Ireland

I’m picking back up with the trip I took last fall with my oldest daughter and a granddaughter. The third leg of our trip was in Ireland. After crossing from Scotland to Ireland by ferry, we rented a car. It was the first time we’d rented a car during the whole trip, but it was definitely worth it.

After being kind of stranded in Scotland without a means of transportation, it was a freedom to be able to drive ourselves where we wanted to go.

We spent the night in Belfast, Ireland and picked up the rental car the following morning. Since we were at the northern end of the island, we decided to hit one of the major sites. My daughter did a good job of staying on the left (wrong) side of the road. It took her a bit to get used to the difference.

We loaded into the car and headed to Giant’s Causeway on the north coast of Ireland. We took the walking tour and spent time in the gift shop. Then we returned to the car and drove what was supposed to be 4 1/2 hours but turned out to be more like 6. By the time we stopped for lunch and a few missed turns, we made it to our Airbnb in Bullycullen about 9 pm. We were all tired. After unloading and eating dinner, we went to bed.

The Giant’s Causeway features hexagonal pillars of rock formed from an ancient volcanic fissure eruption.

The next day, we headed out when we were rested and drove to Blarney Castle. We toured the castle and all decided we didn’t need to hang upside down and kiss a rock that millions of other people had kissed. Next, we sauntered around the beautiful gardens, lime house, ice house, caves, and towers. It was a wonderful afternoon of exploring.

The gap up there is where the kissing stone is.
Poisonous plant
My favorite part of the gardens. 😉
Cave used to retreat from the Blarney Castle.

Day 23 of our trip we explored close to where we were staying. A brochure at the house talked about the oldest lighthouse in the world. We set our GPS for Hooks Head, less than half an hour from where we were staying in Bullycullane. The wind picked up as we drove to the peninsula. The tour guide was excellent! So much history and storytelling combined that we were enthralled. My granddaughter thought it was great and wished she’d recorded the monologue.

She was also the only one who could answer one of the tour guide’s questions about the man who had the lighthouse built. The wind was so strong that when we stepped out of the lighthouse, we were held in place by the wind, barely able to take a step. The history of the lighthouse goes back to a monk who believed a light needed to be lit at all hours of the day and night to keep ships safe. He first built bonfires on the rocky peninsula. Later, a stone conical tower was built with a fire basket on top. The monks carried buckets of coal up the four levels to keep the fire lit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Later a better lighthouse was built.

From there, we went to Wexford and shopped. Each of us purchased at least one piece of clothing. Then we had a delightful dinner at a bar and Bistro.

I’ll continue our Ireland stay in the next Travel installment.

Sweet Deal Coming

How can it be August already? That means summer is almost over. This has been a whirling, fast paced summer for me.

This weekend is the second wedding of the summer. Both were for grandchildren. I can’t be that old that I have grandchildren getting married, can I? This makes three married.

I’m looking forward to my upcoming book events. They are:

August 24th & 25th – Oregon State Fair, Salem, OR from 10 am-8 pm

September 6th – Quail Ridge Arts Festival, Baker City, OR 2-9 pm

November 8th & 9th – Bruneau Cowboy Christmas, Bruneau, ID 10 am- 5pm and 10 am – 4 pm

These are all new to me as venues to sell my books. Two of them are large and I purchased books in anticipation of selling a lot.

Next month I’ll have links to both the newest Gabriel Hawke book, Wolf Moon, and the new Merry Merry Merry Murder, Christmas mystery. The links will be for pre-orders. The Hawke book is being read by beta readers and the Christmas Mystery needs some tweaking done to it. But it will be out in October and Wolf Moon will be out the end of September.

Starting August 13th, you can get the first three audiobooks in a bundle from Chirp for $2.99. IF you are a Chirp listener, watch for the promo they send out in the middle of the month. If you aren’t a Chirp listener and would like to purchase the box set at this low price, you can find it here: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/gabriel-hawke-box-set-1-3-by-paty-jager Just remember the low price doesn’t start until Aug, 13th. All the other audiobooks in the Hawke series will be priced lower at Chirp as well.

Because I am limited on time to write this and haven’t a whole lot to say, here are some photos.

This is my new folding bookcase, I will be using at the Cowboy Christmas in Bruneau, Idaho. I like how it displays the books in a more inviting way than the wooden racks I’ve been using.

