The people of Massachusetts, and Concord in particular, take Patriot’s Day very seriously given that this was the epicenter of the battle for American independence. I began the day with a pancake breakfast at the First Parish church where Jeanine was volunteering as a cook. I did so despite the image carried by the sign walker designed to entice patrons as it had the opposite effect on me. Fortunately, the flapjacks were excellent. The reenactment of the fighting between the Minutemen and the Redcoats at the Old North Bridge, a highlight of our local celebration, was canceled due to safety concerns related to the high water level of the Concord River. Nevertheless, I was able to shoot one Redcoat for the benefit of our cause.

Rather than stick around for the parade, I decided to catch the Boston Marathon. This year, I managed to photograph all four winners of the major divisions because they were all in the lead at the 12-mile marker where I was positioned. Marcel Hug (men’s wheelchair); Eden Rainbow Cooper (women’s wheelchair); Sisay Lemma (men’s); and Hellen Obiri (women’s).

After taking off the fall season last year to work on the River House I returned to the soccer pitch this morning for the opening match of our spring season. I am back with Concord United, which just established an over-62 team now that many players from the over-55 league have become eligible. This is now my 20th year with the team and we got off to a great start winning 4-0. I believe I will be credited with the first goal. I had beaten two defenders and was about to take a close-range shot on goal. The defenseman chasing me could only manage to toe-poke the ball from behind and put it right into the net for me. I finished the game with sore legs and a slight hamstring tweak but should be good to go for next week’s match.

Garlic Mustard is an invasive species in our neck of the woods. Jeanine and I joined a large group of our neighbors to pull these little buggers this morning. Even though there were some seriously large patches to be eradicated the work went quickly with so many people working together. Later we returned to our house to deal with the aftermath of the tree that came down across our driveway yesterday. We wrapped up the day with a “birthday dinner” with friends at a newly opened Mexican restaurant here in Concord.

For the second time in as many months, a large tree has been the victim of a windstorm and come down across our driveway. Fortunately, it missed by inches the Japanese-style stone lanterns we had placed in the clearing where it fell. Clearing a path for vehicles with my chainsaw was a welcomed 20-minute distraction from preparing our income taxes which is never something I look forward to. We have returned to high winds and heavy rain that makes it feel like we are still in Scotland. Still, it is nice to be back on home turf.

Today is Jeanine’s 61st birthday. She is foregoing a family celebration today since we had extended time with the full crew while on vacation. Now that she is a sexagenarian and I am also a sexagenarian means we will be having lots of sex. Perhaps her newfound maturity also explains her evolving thoughts on headwear fashion.

Looking back on our two weeks in the UK, we have had a magnificent experience spending time with the kids, and our friends, while enjoying the natural beauty of the Lake District and the Isle of Skye. For me, it has been a much-needed respite from all the work I have been doing on the new house for the past 2 1/2 years and a chance to reignite my passion for landscape photography.

Our flight back to Boston via Dublin was uneventful and we were greeted at the airport by Nicolai who is about to embark on another west coast travel stint. Meanwhile, Kyle has set up shop in Barcelona and plans to work from there for the next month before connecting with my brother and his family in Italy.

We commenced the first leg of our journey home today driving from the Isle of Skye to the outskirts of Edinburgh in just over six hours with a few stops along the way for food and gas. We stayed at the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club.

The main house was built in the 1720’s for the youngest son of the Earl of Stair. It was then acquired by the Douglas family in 1760 and the Estate on which the house stands is still owned by a direct descendant of the family, the 22nd Earl of Morton. Mary, Queen of Scots is said to have been a visitor to Dalmahoy and when she was later imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle, the Douglas family came to her aid. George Douglas, who was in love with her, was banished for concocting a plan to free her. His brother, William Douglas then helped her escape and threw the keys of the castle into the loch. In the 19th century, the loch was drained and the keys were found.

Fortunately, no keys were to be found for the Easter Bunny Buggy which Jeanine seemed quite determined to take for a spin around the club’s golf course.

What a difference 8 hours can make. This morning, Jeanine and I arrived early at the trailhead for the Old Man of Storr hike. It was overcast with intermittent rain. Jeanine turned back at the halfway point when it became apparent that the pinnacles would be shrouded in clouds. I continued to the top where I waited for an hour hoping the clouds would lift. They did not and the best image I have is the one below.

