Image for 5-18-11 - Scotland Flashback: The Union Canal - Bridge 28

For today's photo, I'll dip back into the big pile of photos from the recent Scotland trip. This shot is from day two, our first day on the Union Canal hike. My friend Dave (pictured here) and I set off from Edinburgh and headed west covering the 32 miles to Flakirk in three days. There are sixty-two bridges along the route, here Dave is about to pass under bridge number twenty-eight. I like this shot because of the canal boat motoring by. We saw a lot of other canal boats, but they were usually docked and not "in action". I have posted on Flickr the better pictures from Day one of the trip. More photos from the trip soon.

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Image for 5-16-11 - Scotland Flashback: Punk Rocker

The first day of my trip to Scotland, I stumbled on a group of Scottish Socialist and Anarchist protesting the Royal Wedding. There was also a small group of British loyalist literally wrapped in the Union Jack taunting the protesters and singing "Hail Britannia" from across the street. The cops and journalist out numbered them all. I grabbed a few pics of this guy, an archetypal punk rocker, roving through the crowd drinking a beer and providing a perfect photo-op for the photojournalist and tourist. Good to see some people still flying the flag of punk rock.

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Back in the USA

My mystery friend enjoys a pint.

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Rainy Sunday in Edinburgh

Sorry for the lack of posting. I have been Twitting (@Weaverwerx) and posted a few updates on FB. Don't have an easy way to upload photos while on the road overseas. Nearly upgraded my iPod to the latest with the built in camera and wished I had. Next trip.

This has been a fantastic trip. Dave and I have covered alot of ground in the last week-and-a-half. Hiked the full length of the Union Canal. A couple of days on the coast visiting friends in Dunbar. And now back in Edinburgh for Dead by Dawn, a must viewing for any horror fan.

I hope to post a photo or two tomorrow before we fly back Tuesday. There will be much more to follow when I get back for the big catch up.

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Image for May 1, 2011 - Union Canal - Ratho to Linlithgow

Union Canal Aqueduct

The Union Canal features several aqueducts that carry the canal over roads, rivers and walkways, sometimes all at the same time. It's a strange feeling to be walking along the secluded path only to come out over a roadway with cars speeding underneath. I guess it's easier then building a bunch of locks to help the boats transverse the landscape.

I threw in an extra photo from this day of Dave and I in front of a field of rapeseed that a fellow walker took for us. The rapeseed fields were in full color and photos will never fully capture the intense vibrancy of the yellow flowers. For the first part of the walk, we'd see the yellow fields far off in the distance shimmering like the yellow brick road, seen but always out-of-reach. Finally at this point of the hike we came right alongside a field and had to use it as a backdrop. I've done a far bit of solo hiking, but I always prefer to have a good friend along. Anyone reading this would be fortunate to have a friend as good as Dave has been to me. He's a solid trail companion and I look forward to many more adventures in the future with him.

Hal and Dave along the Union Canal

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Image for 4-30-11 - Danger of Death!

I love that sign, saw while hiking the Union Canal. It's warning against the overhead power lines. Judging from the barbed wire wrapped around the pole, I guess they've had a few people try and climb it. I think that sign is applicable anytime though. The end can come anytime, so you better get out there and live your life. The samurai would "freshen their minds with death" every morning to remind themselves how short and fragile life is. I do the same.

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Image for 4-29-11 - The Old Castle Town

The castle is the symbol for Edinburgh. I saw this old relief logo on the side of a small utility shed (or was it a public toilet?). I'm a sucker for peeled paint and I like the icon design.

I pulled the photos off the camera last night, all six hundred and fifty-two of them. I know my pal Dave shot about double that. It was a very well documented journey. We saw and did a lot in the twelve days we were on the ground there, the trip featured a little of everything, some hiking, visited new places I had not been to before in Scotland, catching up with old friends, some urban exploring and finally, Dead by Dawn, my favorite horror film festival. It's been six years since I last set foot in Scotland, also for DbD, as my circle of horror film friends refer to it. I was surprised at how little had seemed to change in Edinburgh, a few new shops  here and there, but when the city's essential layout was made in stone hundreds of years ago, there's no easy way to modify that without obliterating part of your history. Tidewater (I refuse to use "Hampton Roads", a rant for another time), seems to revel in destroying any building new or old that stands in the way of "progress", I use the term loosely as it generally means making way for a parking lot, chain drug store or, more likely, luxury condos. I'm sure that if I lived in Edinburgh for a while, something I'd love to do, that I'd see the creepy corporate influence there as well. On this trip, I was blissfully happy to wander The Meadows (a large park in the southern part of the city) or hang out in the Grassmarket ( area with pubs and shops in the shadow of the castle). Oh Edinburgh! I love you!

