Up the Stairs

Up the stairs at Glamis. Loved the patterned imagery created here. The stairs lead up one of the towers of the castle that we were not allowed to enter. Glamis Castle still has residents, along with ghosts. Glamis Castle is known as one of the most haunted castles in Britain. It certainly has more stories and legends attached to it than most any other castle on the British Isles. Vist here for more. Sadly, as many times as I've been to Glamis I've not felt even the tiniest shiver of a ghostly presence. Being a believer, I keep searching & hoping. Wastrel On! (Listening To: Can't Not by Alanis Morissette)

Marita Beth at Glamis

Marita Beth read somewhere that one of the best ways to preserve memories in photogrpahs is to insert yourself into the photo. So, I tried to take a photo of Marita Beth in our environment nearly every where we went. I'm sure it got tiring for her, but not for me. Here's my darling girl standing in front of Glamis Castle. We have arrived, parked, trudged through the soaking wet grass & mud to the front drive. In moments we will purchase our tickets and insert this glorious, stately, remarkeably well-preserved castle. (Modified) Have I mentioned that I don't like Shutterfly very much? It seems that they can't figure out which freaking photos I have. So, the photo I thought I was linking to with the above description, is not the URL they provided me. So, instead, here's a photo of Marita Beth & myself in front of Glamis Castle. Not sure who took this, but I wish they'd included a wee bit more of the castle. Oh well. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson) and (Listening to: Hippityville by John Abercrombie)

Glamis Castle

Glamis (pronounced "glahms") Castle. What a fairytale view, it's such an amazingly preserved piece of history, I love visiting it each trip over. And this year, we had a special treat in that they were having a Highland Games on the lawn. Photos from that later. Back to Glamis Castle: 'A place of legends and fairytales.' Family home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne and a royal residence since 1372. Childhood home of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, birthplace of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret and legendary setting for Shakespeare's famous play 'Macbeth'. Beautiful isn't it? Wastrel On! (Listening to: Seven Drunk Nights by The Town Pants)

Grapefest & Callendar House

We visited the Grapevine Grapefest this weekend, so I'll take a short break from the travellogue to discuss this event. Grapefest is a wonderful treat of wine, shopping & entertainment. As is our history, we purchased tickets to the People's Choice (an additional $15) where we are given an hour and a half to visit as many of the attendant wineries and sample their wines as we can; while keeping track of our favourites. This is not an easy task, but for years now we have given it our best shot. I was much more organized this year, than in past attempts, so feel I was more accurate in my representations of the wines. Then there's shopping. It's primarily a duck & bunny kind of show, with the occasional outstanding artisan or concept shining clearly in the ranks. This year, a concept by 9 ladies really caught my eye. It seems that they take a meme, or an image and divide the duties into 8 tiles, with each artist being "assigned" a particular tile. When the 8 tiles are complete, they get together and over wine, cheese & other foods (probably chocolate), they compelte the 9th tile and assemble the piece. The concept fascinated me. So in my own unabashed theivery of their concept, I present the "Callendar House" (original photo) and the "Callendar House by 9 Tiles." Wastrel On! (Listening To: 1001 Night's Waltz by New 101 Strings Orchestra)