Irving Lawson access Area

Although we are still enjoying clear blue skies overhead, the Cascades to the east of us gather clouds above them. I went down to the Irving Lawson Access Area, a dead end road with access to a berm along the Snohomish River,  to see what I could see of the mountains and clouds.

Rotary Park in B&W

After I thought about the images from yesterday and bit, I realized that some of the images would work very well in B&W. So, here's my go at some monochrome versions of a few of them.

Rotary Park

We are just on the edge of having some bad weather. As a result, we are starting to get some clouds but the weather hasn't set in yet so there is plenty of blue sky. This seemed like a good time to visit the Snohomish river at Rotary Park, just inside the near edge of Everett.

Picnic Point Park

A brief trip to Picnic Point Park to check out the beach and the Olympic mountains was productive. The most interesting part of the beach is the remnants of the pylons that once held a pier. They make a nice leading line to the mountains across the sound.

Granite Falls Fish Ladder

Not so far from Snohomish is the small town of Granite Falls. It is farther north than Snohomish and farther east towards the mountains. Just outside this settlement is the granite waterfall for which the town is named.

Along the Snohomish River

Between Everett and Marysville, along I-5, you cross over the Snohomish river delta. This area is filled with industries and surrounded by noisy road. Yet, out in the middle of this is the Langus Riverfront Park. A spot of calmness in the middle of the bustling roads.

Seamus is Two!

We arrived bach in Snohomish in time to get settled in to our digs once again and celebrate Seamus' second birthday. While the party happens this weekend, we did have a bit of sugar and presents on the day of.

Puerto Rican Flora and Fauna

Rain showers come and go easily in Puerto Rico so we decided to take the car for a ride about the community instead the golf cart. This gave me a dry retreat in case of a downpour.

When not raining, I was able to get a few shots of interesting bits around us. Above is the Antillean Grackle apparently in a mating or territorial display.

Arecibo

It seemed silly to visit Puerto Rico and not visit the radio telescope at Arecibo so we drove over for a look about. Turns out that the telescope is sited in a region of karst south of the town of Arecibo. As you might imagine, there are no primary roads from the expressway south, so we wound about for a long time on very narrow roads never sure that we actually getting anywhere until we finally popped out right at the entrance.

Old San Juan

After the cathedral, we wandered Old San Juan a bit to get a feel for the place. We found Calle Fortaleza decked out with a roof of pink umbrellas. And for some reason, the fellow by the orange traffic barrel was wearing his iguana on his head, I suppose for hands-free lizard transport.

Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista

In Old San Juan one find a real gem, the Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista. Although the ceiling decorations are painted rather than carved, it is still a interestingly ornate and imposing.

Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi: A City of Angels

The old part of San Juan is located on an island that protects the harbor. On this island is Old San Juan and the famous fort that you see all the photos of. But the fascinating place for us is just next to the old fort, the cemetery. This place is crowded city of angels by the sea. It is filled with beautiful statues to honor the dead.

Puerto Rico

After out short excursion in Glasgow, we loaded up for a flight south to Puerto Rico. It was a long day. We went through security in Glasgow (of course), again in London when we changed terminals, once more in London at the gate when they decided that we won the lottery to have our carry-on inspected, again in Miami when we came into the US and boarded our flight to Puerto Rico. Lordy! We felt really secure!!

So, on this trip we've been as far north as 55.9 degrees in Glasgow, as far east as 3.6 degrees east in Grenada, as far south as 18.5 degrees in San Juan, and end up in Snohomish at 122 degrees west. Even though the trip from Glasgow to San Juan was shorter than a flight from LAX to Melbourne, the terminal changing and frequent safety checks made our travel day feel like we'd had all that travel in one day.

Glengoyne Distillery

What would be the point of a visit to Glasgow with a side trip to the mother ship of whisky? I walked over to the Buchanan Bus station and purchased a return ticket to Dumgoyne on the B10 bus. An hour later riding up the A81, Bob's your uncle! I'm standing looking at the water once used to make the Glengoyne whisky but is now the cooling water for the various vats.

Clydeside Distillery

We stopped for lunch at the Clydeside Distillery. The food was great and the people were terrific. We almost immediately struck up a lasting friendship with Linnie and Sam. This was good for Elizabeth since I vanished after lunch to take the tour. This left here with someone to talk to while she waited.

Above is the preparation of the mash, extracting the starch from the barley.

Back on the Bus

After the Cathedral and Necropolis, we hopped back on the bus to see more of the city. Our ride took us through parts of the city not within easy walking distance of the city center where we were staying. This gave us a broader view of the place.

Glasgow Necropolis

From the Cathedral churchyard, there is a cobblestone pedestrian bridge over a highway to the hill where the dead lie, the Glasgow Necropolis. One of the first markers you are greeted with as you climb the switchback lane that climbs the hill is that of William Miller, As you see above, he is known for his children's literature of the 19th century.

Glasgow Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral, we found a much more plainly decorated church than even the relatively unadorned St. Paul's in London, but it was still an impressive place filled with light and impressive arches. The darker stone work inside give the place the feel of being an older building. And, in fact, it is, dating from 1136. This building was built on the site originally chosen by St. Mungo in the 6th century. The view above is of the door opposite the altar.

Glasgow Cathedral Church Yard

Our first stop on the bus was the Glasgow Cathedral. Since we arrived a few minutes early, we toured about the outside of the church and had a look about the graves in the churchyard.

Heading Out for Our Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Ride

I thought I'd show you a little of what the train station looks like during the morning rush. We headed over for some breakfast at the M&S and Costa in the station before walking down to the bus stop.

A Little Bit of Glasgow

After we finished our pet sit in London, we boarded the train at Euston Station and headed north to Glasgow for a few days. Our hotel was right in the central train station making the entire process most convenient. If any one should wonder why the US need a respectable passenger train system, this is it: journey from city-center to city-center and stay within walking distance to everything you need.

Greenwich Market

There are still some places in the world that eat eels. apparently, Greenwich is one of them. From the sign on the window, people have been eating eels here since 1890. I think I'll take a raincheck on that.

Art of Divers Kinds

We decided to visit an antique market in Islington and found it to be a bust when we got there. Either it not longer happens or we were simply there on the wrong day. So we went exploring. Our next stop was Shoreditch, known for its street art.

Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

Not far from the Borough Market, on the way toward the Shard is the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret. After climbing 52 steps up an very narrow spiral staircase we are treated to this attic loft of a Herb Garret filled with 19th century medical instruments and potions.

Wyndham's Theater

We ventured down to Leicester Square to the Wyndham's Theater to see the Arthur Miller play The Price. It starred Brendan Coyle (of Downton Abbey fame), David Suchet (of Poirot Fame), Adrian Lukas, and Sara Stewart. It was exceedingly well done.