The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

Early Saturday morning . . . the journey begins at the Aberdeen Station.

Booked and bought months in advance. I was very excited about the coming week-end not only because of the Robert Cray concert we were going to see, but because it would be my first train trip from Aberdeen.

The train  follows the coast of the North Sea all the way to Edinburgh.  Beautiful views.

The rapeseed fields were in full yellow flower.

We made a quick turn onto and across the Tay Train Bridge.

A quaint part of Dundee is across the wide River Tay estuary.

There was always something of interest along our route.  Here we cross the Firth of Forth on the famous Forth Bridge, for many years the longest steel span bridge in the world and a marvel of Victorian engineering.  Below are the remains of WWI and WWII military emplacements.  New and old oil and gas platforms in the distance for, and from, the North Sea.

We booked our hotel within walking distance of the beautiful Edinburgh Station.

The walk from the train station to our hotel was, well, interesting.

The walk to our hotel was up a very steep cobbled street.  We stayed above this bistro, but never ate there.

Our hotel was clean, colorful, and quaint.

The original elevator was still operational.  I couldn't resist this selfie.

We dropped our overnight bags in the room and took off for a walk to the Edinburgh Castle through the early Spring streets.

Old Edinburgh near The Royal Mile is a wonderful place.

Among the wonders along the Royal Mile.

There were plenty of buskers and street performers, like this clever woman.  She seemed a bit hollow though.

All roads lead to the Edinburgh Castle.

We walked the Royal Mile to the Edinburgh Castle through the medieval cobbled streets.

We walked up the steep streets to the castle.

We entered the Edinburgh Castle through this gate.

Castle walls.

The castle guards seemed very, very young.

A young and serious castle guard.

The views of Edinburgh from the castle ramparts were spectacular.

Edinburgh is a beautiful and fun old city.

There are many views of the Firth of Forth in the distance.

We like to walk around the small streets and lanes of Edinburgh.

The castle is very organized for tourists.  There were many hundreds of tourists from around the world on the day we were there.

The Great Hall is surely the highlight of the castle visit.

There is a fine collection of coats of armor and weaponry from the across the history of Scotland and the UK.

Royal Hilts.

A nice display of Royal flintlock pistols.

Night's armor.

We spent many wonderful hours at the castle, but we needed to eat an early dinner and get on to the main event of the week-end . . . the Robert Cray concert that evening.

We had an early dinner at the Gardner's Cottage, a very cool organic restaurant where you eat communally.  The food was excellent . . . we flagged a taxi afterward for the trip across town.

We knew we found the right place when we spotted Robert Cray's tour bus parked in front of The Queen's Hall.

The Queen's Hall is actually an old Victorian era church, converted into a music venue.  The acoustics were excellent.

We sat in these colorful wooden pews for the concert. Wonderful.

The average age of the audience must have been 65 . . . so I fit right in.  Old guys like The Blues . . . and Robert Cray is among the very best bluesmen.

I was not disappointed: Robert Cray put on a great concert.  He is as good as he has ever been.  His band was tight, and his singing and guitar work were fantastic.

I had never seen Robert Cray live before.  It was a memorable show, to be sure.  He played old favorites and some off his new album (which I have ssince purchased - it's great!). As my daughter said, "That's one more item off your bucket list."

We wandered around Edinburgh on Sunday morning shopping and trying out a new seafood resturent (pretty good).  I heard music across a park and followed it to this city biker gathering.  Nice folks and very good music.

Nice Scottish Harleys . . . and properly dressed bikers!

We boarded the train in the late afternoon for the beautiful trip up the northeast coast of Scotland to our home in Aberdeen.

We arrived back at Aberdeen Station just before dark.

30 minutes from our house is the Bridge of Feugh Cafe.  We like going there on a week-end day to have tea and scones.  We also like to bring all of our visitors here too.  On this beautiful early May day the flowers were out in their full glory around the old stone cottage.

Early May at the Bridge of Feugh Cafe.

The Scots in these parts love to garden.  I have seen so many flowers here I have never seen before . . . like these climbing vines with their pink and yellow blooms.

