Puffins and Goodbyes

The sun was shinning in North Berwick, Scotland for our last day together.  From Edinburgh we drove to the Scottish Seabird Center for a run on the beach and a trawl through the lovely little seaside village.  

When it's time to say goodbye to the boys we feel like we've left a piece of 

ourselves somewhere or other.  For days after we wander about wondering 

where the car keys are, where our phones are, where our wallets are and 

eat nothing but fish and chips.  It's maddening being with them.  

There's boy smells and boy sounds.  There's wrestling and shouting.  

A banana is a lethal weapon.  It's constant packing and unpacking.  

It's up a mountain and back down again.  It's lost swimsuits and goggles.  

It's action movies and fart jokes.  And yet.  It's what makes us Clan Flett.  

Until next time then...  we can't wait!  

On The Fringe

A Clan Flett summer wouldn't be complete without a trip to Edinburgh's Fringe Festival and Royal Military Tattoo.  Rain or shine, we pounded The Royal Mile, taking in the best of those living on the fringe.  Street performers, musicians, actors, singers, magicians, acrobats and all around weirdos.  

Can you find the boys in the picture below?  They crawled in front of the crowd to take in a fire-breathing, mono-cycling, strip-tease doing the cha-cha.  

The Massed Pipes and Drums at Edinburgh's Military Tattoo 

- the light show on the castle is highlight of the show.  

Successful geocache trip at Greyfriars Bobby's Kirk - Bobby was the 

faithful Skye Terrier who spent 14 years at his master's grave.

Robin Hood and His Merry Men

An 8 hour drive down from the north of Scotland with 7 stops for a pee 

(thank goodness for hedgerows).  Not soon enough, we entered Nottinghamshire 

where we were warmly welcomed by Robin Hood.  

An action packed week of archery, tree climbing and geocaching.  

2 noteworthy bike crashes - Eddie's bum took 3 weeks to recover and 

Connor's ego even longer - though really, 

it was the telephone pole we should have been worried about.  

Uncle Robert of Newark, Nottingham, presented Master Alex and Master Connor 

with their very own geocoin from Help for Heroes.  

This coin will travel the world with Alex and Connor, charting their journeys.  

We're Back!

Dear loyal fans,

We're so sorry to have kept you waiting for a new post.  But!  

We've all been super busy over the last three weeks.  

Alex and Connor got to move into their new house in Newcastle with their mom where they unpacked and moved into their new bedrooms.  They've cycled around their new neighborhood, 

where they found a great hill that has a bumpy ride.  

Dad, meanwhile, spent most of our time apart on a 747 flying back and forth 

between China and the rest of the world.  

Particular highlight was the 24-7 table tennis and badminton Olympic showcase on Chinese TV

 - he's now fluent in Mandarin - or at least when it comes to scoring a match point.  

Erica and her mom flitted about Europe, 

drinking wine in France, limoncello in Italy and martinis in Croatia.  Bliss.  

Not to worry though, we all found our way back to each other again and the world has 

rightened itself up.  Here's a small update of our most recent adventures...  

Our first activity back with Clan Flett - hiking up to Dunnottar Castle in dad's hometown 

of Stonehaven in Scotland.  That's grandma's dog, Pebbles, with us.  

A day out wouldn't be complete without a geocache!

Here we are at Stonehaven's War Memorial on Black Hill.

From Stonehaven we drove to the Highlands where we star gazed late into the night

 - who would have thought the roof of the car would have been so cozy!

A sunny afternoon in Drumnadrochit, Scotland, rambling about. 

 

 

Another sunny afternoon (two in a row in Northern Scotland!!!) 

at the Strathpeffer Highland Gatherings 

 

A windy day on Loch Ness - getting ready to cross the water!  

Tree houses and Pirates

On Friday we visited Palmetto Bluff Inn in Bluffton, South Carolina.  

After a full week on the island we'd all come to the conclusion that the mossy oak trees 

this far south are the most fantastic trees 

- and we were itching to climb them.   

The Inn at Palmetto Bluff was paradise - tree houses galore! 

We didn't even mind our scrapped knees.   

From Bluffton we headed over to Savannah.  

We enjoyed walking around on River Street 

and popping into the touristy shops.  

After a painfully BORING ghost tour in Savannah
(not a single bone rattled or scream shattered the drone of our
BORING tour guide as he rattled on about southern belles
jumping in the Savannah river to escape their cloistered lives)...  

We headed to the Pirate House for booty and cocktails
(seriously $7 for a kid's peachy treasure!)

Eddie was still bored.  

One in the Hand is Better Than Two in the Bush

Our new background is in honor of Alex - he's the next Donald Trump!!! 

Today Eddie and I came to the shocking realization that we simply can't have it all.  

As we circled Sea Pines, looking at real estate, we mulled over the knowing that our time in the mountains is limited, our time on the beach is limited, our time with the boys is limited, our time with family is limited...  No doubt we live a lucky life.  We travel continuously, live abroad, love each other, enjoy each other's families...  Still, in the small moments when we're not running to catch a connecting flight, jumping on a train, returning a rental car or packing a bag we can't help but wish for a smaller existence.  One that would give us the joy of spending weekends with the boys and holidays with family.  A life that doesn't require a different cell phone for the four different continents we rotate around.  And yet.  By our third loop on Maple Lane, we knew instinctively that life would come around for us in it's own time.  That for now, we live the way we do so that the boys can go to Newcastle School for Boys, so that we can discover each other while discovering new cultures, new food, new friends, good beer.  

It will be hard for me to say goodbye to this place.  To the Oak groves and the shrimp boats.  But this island isn't going anywhere and that knowing fills me with more confidence than mastering a level 3 yoga class in Beijing with a Chinese instructor.  

The boys back from their second day of Sailing Camp - off the water just in time for a storm

The rain clouds weren't going to stop them - chairs and boogie boards at the ready 

Able bodies 

Sun set off our deck this evening - kayakers in full force 

Eddie getting dinner ready 

The boys set a lovely table - their sunflowers made all the difference 

Erica's Bliss

The Low Country is where my heart is.  The place I am most wanted.  

It is where Eddie met my family for the first time, where I fed the seagulls with my grandpa Wendell, where I shop with my mom, bike with my dad, play football with my brother.  And now it's where Alex and Connor geocache, hurl themselves into the waves, bury each other with wet sand, devour barbecue, cheer on the dolphins and count the stars at night.  

Life Is Good