These books are what I’ll have at the Oregon State Fair. I can get them all in two stands like on the right. When book bundles for the first 3 books in a series. I’m only allowed 4 ft of a table to set up on and told to bring as many titles as I could.

Enjoy the August weather and get out and enjoy the great outdoors. I hope to get more outdoor time here soon.

Steens Mountain SE Oregon

We did our nearly yearly trip up on the Steens to see the wildflowers a week ago. There had been so much snow up on the mountain that the roads didn’t open until a couple weeks ago. We like to go for my birthday at the end of June, but the roads had just opened and we were busy. Lucky for us, the wildflowers didn’t disappoint.

There is a small waterfall in the background.

The left photo is at the edge of Kiger Gorge. The photo is farther up the road.

Steens Mountain summit is in the background.

I thought these orange-yellow almost succulents were interesting in this photo. As you can see there were still patches of snow everywhere.

This is the same type of plant as the orange and yellow plant in the lower photo.

We also saw the wild horses in their usual spot near a watering hole. Some were even in the water.

The next trip we make will most likely be with grandkids to swim in Fish Lake then we will most likely make the fall trip to see the colorful aspen leaves.

The Year is Zooming by!

Wow, can you believe it! July is here already. Our family had a wedding in June. I baked and decorated the cake. I found an easy-to-make vanilla bean cake and lavender-infused buttercream frosting. They paired well, and people enjoyed the cake. The decorating had me frazzled because it was a “naked cake.” I made more of a fuss out of how I felt it would look than I needed to. It turned out fine and the bride thought it was awesome, so all was good.

Author Mary Vine and I tried out the Sumpter, Oregon Renaissance Faire over the 4th of July. We made some sales to new readers, and we had a couple of repeat customers. It was cold and rainy on the first day, and very few people. The second day was the perfect temperature for them to come out. I realized when I was leaving that most of the Renaissance people were over in an area hidden from where the book trailer was. What we mainly had come through were people dressed normally. We will most likely do it again next year. They had a reasonable rate for the spaces.

I’m excited to be attending the Tamkaliks Powwow in Wallowa again this year. I love listening to the music and watching the dancers. And every year I pick up a little more information that helps me better understand my characters.

I also start judging at county fairs this month. I enjoy visiting with the 4-H members and traveling around the state.

This month I’m busy writing the next Gabriel Hawke book, Wolf Moon. I hope to have a cover for it soon. Once I get the first draft finished, I’ll put it up for pre-order. I know my readers have been waiting for the next book.

Today is the last day to purchase the first three Spotted Pony Casino audiobooks for $2.99. If you want to get them here is the direct link: https://www.patyjager.net/product/spotted-pony-casino-mystery-box-set-1-3/

You can also purchase Spotted Pony Casino audiobooks 1-3 individually through KOBO during July for $4.99 each.

Poker Face: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/poker-face-30

House Edge: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/house-edge-2

Double Down: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/double-down-57

At the moment that is all the specials I have going on. With summer being so crazy I have trouble remembering to sign up for specials and changing the prices!

As always you can purchase any of my books in any format from my website. https://www.patyjager.net

And if you want to keep up with the book specials, where I’ll be live selling my books, get your name in the hat for a mug, or want to get a short story from me or a fellow author, sign up for my newsletter that goes out the first Thursday for the month. https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

Have a great July!

Beautiful Alberta Canada

I had my first look at Alberta Canada and it will not be my last. My daughter had to get her daughter back to school in Turner Valley, Alberta Canada after she was a bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding. Because my daughter was driving up one day and back the next after having spent a harried week getting ready for and doing the wedding, I offered to ride along so she didn’t have to drive back alone.

We left Cove, Or at 6 AM on Sunday morning. We arrived at Turner Valley at 8 PM. We only made a few stops along with way for gas, rest areas, and food. For the most part we moved right along to get my granddaughter back by 8 PM. After helping her get her stuff into her room and saying goodbye we continued up to Calgary where my son-in-law had reserved a hotel room for us.

By the time we got there, we were tired, but a funny thing, my sister-in-law and her husband who are riding their Harleys up to Alaska were also spending the night in Calgary and it was a hotel only a block away from where we ended up. So we met them for dessert at a Denny’s that was in between our hotels.

Monday morning we slept in until 6:30. Grabbed breakfast at the hotel and headed to Banff. My daughter wanted to see it. And I had heard a lot about it and wanted to see it as well.