Yellow clusters of light.

I love the red stems . . .

A row of exquisite irises to thrill.

Beautiful ground cover everywhere.  The tea and scones were delicious too.

After tea and scones we headed ut along the one-lane country lanes of Aberdeenshire to see what we could see.

It was so beautiful out that I nearly forgot to take any photographs!  This elephantine tree trunk drew my attention before we went back to our Aberdeen home.

It was a nice Saturday and a time for another road trip south along the coastal highway to a town famous for its smoked fish, smokies - Arbroath.

Picture perfect Arboath harbour on a late April Day. Arbroath dates from the iron age and has played a major role in Scottish history: "On 6 April 1320 the Scottish Parliament met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the Pope the Declaration of Arbroath, drafted by the Abbot of the time, Bernard. This document detailed the services which their "lord and sovereign" Robert the Bruce had rendered to Scotland, and affirmed in eloquent terms the independence of the Scots^" 

Wonderful 18th century quay side buildings painted from a colorful pallet.

An Arbroath trawler ready for action.

It was a perfect early Spring day along the northeast coast of Scotland.

As luck would have it, some restored historical fishing vessels were in port for the final day of the Arbroath Harbour Festival.  The Arbroath smokies have been coming from here for centuries.

Festival-goers doing what festival goers do . . .

Festival-goers sauntering and waiting for homemade ice cream.

The Arbroath Harbour Tower was a very photogenic structure.

There was a carnival associated with the festival.  Children, the brave, and the foolish partook of the rides.  Being none of these, we sat and enjoyed the visage of others terrifies, shaken, and stirred . . . and suffocated in clear plastic balls.

This ride we dubbed the Hipster Vomitron 5500.

No, no, no.  Just NO.

Hundreds of feet off the ground.  You cannot see the look of abject terror on these festival-goers faces.

I wasn't sure what you won at this dart toss.

As is our want and habit, we scoured the little town for interesting things to bring back home . . . and eat.  We bought smokies (smoked haddock), scallops, shrimp, and sea bass filets.  We had a great day out and about in Arbroath.

As is our custom during the cold and grey days in northeastern Scotland, if it is sunny on a Saturday or Sunday, we abandon our household chores and head outdoors.  This day we remembered seeing a bicycle renting shop in the Royal town of Ballater from when took our Thai visitors to the Highlands. There was a marvelous walking and biking trail, known as the Deeside Way, leading out of town which followed an old railroad grade.  Perfect . . . no big hills!

The Deeside Way leading out of Ballater looked promising.  There were other bikers and a number of ramblers.

The trail crossed several burns (the Scottish term for creek).

The sky was blue and the light was clear and strong.  The vegetation was a mix of winter hibernation and early budding.

Occasionally the trees that lined the path would open up to a view of the bucolic Scottish Highlands countryside. 

Farmers had been out preparing their fields.

Early Spring planting.  There was still snow on the higher mountains . . . it was a crisp day . . . perfect for biking.

In a few places along the Deeside Way the trees were beginning to bud and blossom.

We rested under this shadowed tree on the green hill.

An old chapel ruin provided some photographic interest.

I assume the area farmers still bury their dead in this cemetery.

We went as far as this grove, about three miles.  We felt a very strong Nature Spirit here.

The way back, on the same trail remained interesting and beautiful.

Such an inviting trail . . .

We left with great memories of the great day . . . and sore butts from the bike ride.  We vowed to buy saddle pads before our next mountain bike adventure.  [Note:  we did buy a pair of gel saddle pads!]

ScotlandIt's always great to get visitors.  In April we had good friends, three couples, visit us from Thailand.  I had a week off, so it was a great opportunity to further explore Scotland . . . and London.

The weather couldn't have been any better: bright, clear, crisp, with fast moving clouds.

It was fun to take our friends to some of our favorite beauty spots.

Of course a distillery tour was on the tour.

It was a scrumptious day for a road trip along the Highlands Malt Whiskey Trail.

