Ballparks and Scotland
At our September 25,2924 Armchair Traveler Program Janet and Craig Swan shared pictures and amazing information about their trip to Scotland and Will Craig shared pictures and insights into his visits to 30 American baseball fields.
See recording below.
Ballparks and Scotland
Wed, Sep 25, 2024, 10am
Please join us for UMRA’s first Armchair Traveler program of the 2024–25 year from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 25, via Zoom. Will Craig will present “Touch 'em all: 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in 20 years,” and Craig and Janet Swan will share photos and descriptions of their trip to Scotland in 2022.
Will Craig says that what started as incidental visits became an obsession before he completed his tour of all 30 Major League stadiums. “They are all different, each with its own setting, design, fan base, and food. Visits required travel by air, train, car, subway, taxi, Uber, rental car, and foot. Several were replaced during the 20-year period, so some cities needed to be revisited.”
Highlands, islands, and ancestors
Here’s how Craig Swan describes the trip he and Janet took in 2022: “We spent almost four weeks in Scotland in late May to early June. Our visit was focused on the Highlands and parts of the Hebrides and Shetland Islands. We started our trip visiting Clan McIntosh sites. We left with awe at the beauty of the countryside and a deeper understanding of Scottish ambivalence toward England and pride in being Scottish.”
A Zoom invitation will be emailed to all UMRA members a month before the program and a reminder email a week before. I hope you can join us.
—Lynn C. Anderson, Armchair Traveler program chair
Upcoming Events
The theme for October is "Monuments."
Join us for the UMRA Breakfast on Thursday, October 15, for a frank discussion about addiction and how it can affect families and friends of the addicted person.
UMRA’s second “Campus Conversation” with a University leader will offer UMRA members an exclusive opportunity to meet with John Morris, president and CEO of the University of Minnesota Foundation. The focus of the conversation will be the role of the foundation and its relationship to retirees.
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Jon C leads the hike at Nerstrand Big Woods with lunch afterwards.
The Vaccine Integrity Project at the UMN Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Prevention is working to ensure that vaccine use in the U.S. remains grounded in the best available evidence, and focused on protecting public health. Kevin Griffis, director of CIDRAP Media Relations and Public Affairs, will tell us about this work as the featured speaker for UMRA’s Living Well Workshop on Tuesday, October 20.
Gather with UMRA members in the Campus Club West Wing to share lunch and conversation. No agenda.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club (aka UMRA Book Club II) will discuss the Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel by Jhumpa Lahiri when it meets at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 23, via Zoom. The nine short stories in the collection speak to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.
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Bob & Jean Hall and Andy Whitman, participants.
The theme for November is "Hands"
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Gather with UMRA members in the Campus Club West Wing to share lunch and conversation. No agenda.
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The theme for December is "Pathways and roadways."