Category Archives: Writings

photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way, Day 7: I’m no Ansel Adams

The infamous Green Welly for all your laundry, camping, and souvenir needs in Tyndrum.

I spent way too much time in the Green Welly mega-plex yesterday. It is right next door to our hotel, The Tyndrum Inn, and among other enterprises, it offers two coin-op washing machines and a dryer. By the end of Day 6, I was badly in need of both.

Surprisingly, the machines were available — maybe because they are outdoors and the wind and rain were formidable or maybe because the bigger washing machine charges 10 pounds per load. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures — or maybe just digging in deep for some cash.

The washing machine quickly ate the money and refused to work. (That begs for a joke but I’ll refrain.) The shop’s maintenance man, Frank, was there in minutes and got my load spinning.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: Day 6, ‘Wouldn’t be Scotland without the rain’

Crainlarch to Tyndrum: 7.5 miles, Degree of difficulty: Magical

Yesterday, we all marveled at our good fortune. Five days of walking the West Highland Way with absolutely sublime weather – crisp Autumn mornings, cool afternoons, scattered clouds – perfect for hiking.

So, of course, Day 6 would start in a misty drizzle. It stayed like that off and on all day.

“A perfect Scottish morning!” I replied to one hiker’s greeting.

“It wouldn’t be Scotland without rain,” she replied with a laugh.

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Memoirs -- fact and fiction, photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: Day 5, the cinematic splendor of it all

My hiking companions Brian Connors, Susan Shors, Kim Scholefield, and my beloved Rose Alcantara set off to discover their own infinite possibilities this morning.

If Van Morrison had taken the walk with me today from Inverernan to Crainlarich, he’d surely want to write a song about it. He’s not a Scot, sure, but I think he’d get it in his Celtic heart. Titles like “A Sense of Wonder,” “Into the Mystic,” “In the Garden,” and even “Cyprus Avenue” were in rotation in my head as I walked beside the River Falloch.

This was a gentle one — thank God, after yesterday — no rock piles to climb, few inclines to surmount, no risk to life and limb.

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Memoirs -- fact and fiction, photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: On Day 3, a bit more than a stroll beside the loch

I would like to report that the chubby red squirrel navigated its way up the pine tree to the fifth level of branches with no assistance from me whatsoever.

You may be amazed to learn — as I was to see — that Red carried a small pinecone in its jaws while performing this feat.

Look, I know squirrels do this sort of thing very well without me. But it just seemed so important to me at the moment.

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Memoirs -- fact and fiction, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: On Day 2, isn’t it eye-conic?

After waking up around 8 a.m., leisurely packing, and enjoying a nice breakfast, it occurs to me that our strategy for hiking the West Highland Way here in Scotland is a good one.

Instead of chewing up the entire 96 miles in 6 or 7 days, we are taking ten. This means later starts most days, a leisurely pace, side trips to curiosities, and an early arrival at our destination. Best of all, time to recover from the previous day’s exertions. Oh, yes, and a wee bit more pub time after we cross the finish line.

Take today for example. We set out to cover the nearly eight miles between Drymen and Balmaha. It is mostly a leisurely uphill stroll through farmland, fallow fields, forests, and fern breaks — until you reach Conic Hill.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Uncategorized, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: On Day 1 we learn that everyone walks to the beat of a different drummer, and that is just fine

Day 1: Milngavie to Drymen. Distance: 12-13 miles. Level of difficulty: Child’s play.

How long did it take? Maybe less than a mile. No, easily less than a mile.

But, technically, I wasn’t lost.

I just didn’t know where I was headed.

And I did feel … what’s the word I’m reaching for? Ah, yes: Foolish.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Scotland - West Highland Way, Writings

Hiking the West Highland Way: Ease on down the road

Well, we’re off to see the Wizard.

Or very soon.

Our bus left at 1 p.m. for CDMX, the airport in Mexico City.  Our British Airways flight takes off at 10 p.m. for Edinburgh. There has been discussion over whether nine hours is leaving enough time to make our flight, given the capricious and precarious nature of highway travel in Mexico.

Our first roll of the dice. First of many in the next couple of weeks, I imagine.

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#smwc2025, San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA, Uncategorized, Writings

John Irving leads an impressive keynote lineup for 20th annual SMA Writers’ Conference

Author John Irving to headline the 20th San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival

The San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival heads into its 20th year with a diverse and impressive lineup of keynote speakers, led by “Cider House Rules” author John Irving. The literary festival takes place February 12–16, 2025, at the Hotel Real de Minas.

There are two components to the weeklong festival — the keynote speaker series and the actual writers’ conference which is a jaw-dropping series of workshops for writers of all sorts, aspirations, and interests.

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Memoirs -- fact and fiction, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

How I flunked driving exams in two countries in one month but — spoiler alert — aced them in the end

Within a month’s time, I have taken two driver’s license tests in two countries and passed both. But not exactly “with flying colors.”

My California driver’s license expired on April 10 and I tried unsuccessfully to line up an appointment to renew it in person. I just turned 74 and needed to take a new photo and the written test (and I incorrectly assumed that I’d need the driving one, too).

The problem was two-fold: My phone number is from Mexico and the DMV will not allow foreign numbers when you try to sign into the system. After repeated attempts and working with a human (I think) who promised to send me an access form to fill out and send back – he/it didn’t — I lost interest.

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Colonia San Antonio, photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

… and suddenly a parade breaks out on Sunday in San Miguel de Allende

How can you tell if a parade is about to break out in San Miguel de Allende?

Sadly, if you are a gringo, you’re probably the last to know. Parades and processions, for the most part, are cultural. You may not be connected to the network that announces such things. So, pay attention. Follow these tips and you may end up on the sidewalk watching one of the most unique and exciting things to happen in this city.

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