We paid took the full tour (with sampling!) of the Royal Lochnagar Distillery . . . that strictly forbade photography.

The old whiskey still itself was a wonder of craftsmanship, detail, color and texture.

The stills were works of art.

The whiskey barrel vault . . . and royal patronage emblem.  This stuff is valuable.

I can confirm the whiskey advertisements . . . whiskey is still made the old fashioned way.

Because of the alcohol vapors present, all electrical switches have to be sealed.  This light switch must have been installed when the distillery was first electrified.

Water, Sparge, Sparge, and Hot Wart.  Of course.

Old brass Victorian-era distillery devices were still in use.  It also supplied a nice opportunity for a novel self-portrait.

Our visitors are whiskey lovers, but didn't like this particular single malt.  We left the beautiful surrounds of the distillery to head further up into the Scottish Highlands.

The Highlands early spring roads are magnificent.

Our next stop was Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of The Queen of England.

The moss and lichens on this stone banister gives you some idea of how wet the highlands can be in the winter.  Lovely textures!

Yes, there really are castles like this in the world . .  that are lived in by real queens.

Balmoral Castle is actually the private property of the Royal Family, unlike all the other Royal residencies which are the property of the State.

Balmoral Castle lies astride the trout and salmon laden upper reaches of the River Dee.

We could have stayed all day taking selfies n front of Balmoral Castle . . . the archetypical royal castle.

The best liquor we had that day was the hooch our van driver Karl shared.

LONDON - The Harry Potter Studio Tour

Yes, we went here.

I confess, I am not a fan of this kind of fantasy literature and/or the cinematic spin-offs they generate.  It's just not my cup of tea.

We flew to London and went directly to the WB Harry Potter Studios . . . I went screaming and kicking, not being a fan of this sort of thing.

But . . . I have to admit that the tour turned out much, much better than I could have hoped.

It turned out to be an actual tour of the actual sets used in the actual movies in the actual studio where it was actually filmed.  My dread was dissolved.

I've only ever seen one of these Harry Potter movies, the first one, and I assumed most of the scenes were computer generated CGI art . . . it wasn't!!!

The detail of the set construction was truly impressive.  They went to a lot of work (and expense!) to create this imaginary world.

The production went to a lot of trouble . . . . including working from detailed architectural drawings, to . . .

. . . to constructing scale models of sets.  The workmanship is excellent.  This is a big production  . . .  unlike my own forays into Hollywood productions.

A fantasy of a fantasy of a fantasy: a post-modern copy of a copy of a copy of an apothecary shop that never was.

The autonomatronic creatures were impressive, as was the workshop where they were made.

Character prosthetics.  I want one for Holloween.

Again, the attention to detail in the costumes was way beyond what I expected.

I posted this one on Facebook as "Inside the Obama fake voter labs" . . . to much Democratic acclaim and vitriol from the ever-present trolls.

The model of the school was 50 feet tall and perfect in detail.

Amazing, just amazing.

The Harry Potter Flying Broom Machine . . . seems like these would be popular at Chucky Cheese at $5.oo a ride.  The background is a green screen (chroma key) used in CGI imagery.

My new computer desktop image.  After an impressive three hours in the studio, all exits funneled us to the vast and expensive GIFT SHOP FROM HELL.  The child-whining there was epic.  And shrill.  And tearful. An 'official' Harry Potter Magic Wand (a stick) was a money-gouging 55 pounds (US$75.oo).  Ouch.  This image is of how hard parents feel it is to get out of the aforementioned Gift Shop From Hell.  Off to London without so much as a key chain fob, such is the strength of my will.

LONDON

An hour drive into central London landed us in beautiful Knightsbridge.  It was a nostalgic journey for me: I lived in London for several years in the late 80s.  As you can see, London is much further south than Aberdeen, and was in full new-growth Springtime.

Ah, London Pubs!

This photo is perhaps more indicative of London's neighborhoods than Big Ben.  London is very multicultural.

London may be the finest tourist city in the world.

Trafalgar Square . . . tourist central.

