I am from SC,USA and am a lurker here and have searched my Argyll roots for 12 years and it has proved fruitful but i am not able to keep up with it as i wish.Nw, my daghter and her spouse have given my husband and I frequent flier miles to go to Scotland and we only have July available and have not had time since getting the gift on New Year's Day. I am the great great granddaughter of the blacksmith there who's shop is called? "The Smiddy'' and I have had some contact with Cathie there and Colin Montgomery who moved from there but visits on occasion .As a professional artist in my hme state, I teach at museums here and maintain a large pottery and painting studios and now? attend ''tuition free"? for over 60 year olds,classes at the state? university to keep fresh and work on equipment?I do not maintain at? home, like a bronze foundary,blacksmith workshop and printing etching/intaglio presses.? I am looking for sites in Scotland ,possibly nearby to places my kin hailed from , but also just magnificent compex and beautiful in a rugged natural way sites,to do some small?landscape painting studies to paint from upon returning home.I want to? search the archives and see the homeplaces and burial grounds there to document for my grandchildren the home of their ancestors.I aso am not familiar with? contemporary artists there and would love to paint onsite with some of the best ones,if they will have me.I am looking for the best places to do some short term research as my time wuld be very limited and husband has kin elsewhere, so just to save and maximize my use of available time i will need to have a plan.I might like to visit? the cemetarys there also for photos and a rubbing or two. My ancestor John Montgomery was an aprenticed butcher who owned his shop in Peebles [where most of his and Barbara Allan Campbell's(Thurso ,Caithness)?children were born ,including my grandmother Margaret].and both?immigrated in his 50s to Vancouver,BC?before 1900,I think [without info in front of me].Chris Hay has been working? so hard in recent years to give him proper recognition for doing and? who has hopes of reinstating at least a part of them snce the hurricane rerevealed them under the undergrowth amid huge grown over trees.My grandmother didn't go to Canada with them but planned to stay in her beloved Scotland but made the ''error'' of visiting the USA [Boston] and met herlifelong?husband there and only returned to Glasgow in the 1930s. to visit her remaining siser[s] Barbara,who never immigrated out. So, if anyone knows any kin in this line who is still living there ,aside from Cathie whom I have already contacted,?I would like to identify them before coming. I am also looking for Inns, Bed and Breakfasts, artists and their studios, incuding? potters and? fine wodworkers to visit.I hope it is not too late in the year already to pan the trip of my lifetime as I am 64 and hubby is 66 and one never knows.We are looking for places with public transportation to them as hiring a driver may have to be limited to short runs, if available at all,due to the expense. blathering as I am genuinely excited over the generous gift te children have given s and hope to take them up on the great trip it could be for us to share with them.Thank you, Margaret aka ""Peggy'' in South Carolina,USA Anyhow, I apologize for all the

Hi Peggy et al, I can recommend B&B accommodation at the Old Manse, Strachur. My wife and I stayed there for a couple of nights in August and found it outstanding. The hosts, Bob and Sheila Macpherson, are a very genial pair and have loads of local knowledge. The breakfasts were so spectacular (try Bob's special Navy dish) that we did without lunch. The house is quite old-fashioned in appearance, furnishings and decoration, but has all mod coms and there are interesting old books everywhere. At £65 a night for 2 people, it wasn't cheapest B&B we've stayed in, but it was easily the most memorable we've been in for years. Bob and Sheila are great company and made us feel totally at home right away. The full details are: Bob and Sheila Macpherson, The Old Manse, Strachur PA27 8DF Tel: ++44 (0)1369 860247 (You drop the (0) if dialling from outside UK) e-mail: sheilamacpherson@strachur247.freeserve.co.uk You can also read a bit more about them by Googling "Alastair Sawday's Special Places to Stay". I've got no connection with the business other than as a satisfied customer. Regards, Ken Mathieson ----- Original Message ----- From: <artistinsc@aol.com> To: <SCT-ARGYLL@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 9:14 PM Subject: [ARGYLL] I may be coming to Strachur, Argyll this summer, need advice searching roots, more >I am from SC,USA and am a lurker here and have searched my Argyll roots for >12 years and it has proved fruitful but i am not able to keep up with it as >i wish.Nw, my daghter and her spouse have given my husband and I frequent >flier miles to go to Scotland and we only have July available and have not >had time since getting the gift on New Year's Day. > I am the great great granddaughter of the blacksmith there who's shop is > called? "The Smiddy'' and I have had some contact with Cathie there and > Colin Montgomery who moved from there but visits on occasion .As a > professional artist in my hme state, I teach at museums here and maintain > a large pottery and painting studios and now? attend ''tuition free"? for > over 60 year olds,classes at the state? university to keep fresh and work > on equipment?I do not maintain at? home, like a bronze foundary,blacksmith > workshop and printing etching/intaglio presses.? > I am looking for sites in Scotland ,possibly nearby to places my kin > hailed from , but also just magnificent compex and beautiful in a rugged > natural way sites,to do some small?landscape painting studies to paint > from upon returning home.I want to? search the archives and see the > homeplaces and burial grounds there to document for my grandchildren the > home of their ancestors.I aso am not familiar with? contemporary artists > there and would love to paint onsite with some of the best ones,if they > will have me.I am looking for the best places to do some short term > research as my time wuld be very limited and husband has kin elsewhere, so > just to save and maximize my use of available time i will need to have a > plan.I might like to visit? the cemetarys there also for photos and a > rubbing or two. > > My ancestor John Montgomery was an aprenticed butcher who owned his shop > in Peebles [where most of his and Barbara Allan Campbell's(Thurso > ,Caithness)?children were born ,including my grandmother Margaret].and > both?immigrated in his 50s to Vancouver,BC?before 1900,I think [without > info in front of me].Chris Hay has been working? so hard in recent years > to give him proper recognition for doing and? who has hopes of reinstating > at least a part of them snce the hurricane rerevealed them under the > undergrowth amid huge grown over trees.My grandmother didn't go to Canada > with them but planned to stay in her beloved Scotland but made the > ''error'' of visiting the USA [Boston] and met herlifelong?husband there > and only returned to Glasgow in the 1930s. to visit her remaining siser[s] > Barbara,who never immigrated out. > > So, if anyone knows any kin in this line who is still living there ,aside > from Cathie whom I have already contacted,?I would like to identify them > before coming. I am also looking for Inns, Bed and Breakfasts, artists and > their studios, incuding? potters and? fine wodworkers to visit.I hope it > is not too late in the year already to pan the trip of my lifetime as I am > 64 and hubby is 66 and one never knows.We are looking for places with > public transportation to them as hiring a driver may have to be limited to > short runs, if available at all,due to the expense. > blathering as I am genuinely excited over the generous gift te children > have given s and hope to take them up on the great trip it could be for us > to share with them.Thank you, > > Margaret aka ""Peggy'' in South Carolina,USA > Anyhow, I apologize for all the > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > SCT-ARGYLL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.2/1873 - Release Date: 03/01/2009 14:14