We’re still in Scotland this Wednesday with a visit to one of its strongholds, Dunstaffnage Castle in Oban.
Just like in the Travel Tuesday posts, we’re going from Egypt to Scotland this week for our window. Even though Scotland doesn’t have quite the same ancient structures as one finds in Egypt, there are plenty of reminders of an often turbulent past. Castles, churches and monasteries tell the stories of battles in a distant memory, as people battled over power, control and religion.
Here’s a window view from that past…
Dunstaffnage Castle
Dunstaffnage Castle, in Oban, was once a stronghold of the MacDougalls, built in the 13th century. It was captured in 1308 by Robert the Bruce and remained in royal hands until 1469. The grounds are a pleasure to visit, as they give a real sense of the Middle Ages and how people built their keeps.
This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.
Traveling through Scotland we find a memorable location on the Isle of Mull. Idyllic scenes abound!
After visiting the desert climate of Egypt in last week’s Travel Tuesday, I’m taking you to a country with a bit more rainfall. Scotland might be known for getting more than its fair share of nimbus clouds, but during our trip there in 2013, the weather was nothing if not delightful. During our week and a half there, we may have seen about 45 minutes of showers. We brought so much sunshine with us, that some of the locals asked us to stay longer!
Here’s a sunny moment from that trip…
Mull Idyll
There’s nothing better than finding little gems just off the road, where the water cascades amidst an ocean of greens. This lovely spot was on the Isle of Mull during the early part of our journey. A wonderful island with great single-track roads and plenty of opportunity to brake for sheep (they don’t leave the road for a mere car).
Taking us back Scotland in 2013, where we encounted the Bodach, a Gaelic mythological figure.
It’s great fun to revisit images from past vacations, which is what I grabbed for this week’s edition. I’m looking back to a vacation that took us across quite a bit of Scotland back in 2013. Planning our vacations always takes a bit of extra effort to ensure that all our animals are taken care of in the best possible way (read: they get spoiled by a pet sitter while they enjoy all the comforts of home). As this was our first significant international vacation, there were definitely lessons learned.
Here’s an image that goes back to that 2013 vacation…
The Bodach
The Bodach is a sort of trickster in Gaelic mythology and this particular one has a story of admiration. The statue sits at the top of Loch Long in Archer where, according to legend, the Bodach helped repel the Vikings who attempted to drag their longships across the hills to take over the Loch and beyond.
And those lessons learned from our vacation? As I had carefully planned a route across Scotland and many bed and breakfasts for us to stay at, we wound up spending too much time driving and not enough time enjoying. Later vacations were planned differently by picking a location to stay and exploring the surrounding area; much more restful and much less packing of suitcases!
Reflections on a trip to Scotland, with its abundance of historical ruins, such as churches, abbeys, and castles, which connect the past to the present.
After last week’s Wednesday Window in the lovely city of Brno, we’re jumping to another wonderful country in Scotland. In 2013 my wife and I toured a bit of Scotland , which has only increased our desire to go back to visit more of the country. One of the things that stands out in Scotland are the number of ruins of churches, abbeys and castles that one can visit, each with their own character.
Here’s a view from one of the chapels…
Past to Present
The connection between the past and the present is very strong across all of the country. The preservation of history through allowing these ruins to stand as monuments to the actions of the past strengthens this bond.
And, yes, technically, the window is gone while still being very present.
This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.
A trip to Scotland in 2013, hoping to see puffins on the isle of Staffa. There might not have been any puffins, but there was a great seagull!
In our travels we often have expectations, whether they are based on marketing brochures or our fanciful dreams of the locales we visit. In 2013, during our trip to Scotland, there was one side trip that we signed up for with such hopes: the isle of Staffa.
Here’s an image from that outing…
No Puffins
Every brochure about Staffa talked about the puffins’ breeding colony, enticing us with many pictures of the cute birds. I rented a special lens for the occasion, which was the envy of some of our fellow travelers on the boat trip to the island. Of course, when we arrived there was not a single puffin in sight… It did give me the opportunity to get the best shot I ever have taken of a seagull! Oh, and my wife is convinced to this day that puffins are a Disney animatronics ploy.
