UK TRIP 2022 – PART VII

May 13, 2022

Scotland

We ate breakfast and then got ready to meet Amanda at the Johnstone train station at eleven. The night before, she had emailed the schedule and suggested the train we should take. The ticket process was straightforward and quite easy. Then we located the correct platform.

A train was already there, so we boarded. Two stations down, we got off and walked from the platform to the nearby street where we assumed Amanda would pick us up. We were about five minutes early, so we waited. The weather turned cold and blustery.

At about eleven-ten, Larry walked back to the tracks where he could see the station on the other side. No sight of Amanda.

He came back, and we waited a while longer. The weather grew colder. The wind howled. And the mist increased.

We finally decided to cross over the tracks to the station looking for warmth and possible wi-fi. Success on both counts.

I checked my messages and found one from Amanda. She was running late but would be there shortly. We continued to wait.

I finally decided to ask what kind of a car she drove and ask the color. She responded: yellow. We figured it would be easy to spot. No yellow cars in the lot.

She messaged a few minutes later. There were “diversions” (detours) all over town. She was parking a bit away and was walking over.

At last, we saw her coming across the car park.

She was frustrated, and we felt sorry for her. The entire area around the station was torn up and under construction.

We reached the car and got it. Larry was surprised when a head came over the back seat. Calley, Amanda’s dog, had waited in the car.

She took side roads to get back to town.

At last, we reached the Old Beith Cemetery, just as the wind and drizzle picked up. Amanda went online to the registry to try to locate the family graves. No luck. Only one McAulay listed, and he was not related. Our McAulays were nowhere to be found. Still, we decided to look around. Until we got cold and wet and realized how huge the cemetery was.

We noticed nearly all of the original stones had been standing ones. Many were knocked over, and some were face-down. Others were broken. Many were so worn they were unreadable. But none had the names we were looking for.

We finally decided to get back in the car.

Amanda called the registry and left them a message with the names and dates. We hoped to hear back from them while we were still there.

We drove down the coast to Amanda’s parents’ house in Troon. It was delightful to see them again.

We met their dog, Bracken, a cavalier King Charles spaniel, my brother’s favorite breed. She and Amanda’s dog, Calley, got along well.

We decided to take a walk at the shore before dinner, so we went with Sandra and Eric. Amanda took Calley with her.

We arrived at the beach and left the car. Amanda hadn’t arrived yet. It was cold and overcast, and the wind continued to blow. Eric decided to go back to the car and wait there.

We saw Amanda pull up. She got out with Calley and joined us. She was excited. She had stopped to take a call from the registry. They were sending the burial records we had asked for.

Sure enough, my great-grandfather, great-uncle, great-grandmother, and great-grandfather’s second wife WERE buried in the cemetery. However, there was no marker. We finally got the coordinates for the location. There may have been a marker at some point, but the broken ones were being removed. If no family members were known, they gave no notice. (My great-grandparents’ survivors were all female, so their names changed. And they moved away from Beith.) We believe there probably was a marker at some point, but many in the cemetery were missing. I would love to get a flat marker put in the spot with the names and dates. I’ll look into it.

At least we had some answers. One of the important ones was that my great-grandfather did remarry. I don’t believe my grandmother was ever told. She was living in California at the time, and her sisters probably knew she’d have had a fit. His second wife was considerably younger than he, and he outlived her.

[I have since added all four of them to the Find a Grave site, listing the coordinates we were given.]

We walked the seashore with Christine and Amanda. Bracken trotted along with us while Calley chased her ball. Such energy! Wish I had as much.

It was blowing and blustering with occasional mist. Not enough to break out the umbrellas—even if we’d had them with us. I wore my jacket, but Larry didn’t. He was chilled by the time he got back into the car. He told Eric he should have stayed with him.

Just a short drive back to their house, where we warmed up quickly.

Before long, Christine Pollard and her daughter, Jill, arrived. Christine and Sandra are sisters, and they certainly look alike. Jill and I have been friends on Facebook for a couple of years. It was nice to finally meet in person.

Last to arrive were Nicola and Cameron with their dog, Maisie. She is a puppy with the high energy to prove it. All three dogs were cute.

Christine, Lorna, Sandra, Larry, Eric, (center) Jill, (front) Nicola with Bracken, Amanda, Cameron with Maisie

Sandra had prepared a real Scottish spread. I had never had some of these foods before. Disclaimer: my Scottish grandmother was a terrible cook. She did not season anything. I hated most of what she made. However, Sandra was a great cook, and I enjoyed everything.

We had a great time catching up and comparing memories. Christine not only remembered hearing about my great-grandfather’s second wife, but she said she might have a photo of her. She also has some other items she’ll email.

What a great afternoon. I adore all of them, so we shared many laughs. Amanda is lobbying for a “girls’ trip” to California soon. I’m all for it.

It stayed light until late there, so it was far later than we had realized when we finally left to go back to the hotel. Even though we had return train tickets, Amanda volunteered to drive us all the way because of the mess near the station. We were very tired, but so happy to have seen everyone.