Vacations can add many experiences to our lives–some challenging, as I wrote about in my previous post, and some beautiful, to be treasured forever.

After two weeks in the Scottish Highlands, Chris and I relocated to the Lowlands. We rented a cottage near the city of Dunfermline, about twenty miles from Stirling. Our new home was a half mile down a dirt road, on the outskirts of the village of Powmill, centrally located between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“The city of Stirling is known as the Gateway to the Highlands since this is where the Scottish Lowlands meet the Highland Boundary Fault line.” More details about Stirling, the original capital of Scotland, can be found here. The whole area is a treasure to explore. During our three weeks there, we enjoyed beautiful drives, walking paths, and of course, plenty of golfing opportunities.

Chris’s friends and family live within an hour’s drive in the towns of Uddingston, East Kilbride, Falkirk, Grangemouth, and Prestonpans. While Scotland is my husband’s homeland, and he has dreams of retiring there, his kith and kin have done their best to make it feel like home to me, too.

We had many wonderful visits with them and were treated to delicious home-cooked meals and lovely dinners out. Friendships are truly life’s greatest treasures!

Alan and Rebecca joined us in touring The Kelpies, a popular tourist attraction. The Kelpies are two, 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures, the largest equine sculptures in the world. They are a monument to Scotland’s horse-powered industrial heritage. They’re also part of the lore of Scottish legends. Kelpies are shape-changing aquatic spirits that haunt rivers and streams. “But beware…these are malevolent spirits! The kelpie may appear as a tame pony beside a river. It is particularly attractive to children – but they should take care, for once on its back, its sticky, magical hide will not allow them to dismount! Once trapped in this way, the kelpie will drag the child into the river and then eat him.” I found more myths detailing their dreadful antics online. And there you have it–treasured tales for children and adults alike.

Ten years ago, I reconnected with the Finlayson family, who had lived two houses up the hill from us at Egbe. They had four sons, a little younger than me, and it’s been fun to visit some of the family each year. Tosin and Ogaga Esharefasa live in Aberdeen with their two children, who now call us Grandma and Grandpa. Meeting up with friends from my homeland, Nigeria, is a special kind of treasure–the next best thing to being there.

As I’m writing my memoir and leading a critique group at home in Castro Valley, I was excited to join the Scottish Fellowship of Christian Writers in Stirling. Everyone was warm and welcoming, and I have found that people are the same the world over. The twenty of us in attendance each had a chance to share about what we were writing. It felt so much like our WCCW conference back home, just a wee bit smaller. I enjoyed lunch with two members, Wendy Jones and Sheena Macleod. Wendy is a prolific writer, well-known for her Detective Inspector Shona McKenzie series. I treasure these writing connections between California and Scotland.

Favorite foods–eating them over and over–are a unique treasure. Scotland offers many gluten-free entrees and desserts, so I had many options. In Dunfermline, I ate fish and chips daily (actually, no chips for me, but deep-fried cod, sausages, fishcakes, and onion rings). Chris confessed to having a Scotch pie, the Scottish equivalent of a hamburger, nearly every day.

When we said goodbye to Scotland, we flew to London. Then we drove an hour northeast to stay at the Hanbury Manor, our favorite Marriott hotel in the town of Ware, for three days. Several years ago, I discovered a hidden treasure in England, the secret garden at The Hanbury. Each time we visit, I stroll through the peaceful garden, which takes me back to a happy memory from childhood. In March 2022, I described this treasure more in a blog post.

After Chris slipped the key card into the slot and pushed open the door to our room, I exclaimed, “This is the same room we had last month when we arrived.” I grinned and sighed deeply. “This feels almost like home. Let’s ask for this room next year.” Chris laughed. To my husband, that might be a little obsessive.

In my previous post, I shared how I felt unsettled, discombobulated, and out of sorts with all this travel. Six weeks is too long to be away from home. It isn’t a vacation, it’s a move–a relocation. Chris has been very understanding and books us into the same hotels and cottages each year, so every place we stay is familiar.

We enjoyed a day outing to the Isle of Wight, driving two hours to Portsmouth at the southern tip of England. Then we took a ferry to the island to visit Rosemary MacDonald, a friend from my high school in Nigeria. She lives in Sandown, a charming seaside resort. I treasured our catching-up conversations as we walked down to a cafe on the beach promenade in the perfect, sunny-but-not-too-hot weather.

During our time in Scotland, I continued to connect via phone calls and messages with the other KA Alumni on our Survivors Committee. Together, we’re working to liaise with the mission to come up with a plan to address the historic harm and abuse experienced by many of the children at Kent Academy. Building friendships over shared experiences with others from our boarding school has been an unexpected treasure.

Fortunately for me, Chris also felt the pull to return home because Little League was in dire need of his umpire services. So we’ve agreed that one month will work well for both of us next year. Phew! Do you remember last year? Chris was negotiating for “half the year” in Scotland, and I was trying to whittle it down to three months

I wish you many treasured moments wherever your holiday travels take you.