro season is just starting up) and cricket (which is just incomprehensible to me) and of course the Olympics.
Believe it or not the high school fall sports season has begun and the football begins on Friday night. My first broadcast will be Friday night as Wausau East travels to Beele Stadium in Marshfield.
Songs Of The Day (from my I-pod)