Later in the day after driving around the entire Trotternish peninsula, a challenging drive on one-track roads that I will not soon forget, we returned to the Old Man of Storr trailhead. Naturally, the clouds had mostly cleared and the sun was shining. My knees would not tolerate another ascent so I decided to fly my drone up the mountain. Having hiked the trail earlier, I knew just the path to fly to position the drone for the photo I wanted. I an extremely pleased with the image I was able to make. It is possibly the best landscape photograph I have ever taken.

After lunch, Jeanine wanted to visit a nearby wool crafts store. In the quaint little shop, we learned that all the wool for sale was from the sheep on their farm. While Jeanine was shopping, I photographed the father of all the sheep on the property. He looked like a pretty happy dude.

The Fairy Glen was not on my radar but Jeanine learned about it and thought it would make for a nice place to visit. Indeed, it was a whimsical area filled with small conical hillocks created by an ancient landslide. We did not see any fairies, but if they are to be found anywhere, this is the place. Below is a basalt “castle” adjacent to one of the hills. Falling from the top would be sure to result in severe injury but probably not death. For this reason, I was able to climb to the top despite my intense fear of heights which can be more accurately described as my acute fear of falling to my death.

An early start got us to the Fairy Pools ahead of the crowds. Jeanine and I enjoyed a lovely hike along a cascade of waterfalls feeding a series of turquoise pools. It was mostly overcast but thankfully it only rained for a few minutes. The pools are the primary attraction on this hike but I cannot resist a nice waterfall. We had lunch in Portree at the Inn of the same name. I had a cheese-smothered salted brisket sandwich on a Scottish roll. It was the best sandwich I have ever had in my life. Jeanine had the Cullen Skink, a smoked haddock chowder that she loved as well. Fortified by our meal we drove on to the Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls (pictured below) where calmer winds allowed for a drone shot.

We continued north to the An Corran beach where In 2002 a local woman, out walking her dog, found what looked like a set of footprints in a recently exposed block of rock. They were found to be those of a three-toed carnivorous Megalosaurus, a fierce predatory dinosaur of the Mid-Jurassic period that roamed the shallow lagoons over 168 million years ago.

Our final stop for the day was at an unnamed waterfall Jeanine spotted above the road while we were driving by. A short climb revealed a very beautiful cascade and it may well be my favorite on a day that included some spectacular waterfalls.

We were greeted on the Isle of Skye by gale-force winds which blew all night and day. We decided that it would be wise to limit our time outdoors and did so with a visit to the Dunvegan Castle followed by lunch at a nearby pub. That wisdom failed me later in the day when I decided I would try to photograph the Neist Point Lighthouse at sunset. Jeanine was smart enough to stay at our AirBnB which is aptly named the “Snug”. When I arrived at Neist Point after a harrowing 40-minute drive, the wind was even stronger than elsewhere and it was raining horizontally. Walking was very difficult and I had to shoot at 1/400th of a second because holding my camera steady was simply impossible and my tripod was no match for the gale. When the wind finally knocked me off my feet and into a soggy bog, I decided it might be wise to pack things up. I managed a few photos that were not crap but on balance, it was a failed outing. A gale force wind is rated at 39-46 mph. I have no doubt that the wind speed at the point was closer to 60 mph.

Yesterday’s rain was replaced with gale-force winds as we drove from Glencoe to the Isle of Skye. Our first stop along the way was the Neptune Staircase, the longest staircase lock in Scotland, raising the canal by 62 feet over a quarter of a mile of continuous masonry. Requiring nearly two decades to complete the lock began operation in 1822 and is still in use today. It takes around 90 minutes for a boat to travel up or down the locks. 

Our next stop was the Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter movies in which it is traversed by the Hogwart’s Express. The viaduct is built from mass concrete (no rebar; strong in compression, weak in tension) and has 21 semicircular spans of 50 feet. It is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 416 yards, and crosses the River Finnan at a height of 100 feet.

As we approached the Isle of Skye, where we will be spending the next four nights, we stopped to photograph the Eilean Donan Castle, originally built in the 13th century.

Pictured below is the Old Sligachan Bridge built between 1810 and 1818. Legend has it that eternal beauty may be gained from bathing one’s face in the enchanted water beneath it. Specifically, one must submerge their face in the ice-cold water for 7 seconds and then allow it to air dry. Although Jeanine and I could both benefit from a dose of eternal beauty, neither of us felt compelled to stick our heads in the river and decided on some hot tea at the pictured inn instead.

