Blog Archives

daisies, pushed up

One thing I’ve learned as a photographer is that no matter how alluring the Thing In Front Of Me is to photograph, it’s real important to turn around and see what else is there. In this case, while the Castle Stalker was indeed lovely in the dying light, how about the flowers and that wood-shingled shed that were right there? They’re nice, too.

along Loch Linnhe
near Argyll, Scotland
photographed 11.5.2023

trailer/falls

A farm trailer and a waterfall, also discovered because of the detour that I mentioned yesterday.

These waterfalls come and go, depending on how much rain there’s been. This one was rushing and just as I left the sound of it changed – and the amount of water noticeably increased. And on the other hand, when I looked at this place on a street-view map, the trailer was there but not one drop of water was flowing down the mountain.

Allt Chreaga Dubha Waterfall
Isle of Mull, Scotland

photographed 11.9.2023

mountains and ruins

We hadn’t planned on going on this road, but a car crash blocked the road we meant to take, necessitating a detour.

And what a detour it was…

Isle of Mull, Scotland
photographed 11.9.2023

the ragged end

These boats met their end on the shore of Salen Bay, on the Isle of Mull and now they are a photographic destination. I’m not sure how long they’ve been there, but the boat on the left has a tree growing in it.

near Salen, Isle of Mull, Scotland
photographed 11.9.2023

where the lochs meet

Oh, look! Another castle.

This one is strategically located where three lochs  – Loch Long, Loch Dutch, and Loch Ash – meet. It’s been there, in various configurations, since the early 13th century. It was abandoned and fell into disrepair, until this happened: “For the best part of 200 years, the stark ruins of Eilean Donan lay neglected, abandoned and open to the elements, until Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911. Along with his Clerk of Works, Farquar Macrae, he dedicated the next 20 years of his life to the reconstruction of Eilean Donan, restoring her to her former glory. The castle was rebuilt according to the surviving ground plan of earlier phases and was formally completed in the July of 1932.”

Also: is “Farquar Macrae” the best name you’ve ever heard?!

Eilean Donan Castle
Isle of Skye, Scotland
photographed 11.8.2023