This tour started out with me coming to Scotland early while Sharon and the
kids stayed until the house sold. They finally showed up in September of 1991.
Nick didn't want to come to Scotland because he didn't like castles. Soon
after they got here, we visited a couple of the ruins and he changed his mind.
He and Becky enjoyed climbing on the ruined walls and pretending to be
defenders against the English or the Vikings.
Just after the family arrived, I started shooting. The shooting in Scotland is
the best I have seen since I could shoot pheasant, duck, goose, rabbit, hare,
partridge, woodpigeon and deer.
In November 1991, I received my Associate's Degree from the University of
Phoenix. This simple act probably had a direct impact on the selection board
and I was selected for advancement to master chief, E-9, in 1992. The ceremony
was simple and I asked Sharon, Becky, and Nick to pin my new anchors on my
collar. I had to bend down pretty low for Nick and Becky to do the pinning.
Nick was very meticulous about pinning the anchor on and the crowd thought that
it was funny. Nick thought that they were laughing at him and started getting
upset. We tried to explain to him that everyone was happy for me and he wasn't
being laughed at. Sandy Pedersen, Al Blevins, and Willie Williams were also
advanced during this cycle with me.
I thought that I should continue my education so I visited the University of
Maryland representative. I signed up for Elementary Statistics for the summer
term of 1993. Boy, was that tough. I looked at how many classes I would need
to get my Bachelor's Degree so I began taking almost every CLEP and Dantes
Subject Tests that I felt I could pass. By the time I got my BS, I had taken
24 tests and passed all but one. I finally received my Bachelor's 19 years
after starting on it. What is neat is that I completed it at the same campus
from which I began.
Immediately following my advancement, I was promoted from the department chief
to be the Assistant Electronic Material Officer (AEMO). This is the job that I
had spent the previous 18 years training for. Within weeks, the EMO, LCDR
Starski, turned himself into the medical department for alcohol rehabilitation.
That left me to run the 119-person department by myself.
I also became a Mason here. One evening, Jerry Hays stopped by the house to
tell me something that was going on at work. I noticed his tie and asked him
about it. He replied that he was a Freemason and if I was interested, he could
propose me for membership. I accepted, not really knowing anything about that
group. My mother lodge is North Esk Marinus, No. 1676, on the rolls of the
Grand Lodge of Scotland. I was initiated on 24 September 1992, was passed on
12 March 93 and raised to Master Mason on 8 April 1993. I took my Mark on 24
April 1993 and made Royal Arch on 12 April 1994 at the Chapter House in
Montrose.
After being in Scotland for over three years, we finally took the vacation of
our life when we visited Vienna and Budapest. That will be a special holiday
for our family forever. We took an airplane from Edinburgh and landed in
Vienna. Our hotel was smack in the center of town and we all had to share one
room. It was comfortable but really expensive. Sharon and I found the
Japanese restaurant that we were looking for when we visited Vienna in 1980.
It was great trying to understand the waiter explain what the Japanese dishes
were - in German. We understood the Japanese terms better than the German
words! We ate at our favorite Chinese restaurant, visited the sites, took a
bus excursion to Saltzburg, and rode on the horse and carriage tour through the
city. Then, we traveled to Budapest (behind the former "Iron Curtain") on the
Orient Express. Sharon and I were nervous about the possible harshness from
the Hungarian police but were delighted to discover that our anxiety was
unfounded. Our hotel was located on the Buda side of the Danube. Here, Beck
and Nick shared a room while Sharon and I had ours. We visited Buda castle,
traveled on the oldest subway in Europe, rode the streetcar, and crossed the
Chain Bridge on foot. During this trip, our family traveled on every sort of
transportation except boat. Sharon and Becky bought some beautiful Hungarian
clothing while Nick and I enjoyed some ice cream. When we arrived back in
Britain, we spent the night at the Stakis hotel in Edinburgh. Everyone was
glad to be back home to the mild climate since the entire trip to the continent
was in very hot weather. In fact, the temperature was so high that we couldn't
do too much walking around because we tired so easily.
I had the opportunity to chaperon Becky's class on their trip to York, England,
in 1993 and to London in 1994. Both trips turned out well and were lots of
fun. York was so much fun that we decided to visit it again when Grandpa and
Carolyn came to Scotland in 1994.
Grandpa actually visited every summer we were in Scotland. He and Carolyn came
over in 1992 and spent a week with us and a week in London. We went to the
Braemar Highland Games and the Edinburgh Tattoo. He became a member of
Historic Scotland and saw more than a dozen castles during that trip. The next
year, he visited us again and his membership was still valid. So, he visited
some more castles and monuments (to ensure that his membership was worthwhile).
Both Becky and Nick were old enough to enjoy the Scottish culture and to
remember their times here.
