Crieff

After spending all weekend indoors at Crieff Hydro learning to think 'creatively,' I opted to ramble and spied...


And...

Company arrives tomorrow to help me celebrate a long awaited achievement and roam around bonnie wee Scotland.

In the g-know...

So, way way way back in April, my dear Macbook started to get grumpy. She made the most atrocious noise at start-up - I wouldn't say 'death curl' but not far from it. After panic backing up the hard drive to an external I turned her off and lovingly whispered, "I hope you start-up when I get back from Greece."

A month later she did wake up, but she was suffering. Several expensive phone calls to Apple later and she was away for repair. First the CD/DVD drive was replaced. Then a second CD/DVD drive was installed only to throw up a faulty logic board. Basically the entire computer has been rebuilt. And who says buying an extended warranty is for wimps! At the moment I am awaiting a new battery and installation disks (because they were scratched by the faulty CD drive). Hopefully, the photography will be back up and running in about a week to ten days. In desperation, a new-old Powerbook has been enlisted; but I'm just getting up to speed on this one. =)

This has all been rubbish news for the world of 'gnome-travelogue' because sans computer means no photo editing. But, there have been a few new projects on the go to keep me occupied in the absence of suitable binary. Sadly, one of those included not being short-listed for the travel writing contest I had entered with my story of Indiana Joness adventures on Crete. Ah well, next time!


Last weekend I was in Crieff (Perthshire) for a conference/training with the ever so snappy title "Biotech Entrepreneurship Summer School." First and foremost, I can not recommend Crieff more highly. Perthshire is my patch of Scotland - it reminds me of home. And, at a close second, the summer school, although exhausting was very inspiring. For anyone who has recently entered the dreary world of unemployment and the merry-go-round of job hunting this was a welcomed window into a world of exciting ideas which is thriving while big pharma and industry falters.

On a personal note, being an ex-pat is an interesting experience - often exciting and lively; but news from home is often slow to trickle down, as was the case this past weekend. As many will know, I am a long time supporter and watcher of "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert. (To be honest, if he and Tom Brokaw hadn't made the 2000 presidental election so exciting, I may have passed biochemistry the first time around.) However, unlike the majority of the United States, I missed the announcement of his untimely death on Friday last. Late Sunday evening I downloaded the latest podcast only to learn the sad news. Since then I have been following the story online and been struck by the outpouring of sympathy of my fellow countrymen for a man we knew simply because of Sunday mornings. I suggest, if you never had the opportunity to watch his broadcasts, checkout the "Meet the Press" homepage. I think you'll find Mr Russert was one of those rare and genuine souls who worked hard to make this world a little bit better without forgetting where he came from (Buffalo!) and lived every day to its fullest. Something to strive for.

Right, the family arrives in a weeks time for a rather large celebration.

Cement Boots

It occurred to me the other evening that I've been busy busy busy with a number of projects and as such we're behind a story or two. The past few months have seen me sheparding my long-term baby to completion while moonlighting as a photographer and getting very little sleep. However, all this effort is paying dividends this fall. I have entered two photography contests, one of which I was shortlisted for. Very exciting, in deed. And, I'm happy to report that evenings are now a bit freer so service shall resume shortly.

I hope you'll take this opportunity to voice your opinion on which three of the following six images best immortalize travel photography to you. (Images are posted in order shot over the past 8 months, NOT my personal preference.) As you can see, I've stuck with Scotland as my destination and tried to choose one iconic image, one human interest image, and one landscape (although most know I excel at landscapes).

Edinburgh Castle after the Storm, February 2007

Speyside Steamer, Glenlivitt Distillery, May 2007

Steel Drummer from Edinburgh Military Tattoo, August 2007

Ben Lawers, Killin, August 2007

Gullane Point, East Lothian, August 2007

Eyemouth looking towards Coldingham and St. Abbs Head, August 2007

160-miles

25 May 2007

I was starting to think I'd never get out of town! When I picked up the hire car, I fully intended on stopping in Queensferry for a few pictures of the Forth Road and Rail bridges. Unfortunately, road rage and the 90 minutes to get out of town got the best of me - I hit the bridge with a lead foot! Get outta my way!

