Coffee and the Sea

If you follow me on Instagram then you know

the Farmboy and I swept ourselves away to the island

a couple of weeks ago.

 

 

Well, swept may be too swift of a description as we

got on a broken plane

got off a broken plane

waited

got on a working plane

ran 38 gates through an airport

missed a plane

waited

got on another plane

waited

and then got on a 9 seat flying sports car which was flown by a pilot who seemed to find more interest in the state of his manicure than his control panel or what lay outside his windshield.

 

 

{but I would totally do that last plane again... quite exhilarating being in the clouds like that}

{nothing like being on a 747}

 

 

So we went.

It was a much needed time for the over-stressed Farmboy.

{and we don't like our Farmboys over-stressed}

We went and we drank coffee and we stared at the sea.

And life was good.

 

{wait.  that's a pinot grigio and the sea}

 

Until he and my father went diving and I chose not to

for reasons unbeknownst to even myself.

And I missed the eagle rays.

Wait.  Let me be a little more clear about my disappointment.

 

I. MISSED. THE EAGLE RAYS!

 

Three of them.  I even knew they had been hanging around; knew before I ever left home.

And I forgot.

The only thing I wanted to see while there

{except for my parents}

and I forgot about them.

 

{no.  that's a pig swilling a beer}

 

So, I pushed my anguish aside and

I drank more coffee and stared at the sea a little harder.

 

 

I love being at home.

I am a homebody without a doubt.

But I do also so love to go away on an adventure.

I never fail to come home refreshed and full of inspiration.

Even when I miss out on eagle rays.

 

*********

 

Before I sign off, I'd like to say thank you.

Thank you to everyone who helped out with

the online Auction for Oklahoma.

Thank you for placing bids.  Thank you for spreading the word.

You make life a beautiful place to be.

 



Inspiration {Betty In Paris}

I recently received this book as a gift,

so I've started planning of course.

Though I have no idea when we will get to Paris.

 

{Maybe the next time we go to Scotland.  Farmboy?

A week in Paris and a week on Mull?  Hello?  Farmboy?}

 

So until then, I'll continue my list of secret places to visit

and watch Paris through Betty's eyes.

 

Betty In Paris from Olive Us on Vimeo.

When I do get to Paris,
you can bet your britches
the first and last thing I will do
is ride that carousel.

Happy Friday!


 



I Finally Went Out and Bought Some Ink

 

A few weeks ago I found some time

{and finally got out and bought some more ink for the printer}

to finish up the Kingdom of Fife section of my Scotland travel journal.

 

 

It's going to be interesting to look through this book when it's completely finished.

 

 

I've sort of broken it up in sections and as I set aside blocks of time to work in it,

I'm finding that I'm doing slightly different things within the different sections.

 

 

And it seems like what I do depends on what I find myself doing in my other journals at that time.

 

 

Different things such as, applying more layers of paint or more doodling,

 

 

using Copics and charcoal more on the backgrounds

 

 

and even a bit of sketching.

 

 

The amount of time I spend on it in one sitting is playing a role in how it's turning out as well.

 

 

So, yeah.  Looking forward to seeing the finished project.

Though it might be awhile with trying to get caught up and ready with the December Daily books.

 

 

 



A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose {Part II}

{Part I Here}

 

*********

 

The Queen's Coronation

Let me set the scene for you....

 

A small east Texas town. 

85 degrees on a sunny, October, Friday afternoon.

Three friends sitting on warm, metal bleachers with about 50 other people, all locals.

120 yards of green, high school football field turf spread out in front of us.

In rolls a 1965 Plymouth roadster convertible.  There's a young, pretty girl wearing a white prom dress sitting atop the backseat waving at the small crowd.

The car, followed by three more cars each bearing three more girls, comes to a stop.  All of the girls are escorted out of the cars to stand upon a makeshift stage set on the field.

Within the next 30 minutes the girl in white is given a sash with glittering letters stating she is the Rose Queen, a small, but respectful, rhinestone tiara to crown her coiffed curls and a bouquet of red roses is placed in her arms.