I did get to meet with puffins a number of years after this, and, yes, they do exist and are incredibly cute!
Welcome to the 210th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!
Thank you all for the wonderful responses to this week’s photo challenge theme of puzzle. Also, more importantly, thank you for the warm welcome for my return to this great forum. It feels good to be back!
Sometimes the puzzle is rather large…
Springing forth toward the sky…
The above monkey puzzle tree was found by my wife and I in the gardens at Clan MacLeod’s Castle on the Isle of Skye. When I saw these people standing next to it, I just had to photograph it and capture an impression of its massive scale.
Please enjoy the following blog posts:
Debbie started the week’s responses off with a wonderful set of images in Travel with Intent, as she highlights the national tree of Chile…go check it out and see how it connects with the image above!
Diane reminds me of something that I very much enjoyed as a child in a lovely post in pensivity101; nowadays, I will often help out my mother-in-law with this kind of puzzle!
The capture in Teresa’s post in My Camera & I really caught my eye, as she features the puzzle aspect of architecture in a great way!
Leave it to ladyleemanila‘s post to blow my concept of puzzle piece count way up high! 18,000 pieces is mind-boggling!
Ken has us off to the races in a great post in Pictures without Film! There’s nothing better than a group of ducks vying for first place!
The ancients have left us interesting puzzles, as we can see in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery; this puzzle makes me think both of piecing things together again and the challenge of understanding what the larger structure might have looked like…
Maria brings something to mind in her post in Kamerapromenader, for which it takes a real expert to find a good solution! The skill of people who work with stone in that form is priceless!
Sandy shares some stunning black&white photography in her post in Out of my Write Mind, which also demonstrates that these are perfectly pieced together!
Susan made me laugh with her entry in Musin’ with Susan, as it is filled with wit and a puzzle that many of us can relate to! Also, check out Susan’s week in review in Musin’ with Susan, and enjoy the variety of great photos!
Hammad has a very fine capture in his post in The Blog of Hammad Rais; this photo makes me think that this maze has a way out…but does it?
Teressa shares a wonderful set of images in her post in Another LQQk, which lead me to believe that she enjoys a puzzle or two! I agree that the puzzlement in the statue is very pronounced!
No regrets for some lovely egrets in another wonderful post in Don’t Hold Your Breath! I have photographed some in my travels, but didn’t know as much about them as I.J. shares with us.
The sun is highlighted as a puzzle in our universe with a great quote and photo in Sgeoil‘s post; an intriguing concept!
Alice showcases a puzzle to be solved by a horse in her post in The 59 Club…how do you adjust to look through that fly cap?
Brian brings us a subject that is truly puffed up and looks like it might be ready to blow in his post in Bushboy’s World, so be careful! Great song too!
Take a closer look at the puzzling photo in Land of Images, and tell me what you see… serendipitous art? I like it!
Please let all these wonderful authors know how much you enjoy their blog posts!
Welcome to the 202nd round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!
Thanks to all of you for creating a stunning set of posts! It was an absolute pleasure to read each and every one of your posts, as each found something unusual or, in the case of one country, something that happens all the time. Some of you included a reminder that we need to do something about all this junk, which we cannot hear often enough.
When you read all these great posts, I’m confident that you’ll enjoy them as much as I did. Thank you again and have fun with these posts!
Here we get everything, including the kitchen sink…
That sinking feeling…
Even on the gorgeous Isle of Skye, one can come across some junk! This sink that had been dumped unceremoniously in this lovely field really caught my eye. This composition breaks a couple of rules, but I felt it created the right amount of tension between the sink and Nature’s beauty…
Please enjoy the following blog posts:
Kammie starts things this week with some of her treasures in a wonderful post in Nut House Central; I have to admit that the radio dial is just awesome!
This week in theOnlyD800intheHameau we join on a househunting trip in rural France, where the interior decorator asks us to use our imagination! Great post!
Jackie has a scene right out of the Beverly Hillbillies in her post in JunkBoat Travels; if only granny was sitting atop the wagonload! There are some other great scenes as well!
