Anniversary and Birthday

To celebrate our 39th and Phil's 70th we got a new canoe -- with a motor! This is our maiden voyage on Lake Blue Ridge, GA.

Chloe's 5!

I never bake cakes and I am usually awful, but both granddaughters helped me bake this cake. I found the recipe in a magazine while having my tire changed after a blowout in Georgia and showed it to both Camille and Chloe. Chloe found the Little Mermaid candle in the grocery. I couldn't quite master the palm tree leaves, but the fruit by the foot worked, sort of! It was a perfect family project. Even her other grandmother worked on it!

Two features of her birthday included the worst rendition ever of Happy Birthday:



and a Zydeco version of Happy Birthday at a concert at the beach house at Pine Lake, the village where Gwyneth and Rob now live.

Phil's Flood Pics

Flood on June 27, 2007 behind our house. Phil
was home, Barb was in Scotland and missed it!













Bike Trail on San Gabriel









Gazebo at San Gabriel Park



Low Water Crossing at the Park

Scotland June 27, 2007 Dundee

If you want to see ALL my pictures, look at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50455451@N00/sets/72157600625940612

Vicki Hanson of IBM was the keynote speaker. I attended a session on accessibility afterwards that was not good. Anne and I presented our poster – I had wrinkled it badly, so I was a bit embarrassed. We did have a few interested visitors. I chaired a terrific session on gender issues – examples of all good paper types. Mary Anne Egan taught a course on women and computing that was exciting; Catherine Land from Australia did a large scale analysis of factors leading to success; and Susan Haller and Tim Fossom summer camp for kids was thoroughly analyzed by an education researcher.

After the wrap up I was in the group that went to the botanical garden, a short walk from the conference. However, it was a long way through the garden to the greenhouse where the food and wine were served. I was the official at the reception but there were no speeches so I didn’t have to do anything!

We walked from there back. Then the conference committee and board members went to a Bangladeshi restaurant for dinner and lots of pinot grigio. It was very late when I got back to pack.

Scotland June 26, 2007 Dundee – Glamis Castle – Dundee

After breakfast I interviewed Beth Simon in the lounge of my dorm floor. Joyce Currie Little observed. Then I interviewed Gordon Davies again to replace the one Alison had done last summer.

We got box lunches and headed out to Glamis Castle, the former home of the Dowager Countess Lady Mary Strathmore. She greeted us at the door and gave a wonderful welcome in the formal dining room. In the library there was a trophy turkey that had been shot in South Texas in 1991! Sue F. and Kate Deibel and I walked the beautiful grounds and ended up seeing the Highland Cattle.

The bus driver allowed us to go back to our rooms and then took us to the reception at the University. There was an excellent interactive performance on accessibility issues in web design. I found two people willing to go geocaching with me to the top of Dundee Law. It was a stiff hike up mostly on pedestrian staircases. The view from the top was awesome, as it was just sunset. We got back just as it got dark – 10:30 pm. I sat with Eric and Lauren while she translated French poetry with our help and that of Babelfish! I introduced Eric to IrnBru.

Scotland June 25, 2007 -- to Edinburgh and then Guthrie Castle Reception

Since the web showed that my suitcase was ready for delivery and I had heard nothing and could get no one to answer a phone at British Airways, I decided to take a cab, to the train to Edinburgh where I could see the city a little and then go to the airport.

When I got to Edinburgh I went up from the station to the "Royal Mile" and say lots of signs for the Military Tattoo. I couldn't figure out why tattoos were so cool in Scotland but soon learned that it was a big show soldiers who marched in costume in the summer in front of the castle. I went into the Tattoo shop where there were tons of crafts for sale and several looms actually in operation making tartans.

I was lucky at the airport. Although the airlines thought my suitcase was still at Gatwick, the guy at the desk decided to ask the delivery people who checked. It was in the warehouse because it was not labeled right and I never would have received it!

So I did the bus-train-cab thing and got back to Dundee in time to go to a great banquet at Guthrie Castle, but missed the entire day of sessions. I sat next to John Hamer and thoroughly enjoyed all our connections – from Gwyneth’s colleague Kathleen to engineering physics data structures at Polacksbacken. A bagpiper greeted us as we got off the bus.

I spent a lot of time in the beautiful gardens so missed seeing the inside. The banquet included a very elaborate poem and ceremony saluting the haggis. I got a great shot of Eric Roberts applauding the haggis -- quite a surprise for a confirmed vegetarian! I even dragged Henry out on the dance floor to do a Scottish dance. We were both awful!

Our bus broke down on the way back and we had to wait for a replacement. It was after midnight when we got back.

Scotland June 24, 2007 Rain, St. Andrews and Reception

Bruce and I walked to the Hilton to meet up with Harriet. She had a great view of the Tay River. We walked around in the pouring rain trying to get a rental car, with no luck. We ended up at the bus station and were going to take a bus to Abroath that was supposed to be a nice village, but then the bus to St. Andrews came and we decided to get on it. At least we would be warm!

I had borrowed a jacket from Ramanee, the conference chair, since I had no luggage. We passed a Marks and Spencer's so I took a photo to show Phil.

We asked the bus driver where to eat when we got to St. Andrews and he said the Victoria Cafe. It had stopped raining and the restaurant was pub-like and had good food. I shared a Greek salad, wine and neeps (turnips but orange, not strong) and taties and haggis with Bruce. We then saw a butcher shop with the haggis -- I still actually like it!

We went in a small museum that was on the special garden tour and then walked through the ruins of the old cathedral and along the coast, shopping a bit and looking at St. Andrews College, the oldest college in Scotland.


We had to hurry back to the conference opening reception at the Discovery Point (ship that went to the Antarctic) Museum . Lady Strathmore welcomed us -- she is the dowager countess of the castle where the queen mother grew up. Andrew McGettrick welcomed us on behalf of the sponsor, the BCS which is having its 50th anniversary.