I headed north with nothing more than a mental map of Scotland. Once I passed Perth, the majority of the drive was along B-roads so I could take it all in and stop for a wander.
No trip is complete without Heamus and Seamus, the highland cattle. Did you know, originally they were black but, Queen Victoria preferred the ginger ones hence their modern abundance?
I stopped in Pitlochry to enquire about the weekend weather and distance to Aviemore before rejoining the highway. A few miles outside Bruar I found this wonderful vista – windswept and ever changing due to the impending hailstorm. What I wouldn’t give for a quiet retreat such as this.

After winding around the River Spey and over the steep Northern slopes of the Cairngorms I arrived in Tomintoul, exactly 160-miles from my front door, just in time for dinner. Hidden in the Cairngorms at an altitude of 354m (1160ft), it is the highest village in the Highlands - a tranquil, one-horse town perfect for exploring Speyside.

"Roads? . . .

Where we're going, we don't need roads."
-Doc Brown, Back to the Future (Amblin Entertainment, 1985)

Well, we might need roads, but burn the map!

In our fast paced, 24-7 global economy it can be hard to find stillness. Some find it behind a bolted front door, or a wee dram, or meditation. When I get a bit stir-crazy, I tend to head for the hills – fresh air, viridian landscapes, and vast cobalt skies. Nothing tops it for clearing the head and heart.

Over Memorial Day weekend (sorry to my Scots friends – the last weekend of May will forever be the start of summer and Memorial Day for me), Enterprise gladly handed me the keys to a brand new Ford Fiesta, black this time, and away I puttered. With only a mental map, and hopes of seeing dolphins at some point, I headed north on B-roads.

What follows is vintage Gnome… as soon as a couple of the panoramas are assembled. Needless to say, 567-miles and 4-days later, the trip was a fantastic success – cloths and trainers so dirty & smelly they could walk on their own, hoarse from singing with the radio/CD player, and some rather amusing antics in the wilds of Scotland...

Flowers

Seems the spring blossoms have come and gone. Silly me missed them as I was working so hard on my thesis. =(

But, in honor of my annual anniversary I'm off to Amsterdam to track down some tulips. Pictures next week!

Ume

Close your eyes. Imagine a gentle breeze rustling the branches of a budding plum tree. Can you feel the breeze? How does it sound? What does it smell like?

Over the weekend, I wandered out of the office and away from the troublesome computers to discover ~in the field’s sublime installation piece, ume, tucked away in a stairwell at Stills (on Cockburn Street). In seconds flat I was transported from the confines of cosmopolitan Edinburgh to an emerging spring orchard.

In the artists statement they explain, “ume captures the precise moment of the cyclical transition from winter to spring... ume comprises self-contained revolving images of plum blossoms in the form of thaumatropes [a popular Victorian toy] powered by solar cells.” Each thaumatrope is connected to a solar cell on the roof of Stills and twirls independently to the changing light conditions.

I’d say I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to art. I prefer it to occupy the space of a frame on my wall rather than an immersive experience. However, ~in the fields has managed to transcend my stalwart view with amazing success. My only regret is not finding it sooner – last Sunday was the final day of the exhibition. Definitely, one to watch!

For more information & movies of the exhibition:
http://www.in-the-fields.org/works.htm

Melrose

After the traumas of hiring a car and getting out of town, we found ourselves in the rolling, green pastures south of Edinburgh known as the Scottish Borders. The stretch of the A72 between Peebles and Melrose is particularly pretty as it winds along the River Tweed in the warmth of early spring – buds just on the trees, little moos and bahs bouncing around the field, unwinding tourists like myself driving at 45 in a 60…

Melrose, one of the prettiest and best preserved market towns in the Borders, is both the birthplace of Rugby Sevens as well as home to one of the finest remaining abbeys in the region.

This red sandstone beauty was built by Cistercian monks in 1136 in their search for a tranquil setting to adapt the Benedictine order. I continue to find myself baffled by the ploy they used to “employ” local Scots – one meal a day in winter, two in summer, and a stone bed to sleep in. Since when are locals unable to survive off the land? With the turmoil of the 14th century, the abbey was burned down at least three times and later became the final resting place of Robert the Bruce’s heart.

And who says the Scots can't do buttresses? (Admittedly, the main stonemason was French.)

From the top of Melrose Abbey looking N/NE towards the Eildon Hills. (No this photo was not retouched in PS... it was really that pretty and blue.)

My mum spotted this delicate specimen stranded in the dark stairwell leading to that fabulous view. Struggling due to the coolness, I rescued him before he was trampled by rampaging kiddlings.