Na’ama has another fantastic poem in her post in Na’ama Yehuda, as a treasure is found! The photo is also rather stunning!
Nandini is junking it up in her haikus in her post in queennandini; great writing and some rather cool pictures too!
Maria shows us that lizards may have a very different appreciation than we do of what has value in Kamerapromenader; it’s a treasure to them!
Diane shares another great post in pensivity101, as we learn about how junk might have value to others; the junk in the photos looks rather nice!
Ken has a wonderful photo of treasures of a bygone era in Pictures without Film, as some parts may no longer be useful…
Andrea has some amazing photos of interesting junk in her post in ARHtistic License; she clearly has a keen awareness of the world around her!
Julie’s post in Eat, Play, Live has some salvage parts turned into art; as she says, this is definitely not junk, as the salvage is from the World Trade Center…
Sarah shows us that taking the trash out can be a colorful experience with a wonderful photo in her post in By Sarah; great scene!
Carol’s post in Light Words certainly put a smile on my face, as I’ve never seen anybody so happy with Tony the Tiger! There’s more great junk in Carol’s post as well; go check it out!
Bren shares another gorgeous photo in her post in Brashley Photography, with a great sense of abandonment; did that boat have hopes of becoming a junk?
David has some rather intriguing junk in his post in David M’s Photoblog; taking apart a zoom lens is one challenge that I have never undertaken, so it was rather cool to see the contents of the lens on display in this post!
Jez takes us for a visit to a nice little home in his post in Photos by Jez; that lizard has a nice place!
Brian highlights some of humanity’s junk in his post in Bushboy’s World; our junk makes living quarters for various creatures… Amazing adaptation!
The post in JP the Wide-eyed Wanderer has a fantastic junk garden in it; that just goes to show that anything might make a garden!
Beware of Viveka’s post in myguiltypleasures; it might make you hungry! Viveka shares one of the junk pleasures that she doesn’t feel guilty about: burgers!
Deb has another awesome post in her blog, Twenty Four; the practical use of junk is expressed brilliantly!
The photo in Land of Images is absolutely gorgeous, and I love its depiction of rusty remnants! Now, I’m trying to decipher what exactly was dumped there…
Sandy reminds me of something really relevant in her post in Out of my Write Mind: no matter how we hide our junk…it’s still junk! Awesome post!
Ann-Christine provides us with a view with all sorts of junk in her post in To see a world in a grain of sand…, not the least among which are the stairs…
TiongHan gives us a very Dutch view of junk in a wonderful post in TiongHan’s Blog; bicycles in canals are a perennial problem in the Netherlands!
The saying is definitely true in a great post in WoollyMuses, and I agree that some junk is just not a treasure to have lying around.
Sometimes when you see a piece of junk that looks like the one that we get to see in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery, we might be tempted to test its mettle…
Robert highlights a magnificent item in his post in photo roberts blog! That scale might have been thrown out, if it were too honest!
Tatiana has a wonderful set of photos that tell the story of Chloride, Arizona, in her post in VegasGreatAttractions; there’s some rather interesting junk there. The only thing that would concern me is the name of the town…
Rupali highlights a problem that exists all around the world with a great photo in her post in mazeepuran; parents, please teach this lesson!
Please let all these wonderful authors know how much you enjoy their blog posts!
Welcome to the 201st round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!
A bit late in my round up, but I think it might be worth the wait, as the Yard theme elicited an amazing set of response with some great interpretations. From reading all these posts, there’s something to learn, lots to enjoy, and the occasional chuckle! I thank all of you for this great set of creative posts!
I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I did!
Here is a little backyard…
Golden Hour in Cromarty
As my wife and I were sauntering around after dinner in the lovely town of Cromarty, Scotland, the golden hour was appearing at full strength! This view of the yard and lovely house gives you an idea of how richly colored the light was. I actually toned down some of the saturation to make it look a bit better…
Please enjoy the following blog posts:
Kammie starts things this week in her post in Nut House Central; we get some fantastic views in her backyard, including a very photogenic squirrel!
