The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

It has been a good summer.  I spent several week-ends away accompanying my wife to golf tournaments around Scotland.  While she plays, I explore the area with my camera.  This entry chronicles three days in Ayrshire, southwest of Glasgow.  Here are the bridges of Ayr.

Ayr was founded as a city in 1205.  It is a nice little city to walk around in. 

There are several fine old chapels and church yards in Ayr.

I love these old church yards.

Ayr is a 'beach town.'  It is in very nice shape, but there were very few tourists there.

Ayr is not far from the village of Troon, and its fine beach.  Troon is also the site of the Royal Troon Golf Club, which was to host The British Open just a week after we were there.

Ayr has a fine medieval feel to it.

There are some fine seaside parks in Ary.

An Ayr sunset.

One of the great attractions of Ayrshire is the Robert Burns Cottage.

The Robert Burns House was beautifully preserved.  The house was built by his father in 1757.

The cottage had a thriving heritage vegetable garden.

There was a misty rain falling the morning we went to the Robert Burns Cottage.

As sweet as the exterior of the cottage was preserved, the interior was full of period furniture and fittings.

With the light outside not conducive to good photography, I welcomed the opportunity to shoot several lit interior windows.

The cottage had very thick walls, nice for framing a window.

A period doll's crib.

There were many displays in the cottage.  This one was a little creepy.

Many depictions of Burns' poems could be found throughout the grounds.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the birthplace of one of my favorite poets, Robert Burns.

Our afternoon journey took us down the Ayrshire coast on small roads.

We had come to see a very special castle . . . .

. . . fantastic Culzean Castle.

Culzean Castle Gardens.

Since 1987, Culzean Castle has appeared on the back of the five pound note in Scotland . . . similar to Monticello on the five cent piece in the USA.

As members of the Scottish Historical Trust, our entry was free.  Colzean Castle was begun in the 10th century and expanded and modernized many ties since.

The first room we encountered was a waiting room filled with ball flintlock pistols, 'the largest collection of such pistols in the world,' the guard told me.  He also said that all of these weapons had been 'fired in anger' at one time or another, mostly in the Napoleonic Wars.

Weapons, weapons, and more weapons made for a macabre display.

Colzean Castle dining room . . . still used for weddings and official occasions.

Beautiful colors . . . but who designs these interiors?

The drawing room.

One of many sumptuous apartments . . . one of which was given to General Eisenhower after WWII as a kind of a prize for defeating Germany.  He used it regularly.

The public spaces were full of fine works of art.  Here Napoleon.

We went back outside to enjoy the views over the Firth of Clyde.

There were fine views up the southwest Scottish coast from Colzean Castle.

A short walk up a forest path led to the working farm and shops of the castle.

A thousand years ago all castles had to be completely self-sustaining.  They grew their own food, made their own clothes, manufactured their own implements and crockery on site.  Everything.

The caastle's farm buildings themselves are very attractive and imposing.

The interior farmyard is now made up of shops and a cafe where we enjoyed a nice lunch.

We enjoyed our long week-end in scenic Ayrshire very much.

Here I am again . . . tagging along with my wife on her golf tournament.  I dropped her off at Duff House Royal Golf Club and set off for a little photographic expedition to the coastal villeges nearby: Banff and MacDuff.  This is the village center of Banff.

Banff is a very old village.  It had its first castle in 1163, build to repel the invading Vikings.

Banff is a more prosperous village.  It was a trading center until the 1770s, when a port was constructed.

Banff is built up the side of a rather steel hill that rises up from a broad bay.  There are still narrow walking paths that give the only access to quaint cottages.

A typical 17th century house in Banff.

Banff is a lovely village.  It is just big enough to offer all the amenities, but small enough to still feel like a village.  I could see living in this house (it's for sale) on street off the bay.

There are a couple of scaled-down 'supermarkets' in Banff, but the downtown is still vibrant, owing to the fact that the nearest mall is 50 miles away.

There are several quaint old hotels in town.

I couldn't resist snooping around the fascinating old cemetery . . . right in the middle of the village.

I come from a very wet place (Western Oregon in the USA), so I understand this kind of moss.

There were several extraordinary crypts and carved grave covers.

Just so your survivors wouldn't have to wonder what happened to you . . . you put a skull and bones on your grave marker.  [Note to self: do not have horizontal grave stone in rainy environment.]

I decided to walk back through old town Banff toward the sea and the jetty.  These are the oldest continuously inhabited buildings in Banff, dating from the mid-14th century.

Being such a very old village, there were, of course, a few buildings that were in full deterioration.  My favorite photo subject!

House number 30.