A must-have-tourist-experience in London.

These acrobatic Swedish tourists put on quite a show for a Japanese tour group.

London is a very open-minded city.

London is such a visually rich city . .  there are literally too many things to photograph . . . that you want to photograph.  I was on sensory overload the whole time.  I wouldn't mind living in London again.

Having good clean fun in London.  It is good to have older sisters.

Yes, we frequented hi-brow cafes and sampled delicious cakes and edible whatnots. I brought my medication.

Where the rich and famous hang out in Knightsbridge.

People say that the food is bad in London.  Not So!!!  We had excellent Korean, Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Lebanese, and Indian food throughout the whole trip.  The aftermath of a great Korean meal near Trafalgar.

I think the real reason our Thai friends wonted to visit London was to take a pilgrimage to Harrods . . . The Temple of Shopping!!!!

 And when I say Harrods is a Temple of Shopping, I MEAN Temple of Shopping. This is the escalator in Harrods Department Store. 

We caught London at the very beginning of the Spring blossoms.  Nice.

London is both an ancient and a modern city . . . but it feels like it is in a human scale . . .

London from the steps of the gallery, Tate Britain.

OK, not entirely on a human scale.  Prince Charles let this thing get by his architectural scrutineering.

I remember lots of parks in London for my daughter to play in when we lived there . . . it's still a pretty good city for children.

I HAD to take this post card shot of Big Ben and the London Eye.

In the  government building section of London there are protests here and there.  I guess this fellow didn't want to wait in the que for a permit . . .

Ah, Knightsbridge squares.

One day we took a drive out into the London suburb of Wimbledon.

No, we did not go to Wimbledon to see the grass tennis courts.

We went to Wimbledon to visit, and to pay respect to, the Thai Wat Buddhapadipa.  We could scarcely believe our eyes!  A perfect Thai Wat "beamed down" to suburban London.  Fantastic!

A Wonderful Thai Temple.  We spent a good long time inside the Wat.  It felt good to be back in a Buddhist space.  I have missed it since moving from Thailand.

The Thai Buddhist spirit was strong in this place.

The interior was a astonishingly beautiful.  I wanted to stay forever . . . a feeling I always have in Buddhist temples.

Yep, you gotta watch out for that pesky Mara . . .  thanks for the reminder, Lord Buddha.

As luck (good and bad) would have it, they were setting up for a Songkran Festival event on the temple grounds.  Unfortunately it didn't fit our schedule.

We were back in London/Knightsbridge by nightfall.  London is fascinating at night. Near our hotel.

Lots of people out and about.

We went everywhere on the Tube. Bayswater Station.

The nearest London Tube stop to our hotel was Glouchester Station.  We took the London Underground a lot.  After a couple of days exploring and shopping London, it was time for another road trip.  The eight of us boarded a van (with a Thai driver!) for a trip to . . .

BRIGHTON BEACH AND THE SOUTH COAST OF ENGLANDIn the van on the way we thought we were going to the White Cliffs of Dover, but they were too far away . . . we settled for equally impressive cliffs nearer to Brighton in East Sussex.  The coastal countryside was gorgeous.

We parked the van and walked abut two miles along an estuary to the sea and cliffs of the Cuckmere Valley.

The gate into the Chyngton Farm trail we took to the cliffs.

The cliffs on a misty day.

It was well worth the long walk to the sea cliffs.  We took about a million photos of each other and then walked back . . . on to Brighton.  We were hungry . . . for fish and chips.

The drive into the old seaside vacation town of Brighton.

It was cold and windy when we reached the Brighton Beach Pier.

A lovely stoney beach and Victorian pier. 

Even though they assured us the Ferris wheel capsules were heated, we did not take them up on their high priced offer of great views.

Mission Accomplished!  Fish and Chips in Brighton . . . and not too bad either.

The Brighton Pier was not as seedy or tawdry as I had hoped.  It was nice . . . and family.

We all had a great time in Scotland, London, and Brighton.  We were sad to see our friends go when we boarded the plane back to our Aberdeen home.