Celebrating 50 !

Today Tim turns 50 years old! He says he doesn't feel it. Some people say he doesn't look it. Lisa says he doesn't act it.

He celebrated all weekend long!  First, a gathering of friends for cake on Thursday evening.

 Then an overnight getaway to a local beach resort, compliments of a very generous couple.

And a family birthday BBQ tonight with a special gift from Max and Simon. They gave Tim a set of Bose 25 headphones. The rest of us have good headphones and the boys thought it was time that Tim enjoyed noise canceling comfort when he travels.

Swim Meet 2014

We spent this past weekend at the pool. As always it was a thrill to watch Max and Simon swim for the Qatar Academy Falcons. This international competition was hosted here in Doha with teams attending from Kuwait, UAE, and Jordan. We hosted three swimmers from Dubai and had a wonderful weekend -- although feeding five teenage boys does keep Mom busy.

In the end Simon brought home 7 medals, including a GOLD in the 50m back stroke. And Max brought home 7 medals, including a SILVER in 100m Free (losing to his teammate who also swims on the Qatar National Swim Team).

The pool uses the electronic Colorado Timing System and human backup timers. Some races were very close -- Max won the SILVER in 50m Fly by 6/100th of a second!

And it was no wonder that Max's Freestyle Relay team won the GOLD medal; earlier in the day they made a clean sweep of medals in the 100m Free.

Talent Show

Max has been casually playing in a band from school. Just a group of guys that love music getting together a couple of times a week to play together. They call themselves "Doorhandle". They write their music and try a variety of  techniques just for fun. Rarely do they play in public. So it was a surprise when they decided to enter the school talent show last week.

Their performance was an original composition, lively, fun, and well done. They won First Place in the Talent Show and received a 1000 QR prize!

Scotland Universities

One of the advantages to having an International Baccalaureate High School Diploma is that University options become much more broad. Different from 30 years ago when Tim and Lisa graduated, students today spend a significant amount of time and effort visiting and researching Universities before making application. Max, in Grade 11, has begun this process.

Max is interested in pursuing an engineering degree. So while in Scotland we visited two universities that offer Chemical and Mechanical Engineering. Heriot Watt University is located on the outskirts of Edinburgh and Strathclyde University is in downtown Glasgow.  Max spoke with professors, Admissions officers, and students about their experiences.

Scotland Activity

We arrived in Edinburgh during torrential rain -- after the driest September since 1910. It figures. So our first stop was to buy good quality waterproof coats and umbrellas; we didn't want anything to stop our sightseeing. Thankfully we were able to time our outings between downpours.

Instead of staying in a hotel we chose to rent an apartment for the week. This gave us space, a kitchen, and a location on the Royal Mile, just minutes from the Edinburgh Castle.

We actually spent a lot of time on the Royal Mile -- the road that links Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace. It is filled with historical landmarks, sights, and shops. We visited a Tartan Factory, a kiltmaker shop, a Story Teller Museum, the Writer's Museum, and several cafes.

We were surprised to find this stone on the Royal Mile which states that near this spot in 1625, Sir William Alexander received lawful possession of the province of Nova Scotia from a representative of the King.

We spent a couple of hours wandering the Edinburgh Castle and listening on headphones to the history of the Castle and Edinburgh. It was a (surprisingly) beautiful day.

 We visited the Holyrood Palace which is the residence for the Royal Family when they are in Scotland. Every summer the Queen comes to Edinburgh for a number of official duties.

Holyrood Park, attached to the palace, is a beautiful area for hiking and walking. We climbed Arthur's Seat (a dormant volcano) for a spectacular view of the city.

Scotland Theater

While in Edinburgh we took advantage of the fantastic theater available. Many London West End shows travel to Edinburgh for limited performances. We were so happy to be able to attend a couple of these.

We saw two shows at the beautiful Edinburgh Playhouse. Jersey Boys was an amazing show! It is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. A great performance and lots of songs. The performers were remarkable actors and singers. We also attended A Vision of Elvis. It was a sing-along with a Scottish Elvis impersonator. Fun!

And we also went to the beautiful Festival Theater for opening night of Top Hat. It is the remake of a 1930s movie starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Again, the actors were very talented dancers and the sets were incredible. Since it was opening night we were invited to wear Top Hats and tiaras. Of course we did!

Scotland Food

Max and Deep Fried Mars Bar

With two growing teenage boys, it should not be surprising that we spent a lot of time eating and exploring food in Scotland. We ate at a variety of establishments -- from local pubs to the Queen's cafe at Holyrood Palace. It was an adventure to try haggis (a spicy pudding of sheep heart, liver, lungs), and Iron Bru (a soft drink), and Deep Fried Mars Bar (just like it sounds!).

Fish Pie

But mostly we ate fish -- Fish and Chips with tarter sauce and mushy peas, Fish Pie made with salmon and cod, Cullen Skink (a chowder made with smoked haddock), and more Fish and Chips.....

All mushy peas are not alike! Family recipes!