 

That is what I expected.

 

{Year of the Dragon}

 

Wrong.

So. Very. Wrong.

 

{shot on the sly- photos weren't allowed during the Coronation}

 

For starters, there wasn't a high school football field anywhere to be seen.  It was held in the Cowan Fine & Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler.

And all 2000 seats were occupied.

And I was very under dressed in jeans and converse tennis.

 

{India- Lotus ~ India- Bengal Tiger ~ India- Maharani}

 

The Tyler Rose Festival, now known as the Texas Rose Festival, began in 1933 by a group of ladies who were members of the town garden club.

Over the years the festival has grown and become more elaborate with events to entertain, such as the Rose Show, a parade, the Queen's Tea and The Queen's Coronation.

{you can read more about the festival here and here}

 

{India- Saffron ~ Japan- Camellia Japonica ~ India- Kathmandu}

 

The queen and her court are all chosen from families who are and have been involved in the festival for years and they play a big part in the four days of rose celebrations.

 

{Japan- Satsuma ~ China- Cloisonne ~ Japan- Madame Monet's Kimono}

 

Each year the festival has a theme-

this year's was Indochine- Year of the Dragon.

 

{Southeast Asia- Bali Hai ~ Japan- Black Pearl ~ Duchess of the Texas Rose Festival- Madame Butterfly}

 

The Coronation was a three hour pageant which began in Asia Minor and traveled through India, Southeast Asia, Japan and China. 

Ending with the presentation and coronation of the queen {the Empress of China} by the president of the festival.

 

{Southeast Asia- Temple of the Emerald Buddha ~ Southeast Asia- Angkor Wat ~ India- Diwali} 

 

The costuming done for this was fantastic.

Cheryl and I had a running commentary going throughout.

And thankfully, I don't think it bothered anyone around us, as others were doing it too.

The two girls next to me were doing as much oohing and ahhing and discussing of the fabrics as we.

Silks, brocades, laces, sequins, braid, fringe, applique, embroidery, beads, stones and jewels.

Every costume sparkled and glittered and threw off rainbows in every direction.

 

{China- Blue Canton ~ Japan- Cherry Blossom ~ Southeast Asia- Anna and the King}

 

The queen's 16 foot long, 7 foot wide, hand applied bead, sequin, stone and jeweled train and the 14-karat gold, hand created jewel flowered crown were the, well, they were the "crowning glory" of the whole show.

A.Mazing.

 

{Japan- Samurai ~ Southeast Asia- Thousand Hands ~ China- Chinese New Year}

 

When it was over all I wanted to do was go home, play dress-up and make crowns and head pieces.

 

{Queen of the Texas Rose Festival- Empress of China}

{Unfortunately, I didn't get a single shot of the queen that is worth showing.

But here's a glimpse of her from the program.}

 

I can not wait for next year.

 

PS. I don't know what's up with these photos.  They were nice and clear before I uploaded them.

I keep fiddling with them, but to no avail.  Oh, well.  Blogger wins this one.

 

 

 



A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose {Part I}

I've lived in Texas all my life... well, with the exception of the first four years of my life.  But that time doesn't really count... I barely remember it.  I'm a Texan and proud to be.

 

Texas is a big state.

{That was a total Texan thing to say- we state the obvious.}

 

 

Speaking of size, have you seen the movie Bernie?  It's set in east Texas and is such a terrible story as far as what happens because it's a true story, but to be honest, it's hilarious because it's SO dead spot on.

One of our favorite characters described Texas as such....

 

"...Texas, which could be five different states, actually.  You got your west Texas out there with a bunch of flat ranches.  Up north ya got the Dallas snobs with their Mercedes.  And then you got Houston, the carcinogenic coast is what I like to call it, all the way up to Louisiana.  Then down south, San Antonio, uh that's where the Tex meets the Mex... like the food.  And then in central Texas ya got "the people's republic of Austin", with a bunch of hairy legged women and those liberal fruitcakes.  Of course I left out the panhandle... a lot of people do, but... Carthage, this is where the South begins.  This is life behind the "pine curtain" and truth be known, it's a good place.  Carthage is in east Texas and it's totally different than the rest of Texas."

