#204 Story, Photos, and News

       This post contains a story from our travels to Scotland, some favorite old photos (film that's been digitalized), and some other news. Hope you enjoy.

The World, It Is Exploding

Our first time using timeshare for lodging in Scotland was in the fall of 2003. We spent a week at Scandinavian Village in Aviemore in the central Scottish highlands. Our apartment had two bedrooms and a kitchen/dining/living room. What we missed by staying in self-catering (mostly the grand B&B breakfasts) was made up for by doing our cooking. With a stove, oven, and microwave we had plenty of cooking options.

Scandinavian Village unit in 2014

For breakfast on our first morning of cooking I planned to cook a microwave soft egg like I do at home. I had a correct size microwave proof bowl, but unlike home where I use Syran Wrap I had no plastic cling film to top the bowl. I just covered the bowl with a paper towel. I set the timer for 45 seconds on high heat (at home I use 55 seconds at 80%) and turned it on. Something made me turn and look at the microwave just in time (about 40 seconds) to hear a loud bang! The door of the microwave was blown open. Egg bits splattered everywhere and steam poured out of the open door.

Surveying the disaster scene I discovered nothing but particles of my egg were left in the oven, but that no real damage had been done in the room—the microwave was a mess, but still worked. As I cleaned up I mulled over the cause of the explosion. Were the eggs different enough in Scotland that they couldn’t be done in the microwave—after all, eggs in Scotland aren’t cleaned and are almost never refrigerated? Was the microwave too powerful at my settings? Did I really need cling wrap with holes poked in?

I never did find out the true cause of my eggsplosion, but in the more than 25 trips I took to Scotland after, I never tried to duplicate my experience.

Favorite Photos

    Astronomy: an interest of mine since Jr High days.

Telescopes on Mona Kea at over 13,000 feet. Grainy photo from 800 ASA film.

Solar eclipse from Biggs, OR, 1979--published by Sky & Telescope magazine.

Sled Dogs: Raised and raced Siberian huskies from 1970 to 1985.

Anne running at team at one of the Oregon beach races in mid-70s.

A winter run on a wheeled rig with limited snow at Beaver Marsh, view of Mt Thielson.

Forest Fire: in the early 80s we were on Mt Ashland when a major forest fire threatened a friend's home.

Backpacking with Dogs: we backpacked from the early 70s into the mid-90s.

Backpacking into Chambers Lakes basin for an article for Cascades East magazine.

Me and Myko in the Three Sisters Wilderness area.

Myko early morning in the Green Lakes area on South Sisters.

Other News

This next section of the post isn’t the fun stuff, that was all in the story and the photos. This section is a report about us. First, Anne is working hard at recovery from total shoulder replacement surgery on her left shoulder—no golf for her most of the summer. Her surgery was three weeks ago and she is doing fine, but the hardest part, physical training (otherwise called physical torture) is to begin in a week and a half. We know how hard it is going to be, she had the same surgery on the other shoulder about eleven years ago. It’s amazing how strong she is and how independent.

Anne has to wear her sling for at least 4 weeks, but rides along while I play.

 

Second, while I live with the spinal stenosis that makes walking difficult, I continue to learn about life with Parkinson’s. My symptoms are so far quite mild and mostly controllable with medication. I know that things will change, there is no cure, but one of my hardest challenges is accepting that I won’t know how PD will affect me until it happens. I’ve always relied on my old Boy Scout training and tried to be prepared. I find that it’s difficult to prepare; all I can do is adapt—it’s a new concept. I still play golf, although my balance is completely different than it used to be. All I can say is have one of the more unique swings out at my golf course.

I lose my balance when I swing the driver, but I haven't fallen...yet.

Although we can’t really do much travel planning currently, we are both thankful for all the support we’ve received from friends and family.

Two Stories and a Photo Lesson

This post contains a couple of travel stories that will be in our next book which now at least has a title, The Rambling Adventures of a Traveler and Golfer (not set in stone yet, so comments are welcome)--the book is into the editing stages now.

Loch Awe and Scottish Mountains.  This will be the cover of the new book.

Also in this post is my take on what makes a good travel photograph--this comes from a presentation I did for a local arts group.

