Well, spring break came after the halfway point of the
semester. That timing meant that this last part of the semester has been even
more of a whirlwind.
The day before classes resumed was Mothering Sunday here in
Britain, the equivalent of our Mother’s Day. Despite that it was supposed to be
a day all about mothers, we paid homage to a father, the father of modern geology.
We walked along the trail at Siccar Point, the spot where James Hutton found
proof for this Theory of the Earth (published in the late 1700s). Just the name
itself sounds pretty daunting and all-encompassing. Hutton proposed that geological
processes occur over millions of years, not thousands. Siccar Point juts into
the North Sea, its jagged rocks clearly composed during different time periods millions of years ago.
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| Siccar Point |
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| Unconformity at Siccar Point |
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| Djanko at Siccar Point |
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| Siccar Point isn't just for geologists. Rock climbers use the cave, as you can see by the hanging carabiners. |
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| The ruins of Twizell Castle, a spot we found after leaving Siccar Point. |
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| Twizell Castle in England, near the border of Scotland |
Once we were back into the swing of school, Ahmyn, Seryahna,
Djanko, and I went for a walk with some friends on the north side of the Firth
of Forth from Kinghorn to Kirkcaldy. Our friends chose this walk along the
shore because there are fossils to be found. We found plenty of fossils, sifting
through the sand, rocks, and shells finding hints of unimaginable years that
have passed. We also were thrilled at discovering more recent remnants, such as
beach glass and beach pottery. The walk was such a treasure trove that Ahmyn and the kids took my sister's family there when they visited.
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| Izzy, Djanko, and Seryahna collecting fossils near Kinghorn |
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| Just another day at the beach... |
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| A Celtic cross in the cemetery at Melrose |
From Melrose Abbey, we traveled about 11 miles and hundreds
of years to Bowhill House, which was built over two centuries after the last
monk of Melrose Abbey died. Bowhill House is one of the homes of the Duke of
Buccleuch, the owner of Dalkeith House (aka, my current landlord). Although I
find Dalkeith House impressive enough, Bowhill is a showpiece. The house is
home to quite of collection of miniature portraits, full-size paintings, fine pottery,
books, baroque furniture, hand-painted Chinese wallpaper, and more. Unfortunately,
photographs were not allowed in most of the house. For more information, view the
website at
http://www.bowhillhouse.co.uk/.
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| Copper pots in the Bowhill kitchen, each one numbered according to size |
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| Dutch is fixing the mannequin's hair while Ahmyn reads about the pillar of sugar. |
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| Renee, Seryahna, & Djanko check out the various kitchen equipment. |
Next, we stopped at Abbotsford, the home of famous writer
Sir Walter Scott, a kinsman and friend of the Montagu Douglas and Scotts (the
family names of the Duke of Buccleuch and his ancestors. His home was grand,
too, but in a very different way. Sir Walter Scott was also a keen collector,
but not of fine ceramics and portraits. He collected battle armor, weapons,
grotesques (gargoyles without an opening for the mouth), statues, and various
trinkets tinged with legend and lore. Building the home bankrupted Scott, but
he was able to pay off his debts by writing, writing, and writing.
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| Abbotsford |
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| Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott |
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| In the entrance |
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| Int the entrance |
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| Armor in the entrance |
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| Sir Walter Scott, himself |
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| Hand-painted Chinese wallpaper |
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| One of the grotesques adorning the home |
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| Abbotsford |
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| Part of Scott's weapons collection |
All of the stops on the field trip and many of the
adventures that my family and I have embarked upon have impressed upon me a
broader sense of history and time. I will admit, I am not a lover of dates of
wars and kings and other important events. However, I do appreciate history at
my fingertips. I literally can touch time. I can sit on a stone that was hewn
before Europeans settled in the United States, or I can see the kitchen where servants
cooked in Stirling Castle hundreds of years before Rice Lake was founded. Plus,
I have had wonderful geology lessons here. Yes, I know that I could get a sense
of some of these things back at home, but I have found hands-on opportunities
on an almost daily basis. After all, I am in a house where Queen Victoria has slept.
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| Statues outside of Stirling Castle |
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| Stirling Castle kitchens |
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| Tour guide in Stirling Castle with my family that visited |
My time here is fleeting. We are leaving in a matter of
days. However, my memories from here will last my lifetime. That lifetime,
though, is but a drop in the ocean of time.
