A former colleague is planning to retire soon and, since he knows I’ve been retired for more than twenty years, he asked me if I had any advice for him. The most important thing I would tell him is to plan to stay busy—have plenty of projects to be ready to work on. For me the projects started with travel, photography, and golf and rapidly expanded to writing about travel, photography, and golf. I’ve added being on the Board of Directors for Retired OEA (teachers’ organization) and being a vendor (selling books and photographs) at Celtic cultural events and Scottish Highland Games.
I suggest having a number of projects going at the same time because there are times when one project runs into a dead end or I find myself temporarily bored with that project. Having other irons in the fire means I can easily switch to another project until I solve my block or get out of my funk. Every once in a while I find my current projects ending at nearly the same time and I struggle to get anything new going. That’s where I am now—between projects.
I don’t know what others do when this happens, but my fallback position is to look to the past for inspiration. I’ll reread my travel journals and pour over files of photographs. That brings me to this post where I’ll share some stories I haven’t used before and explore some favored images I may not have shared in the blog.
I hope the stories and pictures entertain and, as always, comments are greatly appreciated.
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| The Callanais standing stones is a cruciform pattern of stones around a small central stone circle. The formation, erected on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, is at least 2000 years older than Stonehenge. We visited the standing stones in the evening to catch them in the soft light just before sunset. |
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| Arches National Park, in eastern Utah just north of Moab, is one of the most popular parks with almost 2 million visitors a year. One of the problems for photography is to try to keep people out of pictures. |
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| Pooh Corner: a grab shot of Pooh in a window in the village of Muthill, Scotland. |
This first story comes from an ongoing journal of stories from my growing up years (mostly college and before). A little about this particular journal. I created a list of possible stories to remember and add to the list as I remember more experiences. Then when I need a diversion, I white the stories. I don’t what I’ll do with the journaled remembrances—probably too boring for a book—but it is a project.
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| On one of our trips to the village of Durness, Scotland--which has a lovely and rugged 9-hole golf course--in the far northwest corner of the mainland, we caught the weather just right for dramatic photographs like this one of Balnaseil Bay with a rainbow. |
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| Ladder and Shadows is an image I saw at Georgia O'Keeffe's home and studio in Abiquiu, New Mexico. As much as I like the photo, it really doesn't do justice to O'Keeffe's works. |
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| The William Wallace (Braveheart) Monument in Stirling, Scotland, is dramatic, but I think the image is stronger if it includes part of the town and the river where Wallace defeated the much larger English army. This picture is taken from Stirling Castle. |
Getting in BIG Trouble at South Salem HS
In high school it was not my habit to get into deep trouble. So it was unusual for Mike Harrell (my debate partner) and I to end up in the Vice-principal’s office. Mr. Brown looked at us and said, “What in the world are you two doing here?” We told him. Our American Problems teacher, Mr. Mehelis—an avowed anti-communist—was lecturing on the evils of communism without backing up his statements. Mike and I started arguing with him using Marx, Engels, Hagel and other political philosophers as evidence. Mehelis would make a generalization and one of us would counter with evidence. Finally, when we wouldn’t let him get away with pure propaganda and with the class cheering us on, he sent us to Mr. Brown’s office with a disciplinary referral. Mr. Brown heard our story, knew we were one of the top debate teams in the state, and said, “Why don’t you spend a couple of days in the library.” So much for being in trouble.
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| In the New Mexico Museum of Art, amid all the fine displays, I found a different kind of art. The images through rippling glass highlights the natural browns and blues of Santa Fe in a nice abstract way. |
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| The image of Cragievar Castle in the Scottish Highlands is usually a close up of the fairy-like castle, thought to the model Disney used for Cinderella's Disneyland castle. I think this view puts the castle more into its natural setting. The castle was lived in until the 1960 when it was turned over to a national trust. |
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| Used in many films, Dunnottar Castle on Scotland's northeast coast is dramatic from almost any view in any weather. This particular image breaks several rules of landscape photo composition, but I think it does so successfully. |
The next story comes from the third iteration of my book of travel stories, Sixteen Years of Travel in Scotland, Ireland, England, and Wales, still available on Amazon.
A Scottish Tradition I Don’t Buy Into
I’ve celebrated my birthday several times in Scotland—Jacky (our B&B family) usually fixes a great dinner of my choosing (most of the time paella or roast pork). She has asked at times if I really wouldn’t rather go out for dinner. What,?! Pass up one of her Cordon Bleu meals? Never! On one recent trip we were in Scotland on her birthday and she chose dinner at Yann’s, the fancy Scottish-French restaurant next to Merlindale, her B&B. Yann’s is the best restaurant in the area and one of the best in Scotland. Good choice for a birthday dinner party of twelve. But now I know why Jacky suggests going out for my birthday. In Scotland there is a tradition of the birthday celebrant picking up all or most of the bill. Our birthday dinner for Jacky cost her several hundred pounds. It’s a Scottish tradition I rather enjoyed, but I just can’t seem to buy into it.
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| Sunday Morning Gathering: This scene in the Irish countryside may not be technically perfect, but for me it almost perfectly reflects the feel of a visit to Ireland. |
Next: I’’ll probably continue with the stories and photos.
