Tantallon Castle - the last of our Scottish adventures..

Finally, to our dismay, the last day of our Scottish adventures arrived. Since we were all a bit tired and the weather was getting rather uncertain we decided not to venture too far away from Edinburgh, but visit one of the close by castle ruins.  We have decided to go east of Edinburgh this time (since all our previous trips took us west) and visit Castle Tantallon located on the coast of Scotland close to North Berwick.  It was built in mid 14th century and survived undamaged for only 300 years or so, but the ruins that are still standing give us an idea of how grand it must have been in it's time.  Very tall walls and towers are still standing there surrounded by the sea from one side and vast countryside on the other.  While you approach it from the road you can see the wonderful Bass Rock sticking out of the sea providing a great background to the castle on the  near by cliff.

The first thing that struck me when we got to the ruins was  what time and sea breeze did to the walls. The textures and colours of the eroded material were great and caused me to take a very many pictures of them. Here is a few:

The second this was the size of the structure, still easily recognizable regardless of the damage. I was constantly lost somewhere and only thanks to my older son looking after me I was able to find my way and find the rest of my family ;D

All of those little specs on and around Bass Rock are sea birds that live on the rock.  There are thousands of them there!!

By the time we left the structure I was completely blown away by the wind (it was so strong that one had to hold on to the ropes hanged on the staircases otherwise one might fall down swept by it)...  On the grounds my attention was caught by the walls surrounding the castle and the wild flowers that were growing out of them, planted by the birds or wind...

Of course, I had to take a closer look ;D

And that was that!! Next day we had to fly home and return to the present.  I will always cherish my memories of this trip. It was absolutely wonderful!!!  I still have hundreds of pictures left from the flights and both Spain and Scotland and, perhaps, if time allows I will share some more of them with you. But for now the adventure is over... Hope you've enjoyed this holiday with us. Until the next time...

Kasia

Prairie winter sunsets - part 3

Weather has not been cooperating lately.  This is the last sunset that I managed to shoot and it has a little story.  The second image is of a valley near to where I work.  I did not realize that it existed.  I thought all around was this flat farm land, but as you can see I was very wrong.  I discovered it by accident.  I was driving to find a good spot for the sunset, which wasn't very spectacular, as there were no clouds in the sky, and I turned into a dead end road.  At the end I noticed something different about the scenery, then the regular farmlands, so I went to investigate.  Crossed over the snow drift, and after two or three steps, I was at the edge of the ravine.  There were no posts, gates, fences, anything to indicate I was on private property.  Suddenly, while I was admiring the scenery, I heard something approaching.  I looked and there was this big black, what looked like a German Sheppard mix running towards me.  The only way for me to go was down this very steep hill, so I stood my ground with my heart in my throat, thinking that no one will find me, once this dog gets me.  That's it... game over... I'm done.  So I took a couple more photos, and.... and.... nothing happened.  I looked over once more, and this huge beast was standing there with a stick in his mouth and tail wagging like crazy.  So.... we played fetch.  I guess I should have taken some shots of the dog, but I was so relieved that I was not going to be eaten, that I wasn't thinking straight.  Here is what I got that day.  Enjoy! Mac

Prairie winter sunsets – part 2

Another winter sunset.  Yes, yes, but I have to admit that I missed these.  The days are getting longer, means that spring is approaching.  I mean it's almost march.  I can go out after work, and be able to catch some absolutely lovely sunsets.  Most of the time lately they haven't been very interesting, as in either completely overcast or completely cloudless.  I managed to catch a few that were interesting, and here is another one.  This is one big bonus living in Alberta.  Huge skies, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  Enjoy! Mac

Prairie winter sunsets - part 1

Finally the days are a little longer, and when going home after work, I can marvel at some of the most spectacular sunsets of this year :) Sometimes I will take my little Fuji and drive a little, off the beaten path just to catch them in camera.  Enjoy! Mac

Abstract Textures

I've decided to change things a little. I know everyone is waiting impatiently for Nikki's Part 2 :), which is in the works. So in the mean time here are some real textures from the land of oil, which is Fort McMurray. Enjoy! I promise, Nikki is coming back :)