We commenced the first leg of our journey home today driving from the Isle of Skye to the outskirts of Edinburgh in just over six hours with a few stops along the way for food and gas. We stayed at the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club.

The main house was built in the 1720’s for the youngest son of the Earl of Stair. It was then acquired by the Douglas family in 1760 and the Estate on which the house stands is still owned by a direct descendant of the family, the 22nd Earl of Morton. Mary, Queen of Scots is said to have been a visitor to Dalmahoy and when she was later imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle, the Douglas family came to her aid. George Douglas, who was in love with her, was banished for concocting a plan to free her. His brother, William Douglas then helped her escape and threw the keys of the castle into the loch. In the 19th century, the loch was drained and the keys were found.

Fortunately, no keys were to be found for the Easter Bunny Buggy which Jeanine seemed quite determined to take for a spin around the club’s golf course.

What a difference 8 hours can make. This morning, Jeanine and I arrived early at the trailhead for the Old Man of Storr hike. It was overcast with intermittent rain. Jeanine turned back at the halfway point when it became apparent that the pinnacles would be shrouded in clouds. I continued to the top where I waited for an hour hoping the clouds would lift. They did not and the best image I have is the one below.

Later in the day after driving around the entire Trotternish peninsula, a challenging drive on one-track roads that I will not soon forget, we returned to the Old Man of Storr trailhead. Naturally, the clouds had mostly cleared and the sun was shining. My knees would not tolerate another ascent so I decided to fly my drone up the mountain. Having hiked the trail earlier, I knew just the path to fly to position the drone for the photo I wanted. I an extremely pleased with the image I was able to make. It is possibly the best landscape photograph I have ever taken.

After lunch, Jeanine wanted to visit a nearby wool crafts store. In the quaint little shop, we learned that all the wool for sale was from the sheep on their farm. While Jeanine was shopping, I photographed the father of all the sheep on the property. He looked like a pretty happy dude.

The Fairy Glen was not on my radar but Jeanine learned about it and thought it would make for a nice place to visit. Indeed, it was a whimsical area filled with small conical hillocks created by an ancient landslide. We did not see any fairies, but if they are to be found anywhere, this is the place. Below is a basalt “castle” adjacent to one of the hills. Falling from the top would be sure to result in severe injury but probably not death. For this reason, I was able to climb to the top despite my intense fear of heights which can be more accurately described as my acute fear of falling to my death.

An early start got us to the Fairy Pools ahead of the crowds. Jeanine and I enjoyed a lovely hike along a cascade of waterfalls feeding a series of turquoise pools. It was mostly overcast but thankfully it only rained for a few minutes. The pools are the primary attraction on this hike but I cannot resist a nice waterfall. We had lunch in Portree at the Inn of the same name. I had a cheese-smothered salted brisket sandwich on a Scottish roll. It was the best sandwich I have ever had in my life. Jeanine had the Cullen Skink, a smoked haddock chowder that she loved as well. Fortified by our meal we drove on to the Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls (pictured below) where calmer winds allowed for a drone shot.

We continued north to the An Corran beach where In 2002 a local woman, out walking her dog, found what looked like a set of footprints in a recently exposed block of rock. They were found to be those of a three-toed carnivorous Megalosaurus, a fierce predatory dinosaur of the Mid-Jurassic period that roamed the shallow lagoons over 168 million years ago.

Our final stop for the day was at an unnamed waterfall Jeanine spotted above the road while we were driving by. A short climb revealed a very beautiful cascade and it may well be my favorite on a day that included some spectacular waterfalls.