I love the story of time and weather written on these old, unattended, doors.

House number 32.  Nobody home.

The sea wall at high tide. I followed the wall out to the jetty next to a raging North Sea.

Crabbing and shrimping pots lined the old stone jetty.

I studied these for a few minutes, imagining myself as a crab, but I couldn't work out how these thing worked.

View from the jetty: A broad bay separates Banff from the even smaller village of MacDuff, seen on the horizon.  This is where the River Deveron estuary ends in the North Sea.

Ther is a small light at the end of the jetty.  At high tide the waves occasionally break over sea wall.

I was getting hungry, so I took a different street back to my car.  I passed this relic of days gone bye.

I often ask myself, what is it about old doors that compel me to take a photograph?  Something about mortality, I believe.

I made my way back to the village center and then on up the steep hill to a nice cafe and had a bowl of Cullen Skink, a scone, and a cup of coffee.

After lunch I decided to find the castle whose sign I saw driving in.  My GPS said there was a castle only four miles away. I ended up on this gravel road through a beautiful wood.

I knew I was getting close to a castle when I started to see the old outbuildings.

I love these old abandoned stone houses.  I have a fantasy each time of fixing it up and living in it.

Now I knew I was getting close . . . a castle gate house . . . and occupied too.

AH!  There it is.  A castle through the trees.  I was not sure if this particular castle was occupied by the laird, or was open to the public. I was a little concerned someone would run our and yell at me that I was trespassing.

I stayed back in the trees, just in case . . .

Magnificent and stately Craigston Castle, built in 1604.  As it turns out, you can stay in this castle as a "luxury self-catering vacation home."  No kidding. You can make a booking here.

I left the castle for a short drive to the harbour village of MacDuff.  We stayed in this village right after we moved to Scotland.  In fact, it was the first over night stay we made.

MacDuff has a proper shipyard for refitting fishing boats.

Shipyards are visually intereting places.  What in the world are these sharpened steel 'blades' used for?  I have no idea.

The rust was thick, but the pattern and color was captivating.

Nice clean and newly painted fishing boats.  I got lucky as the sun finally came out in the afternoon.

I could have stayed all day in the MacDuff shipyards, but my wife called to say her round was over.  Great idea to affix these benches inside the seawall.

We drove on the A947 back to Aberdeen.  We passed a sign for Fyvie Castle . . . and I couldn't resist going in.  My wife hadn't been before.

Fyvie castle is a proper castle.  Built in 1211, Fyvie was the site of an open-air court held by Robert the Bruce, and Charles I lived there as a child.

Fyvie Castle was closed, but the vast grounds and gardens were opened.  I will post more from the fabulous gardens soon.

The ruins of Arbroath Abbey (c1178) is one of the most important historical sites in Scotland. The current fishing village of Arbroath has formed aroound the ruins.

The Arbroath Abbey was the site of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath (actual document HERE) the document proclaiming Scotland an independent nation, foreshadowing the US Declaration of `independence.

Although the Arbroath Abbey was one of the richest, it was closed at the Reformation, and from 1590 on, it was robbed of its stones by local builders.

The cathedral at the abbey was huge.

Wonderful olde world passages and twisting stairwells.

I would love to have seen the Abbey when it was in all its pristine beauty.

The Abbey was constructed of red sandstone, a somewhat unique building material from the time.

 Not all of the structures were completely destroyed.

The magnificent Abbots House, also of red sandstone - very red because of the rain.  That door going under the house sure looks inviting . . .

The vaults under the Abbots House . . . this tourist came in while I was shooting . . . and stayed very still.

Some of the 'extra' archeological finds are displayed in the basement of the Abbots House.

The ghostly green light, the other-worldly sounds, and the strange light emanating from behind this door were enough to inhibit further exploration . . . . so I left.

There were several high vantage points to view the lay-out of the original Abbey.  The main chapel must have been very grand, as the huge column bases indicate.

I left my shoes in this photo . . . on the Stairwell Unto Hell . . .

I'm a sucker for photos framed by arches.  Guilty as charged . . .

I also enjoy photographing doors . . . all over the world.  They are the portals to an enclosure; an enclosure of that which is on the other side.

I wandered into this chamber and discovered a very informative exhibit about the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath (document and translation HERE), signed on 6 April, 1320, which declared Scotland independence.

Wonderful medieval atmosphere in here . . . the literal home of freedom.

I enjoyed wandering around in these old spaces.  I had the whole place to myself.

. . . if these walls could talk . . .

I was surprised to find this apparition had appeared on a photo I took under the Abbey . . . who is this guy?

Fresh Spring grass, arches, and rooms to explore.