More stunning photos this week in a great post in Don’t Hold Your Breath, as we get to enjoy a Brahminy Starling (aka Myna)!
Na’ama has an amazing yard in her post in Na’ama Yehuda, which is definitely a great place to be and enjoy!
Ann-Christine takes us into a magnificent yard in her post in To see a world in a grain of sand…, which may not be the largest yard, but it has everything one needs, including a cat!
Jackie brings out some of the best in yards in her post in JunkBoat Travels, and I definitely have a favorite among them!
This week in theOnlyD800intheHameau we go to Giverny and are treated to a magnificent photo of a stone in the graveyard; part of the family plot?
Diane has a project under way in her back yard, as we can see in her lovely post in pensivity101. Time to assemble the greenhouse!
Carol definitely has a lot blooming in her yard! Her post in Light Words shows this with great photographs!
Sarah might just have the win on colorful yard denizens in her post in By Sarah, as the Gang-Gang Cockatoo is stunning!
Maria has some great yards in her post in Kamerapromenader, of which I love the open feeling of the Botanic Garden!
TiongHan stakes us into Catalunya with some wonderful photos in his post in TiongHan’s Blog; the graveyard sure looks beautiful!
In a lovely post in her blog For the Love Of, Anita has not only a great photo of a graveyard, but complements it with a magnificent poem!
Nandini has several interesting takes on our theme in her post in queennandini; now I’d like to go visit a cool yard sale!
Julie takes a wonderful approach in her post in Eat, Play, Live, as she takes us on a trip to a shared yard! Parks are awesome yards!
Bren definitely shares an amazing photo in her post in Bren & Ashley Ryan Photography, as the light and composition provide stunning balance!
David enlightens us with another amazing set of photos in his post in David M’s Photoblog; the capture of the raccoon really caught my eye!
Brian brings us to one of my favorite countries in his post in Bushboy’s World, as we look into a gorgeous little courtyard!
Nicole brings us an absolutely stunning view in the yard that she features in her post in Une Photo, Un Poéme!
Carol gives us several ways to interpret our theme in her photos in the Apples in my Orchard; it looks like those yards are numerous square yards!
Cee has a great assortment of yard photos in her post in Cee’s Photo Challenges; the color of those flowers is just incredible!
Donna’s post in Wind Kisses definitely goes to show that the right backyard is something that all of can appreciate!
Russell shares some great views in Beautiful Photographs of what I would classify as the kind of yard that all of us enjoy!
Eric gives us a view of his backyard in Up North! that many of us can relate to, as there’s nothing like camping in the backyard!
Sandy has us hanging out in Nature’s yard in her post in Out of my Write Mind; this is more that just a great place to be, as we could meditate for hours on its beauty!
Chris’ photo in What’s (in) the Picture? provides us one of those classic views of a very famous graveyard. Beautifully photographed!
Jez takes us for a walk through a colorful and interesting yard in Photos by Jez; that boatyard is filled with great photo opportunities!
Irene caught the eye, literally, in her photo in Heaven’s Sunshine! To have such a lovely hawk in one’s backyard is magical!
Sometimes a backyard can provide Nature’s bounty, as we can see in Deb’s great photo in Twenty Four; those peaches look nothing short of delicious!
Seeing a backyard across the seasons, we really get to enjoy the most of it in a wonderful post in A Day in the Life. Looks like a great backyard!
The message comes through in the photo in Land of Images! Now, who will do that yard cleaning? Great post!
The sun might be over the yard arm in WoollyMuses, but that doesn’t stop the dogs from having fun in the backyard! Great and interesting post!
Viveka takes us to the vineyard in an awesome post in myguiltypleasures; what an amazing area, which leaves me thirsty for a bit of wine!
Debbie takes us into the wide open yard of self-forgiveness in a fantastic post in her blog Forgiving Connects; I can relate particularly to tip #2, and so does the cat!
There may not be a blade of grass in sight in Harvard Yard in this wonderful post in One Letter Up – diary 2.0, but the crowd appears to be motivated!