I had crossed the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. but I have to say the Canadian Rockies are majestic and beautiful! I couldn’t stop pointing out the odd peaks, the trees, the sheer height and mass of the mountains.

On our way up to the granddaughter’s school I spotted a moose in a marsh, then we had oodles of elk a ways off the road and some right next to the road. One that almost walked out onto the road in front of us. But all those times, I was so in awe, I forgot to take photos. So the next day I had my phone ready to take photos of wildlife and we didn’t see any except for two small bull elk in the street of Banff.

Because we didn’t have a set time to get home on Monday, we did stop a few times to take in the scenery.

In Banff we got out and took a photo of the Fairmont Hotel. It is just WOW! It’s large, regal, and the setting of the mountain behind it just makes it all the more remarkable.

After Banff we headed south and came across Numa Falls. It was amazing to see the glacier blue water falling, splashing and rushing down the falls.

I took a photo of the icy blue river we drove alongside.

And then we came to a spot where the highway literally goes through a crack in the rocky mountains. The crack was made by time and water.

A waterfall splashes down over rocks and through a deep crevice.

The trip was beautiful and awe-inspiring. We arrived back home by 9 PM Monday night. I want to go again but spend time getting to see some of the things that we just read the signs. Perhaps once hubby retires we can do some sightseeing.

I’ll leave you with this video I took from the car.

A New Book and an Audiobook Sale!

Well, I thought this post had been written and scheduled. Silly me! I must have forgotten to write it. The good news is that means you are able to purchase my new Spotted Pony Casino Mystery book! Crapshoot is book 7 in the series. It made me think and tugged at my emotions as I wrote it for many different reasons.

Here is the blurb, cover, and buy links:

 A Fentanyl death.

A missing woman.

Dela Alvaro, head of the Spotted Pony Casino security, and Heath Seaver, a Umatilla Tribal Detective, join forces with the FBI to find Dela’s missing basket-weaving instructor and put a stop to a lethal drug flowing onto the reservation.

The investigation turns deadly when an undercover FBI agent goes missing and the drug cartel’s girlfriend is out for Dela’s blood.

You can purchase the ebook of a dollar less at my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/crapshoot-ebook/

Or you can use the universal link: https://books2read.com/u/3njQ7e

Along with this new book, I also have an audiobook bundle on sale.

The first three book in the Gabriel Hawke Novels, Murder of Ravens, Mouse Trail Ends, and Rattlesnake Brother.

Join Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke as he performs his duties with the Fish and Wildlife Division while finding a body with a wolf collar, tracking a lost child, and hunting down a poacher in the wilderness of Wallowa County.

Books 1-3 in the Gabriel Hawke Novels

Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is part of the Fish and Wildlife Division in Wallowa County. He not only upholds the law but also protects the land of his ancestors.

Murder of Ravens

Book 1

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke is after poachers in the Wallowa Whitman National Forest. When he comes across a body wearing a wolf tracking collar, he follows the trail of clues.

Mouse Trail Ends

Book 2

Dead bodies in the wilderness. A child is missing. Oregon State Trooper Hawke is an expert tracker, but he isn’t the only one looking for the child.

Rattlesnake Brother

Book 3

State Trooper Gabriel Hawke encounters a hunter with an illegal tag. The name on the tag belongs to the Wallowa County District Attorney and the man holding the tag isn’t the public defender. 

You can purchase it direct from my website for $2.99: https://www.patyjager.net/product/gabriel-hawke-novels-box-set-1-3/

Or use a link provided at the https://indieaudiobookdeals.com/

Later this month, starting June 26th, the first three audiobooks of the Spotted Pony Casino Mysteries will be on sale. Use this link to get to the sale page: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com/

I’m excited to say I will be selling my books at two large events this year one is the Oregon State Fair on August 24th & 25th and the other will be at the Bruneau, ID Cowboy Christmas on Nov. 7th & 8th. So if you are in either of those areas, mark you calendar and come by to say hi.

Last Days in Scotland

This was the day that we walked the most. Leaving Kilbryde Castle where we were staying, we headed to Doune Castle in Doune, Scotland. We left around 9 am to give ourselves enough time to get to the castle by our 11:00 ticket time. We made the four miles with 30 minutes to spare.

As we entered the castle they gave us devices that recited the information at each stage of the castle. It was fun learning about the history, seeing where the food was prepared, where they slept, and entertained.