We were greeted on the Isle of Skye by gale-force winds which blew all night and day. We decided that it would be wise to limit our time outdoors and did so with a visit to the Dunvegan Castle followed by lunch at a nearby pub. That wisdom failed me later in the day when I decided I would try to photograph the Neist Point Lighthouse at sunset. Jeanine was smart enough to stay at our AirBnB which is aptly named the “Snug”. When I arrived at Neist Point after a harrowing 40-minute drive, the wind was even stronger than elsewhere and it was raining horizontally. Walking was very difficult and I had to shoot at 1/400th of a second because holding my camera steady was simply impossible and my tripod was no match for the gale. When the wind finally knocked me off my feet and into a soggy bog, I decided it might be wise to pack things up. I managed a few photos that were not crap but on balance, it was a failed outing. A gale force wind is rated at 39-46 mph. I have no doubt that the wind speed at the point was closer to 60 mph.

Yesterday’s rain was replaced with gale-force winds as we drove from Glencoe to the Isle of Skye. Our first stop along the way was the Neptune Staircase, the longest staircase lock in Scotland, raising the canal by 62 feet over a quarter of a mile of continuous masonry. Requiring nearly two decades to complete the lock began operation in 1822 and is still in use today. It takes around 90 minutes for a boat to travel up or down the locks. 

Our next stop was the Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter movies in which it is traversed by the Hogwart’s Express. The viaduct is built from mass concrete (no rebar; strong in compression, weak in tension) and has 21 semicircular spans of 50 feet. It is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 416 yards, and crosses the River Finnan at a height of 100 feet.

As we approached the Isle of Skye, where we will be spending the next four nights, we stopped to photograph the Eilean Donan Castle, originally built in the 13th century.

Pictured below is the Old Sligachan Bridge built between 1810 and 1818. Legend has it that eternal beauty may be gained from bathing one’s face in the enchanted water beneath it. Specifically, one must submerge their face in the ice-cold water for 7 seconds and then allow it to air dry. Although Jeanine and I could both benefit from a dose of eternal beauty, neither of us felt compelled to stick our heads in the river and decided on some hot tea at the pictured inn instead.

Our final stop for the day was in Portree, the largest town on the island, where we found a good vantage point from which to enjoy the famous colored houses that can be found here.

Hadrian’s Wall is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The largest Roman archaeological feature in Britain, it runs a total of 73 miles across the whole width of the island. Soldiers were garrisoned along the line of the wall in large forts, smaller milecastles, and intervening turrets. Homesteads Roman Fort is perhaps the best preserved and where we stopped for a visit this afternoon. The fort was occupied for almost 300 years and housed some 800 soldiers. Wooden floors in the various buildings were supported by vertical stones which kept the interiors dry and free of vermin.

In total, we spent more than 5 hours driving from the Lake District through the Scottish highlands to Glencoe, our destination for the night on what might be the most scenic road I have ever witnessed. Regrettably, heavy rain, high winds, and low clouds made photography impossible and we can only hope for better weather when we make the return trip.

Today I ventured out on my own for a day of photography while Jeanine and the kids all did their own things. Pictured above is St Mary’s Parish in Ambleside constructed in the 1850s. I used my drone to capture the most flattering perspective. Below is the Cathedral Quarry, a small network of interlinked quarries above Little Langdale. The system is best known for its main chamber, which stands forty feet in height and is lit by two windows off the main quarry. They are frequently referred to as Cathedral “Cave”.

On the hike to the caves, one has an opportunity to cross the Slater Bridge which dates back to the 17th century. Built of slate, it consists of a 15-foot segmental arch and a flatter span built of slabs and incorporates a natural boulder in midstream. The bridge is thought to have been created by miners working in the nearby quarry. It has been described by, Alfred Wainwright, a famous British fellwalker, guidebook author, and illustrator as “the most picturesque footbridge in Lakeland.”

A tiny, whimsical 17th-century stone house on a bridge over Stock Beck River caught my attention. A relatively short hike took me to the Stock Ghyll Waterfall. Pictured below is the lower section of the 70-foot falls.

My final destination for the day featured a stepping-stone river crossing. Normally, I focus on still images but when I saw a young woman in a white dress and yellow boots getting ready to cross I switched to video.

