Memories of Marina Hotel— very comfortable, lovely morning light, and waking to the sound of seagulls. So what if there were rats in the overhead, a big, big spider in the bathroom, and maybe a few bug bites— that could happen anywhere. I had a bowl of muesli. The guys decided to hold out for a big breakfast at the course. We paid up, shook hands, and were off!

To Kingsbarns, round two! And it was sunny! We went without caddies because we remembered the course so well from last week. There were lots of pars, bogies, and even a birdie as John sank a 72-foot putt on #5! And, because it’s Scotland, there were the occasional lost balls. The funniest of mine was when, after a beautiful #8– a par three nestled in the coastal trees- I ran with my putter and golf ball to the nearby restroom. Hurrying back to the next tee, I felt my pocket. No ball. I’d left it in the Ladies Room sink!! (Lost ball and too far to go back for it. But Johnny quickly reminded me, we’ll circle back here in three holes. Let’s get it then.). Two holes later, ball back in my pocket!

After our round, we had an early dinner in the golf course restaurant, Johnny taking his leftovers for later. Then we were back on the road to East Lothian and the Standingstone, where all of this started more than two weeks ago. We arrived to a terrific smell of garlic and butter, and Karen and Ann at the dining table. John and I had picked up sandwiches at Tesco and sat with them for an hour, at least!

We talked about everything from the sights of Northeast Scotland to the politics of Eastern Europe, the “Muppets” running Britain and the US, and the future of children (Karen’s business). Great stories all around from the world all around.

Tomorrow is our last day… ahh.