Night Noises and a Strange Animal Pen

We found a lovely B&B in the Dumfries area of southern Scotland in the isolated village of Twynholm.  We had a quite nice large bedroom at Linnhope B&B, but a couple of things made the stay special.  First, on the menu for breakfast was “trout and scrambled eggs--when available.”  There was a handwritten note on the menu: “Available now.”  I ordered the trout because Sue, the B&B owner, is a fly fishing instructor and I figured she’d know how to do trout well.  I was right.  Breakfast was delicious home-smoked fresh trout and eggs.  Fantastic!

The second reason Linnhope was special is stranger.  In the night we heard scrabbling noises above our bedroom, but the house is only one story.  We figured the noises were from some vermin in the rafters above the room; a squirrel or mouse.  The noises never disturbed our sleep. In the morning we looked out to the manicured backyard and saw a strange animal pen (our guess) in the yard.  It was about an eight foot square fenced in by 2x12 planks.  In one corner there was what looked liked a small dog’s house.  We couldn’t figure out what the pen was for--it wouldn’t have kept in cats, small dogs, or rabbits.  At breakfast we asked about the pen.  Sue said, “It’s for the tortoises.”  She explained that they have two pet tortoises who spend the day out in the pen and the nights in the house in the rafters above our room.  Ah, the noises in the night explained!  She went on to explain that the tortoises made great pet because in the winter when they close up the B&B and travel the tortoises hibernate in boxes of excelsior in the attic.  Then she said that right now they were overfeeding them to get ready for hibernation and then they would “purge the little guys” before putting them to bed.  She left the “purging” details to our imagination.  

Bus Tour vs Self Tour

Great bus tours are plentiful and can be a very effective mode of transport to see Ireland.  But we choose to drive ourselves.  It gives us more freedom and allows us to be flexible as we tour.  Perhaps the best explanation of the advantages to self-touring can be summed up in one experience we had on our first tour of Ireland.

Irish Round Tower and Celtic Cross.

Corcomroe Abbey is an early 13th-century Cistercian monastery located in the north of County Clare at the edge of the Burren.  Known as St Mary’s of the Fertile Rock, the abbey is famous for its detailed carvings and rich ornamentation.  Set against the limestone rich hills of the Burren near the sea, the abbey is a prime tourist location.  We drove into the parking lot just as a tourist bus was dropping off a large group of visitors and just as the heavy clouds dumped a downpour onto the tourists.  

Anne and I sat in the car waiting out both the deluge and the drowning tourists.  Soon the bus horn sounded and the wet tourists trundled back to their rolling cavern, which now I’m sure was steamy and smelled something like a wet puppy.  The bus pulled out of the parking lot at the same time as the sun broke free of the dark clouds.  It’s then that Anne and I starting exploring the lovely abbey now made more photogenic by the rising steam off the stones.  Is there any wonder we choose to self-tour rather than bus-tour.

Travel Photo 101

Cairn Holy Chambered Cairn, Scotland

Loch an Eilean Castle, Highlands

The preceding  pictures of Loch an Eileen Castle in the Scottish Highlands and the stones of Cairn Holy Chambered Tomb in the County of Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland are good examples of artistic photographs taken while traveling.  I would not call them great “travel photos.”

What makes a “travel photo” particularly good?  How is a travel photo different from an art photo.  While many good travel photos can also be good art photos, there are key differences.  An art photo, whether landscape, seascape, cityscape, portrait, or still life, emphasizes composition rules (or breaking those rules) and/or details like color, pattern, contrast, etc.  The key element to a good travel photo is the telling of a story.  In the following examples look for the story inherent in the picture or the story that the picture evokes.  A few of these travel photos are also good art photos, but primarily they each tell a story.

Tearoom Conversation, Kirriemuir Art Gallery Cafe, Scotland.

Fishmonger at a street market in Crieff, Scotland.

Fire Bomber, Mt Ashland Fire

Early Selfie--Snow Beard

Street Drummer in Portland.

Street Dancer, Dumfries, Scotland

This last example is my pick as the picture that is most successful as a travel story and an art photo.

Sunset on Princess  Street, Edinburgh.

Which are your favorites?  Let me know.

Our First Camping Trip in Years

Middle and North sister through the Three Creek Lakes Burn

       Family on Anne’s side has held an annual camping trip to the Sisters, Oregon, area for years and years.  Family and friends come from Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and Texas.  The camp is not in an improved or official county or state campsite, but it is anything but rustic.  A port-a-potty (port-a-loo to our Scottish friends) is brought in which includes washing facilities.  A margarita bar is set up overhung with a flag which says, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”  A small generator runs a sprinkler system used daily to keep the dust down.  

