I spent the weekend at the house, reading, writing and sunbathing. I enjoyed reading Carl Hiaasen's Nature Girl. Of course, I also did some gardening and weeding, cooking, and cleaning. I found a nest of something under the kitchen sink. Whatever it was left a mess of chewed up paper towels, among other things. I do not know what it was, how it got in, or how it got out. The mint and parsley are doing well, though only 2 of the many bulbs I planted actually grew and bloomed. I listened to quite a few cassettes at random, including "Rhenigidale - No Place for a Conventional Vehicle," made by friends Martin and Laura after meeting in 1988-1989 on the Orkney Islands.
 
We met briefly at a youth hostel in Orkney, Scotland. I then went back to the University of Edinburgh to see a couple concerts at an international folk festival (I cannot remember who, but I think it must have been Iain MacIntosh), and then continued my travels. We met again by chance on the ferry to the Isles of Lewis and Harris, and decided to rent a car together and see some of the archeological sites like the Callanish Stones. All being American, we had to learn to drive on the other side of the road, but essentially, the roads where one lane anyway. One of us was co-pilot at all times yelling "center! center!" in attempts to keep us from falling off a cliff or going into a ditch. The signs on the roads stated repeatedly that it was no place for a conventional motor vehicle. We only got so far by road, and parked the car and walked several kilometers to the Rhenigidale Youth Hostel, a traditional croft-house in a remote settlement overlooking the Minch. There, we disturbed a hermit. Well, he was a fellow traveler, but would have much preferred to be alone at the hostel. Luckily for us, he was not too resentful, and told us where to find the peat for the fire (delivered by boat) and other useful tips before he skedaddled the next morning to find a more secluded place. He also taught me how to play Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" and the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" on guitar - the first 2 songs I learned to play. On our hike out, a massive stag looked out at us from atop the cliff by the car.