Our final stop for the day was in Portree, the largest town on the island, where we found a good vantage point from which to enjoy the famous colored houses that can be found here.

Hadrian’s Wall is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The largest Roman archaeological feature in Britain, it runs a total of 73 miles across the whole width of the island. Soldiers were garrisoned along the line of the wall in large forts, smaller milecastles, and intervening turrets. Homesteads Roman Fort is perhaps the best preserved and where we stopped for a visit this afternoon. The fort was occupied for almost 300 years and housed some 800 soldiers. Wooden floors in the various buildings were supported by vertical stones which kept the interiors dry and free of vermin.

In total, we spent more than 5 hours driving from the Lake District through the Scottish highlands to Glencoe, our destination for the night on what might be the most scenic road I have ever witnessed. Regrettably, heavy rain, high winds, and low clouds made photography impossible and we can only hope for better weather when we make the return trip.

Today I ventured out on my own for a day of photography while Jeanine and the kids all did their own things. Pictured above is St Mary’s Parish in Ambleside constructed in the 1850s. I used my drone to capture the most flattering perspective. Below is the Cathedral Quarry, a small network of interlinked quarries above Little Langdale. The system is best known for its main chamber, which stands forty feet in height and is lit by two windows off the main quarry. They are frequently referred to as Cathedral “Cave”.

On the hike to the caves, one has an opportunity to cross the Slater Bridge which dates back to the 17th century. Built of slate, it consists of a 15-foot segmental arch and a flatter span built of slabs and incorporates a natural boulder in midstream. The bridge is thought to have been created by miners working in the nearby quarry. It has been described by, Alfred Wainwright, a famous British fellwalker, guidebook author, and illustrator as “the most picturesque footbridge in Lakeland.”

A tiny, whimsical 17th-century stone house on a bridge over Stock Beck River caught my attention. A relatively short hike took me to the Stock Ghyll Waterfall. Pictured below is the lower section of the 70-foot falls.

My final destination for the day featured a stepping-stone river crossing. Normally, I focus on still images but when I saw a young woman in a white dress and yellow boots getting ready to cross I switched to video.

With rain forecasted for the entire day, our group decided to do a flat hike around Lake Buttermere, arguably the most beautiful of the lakes in the Lake District. We started and ended the 4.5-mile walk in light rain but during the middle, we had a respite and a chance to thoroughly appreciate this magnificent place. Afterward, we relaxed in a local pub for fish and chips and steak and ale pie. Jeanine, Kyle, and Nico were walking ahead of the group when I took this photo so Maya was our only representative.

Today, Maya, Nico, and the rest of the lodge crew tackled Jack’s Rake, a challenging climb with a lot of exposure (see the route pictured below). I become paralyzed when I am in such situations and would not have been able to complete the climb. Regardless, I had already decided to avoid further vertical climbing to protect my knees for the soccer season and was joined by Kyle for the day on a photographic expedition. Meanwhile, Jeanine joined Lou Ann (our hostess) on a shopping excursion to Keswick.

Below are a few of my favorite images from the day. The first is a second attempt at a photo I took yesterday. This time I returned with my tripod so I could make a long exposure and circular polarizing filter so the colors would pop. I think the difference was worth the effort.

After two perfect weather days, things returned to normal with a bit of rain throughout the day. The kids decided to have a rest after their big climb yesterday. Jeanine and I opted for a 6-mile valley walk with our hosts. The constant drizzle only added to the ambiance and the relatively flat trail was a welcome change of pace for my very achy knees.

Jeanine opted to attend Easter Mass this morning, I joined the adults to hike Sheffield Pike (2000 ft. climb, 6.5 miles), and the kids tackled the very challenging Helvellyn via Striding Edge (2660 ft., 9.5 miles). Hard to say who had the most fun but I can claim the company of the best dog, Pemberry (Pembi, for short). UPDATE: Maya, who has been proclaimed the BogWench by her mates felt it would be appropriate to honor her new title by taking a plunge in the ice-cold Red Tarn during her ascent of Helvellyn. Kyle suggested I was to blame for this questionable choice of bathing location because of the “Brave Maya” training I put her through as a small child.