Old friends and new golf courses

My cousin Jessie and her husband Alex arrived Friday. Actually, Jessie is my dad’s first cousin. Jessie’s dad and my grandmother were brother and sister. They were born in Embo. Jessie’s dad never left Embo, but my grandmother married my grandfather during the First World War and came to live in Canada. Teenie (her name was Christina) was able to get back to Embo for a few visits during her life, and my dad finally made it over to Scotland in 1979. Jessie lives in England (near the Lake District). Don and I lived in England for three years in the early 80’s and spent Christmas with Jessie in England and summer holidays with Jessie in Embo. Yesterday Jessie and Alex took us to a scrumptious “carvery,” a buffet at a swish hotel in Tain. Here’s a picture of the dessert tower:



After that incredible meal, we visited the home where my grandmother was born, much modernized since the turn of the century. Don and I took advantage of the washing machine there to wash, basically, everything we weren’t wearing. Jessie and I walked along the beach. If you set sail straight across the North Sea from the beach, you’d probably hit Denmark. To the right we could see Tarbut Ness lighthouse in the distance, a spot we visited last week. Jessie informed us that just a few days earlier, a woman had fallen over the cliffs at Tarbut Ness. I’m not surprised—the winds were very strong when we were there. I was in no such danger because a) I’m far too cowardly to go near the edge of a cliff, and b) any hint of cold and I’m back in the car in a shot.
Early yesterday morning, we went to Gospie, a town 5 miles beyond Embo, to try out the golf course. It was a links course built along the North Sea. It was beautifully groomed and very challenging. From every hole you could look up at Ben Braigghie, a huge hill behind Golspie with a monument depicting the Duke of Sutherland at the top. Don and I plan to hike up to the top and take a picture of the monument, but after that meal yesterday, we have to rest a couple days! You can see the Duke, also called “The Mannie,” in this picture:



Oh, I almost forgot. Don shot an 81 and I shot a – Oh no, the computer is warning me that my half hour on the Internet is up. It’s shutting do