The hole in the corner of this area was for smoke. It was a spit for cooking large animals and hanging large pots to cook.

This was a doorway out of the kitchen area in to the prep area.

This was the hole for a toilet. The grate is over it to keep people from tossing trash. They did say that when a prisoner of war was held in the castle, he escaped by going out toilet hole.

This was the basket that held the wood to keep the guests warm during a banquet. It sits in the middle of the banquet hall.

The banquet hall. I can’t remember how many people they said it could accommodate. but it was large.

Looking out one of the windows toward the courtyard. It was pretty and a large area.

This was the fireplace in the family’s main room above the banquet hall.

This was where the Lord would hear grievances and proclaim laws.

gingerbread cake

It was a fun tour. Afterwards, we found the business district of the town and a quaint cafe called Buttercup. We had a wonderful lunch. I had creamed mushroom, sweet potato, tarragonsoup with loaded fries (which we all ate). Even though I was full, I couldn’t pass up the gingerbread cake. It was delicious!

With overflowing stomachs, we headed back to where we were staying. On the way, we passed by a playground and Angie decided to take a ride on a small zip line.

We walked slowly back to Kilbryde Castle, enjoying the sunshine and pretty scenes. When we arrived, I looked at my Fitbit and we had walked 9 miles.

The next day, we stayed at the castle being lazy. Midday, Angie and I took a stroll around the paths in the gardens and down by the river. I took a lot of photos of flowers still in bloom and the changing leaves. In the afternoon, we played cards and I packed for the next leg of our vacation.

Old rock steps down to the river.

view from the Ferry

We woke at 5 am, and the taxi arrived at 6 to take us to the bus station in Sterling. We had less than an hour bus ride to Glasgow and then a two-hour bus ride to Cairnryan to walk onto the Ferry. The Ferry ride took about two hours. We purchased a chicken wrap, ate the rest of the chips we brought with us, and then found a room with bench seats and the movie Super Mario Bros playing.

When we landed in Belfast, Ireland, we discovered the hotel we’d reserved was 30 minutes away. The taxi driver was full of good information. We spent the evening changing up some of our sightseeing due to the places the taxi driver told us. Then we watched some TV and went to bed.

The next post will be about Ireland.

Not all Creative Works Last

I just attended a bridal/baby shower for a granddaughter. Her wedding is next month. So there is that excitement brewing in our family. And we have a grandson getting married in August. These grandkids are almost as bad as our kids. We had three children get married in the same year. It’s easy to remember what anniversary they are celebrating! 2003 was an epic year. Not only three weddings, but we moved into the house we’d built. The house had been planned for seven years, and we finally had the means and the time to build it and move out of the old double-wide mobile home that was on the property when we purchased it.

I’d dubbed that house my dream house. It was. A spacious kitchen and dining room that was open to the living room, which had large windows that faced the Cascade Mountain Range. They were in the distance but you could see them. The main bedroom and bathroom were on the ground floor, and upstairs was a loft where I wrote from, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. I poured all of my creative energy into that house, thinking I’d be living there the rest of my life.

But Central Oregon grew, and my hubby and I didn’t like the growth. We purchased land in SE Oregon and built a house there. A nice house, one, we again thought we’d live in until we couldn’t get along by ourselves. But ten years later, we have purchased a house in Baker City. It’s a small, unique town, one that we enjoy. The house we purchased has a gorgeous view of the Eagle Cap Mountains and the Elkhorn Mountains. It is walking distance to the main part of town and there is a golf course close by to walk around.

Hubby decided that when he retired he didn’t want to do anymore farming. And even if we had leased the land to someone, he’d never be happy with how they were taking care of it, so we made the decision to move to a small town. Right now we are finishing out this year with his current employer, with hopes of putting the place in SE Oregon up for sale, and moving permanently to Baker City.

Right now we try to get over there once to twice a month. There is yard work and some remodeling that needs to be done, but at least this time we aren’t building a whole house! I don’t think my body could do that again.

The first house had a great room with a 28 ft high peak. We were on scaffolding, putting the knotty pine tongue and groove boards up. I’d lift them up to hubby who would then reach up and slide them to the top scaffolding. Then when we had as much as we could get up there and stand to put it up, I’d climb up to the top and hold the boards while he nailed them. I lost weight while building that house! I did all the tile work and painting.

That house? My dream home? Was recently purchased by another person and they tore it all down. It makes me sick to think of all the time and money that went into that house, and it’s gone.

