I loaned my camera cable to Troy the robot (who talks about poetry while you're trying to run up a hill), so this update too will be image-free, at least for now. Sorry about that.

Here's the weekend update:

Friday afternoon was laundry time. I had managed to get along pretty well thanks to Abbie's packing skillz, but the others were in dire straits. Alex was wearing, as I recall, a bathing suit, scuba flippers, and an overcoat... and Paul was wearing several artfully-folded towels. Alex took the lead on this project and, in a moment of extreme generosity of spirit, let me continue to nap instead of sending me down to switch the machines when it was my turn. Even several days later I continue to remember that nap with great tenderness.

We managed (barely!) to get the laundry finished in time to go out that evening wearing 'normal' clothes. Rania, our tutor, had invited us out to a spanky place. It was too hot, and the chairs were big and tall and made you wobble around because of their strange design. It was difficult to avoid spilling your drink... you had the feeling that you were in a windy treetop. Anyway, we entertained ourselves with Paul's riddles and made it an early evening.

Saturday. We got up early and caught a bus to Inverness, about four hours to the north in the midst of the highlands. We ate Indian food for lunch and walked down the Ness to a fairground where highland games were being played. There were huge dudes in kilts, and they threw trees, stones, and hammers around. More on this later when I put the pictures up--but suffice it to say we had a very good time. We got in around eleven, picked up a pizza, and called it a night.

Sunday. The trio / clique of Paul, Alex, and Sam underwent an expansion! We were joined by Chrissy, who's a very nice, sharp, thoughtful person from our seminar who wants to be an English teacher when she grows up. Poor thing. We hiked up the Castlehill to start a bus tour of Fife and St. Andrews, and were joined by Paul's mom and stepdad, who've flown over to visit him. They are patient, kind, good-humored people. Our bus driver was a bit wacky--freely sharing his opinions on whether women should play rugby and whether Tiger is a team-player--and we got special enjoyment from defying his orders: he had said that this was a twenty-minute 'photographic and comfort stop' and certainly not a lunch stop. But we were on the coast of Fife, where Fish And Chips deserve to be capitalized... and Paul and I knew that it was a moment that must be seized. We burned our mouths, and I'm sure we looked like hyenas swirling around their prey, but it was all worth it. St. Andrews was very cool--much more to see than just the golf stuff, and the weather continues to be beautiful. We taught Chrissy to play euchre in a pub that afternoon while Mr. and Mrs. Hewes watched golf with all the locals. On the whole, a good day--though maybe not as spectacular as the highland games. And we actually got a decent night's sleep for once.

Today we're planning to head to Rosslyn Chapel (of Da Vinci Code fame) which we hope will be cool and not lame. Then the four of us are going to eat with the Heweses somewhere on the Royal Mile before I have to go home and work on my presentation... a course requirement and something of a source of dread, I must admit. I'm supposed to talk about The Waste Land for fifteen minutes, with no clear idea of what I'm supposed to accomplish. Oh well--this too shall pass.

I continue to love and miss all of you and, as much fun as this has been, I'm excited to be heading in your direction in less than a week. Leave a comment if you can.