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Back in Edinburgh

My flight arrived on time. After all the drama yesterday, I'm amazed that I got out at all. Fully expected to be sleeping in Newark airport last night.

My friend Alan Smart picked me up at the airport. I know Alan from my time living in Ireland. We were both kitchen help in an Italina restaurant in a small town in the west of Ireland. A long story for another time.

Edinburgh is strangely quiet today because of holiday for the Royal Wedding. The empty streets fits my mood.

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Enjoying a Guinness in NJ

On the ground in Newark. First pint of the trip. The second pint was bought a a swell Scotish guy named Paul. He and his wife were just returning from their first visit to NYC.

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Norfolk Airport Carpet

Yeah, still stuck here. Flying sucks. OK HW

image for 4-28-2011 - tiki mug drawing

 

Delayed at the airport. Made this sketch from memory. Compare with the yesterday's photo.

Image for 4-21-11 - Map

I am a big fan of maps. I will spend time studying a map, reading a map, walking down the roads in my mind. I've visited places just because I liked the shape of it on a map. Technology is all well and good; GPS will grab you by your nose and lead you where you want to go, but you won't learn anything. Maps can reveal a city, a landscape; show you the alley behind the wall; the pathway that leads out of town to the Roman ruins over the hill. With a map in my pocket, the world is mine. Now, that doesn't mean I won't get lost, in fact a map usually gives me too much confidence, which guarantees  I will get lost, but that's alright. I've made some of my best discoveries when lost.

This is a map I know fairly well of one of my favorite cities in the world. I will be there soon,

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Image for 4-9-11 - Mel and Billy

I am still back filling the days that were missed due to my stupid phone.

Here's a shot of Mel and Billy before the big hitch up. Billy was the best man and actually doesn't have a beard, that was a happy accident of the crappy tech. I enjoyed getting to know them better last weekend and look forward to hanging with them again sometime soon.

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Image for 4-8-11 - The Misty Mountaintop

I originally sent this from my camera phone to the blog, but it still hasn't shown up, so I'm playing catch up and reposting it directly. Friday we drove up to Wintergreen, VA to witness our good friends Casey and Laura be married. The ride up from the coast was uneventful until we got to the mountains. The cloud was down in the higher elevations and slowed us a bit. I am a big fan of fog, I love how it can take a normal environment and transform it into a mysterious adventure.

The truly dense stuff waited until later that evening when we had to make our way back from the Devil's Backbone down in the valley. The shroud dropped hard, reducing visibility to a few feet in front of the car and I had to creep along at five mph, clinging to the center line reflectors. It took awhile to get back to the chalet.

More catching up to do soon.

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image for 3-31-2011 - Fancy a pint lad?

Got some Scottish pounds for an upcoming trip. I always like to hit the ground with some of the local currency in my pocket. In the olden times, I would order my American Express traveler's cheques, but in these modern days, it is easy enough to use a credit card nearly anywhere. Also, last time tried to use traveler's cheques overseas, no one wanted them because of counterfeit concerns. I always envy the design of foreign money, the smart details like varying the size (small to large per denomination amount) and the use of color.

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Image for 3-28-11 - Lucky shot

Heading south over the Delaware Mem. Bridge.
I took this with the phone-cam. Truth be told, I did take two pictures and this was the better of the two. I like the soft quality of the image and the colors are more vivid then I'd expect from a little, cheap-o camera phone.

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Tag:"From the road.", "Virgin Mobile"
Location: lat=39.558, lng=-75.653

At the Rochester Market

A fish stall at the Farmer`s Market. --Sent from my Virgin Mobile!
Tag:"From the road.", "Virgin Mobile"
Location: lat=43.155, lng=-77.606
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Sent from my Virgin Mobile

Image for 3-26-11 - Happy Birthday Bernie!

Happy birthday Bernie! My Mum-in-law will be 90 come next week, so we are up in sunny Rochester, NY to celebrate! I love Bernie, she is a great, fun lady and former Marine in WW II. Here she is enjoying a cupcake just before kicking our butts in dummy Euchure.

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Location: lat=43.066, lng=-77.626
--
Sent from my Virgin Mobile

On the Road Again!

Driving north on highway 15; heading for Rochester --Sent from my Virgin Mobile!
Tag:"From the road.", "Virgin Mobile"
Location: lat=41.34, lng=-77.092
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Sent from my Virgin Mobile

Ten Years Ago Today...

Janet and I took that walk. We were married on a beach in Freeport, Bahamas. It was a very casual ceremony with just a few close friends. 

I think of that day often, how we chose each other. It's been the best ten years of my life.

I wish the same good love and happiness for all my friends.















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