Now I’m putting all my creative energy into the Baker City house and my writing. I hope the house in Baker City is as inviting and comfortable when I’m done as the last two houses we’ve lived in.

This month, you can purchase the Gabriel Hawke ebooks from my website for 25% off. It’s a deal for you and more ching-ching in my pocket when you purchase directly from the author. https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/gabrial-hawke-ebook/

Today is the last day to purchase Poker Face book 1 in the Spotted Pony Casino Mystery series in audiobook for $0.99! That’s right! Less than a dollar gets you 7 hours of entertainment. You can purchase it at my website also. Use this link to see all the great audiobooks on sale: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com

Or go directly to my website:

https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/spotted-pony-casino-audiobook/

As interim head of security at the Spotted Pony Casino, disabled veteran, Dela Alvaro, needs to find out who killed a casino accountant or lose her job.

Tomorrow you can use this same link: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com and get the audiobook of Murder of Ravens for FREE! That’s right as a way to introduce new listeners to my Gabriel Hawke novels, I’m giving away the audiobook for two weeks. Hop over to the audiobooks link or use this link to get your free audiobook. https://www.patyjager.net/product-category/gabriel-hawke-audiobook/

Wishing you a lovely May!

‘etweyé-wise

‘etweyé-wise – The Return

I recently attended an art show in Joseph, Oregon at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture. The show was Bloodlines: Nez Perce Art Exhibit.

There was traditional weaving, sewing, beading, painting, and bronze work, all created by twelve Nez Perce artists. The variety of mediums were a good representation of not only cultural traditions, such as the beading and weaving, but to see history translated into art and current themes.

The show opened at noon on Saturday with a prayer and a song by artist Nakia Cloud. It was fun to see and listen to him and then study his “Art on a Ledger.” He’d drawn more traditional-looking subjects on used ledger paper.

Jacy Sohappy had traditional patterns in her weaving and had an elk tooth dress on display.

The youngest artist represented was Emma Chief a teenager. I listened in as she explained two of her paintings to other art enthusiasts at the show. She held a deep understanding of her culture and had paintings that reflected the strength of women.

She wasn’t the only one who had women’s strength portrayed. Ellen Taylor had some striking paintings of women and one of Prince, the singer, as a Native American and Marilyn Monroe as a Native American. I have to admit I was tempted to purchase one of her prints of a Native American woman. The colors and the woman’s strength drew me.

Center stage of the whole event was Doug Hyde’s bronze of a Nez Perce woman warrior. It was striking and showed the strength and resilience of women.

Doug also has a large bronze int he front of the building. It deals with the return of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) to Wallowa County. After the treaty of 1863, when the government reduced the size of the reservation taking away the walwa’ma band (Chief Joseph’s band) homeland given to the Nez Perce in the Treaty of 1855, Young Chief Joseph was moving his people to the Lapwai reservation when an altercation happened. The altercation set them and some other bands headed to Canada.

Many have heard of Chief Joseph’s surrender at Bearpaw Montana. But did you know that after they surrendered and were told they would return to Oregon, they were exiled to Kansas and Indian Territory? Many died from the heat and conditions. In 1885 they were finally allowed to return to the West, but not to Wallowa Valley. About half of them were sent to the Colville Reservation in Washington state, and the other half went to the Lapwai Reservation.

Many of the walwa’ma band remain at the Colville Reservation while others are spread among the Lapwai and Umatilla Reservations in Idaho and Oregon.

It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that other than participating in the Chief Joseph Day’s rodeo and parade that the Nez Perce were allowed back into Wallowa County. Now they have an interpretive center, powow grounds, a Wallowa Homelands, and more representation on the streets of Joseph with sculptures and they have an Nez Perce fisheries in the county.

Back to Doug Hyde’s bronze in the front of the Josephy center, which is named for a man who befriended the Nez Perce and wrote books showing their culture and language. The artwork titled: ‘etweyé-wise means The Return or specifically “I return from a hard journey.” It is the photo at the beginning of this piece.

Unfortunately, I was so busy looking at the artwork I didn’t take a photo of any of it. You can see some of the works at the website in the beginning of the post.

Scotland – Kilbryde Castle and Dunblane

We started our trip to Scotland with a nice stroll to the train station. The ride took us to Paddington Station in London. We hailed a cab to get us to King’s Cross Station for our leg of the trip to Stirling, Scotland. With only 30 minutes to get to the next train, we thought the cab would be faster than us trying to find our way around the tube station.