With rain forecasted for the entire day, our group decided to do a flat hike around Lake Buttermere, arguably the most beautiful of the lakes in the Lake District. We started and ended the 4.5-mile walk in light rain but during the middle, we had a respite and a chance to thoroughly appreciate this magnificent place. Afterward, we relaxed in a local pub for fish and chips and steak and ale pie. Jeanine, Kyle, and Nico were walking ahead of the group when I took this photo so Maya was our only representative.

Today, Maya, Nico, and the rest of the lodge crew tackled Jack’s Rake, a challenging climb with a lot of exposure (see the route pictured below). I become paralyzed when I am in such situations and would not have been able to complete the climb. Regardless, I had already decided to avoid further vertical climbing to protect my knees for the soccer season and was joined by Kyle for the day on a photographic expedition. Meanwhile, Jeanine joined Lou Ann (our hostess) on a shopping excursion to Keswick.

Below are a few of my favorite images from the day. The first is a second attempt at a photo I took yesterday. This time I returned with my tripod so I could make a long exposure and circular polarizing filter so the colors would pop. I think the difference was worth the effort.

After two perfect weather days, things returned to normal with a bit of rain throughout the day. The kids decided to have a rest after their big climb yesterday. Jeanine and I opted for a 6-mile valley walk with our hosts. The constant drizzle only added to the ambiance and the relatively flat trail was a welcome change of pace for my very achy knees.

Jeanine opted to attend Easter Mass this morning, I joined the adults to hike Sheffield Pike (2000 ft. climb, 6.5 miles), and the kids tackled the very challenging Helvellyn via Striding Edge (2660 ft., 9.5 miles). Hard to say who had the most fun but I can claim the company of the best dog, Pemberry (Pembi, for short). UPDATE: Maya, who has been proclaimed the BogWench by her mates felt it would be appropriate to honor her new title by taking a plunge in the ice-cold Red Tarn during her ascent of Helvellyn. Kyle suggested I was to blame for this questionable choice of bathing location because of the “Brave Maya” training I put her through as a small child.

We were treated to lovely weather for our first proper hike in the Lake District where we are staying in the small town of Patterdale with the MacKenzie family. Fiona MacKenzie is a close high school friend of Maya’s and current flatmate. Alex MacKenzie is one of my former soccer teammates. Also in the photo is Alex’s brother, Charles, and his family as well as Fiona’s brother and his friend from childhood. The MacKenzie’s have been holding family reunions in Patterdale for more than 50 years and today we did their traditional first-day’s climb of Place Fell. The views were outstanding and well worth the rugged 7 mile hike. On the way up Maya escorted Kyle through an underground cave/tunnel and I caught them as they emerged.

The family arrived in the UK this morning. We all flew together to Dublin and then the boys continued to Manchester while Jeanine, Maya, and I flew to Edinburgh. This unusual arrangement is due to our different return plans. After renting a defective car (steering wheel on the wrong side) we stopped for breakfast at a local bakery before driving to the Lake District. There we stopped at the Aira Force Waterfall for a short hike before checking into the nearby lodge where we will be staying for the next week..

Using leftover scraps from the plywood I used to build the stair treads, I completed the drawer fronts and doors on my shop sink cabinet today. I know I declared I was done with cabinetry the other day but I did not include my shop as part of the official house. The fact is, a shop is never really DONE. It is merely in a suboptimal state of completion. I also built some drawer dividers for the walk-in closet and finished the partitions for Jeanine’s spice drawer. The work was a nice distraction from the passage of another kidney stone that started this morning. I am hoping it will move through me before I start our vacation later this week.

Nico traveled to Florida this weekend to attend the wedding of one of his high school buddies. Pictured above is the Concord Carlisle High School cohort in attendance. Below, he is seen with his high school prom date who lives in California now. Unable to attend his 10th high school reunion because he was gravely ill, I am sure he enjoyed this opportunity to reconnect with his former classmates.