This is my first entry in find the bagpiping gargoyle quest... As you'll see in upcoming posts, they are everywhere in Scotland. Can you spot the bagpipes this piglet wields?

Despite the centuries of erosion, these carvings continue to maintain their awe as the shadows approach...

The Malt Shovel

Fancy a dram? Need to surf the net? Give The Malt Shovel on Cockburn Street a try. Lovely green pub with a real homey sort of feel, great live music, and over 80 whiskies to sample its a fantastic place to update ones blog and catch up with friends. Or, if you're like the gnome, make new ones... I was waiting for a mate last night when a number of chaps asked if I could help them out. They were having a quiz night and needed the 13 footie teams with double names. What's a gal with WiFi to do?

I said AUTOMATIC!!!

Where has the roaming gnome been roaming? Well, it seems my company from Western Washington were keen to see a bit of Scotland... via 4 wheels.

After reserving an automatic from Enterprise on the web, I was gun ho about driving on the wrong side of the road! But, in true gnome fashion, life threw us a curve. When I arrived at Enterprise, promptly at 9am, there was only one attendant and the office was swamped. An hour later reinforcements arrived, but my precious automatic drove off the lot as they printed my contract. Reluctantly, and a foot stomp later, I hired a manual Ford Fiesta (with the optional damage waiver and a 30% discount for the hassle) having never driven a manual before in my life. (As way of an explanation for my European cousins, Americans get a drivers license with which you can drive any type of vehicle – manual or automatic.)

Twenty minutes later, I managed to get the car started and out of the lot. We were off! I only killed the car a few dozen times in town that first day. Ten days later, the car still had a working clutch and even my mum was impressed with my skill!

We roamed quite a bit – over 710 miles to places like: Melrose and the abbeys, Borders in general, Fife & St. Andrews, Stirling/Killin/Loch Lomond, and Rosslyn chapel. These long days hopefully explain the delay in posts. My company was here from 1-15 April; I’ve spent the past week recuperating. Happily, all this roaming has provided a deep portfolio of photos for upcoming posts...

Warm fuzzies

I'm starting to think it may be a universal truth that wherever I live I'll find the zoo... Pink flamingos for Dad.
Is that a small child?
20oC is to warm, turn down the heat!
Company's favorite critter.
My favorite critter.
Think monster trucks rumbling by... Wonder what got into these two besides the spring weather? Awe twitterpaited...
Last year Edinburgh sponsored the CowParade, a charity event. Around 100 'moos' were decorated and placed around town. After ten weeks, those still standing were auctioned and the funds donated to two charities - OneCity (local poverty group) and VetAide (animal health and welfare in the third world). Luckily, this marvel found his way home.

To market, to market...

As a present, my company arrived with the sun on Sunday!

















Once a month, Fredrick Street (Edinburgh, Scotland) becomes a traveling market. Barkers from Holland, Germany, Spain, and Southern France display their wares in hopes of impressing the punters… Makes for wonderful street theatre!

Atmospheric

Probably the single reason I fell in love with this city...

Spring has sprung...

For a few days, at least.


Gorse (Ulex europaeus), a native evergreen shrub, is in bloom. These coconut scented, yellow flowers are protected by sharp spines and currently carpet the rugged slopes of Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags.


(I'm not terribly happy with this assembly. The hazy sunlight does no favors for the seams.)

To my company from Western Washington – temps look to be similar to ‘home’ but I’d caution that once you factor in the wind it tends to be quite chilly so heavy coats are a must. (We are expecting rain the end of the week, but no worries, I’ve got ‘brallies to spare.) Days are lovely for walking, once the mist burns off. Think Arthurian… Otherwise, safe travels. See you at the airport!

Inspiration revisited

Memo: A departure from the travelogue for a few minutes as I work on my digital photography skills.

This digital photography stuff has a steep learning curve...

It took me a little over six months of research before I could stomach handing my shiny VISA card to the clerk at Ritz Camera in exchange for my Nikon D80 in mid-January. Sadly, I've learned my hand isn't as steady as I thought; too much coffee I suppose. But, the first few outings have produced a couple of nice images. (As all aspiring photographers will know - it is about shooting and learning, not about mass production. The more you shoot, the more you learn.)

