The Scottish Connection

I've been absent for awhile as my Husband and I have enjoyed a traditional Southern Thanksgiving and Christmas to the hilt.  We're satiated with the love and warmth that we soaked up from our big family, and have delightful memories of the Grand Babies and Grand Doggies that will keep us warm on cold January nights.

In addition to that, I've been roaming around Scotland and the Shetland Islands, visiting with some of my Husband's old relatives as I made another Ancestor's Book for Christmas.  See, we all thought that the McMullan ancestors were pure-T Irish.  But we were wrong.  They came down out of Scotland.  And after spending the better part of three weeks there via the internet, I am stone-cold in love with Scotland, the Orkneys, and the Shetland Islands.

This is one of my favorite places - the ancient Girnigoe Castle ruins on the upper East Coast of Caithness, in Northern Scotland.  That's the Bay of Sinclair out in front of it...my Husband's distant Great Grandmother was Mary Sinclair, descended from the Earls of Caithness, Earls of Orkney and the Lords Sinclair.  Castle Girnigoe is now protected by a Trust, formed by the descendants of the Sinclair Family.  HRH Prince Charles is a Patron.

Image from Field Archeaology Specialists in the United Kingdom.

Here's an image of the man I'm now referring to as "Big William".  Disrespectful, I know, but there are so MANY William Sinclairs in the lineage.  Descending from Norse and French lines, Big William was born around 1410 in Scotland, and he had three wives.  And a bushel of kids.  And they also had bushels of kids, with multiple spouses.  The family is enormous and complicated, but a DNA study on the Sinclairs is underway...so that you can tell which branch you are from.

One of the coolest parts of this family research reveals that not only was Big William blonde, like my Husband, but he was also quite a Real Estate junkie.  Just like Husband.  Those genes don't lie...

Big William built the lovely and mysterious Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, Scotland.  The Chapel that was in the Da Vinci Code.  

 Rosslyn Chapel is filled with carvings, some of which look like corn and has some folks in a lather about Big Williams's explorer and wanderer Grandfather Henry - they say he was actually in North America before Chris Columbus.  And you know what THAT means...

Don't know if I buy that...

Getting this Clan straight has been exhausting but fascinating, and I'm not really sure that all of the kids and wives and mistresses will ever be uncovered...that's the part that keeps consuming my days.  I want to know about the relationships, like any intelligent woman.

But Husband just wants to know where it all went, and where is his money??  And there is an answer to that.  His ancient relatives, just like any modern family living large and flying high, got snarled in feuds, subterfuge, debt and indifference as the centuries went by.  All that's left is the Sinclair Trust, Clan Sinclair USA, and the DNA.   

The DNA.  That's what is most important...

Now, are those babies Scottish-looking nobility, or what?

Puppy Fin Settles In...

As promised, here is an update on Puppy Fin's new life with the McMullans and his difficult task of bonding with reigning Top Dog, Doppler.

All is well.  Doppler got fairly ferocious with little Fin when he got too close to him a couple of days after arriving, and Fin now has all that straight.  To the Hilt.  To the point where he travels around the perimeter of the room to get past Doppler.  And Fin's new buddy?

Little Boy Brayden, his new favorite brother.

Which is just about the way we figured it would settle out.

This is going to be a fabulous friendship.

Photo courtesy of his Daddy, Capt. Brant at Ocean Isle Fishing Center  where, incidentally, young Brayden was supposed to be helping with the Sunday morning shift.

All in good time.

New Puppies and Old Doggies

We have a new Grand-Puppy, an adorable blonde Golden Retriever named Fin.

Here is his first hello to my Husband...

While Fin is only 8 weeks old, his new older "brother" Doppler is about 83 years old and counting.  And he OWNS this family.  Been like that for years.

When Fin got out of the car after his long trip from the kennel in North Georgia, all the family gathered to gently introduce Doppler to his new baby brother.

You can tell from the face Amy is pulling that this is not going well from the very first second.  Doppler refuses to even look at the puppy.  

Amy pours her love and reassurance all over Doppler, explaining that he is still her first Big Boy, and still the Top Dog.

He is having none of it, and still hasn't looked at the puppy.  Not even out of the side of his eyes.  No growling, no curled lip, not the first indication that there is another dog that close to HIS MOMMY - because he hasn't looked at the puppy, so that puppy doesn't exist.

Night has fallen, and the family still stands quietly, hoping for a tiny little hello...

But it never happened.  Doppler NEVER looked at Fin, although you can see that Fin is ready to kiss Doppler on the lips and then go play.  No.  No.

So, Doppler spent the night with us, and Fin went home with his new family.

I'll keep you posted.

Christmas Comes to the Beach

What a wild ride this year has been!  And now that it is winding down to turning the corner to 2012, we are all still in Overdrive out here on the Island - see what I mean?

 

Santa arrives at the Beach, sweltering in his furry suit and jogging shoes...even his elf looks limp and ready to hit the beach!

I don't think he was having near as much fun as these guys:

She danced the pants right off of him!

I always enjoy watching these grown men on these tiny little cars, driving at warp speed with such blank expressions on their faces...where do they practice this stuff??  

This was my favorite:

Will you just LOOK at those guys??  Perfect voice, perfect presentation.

What a show, what a beautiful day.  Winter will be here full blast very soon, and this island will get serious and shut down.  But in the mean time, the Party still rocks on...

I think I'm ready for another Atlanta infusion...