Traffic was horrible!

Those people you see running through train stations and airports…that was us. We arrived at the train station with 8 minutes before our train left. And the trains don’t wait. They pull up only minutes before they leave.  At the ticket turntable, Angie’s ticket wasn’t working, however, the attendant buzzed her through. It was my turn. I was fumbling trying to find the right ticket. He buzzed me through. Rietta hurried behind me, and he buzzed her through.  Angie took off running toward the platform. I was running behind her with a backpack and my rolling suitcase. I know I had to look like a lumbering ox, but I kept my legs pumping even when they didn’t want to. I kept her in sight, and right as she boarded the train, Rietta darted around me. She hopped on the train, reached down and grabbed my bag, then grabbed my arm and helped me and my tired legs get up the steps onto the train.

After we found our seats and calmed down, we enjoyed the 5-hour ride to Stirling. We read, played cards, and watched the scenery.

At Stirling, we hopped in a cab and gave him the name of the place where we were staying.  Kilbryde Castle, Dunblane. What I hadn’t realized was how isolated the castle was. The information said it was a short walk to places of interest.

Kilbryde Castle

Once the cab left, we realized it wasn’t. And our phones wouldn’t work to order takeout. I managed to get hold of the Airbnb host. She brought us bread, cheese, butter, eggs, and spaghetti. That was enough to get us through the night and breakfast. We were staying in the servants’ quarters.

The next day we started off walking around the Kilbryde Castle garden.

After seeing all the varieties of flowers and the wonderful trails, we set off for the town of Dunblane on foot.

Our phone said it was about 3 miles. At the halfway point, we discovered a lovely coffee stand. We stopped for hot chocolate and chai lattes.

After watching the people with dogs walking out toward the road, we followed them and found the trail to Dublane that ran alongside the highway.

In town, we encountered many large stately homes before crossing a bridge and coming to the town center. We found Leighton Library first. Angie stuck her head around a little door in the side of a building and discovered information about an expansion program for the oldest purpose-built private library in Scotland. It was built with money from Robert Leighton, Bishop of Dunblane 1661-1670, with money he requested to be used to build something to house his collection of books. There are around 4500 books printed in 15 languages in the library. He wanted the books to be housed in Dunblane and used by the clergy.

The feel of the leather covers, the multitude of sizes, and the variety of pages is something to behold for any lover of books. The woman at the library was full of wonderful information and said she would take out any book we wanted to look at, but I was so in awe of the sight that I didn’t want to bother the books. I couldn’t believe she said we could come back and get one to take with us to read and bring back before we left. It astounded me that they were so willing to share such a treasure.

From the library we toured Dunblane Cathedral. It was small but beautiful with carved pews and woodwork and modest stained glass windows. At the cathedral we were told the museum was a good place to learn the history of the town and took a turn through the rooms.

After the museum, we walked into a couple of stores and ended up getting lunch at the Riverside Cafe. I had a tasty sandwich of baked chicken thigh, tomato, mozzarella cheese, a nice sauce, fries, and a salad. We were all stuffed when we finished eating. And to our surprise, the cafe allowed dogs to come in with the owners. The dogs were on leashes and sat at the feet of their owners while they dined. Although Rietta said she spotted a lab, trying to snare a fry from a neighboring table when its master wasn’t looking.

This was written on the wall of the cafe.

Our next stop was to try and find a bus to see if it would take us back to the castle. We couldn’t find one and went to the grocery store instead for provisions for our stay at the castle. After seeing our groceries were taking all three bags we’d brought with us and being tired from all our trekking, we decided to call a taxi to take us to the castle. Again, my phone wouldn’t work even though I’d purchased the extra coverage. I asked the information desk at the store if they could call a taxi for us. We were told it would be about 10 minutes and where to wait. A taxi pulled into the parking lot, and we all walked toward him when he parked. He told us he wasn’t there to pick us up, that someone else was coming. So we went back and waited.

A taxi pulled up to the bus stop and waved us over. On our way to the castle, the driver told us about a walk similar to what we’d taken that day that would deliver us to the Doune Castle. We decided to see it the next day. We also set up for the taxi to pick us up at 6 am on the day we left to get us to the bus station in Stirling to catch our ride to Caryn and the ferry across to Ireland for the last leg of our trip.

…next post Doune Castle