I returned to the soccer pitch for my first match in 9 months. I am now playing in the over-62 league and our opponents were from the over-55 division. We secured a 2-0 victory in this friendly tune-up game. I played for 45 minutes and the only thing that can be said of my performance is that I did not get injured. Fortunately, this complied with the directive issued to me by Jeanine as I left this morning in advance of our approaching two-week vacation in the UK. I am hopeful that all the hiking we have planned will have me return substantially more prepared for all the running my wing-midfielder position demands.

Finally, I have completed the built-in cabinetry and essential woodworking projects for our new house. I started last July and have been working on it almost every day since. The last items to be completed were the upper cabinets in the mudroom. Eight months may seem like a long time but not when you consider the scope of the work. I am including the list below for my future reference.

• Kitchen Island with 12 drawers, 6 shelves, and a seating nook.
• Kitchen Counter with 25 drawers, 2 slide-out trash bins, dishwasher nook, and 2 undersink doors.
• Flush mount refrigerator cabinet.
• Flush mount double oven cabinet with lower drawer and 2 door upper cabinet.
• Two wall mount 2 door cabinets with 3 shelves each.
• Wall mount 2 door cabinet, with microwave nook, and 3 shelves.
• Pantry counter with 6 drawers
• Wall mount 4 door cabinets with 4 shelves.
• Flush mount freezer cabinet with adjacent 5 section hutch.
• Pantry wall shelving with 15 sections.
• Bench seat in entry and 4 in-wall nooks.
• Living room six door, 4 shelf, shallow counter.
• Office 4 door counter and 4 door wall cabinet with 4 shelves.
• Office desk
• Side table for living room.
• Coffee table stand.
• Mudroom counter with 6 drawers, 2 doors, and a 6 door wall mount cabinet with 5 shelves.
• Mudroom 6-section shelving unit with 9 coat hangers below.
• Laundry counter with 6 drawers, 3 doors, and a sink.
• Flush mount cabinet for stacking washer and dryer with 2-door upper cabinet.
• Half-bath floating vanity with vessel sink.
• Main bathroom vanity with double sink and 4 drawers.
• Guest bathroom vanity with single sink and 4 drawers.
• Third bathroom vanity with single sink and 4 drawers.
• Main bedroom walk-in closet dresser with 15 drawers and 9 shelves.
• Main bedroom walk-in closet high and low hanging rods with 16 shelves.
• Guestroom walk-in closet dresser with 12 drawers and 6 shelves.
• Guestroom walk-in closet high and low hanging rods with 16 shelves.
• Spare bedroom closet high and low hanging rods with 12 shelves.
• Two in-wall art nooks in the 1st and 2nd floor hallways.
• Mechanical room workbench.
• Shop miter saw station with 12 drawers and 6 shelves.
• Shop sink cabinet with 4 drawers and 2 doors.
• Shop workbench.
• 29 stair treads.
• Eight stair stringers.
• 150 balusters, 7 Newell posts, 4 handrails, and 3 guard rails.
• Temporary railing for front and side doors.
• Garage entry steps and landing.

Not included here are all the non-woodworking projects that occupied me for at least half my time, a list of which will have to wait for another day.

Credit for all this work needs to be shared with the entire family. Jeanine was my gluing partner for all the drawer boxes, helped with most of the finishing work, and was often coerced into helping me move heavy things up and down stairs. Kyle helped move the really heavy stuff (sheets of plywood, machines, cabinet carcasses) every time he visited. Nico helped with the finishing, sanded and painted the stair stringers, and helped with their installation. Maya assisted with drawer slide installation, 3D printing, and water jetting. Even Jeanine’s sister Susan jumped onto the finishing assembly line while visiting for the holidays.

I have always dreamed of building a house. Although I did not pour the concrete or do the framing or drywalling or masonry or the numerous other tasks, I do feel I have realized my dream and feel a great sense of pride in the work. It is sobering to think that I will never again tackle a project of this magnitude and can only hope that it will stand the test of time for future generations (hopefully Calabrias) to enjoy.