Even though it was a murky day in northeast Scotland, I still managed some pretty good photos . . . and had a nice afternoon while my wife was playing in a golf tournament at Carnustie.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION !

Looking out the back window at our garden one day in late April, I happen to notice the flowering bushes were flowering.  I also noticed it was a nice day . . . the first nice day of Spring.

So, I grabbed my trusty Fuji X-T1 camera and headed outside.  Yummie light and color.

Such happy blooms . . . after such a long, cold, and dark winter in Aberdeen.

There was so much new growth to notice, and capture, around the house.

Buds and new growth.

I love the colors of rose bush newly sprouting leaves.

The daffodils had just popped in the yard . . . and all over town too.  Aberdeen is famous for its billions of daffodils.  It was just too nice outside to spend the day inside . . . .

. . . so I stuck my head inside and yelled up the stairs, "Honey, we're going for a walk today!"  "Great," came the reply.  Our choice was to walk the nature trails around Crathes Castle, 20 minutes for our home.  We parked near the castle gate house and headed up the trail (yellow).

The trees were still bare of any foliage.

Although it was April 24th, Spring comes very late at these far northern latitudes (57.1526°N 2.1100°W).

The beauty of the day reflected in an abandoned stone pit.

There were wisps of budding leaves on some species . . . signs of the beauty to come.

We headed deeper into the castle grounds, and the Scottish pine forest.

The pine cones had a wonderful in the heat of the first Spring warmth.

In fact, the whole forest smelled of freshness and the prospect of Spring.

The trail followed a burn through some lovely scenery and quaint arrangements.

Boughs reflected in the pond.

"Crathes sits on land given as a gift to the Burnett of Leys family by King Robert the Bruce in 1323."  As such, a castle of this period had to supply and manufacture everything for its own needs.  This is the Crathes Castle Mill Pond.

The National Trust For Scotland has done an excellent job of marking the trails and, where necessary, protecting any fragile land.

The elevated walkway followed a delightful stream.

The peaceful, slow movement of an amber stream passing through the naked forest . . .

It was fun walking along these elevated paths through the early Spring of a Scottish forest.

We took a lot of iPhotos of ourselves at every opportunity . . . and there were many.

The wide path eventually opened up into some open fields.  We passed 10-15 other walkers on the day, but could see the popularity of these woods for walking by the size of the paths.  Crathes Castle is on the "Castle Trail" for tourists, and is packed in the summer.

Under a bright Spring sky.

From the meadow back into the trees.  The castle grounds offer a wonderful array of beautiful natural scenes.

This Victorian gate post reminded me of the political and economic power the lairds had in old Scotland.  If you were to come across this gate post in a forest, you would steer clear of the castle.  The gate post was a symbol of the power of whom lived within.

A nice day in northeast Scotland . . .

The grounds and permission to build Drum Castle was granted in 1325.  It is the ancestral home of Clan Irvine.  It is about 15 minutes from our home in Aberdeen.

Drum Castle is a part of the Scottish National Trust properties. It sees a fair number of tourists during the summer months, but today there were only a few people wandering about.

Yes, Scottish castles are wonderful, but many of them still maintain their gardens and grounds in spectacular fashion.

Plant species from around the world were often brought back to the family estate by adventurous colonialists during and before the Victorian era.

There are always so many fascinating flowers to look at in the gardens and grounds.

The walk to the formal, walled gardens took us past a delightful nature pond.

Although it is May 21st, Spring has not fully arrived here in these far northern latitudes.  I was hoping for more flowering  . . . .

The walls that surrounded the gardens were covered with magnificent espalier.

Climbing vines on the interior, shady side, of the castle garden were only just beginning to show signs of budding . . . in LATE MAY!

The gardens themselves were lovely, hedge-lined masterpieces of architecture.

There are many such lovely scenes through the gardens.  As you might imagine, there are weddings, and wedding photography taking place here almost every day.

So inviting on a sunny day . . .

In late summer these arches are covered in fragrant honeysuckle vine . . . perfect for a bride and groom!

The beds are still being planted (and transplanted).

The plantings await some sunny days to bring out their full beauty. 

There were still a couple of cabana tents left here and there: evidence of recent weddings. Ever-changing lighting conditions made the photography challenging.

There were some novel tulips still in bloom.

A purple flowing espalier.  Beautiful.

We walked out past the castle and wondered at its magnificence.

Drum Castle.

The road that leads out of Drum Castle passes through a wonderful wood in early foliage.

I wanted to say in this forest for the rest of the day . . .

Instead we went home . . . . somehow my back garden does not seem so impressive to me anymore!