 

Hahahahaha... Love it!

{here's a link if you want to watch that bit}

 

 

I kinda got off course there, but not really because it's east Texas I want to tell you about.

 

When the Farmboy and I met, both fairly new divorcees, I was living back in Dallas and he was living in the "ugly, little pink house", as I liked to call it, out in east Texas.

 

 

We dated for over a year and then were engaged for just over another year.

It was a long distance relationship, which included high phone bills and lots of driving the 7 hour round trip, for each of us.

 

 

Tyler, Texas is located about halfway in between from where each of us were living.

 

I've been out there a number of times and the Farmboy, well he had been living out in east Texas for about 20 years or so and had actually lived in Tyler for awhile.

 

 

Tyler is known as "America's Rose Capital" and has an annual rose festival.

It's something I've always wanted to go to, but haven't.  The Farmboy, even having lived in the town, has never been either.

And quite frankly, to my dismay, probably never will.

 

 

So it was with total glee that I, when my best pal Cheryl suggested a girl's weekend during Rose Festival, immediately jumped right on board with that idea.

 

 

We spent two days smelling roses, oohing and ahhing over the Rose Court gowns and giggling.

We had such a fun time, that I think we've decided to make it an annual girl's weekend trip.

 

 

These are just a very few of the photos I took of the Tyler Rose Garden.

At the gardens, on the second day, they held the Rose Queen's Tea.  Which was fantastic, because we got to see all of the Rose Court costumes up close and personal and take photos of the girls, which we weren't allowed to do during the Coronation of the Rose Queen the day before.

 

 

And those photos, I will share with you next time.

I have never seen so many sequins in one place at one time.

 

Till then, have a beautiful Monday.

 

The Noble's Guide to Scotland

Should you happen to find yourself with two weeks of nothing to do and a ticket to Scotland,

but unsure of where to go and what to see,

the Farmboy and I have put together this handy dandy guide of our favorite places, activities, tips and general commentary on traveling the land of lochs and legends...

and men with strong, nice looking legs.

{the Farmboy would like to interject that the last one there was all me and he did not say that}

*********

Part 2: The Kingdom of Fife

The Noble advice for stage 2 of your Scotland trip would be to hop into your rent car and aim it for the Firth of Forth bridge.

{again, good luck fighting the city grid on your way out- especially if there is construction}

Once over that bridge,

and your eyes take in the yellow flower of the gorse shrub everywhere you look,

jump onto the Coastal Trail {aka A921}.

The Coastal Trail will take you through many tiny, quaint fishing towns.

 

  As you pass by the most darling cottages you've ever seen, you will most likely squeal in glee with visions of puttering the rest of your life away in them.

And as you round corners you'll probably squeal again, with eyes closed tight in fear, as your side of the car comes perilously close to the rock wall shouldering the tiny country road, because the driver, unused to driving on the right side of the car, is concerned about grazing the side of the lorry speeding down the opposite lane.

You will tootle through the morning this way, on the Coastal Trail {now aka A921 & Kinghorn Rd} until you come to Kirkcaldy...

where there is a good chance it might just take you two or three tries to get through the multiple round abouts in order to continue on the Coastal Trail {now aka A921 & Esplanade} and then immediately onto A915.  Follow that to A917 on into Pittenweem.

We would also like to advise at this point that is probably a good idea to keep a few snacks in the car so bickering doesn't ensue due to low blood sugar levels.**

And that Kirkcaldy is probably a good place to stop for some lunch...

because by the time you've rolled into Pittenweem one of you may possibly be really, really crabby if you have not invested in those snacks.

However, if all blood sugar levels are a-okay you can probably make it to Pittenweem for lunch without any altercations.

Though there are small restaurants in several of the villages you will pass through on this route, note that most will be closed if you happen to be traveling on a Bank Holiday. 

**See note on snacks.

A hop, skip and a jump from Pittenweem will find you in Anstruther. 