Of course, then there is the computer end of this proposition. Working on a 'church mouse's' budget has taken a bit of finesse. Faint-heart never won fair-maiden... After some careful tap-dancing, I 'acquired' the required software to stitch panoramas as well as PS CS2. Now if I only knew how to use it... Think think think...

All in all, its been a labor of love... as one's hobby should always be. Honestly, if this had been my job, I probably would have called tech support hours ago. But, its off hours, poking around has been a welcome change to the grind of PhD data analysis.

So, now that the UK Blogger interface is fully functionally again here's my first assembled image! (Those of you unfamiliar with the headache are lucky -- Virgin Media re-branded Telewest the last week of February and most of the UK has been without Blogspot since.)


What do you think? (Wandering Vet, can you find the seam?)

Night Owls

Fascinated by the heavens from an early age, I never miss a chance to gaze skyward and awe in the magic of it all. Last night was another cracker! Despite BBC claiming a day filled with rain, the heavens only opened up for about 90 minutes in the early evening treating us Edinburgers to an atmospheric sunset and cold clear night. This is wonderful news to a stargazer, especially last night as it was the first total lunar eclipse of the year.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which I have yet to see, a lunar eclipse is easier on the eyes but just as awe-inspiring. Last night’s event was the first total eclipse of the year, and according to NASA, could be seen on almost all continents. Only Eastern Australia, New Zealand and Alaska missed out. (Then again, Aus and NZ are in the middle of summer. They can’t have everything now can they!)

By way of a cursory science lesson: As the moon circumnavigates our home, light from the Sun is reflected off its surface. During an eclipse, the Earth blocks the Sun’s light and the only light to reach the Moon’s surface is reflected from our atmosphere.

I suspect my back garden (Holyrood Park) is one of the few places in Edinburgh the eclipse could have been seen without much city light pollution. Bundled up tight, I took a cuppa, blanket, and camera to sit in the back garden. (Honestly don’t know why I took the camera, I was so cold and shivering only one shot turned out.)

-Lunar eclipse, Edinburgh, Scotland, 23.15, 03/03/2007

There aren’t a lot of words to describe the sight of our moon slowly being engulfed by the Earth’s ghostly shadow; eerie isn’t one of them. As the event reached its zenith, the Moon turned pale red with only a white halo around her edges. Scenes like these make me remember how small we really are in the cosmic sense and how elegantly our tiny galaxy occupies the sky.

If you missed last night’s event, never fear. If you’re in the US (or Aus/NZ) 28 August 2007; Western Europe 21 February 2008 offer the best bets.

For more information:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH2007.html#2007Aug28T
http://www.eclipse.org.uk/

Oh, the weather...

outside is frightful... Let it snow! Let it snow! -Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne

Despite Phil declaring spring is on its way, I doubt few in the Northern Hemisphere believed him this week. After the warmest January in over 90 years, the United Kingdom was treated to arctic temperatures the past few days. And, for the lucky, up to 4 inches of snow overnight. Edinburgh wasn't blessed with more than a skiff, but it made a crisp (25F) sunrise well worth pausing to admire.

I had hoped to provide a wonderful panorama from 'my' back garden but it seems assembling these large files takes a bit more skill than this novice digital photographer has. Heck, I almost printed the lot, assembled them on the desk, and rescanned the result! Oh, its days like today when I miss 35mm film.

Hopefully a friend or two will come to the rescue over the next few days... but, until then here is a taste of what's to come:

-Arthur's Seat, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland 08/02/2007

The Great Pumpkin

There are times in life when one is required to be a grown-up. Happily, they are few and far between.


In recent years, I've missed out on the festive holidays which pepper the end of the calendar. (That's what happens good, little boys and girls when you are working relentlessly on a PhD.) Following a bit of nostalgia last fall and the carving of my first pumpkin all by myself (see picture), I spent a bit of dosh stocking my DVD collection with some of those holiday classics.

There is something special about watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" regardless of how old you are. Maybe it's the quirky gang of Charles Schultz' creation. Or, the depth of Snoopy's imagination. Or, poor Charlie with his holey ghost costume and bag of rocks. Like a doorway back to childhood for a few minutes, when the world was a bit simpler, you could eat the candy you got from the neighbours, and parties ended with an innocent goody bag rather than spiked punch. (If you haven't seen it in a while, or missed it on the networks, I am ashamed to admit, it is available for free on YouTube.com.) After Linus' tears, I opted not to kill a pumpkin this year. (Besides, it would just have to go in the bin as I get ready for the road.)

