Coming from the land of cedar shingled cottages, it’s quite a contrast to see Scottish houses, which are all made of brick, stone and slate. I love their solid stance, with a touch of whimsy showing in the windows and roof lines. These photos were taken in the towns and villages along our hiking route in the Highlands.
Throughout Scotland, the building materials of choice are stone, with slate roofs.The rooftop scene above was taken from Stirling Castle. And just a short stroll down toward town is Argyll’s Lodging (below).
Argyll’s Lodging
This joining of metal and slate roofs was in a village along the Caledonian Canal.
Chimney pots and pointy roofs with finials added a bit of whimsy to the solid structures. The rest of the photos were taken in small towns in the Highlands and in Inverness.
For this year’s Fairy Houses of Highfield Hall exhibit, I invited some new builders with fresh interpretations of the fairy house concept. I’ve always thought that ceramic artists could bring a unique perspective, so I asked 3 local potters to take part.
They were all thrilled and excited to make something for the show and each artist spent a good part of the winter and spring experimenting, constructing, glazing and firing their clay pieces. Each potter made multiple dwellings, creating a neighborhood, with many parts. Perhaps it’s because they are used to production work and couldn’t stop at just one! Ron Geering, Teesa Morgan and Kim Sheerin have all outdone themselves and in many respects, their houses are the stars of the show!
I’m encouraging everyone I see to go up to Highfield to experience the display. So many people assume that the exhibit is just for children and picture fairy crazy little girls flitting about, but it’s really an art show for all ages, men and women, boys and girls. If you live near enough to visit, please pick up a map inside (it’s free, but donations are appreciated) and start your search! I will be showing more pictures in the weeks to come, so that everyone can get a glimpse at these extraordinary dwellings.
Rhodo’s Rocky Roost by Tessa Morgan
Tessa Morgan
Tessa Morgan
Tessa Morgan
Tessa Morgan
Tessa Morgan
Kimberland by Kim Sheerin
Kim Sheerin
Kim Sheerin
It’s been a few days since we returned from Scotland and I’ve just now looked at the photos of our trip. As usual, I’m organizing them in my favorite categories, including doors, houses, store fronts, flowers, landscapes, Polly, etc. We visited cities, including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness, but spent the bulk of the trip hiking the Great Glen Way, which follows the Caledonian Canal in the Highlands. The weather covered the gamut, with rain, strong wind, clouds and even a few days of sunshine. But, we managed to avoid the dreaded Scottish midges! We loved meeting the locals in the towns along the way, who all seemed to have time to chat–a welcome contrast to our experience at home, where we are so busy and preoccupied with our “important” lives.
Today’s collection includes photos of doors in the ubiquitous stone houses seen everywhere in the UK. The pictures of town houses were taken early one unusually bright morning in Inverness, in our B&B’s neighborhood. Stay tuned for more photo collections of our trip. I hope that you enjoy the tour!
I’m still organizing pictures from our trip to France last fall. Here I am, taking photos of the many picturesque buildings we saw in Provence and in the towns and villages along the Canal du Midi.
Castelnaudary, France
Avignon, France
Villesequelande, France
Villesequelande, France
Avignon, France
Millepetit, France
Castelnaudary, France
Bram, France
Toulouse, France
Bram, France
St Remy, France
More photographs from last fall’s trip to France. My heart goes out to the French people this week, after the shocking attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
Ecluse de Renneville, France
Marsielle, France
Toulouse, France
Carcassone, France
Les Baux-du-Provence, France
Bram, France
One evening, before the restaurants opened, we wandered around Marseille in the Le Panier section of the city. The streets were alive with families playing and socializing before heading inside for the evening. This city is gritty and real, but has an appealing esthetic quality. I loved the pastel shades of the houses and window stutters. Every narrow street had a story to tell.
La Redorte, France
Let’s go back to our recent trip to southern France. Among the gazillion pictures Rob and I took of doors and windows, there are more than a few which feature trained leaf vines and other plants. It was so odd to see vegetation growing out of the pavement, with no dirt in sight. I love the way a bit of greenery frames and softens the straight angles on the buildings.
Carcassonne, France
Mille Petit, France
Argen, France
Argen, France
La Redorte, France
La Redorte, France
Bram, France
Marseilles, France
Marseilles, France
During our visit to France, we spent a week navigating a barge along the Canal du Midi. There were were many locks to go through and each had a cute lock house, all with signature red tile roofs, and green doors and shutters.
The canal was beautiful, with tall plane trees arching over, creating a shaded waterway. Our excursion included 18 friends from home, 9 couples who were divided into 3 boats. The barges were like floating Winnebagos, with accommodations for sleeping, cooking and eating aboard. Like renting a camper, you are given a key and simple instructions and off you go! Some of us rode bikes along the side path, faster than the barges, which puttered along at 5 miles an hour.
Each lock had a keeper who operated the lock, which in this case lowered us down.
I was so taken with the charming lock houses! The canal took us to several towns and villages, which I’ll be showing in future posts.
The island of Martha’s Vineyard is just a few miles off the coast of Woods Hole, but it seems far away, like a separate, insular territory. People are often surprised by its size, 30 miles long, with a half-dozen towns. We like to drive our motor boat over at least once a summer. This time we went to Edgartown, which usually has moorings available for a few hours and the added bonus of a public launch service that takes you to and from your boat in the harbor.
Each town on the island has its own character, from pastoral to gritty. Edgartown is sort of upscale touristy, with lots of high-end shops and manicured properties. It’s pretty, but almost too well-kept up to feel real. 
We watched the car ferry make its way across the narrow channel to Chappaquiddick Island. Imagine having to travel this way every time you want to go to the main island.
That’s Chappaquiddick, where the ferry docks on the other side.
There are bicycles everywhere! Car traffic is bad, so traveling by bike is preferred. It was a beautiful day and we had a nice time before getting back to our boat and heading home across the water. I hope that you enjoy this little photo tour of our visit!
SALLEY MAVOR 