Our present outpost is Ruby Cottage, on the High Street in Dalbeattie (some say “Dal-bee”), Scotland.
The High Street is not the busiest street in town, and our bedroom overlooks the back garden, so it is quiet at night. The back garden is a long stretch of grass, with picnic table and chairs, charcoal grill and hidden behind a hedge, a very useful laundry line.
There is a small grocery store nearby, and more stores toward the center of town.
We arrived in Dalbeattie just before the start of Civic Week. There has been a treasure hunt, quiz night, bingo and on Saturday we’ll see the parade.
Our neighbors are faintly surprised to find us here, staying an entire month. They are pleased by our enthusiasm, but most visitors to the Dumfries and Galloway region come from Scotland or northern England. We get asked about Donald Trump everywhere we go. People express deep skepticism and ask whether we would vote for him. Even though we assure them that we oppose Trump, we get some dubious looks. They have a point, how did it get this far? How did Trump get nominated by the Republican party? It shows that a lot of Americans don’t understand a lot of other Americans–not a unified front to show the world.
Llywindatravels 2022 