After seeing Sponge Bob Squarepants riding a Lothian bus, rather than a pineapple under the sea, I thought I'd see what the rest of the world was up to on Halloween night. To my delight, CNN posted a wonderful little story about a small town in Colorado which awoke to the sight of pumpkins everywhere. Call me sentimental, but thats pretty sweet. If you are interested in the story, I've included the website below.

Boone, Colorado - Nobody knows who, but someone with a lot of Halloween spirit decorated this small southern Colorado town with hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins. Residents woke up Tuesday to find virtually every surface covered with the orange holiday icons. There were pumpkins left on front porches and at front gates, on the front and back steps of a church and all along the boundary of the city park. – cnn.com http://us.cnn.com/2006/US/11/01/pumpkin.town.ap/index.html

With winter's arrival pending, I'll be heading to warmer climates in a few weeks time. Yippee! But, watch this space, there are a few photos from my fall rambles around Edinburgh waiting to be developed for your enjoyment.

Arts Round-Up!

The circus has packed up, the actors have taken their curtain calls, and the tourists have stumbled back onto trains, planes, and automobiles. Hurray!

Usually home to a shade over 400,000 students, politicians, etc.; the ‘Athens of the North’ swells to over 4x that number in August. And for those of us ‘natives’, you either rent your flat or bolt the door. On the surface, that may appear to mean missing some of the greatest art on the planet. In reality, the best shows are held over.

I had my doubts about this years offerings – Adam Elsheimer, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Ron Mueck, Albert Watson, Robert Mapplethorpe, Harry Benson to name a few. But, a number of hidden gems have emerged:

Ron Mueck
Dubbed the “must see show of the season,” it was hard to get excited about hyper- or hypo- realistic nude sculptures. However, 90 minutes later Mueck’s process and attention to detail had me wondering – Would a survey of sculpture juxtaposing Canova’s ‘Three Graces’ (1819) and Mueck’s ‘A Girl’ (2006, pictured) invoke a re-examination of art? I marveled at the attention to detail - the wrinkles next to a subject's eyes down to the tiny follicles on a big toe. Amazing!
For more information: http://www.nationalgalleries.org/mueck/index.html

Jamie Primrose
Up and coming Scottish artist, Jamie's third exhibition this year, ‘Secrets of Venice,’ was a mystical journey to one of my favorite cities. I’ve been following his career since I wandered into the Dundas Street Gallery one rainy afternoon three years ago and was immediately transformed by the depth of color and vivid horizons. (We're even on a first name basis.) I may even max my ‘happy plastic’ and bring one home in the coming months. Check out my favorite, unsold, work ‘Tuscan Farmhouse’ (pictured) or his website: http://www.jamieprimrose.com/

Albert Watson
Not particularly one for fashion photography, I thought I’d give this exhibition a try because it was in the same building as a Toulouse-Lautrec poster exhibition. Talk about dumb luck. I was struck by the versatility of this Edinburgh-native and the scale of the works exhibited. Usually you go to a photographic exhibition and expect to see 8x10 or similar sized works. Of the over 200 on display, none was less that 2ft x 2 ft, most were at least 8ft x 8ft. My favorites were from his "Maroc" work (pictured), specifically ‘Hands of a Orange Orchard Workers’ (1998) and “Flower Sellers Hands’ (1989). They harkened back to the days of Dorothea Lang in their honesty and ability to tell a story. Absolutely brilliant transformation of black and white into tones which made you feel like you were experiencing the angst of his subjects’ existence.

An anecdote:
I was admiring Mueck’s attention to detail in the hypo-realistic sculpture ‘Two Women’ (pictured) when I observed two elderly women both dressed in knee-length woolen coats; one in pants with the beige trainers your grandmother wears; the other a navy skirt and black patent leather heals. We've all seen this scene. As they discussed the exquisite detail of the work, I noticed that down to their nylons, bunched at the ankles, Mueck had beautifully captured the scene. Upon commenting to the middle-aged woman standing next to me, “Does life imitate art? Or, art imitate life?” we both eyed our elders and quietly chuckled.

As the seasons change, I’m reminded that life is mystifying. The simplicity of the human experience is joyous; something to be celebrated; and most of all, alive and well despite what we hear and see from the ‘talking heads’ on a daily basis.