My ties to Orkney are more esoteric than genetic. Please allow me to meander a bit through my explanation - but hold on, I'm coming back... In High School someone asked me what my favorite animal was - and out of nowhere, having never thought about it before, came the word seals. It wasn't until a good 5 - 10 years later that I heard the tales of the selkies. When I heard them, the hair raised on my arms and the back of my neck and there was a deep knowing of that word. So I did the usual and watched "The Secret of Roan Inish". But being who I am, a somewhat obsessive over-researcher of any and all things that interest me, I spent hours researching the term and books that pertain to Selkies. _The People of the Sea: Celtic Tales of the Sea-Folk_ by David Thompson is where I was first introduced to Orkney. And again, there was a deep knowing and my hairs stood on end. The more I researched Orkney, the more captivated I became. Reading about Skara Brae was almost a deep remembering in many ways, familiar though I've never been there and memories always just out of reach. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at a weekend retreat I had been invited to preach at and parked my dark green Saturn next to another dark Saturn, with an Orkney sticker in the window... Very few have heard of Orkney in Lancaster, PA... It took me a while to ferret out the owner of the vehicle, but our very own Anne Slater was the owner of said sticker. (It resided for a while on the back of my dark green Saturn and now it graces the rear of my dark blue Honda Odyssey.) I was shocked as she told me of her connection... I met Anne during my second year of seminary. The following year, my third and last was difficult to say the least - our then 9 year old has autism and spent time in a crisis center, and my husband, Doug and active duty US Coast Guard was assigned to isolated duty on Attu, the last of the Aleutian Islands. My birthday is in February and my card from my grandparents informed me they couldn't attend my seminary Master of Divinity graduation because they would be camping or on a bus trip. When I spoke to the Women & Religion group of which Anne is apart, she was one of the first to offer to be my grandmother and attend my graduation, she and the other two grandmothers from W&R bought me a beautiful soft leather briefcase as a graduation present! At some point, I don't remember when, I decided that I wanted to travel to Orkney, a pilgrimage of sorts, and decided that my 40th birthday (2012) would be the appropriate year to visit. (My Mom made a similar trip to Ireland for her 50th birthday, but I didn't want to wait that long!) I located a copy of Charles's guidebook and marked the pages I want to see, I passed the book to Mom and she stopped marking places because I had already chosen everything she wants to see. So here I sit, about 2 years from my first trip to Orkney, Mom is coming and I've invited Granne - Anne to accompany me as well. There are a few other friends who've been invited. Much as I love Doug, he is NOT invited, he hates traveling and waiting so we've decided it's better for our marriage if I travel with other people. I've been researching everything I can about Orkney, in fact had just ordered the ferry schedule book when the conversation about the ferries had begun. I'm looking forward to tasting a Skull-splitter beer and it will taste so much better knowing the controversial history of the label! I don't know what I'll find when I set foot on Orkney or view Skara Brae for the first through my own eyes. I do know that when I saw the pictures of the Orkney Wife (Neolithic statue recently discovered) my hair once again stood on end. If nothing else, it will be an amazing life experience, shared with a small group of women who are important to me. Blessings and gratitude for sharing your stories of Orkney with me! Heather Gehron-Rice, Lancaster, PA and about 1 hour west of Granne Anne Slater!!! Slater Anne wrote: > Many thanks to Sian and Bruce (whose reports I read religiously) for their > accounts. > Both reminded me of Lillian Beckwith's series about her life in the Hebrides > that started with "The hills is lonely". (Which I haven't read in about 25 > years, so forgive me if she is not your favorite person to be compared with) > > My favorite form of literature is autobiography. Connecting that with my > great-grandparents' lives on Stronsay, comparing how they lived there (ca > 1850-1882) with how they lived in Lancaster, PA, (1882 onward) has always > been at the back of my mind. > > Then meeting cousins and friends now still living in Orkney has kept me > curious about how people whose lives extend well beyond their island homes > fit into the society that exists on their home of choice. > > Anne (Slater/Watt/Learmonth connections in Orkney) > in south eastern Pennsylvania) > > On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 12:49 PM, Sian Thomas <sian.thomas@btinternet.com>wrote: > > >> Stephen >> >> I think island life means different things to different people. >> >> > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ORCADIA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Heather: I have a label from a Skull Splitter beer on my refrigerator. I've drunk the beer, and NOT in Orkney! I'll look around and find you a six-pack, but I am certain that Skull Spitter and other Orcadian beers will taste better *in situ *And, friends of the list, Heather is no Presbyterian, but she is a FINE preacher! Anne (etc) On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 8:50 AM, Heather L. Gehron-Rice < hgehronrice@verizon.net> wrote: > My ties to Orkney are more esoteric than genetic. > Please allow me to meander a bit through my explanation - >

I'm looking forward to tasting a Skull-splitter beer and it > will taste so much better knowing the controversial history of the label! > I don't know what I'll find when I set foot on Orkney or view Skara Brae > for the first through my own eyes.

I stayed with my cousin in Sandwick, not far from Skara Brae several times - the last before he died for over six weeks. ah such memories. I tried the Skull-splitter too! Visit the Kirk nearby which he and I opened and closed each morn and night and visited an archeology site nearby. Marion from Maine . I'm looking forward to tasting a Skull-splitter beer and it > will taste so much better knowing the controversial history of the label! > I don't know what I'll find when I set foot on Orkney or view Skara Brae > for the first through my own eyes. Blessings and gratitude for sharing your stories of Orkney with me! Heather Gehron-Rice, Lancaster, PA and about 1 hour west of Granne Anne Slater!!!