For the last few days, we have enjoyed visits from the very healthy-looking fox pictured above. Today, I was able to run and grab my camera before he continued past the house on his morning hunt. I have decided to name him Frankie in honor of my father who was called the Silver Fox by his students. I am not sure if this is a male or female but I think the name works in either case. This photo was taken through triple pane glass so not quite as sharp as I would like. When I have a little more time on my hands, I may set up a small. outdoor blind so that I can get a better image.

I generally try not to post images of the same subject repeatedly but I had to make an exception for the tulips I photographed earlier this week. Because of the way our windows are situated in the River House great room, light was falling on both the interior and the underside of this flower. One can only marvel at the beauty of nature.

This evening, I returned to the soccer pitch for the first time in 9 months for an 8 pm practice under the lights. I skipped playing last fall for fear that an injury would keep me from working on the house project. I have lost quite a bit of muscle tone but managed to deliver a rather solid performance scoring a very nice goal during a scrimmage match. I have little doubt that tomorrow I will be nothing but a mass of aching muscles.

Jeanine has been invited to be a judge at this year’s Chopped for Charity, a fundraiser she established during her time as Executive Director at Open Table. I can’t think of a better way to honor her contributions to the organization than inviting her to be one of the judges, a job she was tailor-made for.

Initially, I was somewhat disappointed with the tulips that I purchased over the weekend. They immediately drooped over when I put them in a vase. Surprisingly, after a few days of hydration, they have started to “stand up” making for a rather interesting photographic composition. With spring just around the corner and cabinetmaking for the new house almost completed, I am looking forward to getting outside with my camera.

Maya sent this text to the family making good on my 15-year-old blog request to thank her brother for ferry services rendered. The photo was taken on a family vacation during which we rented an RV and toured the national parks of the West. The depicted adventure is of a hike we made to a remote slot canyon. I am looking forward to our next family vacation later this month. We are headed to the Lake District in the UK.

For the past week, Nicolai has been in Rome, Georgia participating in the third annual Adapt and Thrive invitational and practicing with the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team. He is pictured above with U.S. Soccer Federation CEO, JT Batson, President, Cindy Parlow Cone, and teammate, Jovan. I am hoping Nico has some photos to share that I will post later this week.

When I entered my shop this morning, I was surprised to find a large turkey at the outside door. It took me a while to figure out that it was attracted by its reflection in the glass. Should he visit again in the fall, just ahead of Thanksgiving, I will be tempted to put one of the many sharp tools at my disposal to good use.

Jeanine and I glued up 23 drawer boxes this afternoon and evening. We have developed a very nice rhythm and can complete a box in about seven minutes. Jeanine applies glue to the two side pieces and me to the front and back. I then assemble the box and each of us clamps one end. I then put 3 pin nails in each corner after which we remove our respective clamps and I check and adjust for square while Jeanine removes excess glue squeeze out from the box and work table. Tomorrow, we will complete the last 8 drawer boxes bringing the total for the house to 112, and will both be happy to have this work behind us. Originally, I thought I would simply order these boxes from one of the companies that sells custom-sized drawer boxes. At an average of $150 a pop, however, I thought it a good use of our time to take $15 worth of raw materials and do the fabrication ourselves.

Over the last few days, I have done a lot of chainsaw work made considerably more difficult by my inability to properly tension the chain. After opening up the saw I discovered the root cause of the problem. The threaded shaft used to set tension was fractured (see the top right of the photo; I removed the broken section of the shaft from the adjustment block for clarity). Studying the design for a few minutes led me to conclude that it is fundamentally flawed and destined to fail again even with a brand-new shaft. Still, I needed to get the saw working again and searched for a replacement part on the internet only to discover that the part I need is now obsolete. Fortunately, I also discovered that the entire mechanism had been redesigned and was available as an upgrade kit for just over ten bucks. My anger at the shit design was replaced with appreciation for the improved version. Even so, the new version is simply a beefier variation of the original design and does not address the fundamental design issue (the adjustment block puts a flexing force on the threaded section which will fatigue and fail over time). Only time will tell how much longer the new version will last.