Spending several hours in Anstruther on a daytrip ferry over to the Isle of May,

for a flora and fauna adventure,

is a great place to find yourself on a beautiful, sunny day...

at least that's what we're guessing.

We advise calling ahead to make sure the boats are actually going out to Isle of May instead of just assuming they run everyday and not just on Wednesdays.
Should they not be running, the Scottish Fisheries Museum might just have to do instead.

Anstruther is also a nice place to get "luxury Scottish ice cream". 

The plum cake is a lovely choice.

Eat it outside while walking the pier.  Don't mind the cold and crazy, strong wind.  You can warm up afterwards with a hot cappuccino at the coffee shop across from the pier.

As the day comes to a close we advise staying at a B&B in Crail.
The Hazelton House is a pleasant, cozy stay.

{this is where I got down on my knees and pleaded with the Farmboy to move to Crail}

Before heading out the next morning be sure to take a stroll down the shore path to spend a little time gazing out onto the North Sea.

Afterwards jump back onto the A917, following it all the way into St. Andrews, gasping and yapping on and on about the gorgeousness of the flowering rapeseed fields.

In St. Andrews we advise visiting both St. Andrews Castle and St. Andrews Cathedral.

While at the castle be sure to venture down into the mine/counter mine tunnel if you don't mind small spaces.

And over at the cathedral you might find yourself enthralled with the vast grandness of it... even with only parts and pieces of the architecture still standing.

Activities.

Obviously if you play golf, this is the place to do it, as golf was invented here...
many believe.

Food.

The Glass House Restaurant in St. Andrews.  Nice place for lunch, though the Margarita pizza might not be like what you get at your favorite restaurant at home.

Til next time...

Part 3: Aberdeenshire

*********

All photos: Farmboy Photography

With the exception of photo one and photo four...

those come to us via A Girl with an iPad Photography

{and if your name is Jemellia, don't judge}

 

*********

 

Part 1

 

 

The Farmboy & the Angry Trashman

An Edinburgh Tale

It was 11:30ish PM.  The night was cold and overcast, but dry. 

The Farmboy and his assistant had finished a late evening meal of fish and chips about 45 minutes earlier and now found themselves in the city center- photography equipment in hand.

They were working their way down High Street- the Farmboy shooting the city's architecture and pub crawlers.  He had recently acquired a new wide angle lens and was excited to see what he could capture with it.

Halfway into the pedestrian zone of the street, the farmboy set up his tripod for a full street shot.  As he lined up his shot and depressed the shutter release button he answered the inquisitive, yet slightly inebriated, questions of a young, passing Scot.

It was just a moment after the shutter fired and the young man turned to walk away, that the Farmboy caught the red glint of the phone box out of the corner of his eye.

Ahh, another subject.

He picked up his camera and tripod and moved them to the left- just out front of the telephone box.

The assistant was a little way behind him, unable to move as quickly as he due to her teeth violently chattering, despite the many layers of wool she wore.

As the assistant came up behind the Farmboy, he depressed the shutter release button once again and that's when she heard the growl of a large engine.

They both turned to look at the same time.

A garbage truck.

The assistant moved faster than she thought was possible with frozen appendages and urged the Farmboy to do the same.

"No worries!" he laughed at her, "We're in the pedestrian zone.  He can't come in here."

And then the pedestrian zone pylons began to descend into the pavement of the road.

The garbage truck rolled into the protective area and quickly began picking up speed.

The assistant, arms frantically flailing about, urged the Farmboy to forget about the shot and join her on the sidewalk.

She had seen the flames burning within the driver's eyes.

The driver, rage twisting his features, ignored the 20 feet of road off to his right and made straight for the Farmboy.

The Farmboy held his ground.

 Blowing his jacket and scarf out with the rush of its wind, the garbage truck barreled past him-

with only a foot to spare.

As both pairs of eyes followed after the truck, the assistant exclaimed,

"That's one angry trashman!"

The Farmboy smiled.  He had gotten his shot.

However, his assistant needed a new pair of underpants.

The End