Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone! Whoo hoo!

PhotoHunt: Twelve (Happy Holidays Everyone!)

Sometimes you have to look back to know where you came from, where you are going and to appreciate what you have . . .

I took this photo on a quiet beach in Scotland near a very small town called Arisaig. Surprisingly, there were twelve footprints in this photo and I didn't even have to crop it. He he!


I enjoyed a nice walk along the shores overlooking the islands of Eigg and Rum. Across from the beach, the beautiful Traigh golf course ...


I was the only one on that beach and although it was very nice, I remember it felt a little strange being there by myself. But then there were these three buddies golfing nearby and every now and then they'd yell out to get my attention. Here's a nice photo of one of them.


At one point during my walk, I turned back and saw my footsteps and it reminded me so much of that poem "Footsteps in the Sand" by Mary Stevenson.

I chose my footsteps in the sand photo for this last PhotoHunt theme of the year, because I thought it was so appropriate.

As 2009 draws to an end, I look back at the past twelve months that flew by. And I think about the many wonderful things to remember like my awesome trip to beautiful Scotland just this past November . . . spending the holidays with my sister . . . and although it's been a long time coming . . . .how about the exciting change that came in January with the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. That was awesome! . . . with the encouragements of my blogging friends, I joined this cool cooking group on Slow Talk and learned how to improve my cooking (so Slow Talk not only improved the way I travel, thanks to my fellow Slow Travelers I am now a better cook) . . . there was also our B2V race with crazy moments like getting stuck in soft gravel at 2:30 am in the morning. While in Vegas before the race, I remember placing a bet on the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball game. They unfortunately lost that night, but in the end Annie's Tar Heels became 2009's National Champions . . . I was also lucky to participate in a couple of annual projects again this year that is always rewarding to me . . . and then last week I won at bowling with a score of 88 . . . Twelve months of memorable moments that made me smile and laugh and even cry.

But as always, what I think about and value most of all is how fortunate I am to have such wonderful people in my life. I realize that no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I always have the support of my sister and her family, my good friends and my co-workers, I have the values and opportunities that my parents gave and instilled in me, I have my beliefs and I have the knowledge, inspiration and encouragements from my wonderful blogging friends . . . . I am so thankful.

I want to wish everyone a very wonderful Holidays and a Happy, Safe and Healthy New Year!

PhotoHunt: Fast

"If you find yourself moving too fast, slow down and remember what is most important in your life and always keep them in focus". ~ Trekcapri :)


For practice one day, I took a photo of this fast moving metro car at the Civic Center metro stop in downtown Los Angeles!

BTW, since when did "bowling" become this cool kind of thing to do...


I attended a Holiday Party at this new hip hang out called "Lucky Strike". They had a bar, a DJ, these cool neon lights, servers to bring you your food and drinks, these nice cushy chairs, large flat screen monitors and computerized scoring . . . Bowling, has sure changed from when I remembered it to be. And among the group of 20 contestants and with a whopping score of 88, I was the winner. We were all pretty bad! :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their Holidays so far. I have two events done, with two more to go. It's been intense, but I'm done with my shopping, I'm having a good time and I'm staying "in focus"...I'm also looking forward to spending the Holidays with my sister! Yay!


See more PhotoHunters HERE!

Slow Travel Sunday Slow Bites: SSB #15 - Artichokes

This week's ingredient is Artichoke and it was selected by fellow Slow Traveler, SharonL. Thank you so much Sharon for selecting this week's delicious ingredient.

I decided to go with a recipe that I found on the Internet called Artichoke Salsa from All Recipes.com. I followed this quick and simple recipe and totally loved it. I liked it so much I plan on making it again for an upcoming potluck.


Ingredients

1 (6.5 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, onion, olives, garlic, salt, and pepper. Serve chilled, or at room temperature, with tortilla chips.

For more Sunday Small Bites (SSB) recipes, visit the Slow Talk Website.

Slow Travel Sunday Small Bites: SSB# 11 - Ginger

This week's ingredient is Ginger (one of my favs) and it was selected by fellow Slow Traveler and Blogger, Palma, Palmabella's Passions, Thank you so much Palma for selecting this week's delicious ingredient.

I decided to go with a recipe that I found on the Internet called Honey Ginger Shrimp from All Recipes.com. I followed the simple recipe changing it only to reduce the portions. I liked the combination of flavors (it had some kick) in this recipe and it was pretty easy and quick to make.


Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon honey
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and honey; cook and stir until fragrant. Add the shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring as needed, until shrimp are pink and opaque. Serve immediately.

For more Sunday Small Bites (SSB) recipes, visit the Slow Talk Website.

PhotoHunt: Undesirable

A couple of very "Undesirable" things one might encounter in the Santa Monica Mountains. Yikes!


I think I would much rather encounter the cute sheep (which won't give me any kind of disease) and the pretty Highland cows (which I totally "know" I can out run more than a Mountain Lion) that I encountered while visiting Scotland. And how can I resist not giving you a short preview of my Scotland souvenirs. :)


By my early post, you can probably tell that I'm so glad to be back on PhotoHunt!


See more PhotoHunters HERE!

Time to Say Good-Bye . . .

Well, it’s hard to believe that today is my last full day here in Scotland and I return home tomorrow morning. First, I would like to take this time to say “Thank You” so much to everyone who took the time to read and leave such kind comments on my blog for the past 3 weeks! I really appreciate it a lot.

Scotland has been a place of great interest for me for a very long time and I am so happy that I finally got to see it. And what a wonderful and memorable experience!

Last year, someone commented on my blog entry I did from Spain that it sounded like I left a part of me in a small town called Ronda. I agreed with him. This year, I am certain that is also true for Scotland. I also believe that Scotland has left a part of itself in me.

In Glasgow, I enjoyed the beauty of art and received my first introduction to Scotland and the Scottish culture. Here in some of their amazing museums, I learned that Scotland is responsible for producing several great inventions, thinkers, literary geniuses and talented artists.

On this trip, I surprised myself for taking the leap and learning to drive on the left side of the road for the first time. But once I conquered my fears I was rewarded with the experience of driving the very beautiful “Road to the Isles” where I passed by several great and meaningful monuments and structures. I saw a quaint white church that brought a beautiful movie called “Local Hero” to life for me (Thank you so much AnnieNC for recommending this wonderful movie). I walked along the silver sands of Morar and enjoyed nightly conversations in the bar/restaurant in this family owned hotel in a small village called Arisaig. I was one of the few tourists there and sat among mostly locals who were there just to eat dinner and play pool. It was popular because of the great food served and because most places have already closed for the winter and my hotel was one of the few with a restaurant that was still open. I then visited the beautiful Isle of Skye with its majestic hills and beautiful Lochs and bays. The life is slow here and the scenery is breathtaking. I had a chance to finally see some very cool Highland Cows (thanks AnnieNC for introducing me to them) and Sheep. And then there was this beautiful deer I saw sitting at the bottom of a waterfall eating, Trudy the rabbit and little Molly the hotel manager’s pet puppy on the Isle of Skye.


I became an expert driving single track roads and sampled some smokey Single Malt Whisky from the Talisker Distillery. I have to say that it has some serious kick to it! I enjoyed the experience a lot. (Thank you so much Sandra for the tour idea). Being inspired by bloggers Candi, Marta and Maya, on this trip I tried to do something a little different and ventured on some short walks and it was awesome. It was cold during my little walks but I still seemed to break a sweat a couple of times, but that was probably mainly due to the “fear”, rather than the heat! :) All kidding aside it was a wonderful and adventurous experience that I would really like to do more of in future trips. I would say that the weather I experienced in the Highlands will also be remembered for years to come. My hair will especially remember it! I basically followed the locals and learned to walk in the rain and wind without running for cover. I actually brought my umbrella but never used it once. I remember seeing a beautiful full rainbow for the very first time and that made me think of all my blogging friend’s blogs like Anne, Barb, Maria, Annie, Leslie, Nancy, Sandra, Flygirl, Girasoli, Candi, Marta, Maya, Cindy, Eden, Sheri, Amy and all of my favorite bloggers who have such beautiful blogs.

I also ate very well (Thanks again Marta for sharing your magazine with me-Not sure if you already left yet for Oahu) and I was able to enjoy several great meals throughout my trip. Salmon, Sole, Haddock, prawns and a nice Scottish breakfast without the bacon and sausage. :) Sorry to say that I was not able to find the vegetarian restaurant to sample that famous Haggis dish. Being a part of a cool cooking group inspired by bloggers like Cindy, Maria, AnnieNC, Candi, Nancy, Jerry, Deborah, Whistlestop Café, Amy, Sheri and all the SSB members I think I have appreciated the food that I was eating much more. BTW, I have enjoyed drinking a lot of hot tea here and even liked it with milk in it which I have never tried before.