A yard can undergo many phases, as we see in a lovely post in Kanlaon; the plumbers may have made a temporary mess, but blossoms will return!
Debbie has some wonderful views from Slateford Aqueduct in her post in Travel with Intent; I always love the utility of railway arches!
Pragun definitely has an amazing yard in front of their house, as we get to enjoy in Sun-Sea-Soil-Sky!
If I had a backyard view like that in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery I probably would never leave home, but just enjoy it! Stunning!
Please let all these wonderful authors know how much you enjoy their blog posts!
Welcome to week 202 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!
You really went Yard with last week’s theme (the round up will be posted later today). As this took me back to a moment in Scotland, it detoured me to a moment in Inverness, filled with unexpected American exports that led me to the theme of Junk!Junk food to be precise in this instance, as you can see in the photo below. Of course, Junk can be used in many ways from one person’s garbage to another one’s art or treasure! Your challenge is to find some Junk that speaks to you and share it with all of us!
I hope that you can have a lot of fun with this theme, and can’t wait to see the best junk yet!
Here’s the storefront window that inspired me…
Junk Food Galore!
Walking around in Inverness and enjoying the local scenery, this store caught me by surprise and elicited some laughter from me! Of course, I had to capture this moment and preserve some of our (not so) finest exports. Part of the fun here was that at that time Twinkies were not on the shelves in stores in the USA; there was a hiatus in their availability from November 21, 2012 until July 15, 2013 due to bankruptcy proceedings.
The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:
Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!
Don’t just throw out that junk, but capture it this week!!
Welcome to the 196th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!
My apologies for the late posting of this round up, as I was still fighting the tail end of a bad stomach bug and found myself exhausted by the end of the afternoon on just about every day.
The volume and quality of your posts was breathtaking, as your creative eyes captured many different shapes of trees, each with their own character. I really enjoyed reading through your posts and learned about some trees that I didn’t know and was entertained by many a unique shot!
Thank you for all the effort you put into your posts!! Please share your thoughts with one another!
Here’s another tree…
This Monkey Puzzle Tree is still one of the most amazing trees that I have encountered in my travels. Found in the gardens of the clan MacLeod estate on Skye. The sheer scale of this tree is awe inspiring.
Please enjoy the following blog posts:
I love Nicole’s optimism that showcases in her post in Un Photo,Une Poeme, as she gives me the thought of Spring!
Bren features an amazingly idyllic location in her post in Bren & Ashley Ryan Photography; I expect the elves to appear any moment!
There’s yet another great photo in Land of Images, as the reflections are amazing!
The wonderful sculpture that is highlighted in My Camera and I… makes me wonder: is it art, or Nature? Or both?
The photo in Paperkutzs shows us what is not exactly a tree, but the flowers make me forgive it all the time!
Kammie put together a great set of tree images in her post in Nut House Central; which one is your favorite?
Xenia has a great set of posts this week, first with her post in whippetwisdom, which speaks of the wind and ice! In Tranature, we get to see a small forest, as lichen surrounds us… And last, but not least, we cross the forest bridge in Tranature, surrounded by trees!
Emily captures an amazing tree in her fantastic post in Zombie Flamingoes; that is some set of branches!
The wonderful post in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery asks the question whether it is a tree or an ent… or is it a house?
Diane has a wonderful take on trees and the memories they bring for her in her post in pensivity101; talking to trees is really important and the tree in the photo is simply stunning!
Jackie’s post in Junkboat Travels tells an amazing tree story, as their drive up the mountain road on Hawaii is interrupted by a tree… you’ve got to read this incredible story!!
In another magnificent post in Don’t Hold Your Breath, we get to see some of the trees of the Himalayas. That really makes me want to go visit the area!
Na’ama’s amazing poem in Na’ama Yehuda tells the story of a tree, whose roots are tired.. Wonderful!
Elizabatz’s post in Albatz Travel Adventures has an incredible array of trees from all over; stunning shots!
Cee shares a wonderful set of trees in her post in Cee’s Photo Challenges; her photos are awesome!
Maria takes us for a walk in her post in Kamerapromenader: a walk among the beeches that is a true pleasure!
