Thing 1: I tried sending you a message explaining exactly why it was deleted, done in private, but your email address bounced as being invalid.

Thing 2: Starting a topic with the express intent of creating an argument is a non-starter. Don't do that.

Thing 3: If you have problems with members, you are welcome to contact me directly to discuss it. It is my job to moderate the board, not yours.

Thing 4: I'm sorry you are not happy. If it makes you feel any better, it did not make me particularly happy to have to drive to an internet cafe while my mother was in surgery in order to deal with a an obvious troll-bait post and get it off the board before it could bloom into yet another round of open hostility. I can't say that I particularly took your happiness into account while doing that.

Ron - hope all is well with your Mom!

Thank you, she is recovering well. It was a procedure to remove wedges of tissue from both of her eyelids, in order to make them droop less because they were obscuring her vision. The doctor tells us she should see about a 30% improvement in overall vision from that, just by not having her iris partially blocked by her eyelids. I am sending her on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Scotland at the end of next month, and I really want her to be able to see the Highlands clearly.

Ron,
My best wishes to your Mother and I hope she makes a full and quick recovery.

Where about in Scotland is she bound? Its such a wonderful part of the world and one of those must visit places even for someone as close to it as me.

It is quite sad that the Summer months always bring out the fools here on JA.com and cause you so much bother and disruption especially at times like this.

Jim

She arrives in Glasgow on July 31st. Her touring plan includes:

Alloway and Grenda Green, with a visit to Carlisle Castle
Abbostford
Edinburgh, with a visit to Holyrood Palace
St. Andrews
Braemar
Inverness
An excursion to Cawdor Castle
An excursion to Dunrobin Castle
A ferry across to the Orkney Islands
Wick
Ullapool
The Isle of Skye with a trip to Dunvegan Castle (Home of the Clan McLeod, no less!)
Glenfinnan
Isle of Mull
Isle of Iona
Inveraray
and then finally back to Glasgow where she flies home.

Like I said, a once-in-a-lifetime trip, at least for a retired American grandma who has never left North America before.

Posted By Ron Miles on 16 Jun 2010 06:54 PM
She arrives in Glasgow on July 31st. Her touring plan includes:

Alloway and Grenda Green, with a visit to Carlisle Castle
Abbostford
Edinburgh, with a visit to Holyrood Palace
St. Andrews
Braemar
Inverness
An excursion to Cawdor Castle
An excursion to Dunrobin Castle
A ferry across to the Orkney Islands
Wick
Ullapool
The Isle of Skye with a trip to Dunvegan Castle (Home of the Clan McLeod, no less!)
Glenfinnan
Isle of Mull
Isle of Iona
Inveraray
and then finally back to Glasgow where she flies home.

Like I said, a once-in-a-lifetime trip, at least for a retired American grandma who has never left North America before.

What a trip that is.

Iona (or Ì Chaluim Chille to give it its correct Gaelic name) is fantastic -if not a little remote. With a population of less than 150 its the place to be for peace and quiet. And is linked in many ways to Dunvegan Castle and the M(a)cLeods.

Skye and Dunvegan Castle for some strange reason has a somewhat magical charm for me . The castle and Clan have many magical myths and legends linked to it. Your Mum will have to check out the Am Bratach Sìth the Fairy flag of the M(a)cLeods.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_Flag

As a side note I always thought (without prejudice) that Skye, the McLeods and there mystic past would have made a fantastic plotline for Mark and his OL series.

What a trip !! I hope your mum enjoys every minute !!! __ I did a DNA test for my last name and I and descended from Scotland __ border reivers __ :^)

Ron I'm glad to know your mother is recovering and has something unforgettable to look forward to once she gets over that recovery hump.

Baz--Actually, when I was plotting Grailstone Gambit I had considered setting the climax on the Isle of Skye, but sort of lost momentum...I had a much bigger book in mind, but the ol' Gold Eagle-generated malaise set in.

Thanks, all.

When I first gave her the itinerary (she is traveling with a guided tour group since I can't come and I wanted to be sure she was in good hands), she got particularly excited about seeing some particular church that was built by the Knights Templar. I forget which one or where.

Me, I'm such an inveterate horror fan that when I think of the Knights Templar I always associate it with Tombs of the Blind Dead. Great movie, blind medieval zombies. What's not to love?

Posted By Ron Miles on 16 Jun 2010 09:05 PM
Thanks, all.

she got particularly excited about seeing some particular church that was built by the Knights Templar. I forget which one or where.

That would be Rosslyn Chapel in Edinburgh.

http://www.scotland.org/a...culture/rosslyn.html

Im still jealous