The central campsite

People set up camp in Motorhomes, trailers, truck beds, and all manner of tents.  It’s been at least eight years since the last time Anne and I visited, but this year we decided to join the festivities.

Our trip began with a gathering up of all the old equipment to see what was still usable and what needed to be replaced.  Our old three-person backpacking tent was definitely on the “needs replacing” list.  When I tried to wash off the mildew, the tent disintegrated.  We found a four-person tent we could borrow.  A visit to our local REI store allowed us to fill in gaps in our equipment, but we found our sleeping bags and travel pads were still in good condition.  

Subaru Outback loaded to the gunnels, we headed on Friday over to Sisters via Mt. Hood-Madras-Redmond.  Never wanting to miss an opportunity to play a new golf course, we booked in at the redone Juniper GC in Redmond.  

The course is lovely, filled with pines and junipers and native grasses, and in a beautiful setting.  The only thing spoiling the view was the heavy smoke from numerous forest fires plaguing the area. It wasn’t chokingly thick but thick enough to irritate eyes and noses.  We did pair up on the third hole with Nicole and Brent who are both competitive rock climbers now living in the area.  

Brent and Nicole, our playing partners

Nicole was a former college player from Butler University who was teaching her friend golf starting with golf etiquette. 

Arriving at the campsite about five in the evening, we set up our borrowed tent (with help) and went down to the campfire to say hello and get reacquainted with friends and family.  

Setting up the borrowed tent

Groups all did their own dinners--we ate with Anne’s sister Charleen, her husband Dave, nephew Kevin with his wife Abbey, and nephew Jon.  The rest of the evening was spent visiting around a carefully tended campfire (fire danger is high) 

The communal (well-controled) campfire.

and doing a little stargazing through binoculars we had brought.

Saturday was what we would call a touring day.  After breakfast I found several different photo opportunities.  First, I did some dog portraits.  

Bailey

Jake

I had plenty of willing subjects since there were six well-behaved dogs (except for the young one who kept getting into the food) sharing the campsite 

Hawk

Leia

and one cat who with six dogs on the loose decided to stay in the motorhome. I also took a successful short hike looking for wild flowers.  

Fireweed, I think

Even with the dry conditions in the area wild flowers were fairly easy to find, but I’m still working on identification.  

Could this be manzanita?

In the early afternoon Anne and I drove the nine miles (one dirt, two red cinder, six pavement) into Sisters for a latte and some shopping.  

Lovely old blue thing driving through downtown Sisters.

Hot rod detail

A car show gave me some photo opportunities I hadn’t expected.  Fun to wander through the fancified hot rods.  On the way back to camp we drove further on the paved road and stopped at a spot for some Cascade mountain landscapes.  

Middle and North Sisters

Mt Jefferson

Buzzard (Turkey Vulture?) of some sort.

Later I went back down the paved road a little for some sunset shots.  

Sunset and Mt Washington

All-in-all a good day of casual shooting.

After dinner as we were visiting again around the campfire, about 10:30, two Forest Service vehicles with their emergency lights on drove past our encampment on the dirt road.  Five minutes later they return and turned into the far area of camp near a couple of tents and sounded their sirens.  That got everybody’s attention, even those already in bed.  The word was a new small wild fire was burning about four hundreds yards from our camp.  The officials informed us we had no more than an hour to evacuate the camp. There was no panic, but there also was no hesitation--camps were struck as quickly as possible.  Those of us with small camps finished our packing and helped those with larger set ups.  Each group made choices about what couldn’t be packed quickly enough--the port-a-potty, the margarita bar, a couple of old tents, etc.  It took quite a while to get everyone out and those of us who were first out waited anxiously at the park in Sisters until all the units arrived safely at about 12:30AM.

We learned later that the fire had been contained short of the campsite.  Some who had been planning to spend a week camping went back in the morning to either re-establish camp or move it.  Anne and I decided about 1:00AM to head toward home, find a motel on the way if we could or drive all the way home.  With no hotel rooms available in Redmond or Madras, we arrived home at about 3:45AM.  Even with the evening’s adventure we are planning to put some camping back into our schedule.