A great post in the Jesh Studio brings us some of the sense of Winter that we all love for its beauty, and trees!
I agree that the trees shown in Beautiful Photographs are rather special and provide a lot of interest!
Nandini really gets the trees in the great haikus in her post in queennandini, and the photos are amazing!
Sarah’s not only captures the trees in her post in By Sarah, but also brings us the wind!
Indira finds us a great fruit bat in her post in Sharing Thoughts, which makes for a great silhouette!
Julie takes us to one of those mysterious locations that is on my bucket list in her post in Julie Does Stuff, as we get to see some of the trees at Angkor Wat.
Viveka brings us the story behind the Snapphane Oak in a great post in her blog, myguiltypleasures; the circumference is stunning!
Irene captured a lovely reflection in her post in Heaven’s Sunshine, where the trees stand tall next to the pond! In another wonderful post in Heaven’s Sunshine, we get a view of the winter marsh! And last in Heaven’s Sunshine, and definitely not least, the sunrise breaks through the trees…
Brian takes us to the tip of the tree in an interesting photo post in Bushboy’s World; now to see the rest.
The esplanade of the Chateau Amboise is stunning, as we can enjoy in the post in theOnlyD800intheHameau; great tree structure!
In a lovely post in MyTravelCSP, we get to enjoy a wonderful variety of trees from all over!
David takes us to some absolutely stunning shots, as he captures trees in various moods in his post in David M’s Photoblog! Gorgeous post!
Lisa tells the story of a very specific tree in a wonderful post in A Day in the Life, as it is the tree that her grandfather planted when she was born.
Sandy brings us what I consider the best time for trees in her post in Out of my Write Mind; the colors are simply stunning!
The photos that we get to enjoy in Chateaux des Fleurs are gorgeous! I particularly enjoy the mysterious path that is formed in the second image…
Eric must have endured a bit of cold for the great shot that he shares with us in From the Lens; Winter is one of my favorite seasons as well!
In a lovely post in Wanderlust and Wonderment, we get to enjoy some of the amazing variety that trees bring to us! The Walking Tree is incredible!
Susan documents an unbelievable tree her post in Musin’ with Susan; that Banyan tree is just a single organism! For more great photos, go check out the week in review in Musin’ with Susan!
A great post in radhikas reflection brings us a some really interesting tree views. The tree that forms a big ‘O’ is asking for a small swing…
Deb presents us with an absolutely gorgeous photo in her post in Twenty Four; a very inviting view of a location that all of us could enjoy!
Tatiana shares a truly stunning Winter image in her post in GiftSmart; beautifully executed photo!
Yinglan always has great photos and her post in This is Another Story proves that point!
There very much is art in the sky in a wonderful post in One letter UP ~ diary 2.0; the colors and the tree make for a compelling image, and yes, that tree could tell stories!
Ken takes us to the big tree in his post in Pictures without Film, where we get to enjoy a rather unique shape in this tree!
Chris takes us to Bretagne in his post in What’s (in) the Picture; the mood in this image is just outstanding as I can really feel myself there.
Hammad shares the fight of the green giants in a wonderful post in the Blog of Hammad Rais; those giants are fighting for humanity!
I really enjoy the capture of shape and framing in the photos in Photo Robert’s Blog; Robert really has an eye for catching just the right view!
Woolly leads us down lanes flanked by trees in a couple of gorgeous photos in WoollyMuses; stunning views!
Amy’s wonderful post in Photography Journal Blog shows us how sometimes a little adjustment can do wonders for an image!
Ramya captures a tree overcoming an interesting predicament in her post in And Miles to go before I sleep… It’s just amazing how Nature adapts!
Joanne captures a gorgeous sky and the bare trees against that sky in her post in Joanne’s Crafts and Adventures; absolutely lovely!
In a great post in Alive and Trekking, we get a stunning view of foliage that asks us to go explore further!
Debbie showcases what happens when you look to see what is presented at your feet in her post in Travel with Intent! The reflection of the tree in the puddle is just gorgeous!
Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!