I had to be in Somerville today and as I was returning home, I passed the pictured house and had to stop for a photo. Located on Main Street, this property is decorated with a huge, colorful variety of found objects. The blue bottle assemblage out front is “Sapphire City” and the animal collection on the roof is “Dance Party.” I have since learned that the home is owned by the artist, Martha Friend, who has lived there for over 40 years. Originally a professional photographer, later earning an MSW, she has always had an interest in assemblage art and collage. If you visit during the yearly Somerville Open Studios in April and May then you can also tour the inside of the house, which is just as visually rich and engaging as the exterior.

My sister-in-law, Lauren, while driving past it, texted a photo of the Indianapolis home that we sold 20 years ago when I took a job in Massachusetts. By any measure, it is a beautiful house but looking back now it is hard to imagine something further from the style of the home we chose to build for ourselves. A 7,400 square foot English Tutor with a magnificent park-like backyard located across the street from the Governor’s mansion in a prestigious historic neighborhood, it recently sold for $1.75M. We purchased it for $850K and sold it for $1.25M eight years later after a good bit of renovation work, much of which I did and where I honed many of the skills I am using today for the new house. It proved to be a good investment, but more importantly, a place where the kids made some very fond childhood memories. I grabbed these images from Zillow.

This final photo is one I took of my office when we lived there. It is now my preferred virtual background for Zoom calls.

Today, I finished machining parts for 27 drawer boxes. 15 will go into the main bedroom walk-in closet and 12 are destined for the guest bedroom walk-in closet. Each drawer box requires a front, back, 2 sides, and a bottom. I am using lock miter joints for the corners which have the advantage of self-alignment and require clamping in only one direction. The price for this is that all four corners must be glued together simultaneously and given the relatively short open time of the glue I am using, it is best done with an assistant. Jeanine has become a very proficient glue buddy and I will wait until she returns from her Midwest road trip before attempting assembly.

The boys stopped by this afternoon to watch the Liverpool vs. Manchester United match. Maya dropped by at halftime and stayed for the remainder of the game even though the primary goal of her visit was to pick up tools for continuing repair work on her tiny house. I feel so lucky that the kids live close by and that we can gather like this at a moment’s notice. I did my best to channel my inner-Jeanine for the occasion. I chilled a couple of beers, put out peanuts (I found Jeanine’s hidden stash) and chips and made chicken with wild rice soup for Kyle. I contend that removing the lid from a can and heating its contents constitues making soup, an assertion that will no doubt be challenged by our resident soup gourmand.

Jeanine met her newest niece today for the first time and from the sound of things they have already bonded. For years now, Jeanine has been trying to schedule a visit to meet her but one thing or another (Covid, job, new house) has conspired to postpone this day.

I spent my day outdoors managing a second open burn in as many days. In light of yesterday’s visit from the fire department, I thought it best to minimize the amount of smoke I generated by limiting my burn to wood only (no pine needles). I also discovered that one of the trees that came down has encroached on our neighbors property, very nearly hitting their house. I reached out to let them know we would cover the cost of removal and any damage.

Conditions today were ideal for an open burn to get rid of all the trees that came down this winter. Air temperature was in the 50s and the sun was out for the first time in several days. Recent rains have left the ground cover very wet reducing the possibility of fire propagation. Unfortunately, the pine needles and limbs I was burning produced a great deal of smoke, enough to fill the entire river valley when the wind was in that direction. Reports of heavy smoke in Fairhaven Bay (about a mile upriver), resulted in a visit from the fire department to our address. Fortunately, my permit was in order, my same-day burn request had been approved, and my fire met all but one criterion; it was too close to the house. The requirement is 75 feet. The fire chief was very reasonable and suggested a different location near the top of the driveway for future fires. I was only able to take care of a third of the detritus and may look into buying a wood chipper to deal with the rest.