The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

I always enjoy visitors to my little corner of Scotland.  It gives me an excuse to go out and see things I haven't already seen in this beautiful country.  I wanted to check out the Crathes Castle Rail Station for a couple of years, and a visit by my buddy from Liverpool provided the excuse.  This is the station master, not my visitor.

The Royal Deeside Railway runs a summer steam train from Crathes to Banchory, only a couple of miles away.

I love these old steam engines.  The British and Scottish are great restorers and maintainers of these old treasures.

All Aboard!

We spent a lot of time wandering around the country roads of Aberdeenshire.

Further up the River Dee are several Victorian-era suspension bridges . . . this one damaged by a huge flood last winter.

Abergeldie Castle was nearly lost to the raging River Dee this year.  (The castle is not actually leaning . . . it is a distortion caused by my 10mm lens.)

Finding a gate house along the road usually means there is either a castle of grand manor house nearby.

Not all country houses are grand . . . not every farmer 'makes it.'

Lovely, bucolic rural Scotland on a rare perfect day.

One of the sites I wanted to see was the Natural Burial Ground near Alford.  Cothiemuir Hill Natural Burial Ground was quite fascinating.  People had chosen to be buried not in church or public grounds, but in nature, under the trees.  Stones here and there, rocks, and a few plaques marked the burials. 

The burial grounds were in an especially beautiful forest.  I might like this as a burial option.

It was interesting to walk among the ferns looking for markers . . . an exercise in reflecting on our mortality.

It's also nice to have visitors so you can have a photograph of yourself once in awhile.

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The next day we headed south, along the old road along the North Sea to the famous fishing village of Arbroath.

We walked around the village, ate a fine seafood dinner quay-side, and walked around the old harbour.  The air was so still, the water so calm.

I have been to Arbroath many times.  I always make a point of taking visitors there . . . the sweet pastel buildings and harbour boats are extremely picturesque.

Yes, it is a fishing village and they do have fishing trawlers based here.  Those colors!  Yes, the colors that day were intense.

Never in my life have I seen such a dramatic sky reflected in the sea!  Astonishing!

The strong golden afternoon light played well on the moored fishing boats.

Arbroath Harbour is a living, working harbour.  We walked up to the harbour breakwater wall to see what was on the other side . . . .

The view from the top of the harbour wall was up the coast of the North Sea to the Angus headlands.  What magical light I had that day!

As it was getting late, we decided to drive back to Aberdeen . . . the late afternoon light on the Angus fields were spectacular.  We stopped many times to gape at the view and take photos.

Wild flowers lined the fields and roads.

Golden fields of grain fringed by clusters of wild flowers.  Ah!  Scotland!

Late afternoon golden light, deep shadows.

Lovely daises everywhere.

Angus field.

We drove past these scenes for an hour, completely in awe of the beauty.

MORE TO COME!

Under Construction

As I often do, I tag along with my wife when she goes somewhere interesting to play in golf tournaments.  This past week-end it was in the beautiful surrounds of central Scotland: Pitlochry and the tiny village of Moulin nearby.  This is a quaint cottage in Moulin.

The village of Mulin is build around a square with the church and graveyard on one side and the Moulin Hotel (c1665) facing it.

Built on the site of the 1165 chapel, in 1873 the original church was gutted by fire and the present building was constructed. In 1989 the church was closed and became a community center.

These old rural graveyards are very interesting to me.  I find the old 'furniture' and features sad and enlightening.

There are some fine, sweet cottage gardens in Moulin.

A lush garden in late summer.

The old hotel was dressed in beautiful flowers.

I left the village to explore the country above the town of Pitlochery.

Tree-lined country lanes . . . .

I walked along a trail at the base of Craigower Hill with an eye to walking to the top.  Some ladies at the golf course said there was a wonderful view from the summit.

The trail began adjacent to the Pitlochery Golf Club.

It was a perfect day for a trail walk - the warmest day of the year and clear sunshine!

The trail began at a gradual incline . . .

. . . and ran under varying stands of trees.

But the trail became much steeper the closer to the summit I came.  The trees thinned and the bugs increased.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put on any repellant (SkinSoSoft).  I got a number of midge bites here.  Itchy!

Nearing the top.

The view back down the Tummel Valley, and the town of Pitlochery, from the summit.

A panoramic view from the summit of Craigower Hill.

There were some big patches of purple heather on the top.

I walked back along a different trail to where I had parked the car, and drove up this avenue of trees to pick my wife up at the golf course.

The village of Moulin through the trees across the field.  After a delicious Sunday Carvery at the clubhouse, we took the long way home from Pitlochery to Aberdeen along the A93 up a Highlands pass on the Old Military Road.

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The road from the Spittle of Glenshee to Braemar is a stunner.

Fast moving clouds in the strong late afternoon light left constantly moving dark patches across the Highlands landscape.

The heather was in full purple bloom up in the Highland passes.

Sheep grazing in the summer light.  This pass is deep with snow all winter.

Scottish roads, a Wonder of Nature around every corner.

The deep shadows of late afternoon along a Highlands road.  Magnificent.

Coming down from the summit of the pass we came onto small crofters patches.

Picture perfect . . . a perfect day.