Today we trekked out to the Culloden Battlefield, another history day for me of course. But first, we went to the Registrar's office and gave them all the original documents they needed to see so we could get the license, or certificate, we need to have to be signed after the ceremony. Ernest insisted we get it out of way just in case anything else went wrong. Now I find out my dress won't be delivered to the hotel until 12:30 on Thursday, my wedding day, when we are supposed to leave the hotel at 2:00 for the castle. Am I nervous??? Ernest got to experience Inverness bus system as we took the one of the local buses out to the battlefield. He was commenting the entire way on various protocols of the bus line and ... read more

After 24 hours of traveling, including 3 planes and airport wait times, we finally made it Inverness around noon local time. It was overcast and drizzling when we landed but it cleared soon after we got to the hotel and stayed clear all day. And COOL! Blessedly cool for me, not cold, but after Houstons summer, I was feeling much better. Our hotel overlooks the River Ness and across the river is Inverness Castle so great view from the room. Ernest took a picture. Inverness, although called the capital of the Highlands, is not large by our standards and can be fairly easily walked from one side to the other. And Ernest and I did that this afternoon in search of lunch and getting the feel of things. We found the Tourist Office so we were ... read more

Ernest and I were honored at a dinner Sunday night, October 11. Our hosts were Ernest's brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Ruiling, his cousins, Sonny and Barbara Tang, and his very close friends, Carl and Penny Lindsey. It was a great gift to us. We were able to enjoy time with Ernest's family and friends, while enjoying some fine Chinese cuisine of Peking Duck, lobster, clams and several other dishes, plus several bottles of wine and champagne. Some of Ernest's co-workers were there in addition regular members of the Sunday dinner group. Ernest's parents started the dinner group over 30 years ago, and even though they have both passed on, Ernest, his brother and cousins, have continued the tradition. Ernest and I are very appreciative to our hosts for giving us this special night.... read more

Trying to make this marriage legal Since August, I have been working with the British Consulate to obtain a special visa to permit Ernest and me to get married legally in Scotland. For those of you who aren't aware, the British government in their infinite wisdom decided to require people wanting to marry in the UK to complete a full visa application, including life history of you and parents, financial status and work history plus fingerprints. Ok, I'll follow the rules. So I work to submit the applications in plenty of time. Now these apps sit in the British Consulate in Los Angeles for a month before anybody bothers to look at them. Then, we are denied our visas because we did not attach documentation from our workplace that we had been approved to take the ... read more

Monday, Shanghai Our plane was late so we arrived very late to the hotel last night and we just crashed, which is why I didn't send the Wuhan link till today. Today, we first visited the waterfront in old Shanghai, called the Bund. Very touristy. Shanghai, unlike our other destinations in China, is a relatively new city, only about 200 years of history as Shanghai, obviously more as a couple of smaller villages. Shanghai has become the financial center of China so it's like the New York of China. It has 18 million people, the second largest city in China, after Chongqing with 32 million, and Beijing is 3rd with 15 million. It's hard to imagine that Atlanta, with almost 5 million people would be considered a village in China. Mostly today we spent shopping, and ... read more