I slept at the base of the highest Mountain peak (Ben Nevis) in the UK and yet never actually saw it! :)

And finally, I end my Great Scottish Adventure in the bustling and history packed city of Endinburgh where I climbed to the City’s highest point, I walked the Royal mile from a Castle to a Palace and dined in these cool pubs like “World’s End” (what a name) and Deacon’s Tavern, I visited the smallest chapel (St. Margaret’s Chapel) I have ever seen. It is small yet large in charm and significance. Like the churches in Venice, this chapel will always hold a tender spot in my heart for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the festivities of St. Andrews, Endinburgh Patron Saint and saw this cool Art Car Parade, fireworks and some great entertainment. I sang with a choir and other locals during the blessing of the city’s Nativity Scene in St. Andrews Square. In the final days of my stay, I visited the Museum of Childhood, the Writer’s Museum, I saw a statue of a Skye Terrier dog (Greyfriars Bobby) who was so dedicated to his owner that he sat by his grave site for 14 years before his own death, I shopped at St. James Shopping Center, I walked and walked and walked to admire the amazing architecture of the Old and New,



and finally inspired by Menehune’s recent trip and seeing a play in London, I went to see this dynamic musical called “We Will Rock You” which was playing at the Edinburgh’s Playhouse Theatre. It was totally awesome!


Here’s my quick review of the play/musical “We Will Rock You”. If you are a fan of Freddie Mercury, the band Queen and love a great comedy/musical then this is the play for you! The premise is interesting! In our present day of increasing technology, the plot starts in the future where real instruments and Rock and Roll is banned (AI’s Simon Cowell was even mentioned! :). There is a character called Galileo Figueroa :) who plays the dreamer and he hears these lyrics in his head. And he and the Bohemians (aka the “Resistance”) join forces to try to revive “real” Rock-n-Roll and full fill an ancient promise! They mention rock and roll greats throughout the play and there was even one poignant moment while the song “Only the Good Die Young” when they mention all the great artists of our time who have since passed away. Bob Marley, Elvis, John Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, Freddie Mercury and I loved how they also included Michael Jackson. By the end of the show, you will find yourself singing along with “We are the Champions” and clapping to the beat of “We Will Rock You”! They are playing here in Edinburgh until January 4, 2010 and then they will be moving on to London.

Back to my trip . . . as always, the people I have met while traveling have been a big part of my travel experience. Locals, hotel staff, shop owners and fellow travelers. It never fails that when I travel, someone shows great generosity and kindness when I most needed it.

Much thanks to Slow Traveler Deborah , the Slow Talk United Kingdom Forum and Pauline Kenny’s travel site, Slow Europe. It was their links to Undiscovered Scotland that led me to the wonderful apartment that I was lucky to find in Edinburgh. If it was not for Pauline creating Slow Travel in the first place and creating such a wonderful community of fellow travelers including some amazing solo travelers, I would not have had the courage to travel solo independently. And now I have so much more confidence as a result and I have learned that nothing is really that impossible to do if you have the passion and desire to do them.

So the question is how does Scotland rate in comparison to Italy and Spain and all the other places I’ve visited. Well, I have finally decided to stop making comparisons. I just think that each and every place has something wonderful and unique to offer and to compare one place to the other seems impossible and unfair.

I was quite pleased with the itinerary I did and have no regrets. The driving, the towns I selected to base myself in and the pace of my trip. I think it provided me the time to get a good look at the wide variety of special things that Scotland has to offer a traveler.

So would I recommend Scotland to someone else? Yes I would! It is a beautiful place to visit and the Scottish people are so generous and friendly! And the Highlands is a must. Even now when I think back to my time there only last week it almost feels like a dream because the peacefulness and visual of the scenery there seem almost perfect. And if I could, I would do it all over again.

Thank you Scotland! It was a fun and memorable experience! Thanks again everyone. And to my blogging friends, I have missed reading everyone’s blogs and I am really looking forward to catching up with all of you when I get home. I hope that you all had a wonderful Holidays and I’ll be talking to you soon!

And for those of you who have already seen “Local Hero” (particularly the end of the movie), you will understand this last photo that I am posting while on the road!



And now, I can’t wait to see where my Dreams will lead me to next . . . :)