“We shape our buildings; Thereafter they shape us.” Winston Churchill

The Cathedral dome is magnificent.

Here he/she is Canis Lupus 

In the fall of 2018, I had the good luck to score a moose north of Spirit River, Alberta.  The Outfitter was going to start offering wolf hunts as the beast is so plentiful and I was told they kill about 80% of the new born moose calves.  The beast immediately went on my list of hunting trips that I had to make. First, a little research needed to be done.  I was reminded that this animal is not your ordinary house dog, but a fierce animal that kills for sport.  

Here’s looking at you kid

Hunting elk in north central Idaho and in Wyoming south of Yellowstone, some time ago, I had experienced what happens when wolves are turned loose in areas rich in elk.  The elk disappear. If I was going to head north to hunt these animals, a little research needed to be done.

Literature is readily available on line from Canada about this animal, and here is what I learned. They are  common in lightly settled portions of Canada from Labrador to British Columbia and in the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories. Wolves are territorial. Each pack occupies an area that it will defend against intruders. Sizes of territories vary greatly and are dependent on the kind and abundance of prey available. Wolves’ chief prey are large mammals such as deer, moose, caribou, elk, bison, and muskox. Wolves also eat a variety of smaller mammals and birds, but these rarely make up more than a small part of their diet.

In the wild, male and female wolves can breed only once a year. Breeding time varies with the latitude but most commonly occurs in March and April. After a nine-week gestation or pregnancy period, litters of five or six pups (sometimes eight or more) are born.

Wolf pups are usually born in a den. In coniferous forests and on tundra this den is commonly dug in a type of soil that lends itself to digging, such as in a gravel ridge caused by glacial melt water, or similar area. The pups remain inside whelping dens for approximately two weeks. By mid-autumn they are traveling with the pack and participating in hunting and other pack activities.

Frequent play helps young wolves develop hunting skills. Mature wolves can set up ambushes or drive prey toward other wolves. These learned or non-instinctive skills originated as pups.

After visiting with the outfitter, we selected a date on December 9th to fly to Grande Prairie Alberta, Canada where I would be picked up and taken to the lodge.  Now, I have never flown with a firearm before and there are a few steps you must go through.  First, notify the airline you will be checking a firearm in at the ticket counter.  Second, purchase a stout lockable gun case to transport the piece.  I also included the ammunition in that case in its original box.  A gun store owner recommended I purchase a box by Pelican. It was a little pricey, but it was really stout and had a place for four separate padlocks.  I opened it up at the ticket counter and the agent place a document in the box. It was then sent as baggage to be placed on the airline.  The box was unlocked when it went to TSA. They checked it out in the location where they check bags and then locked it back up after placing a document in the case.  

My first port of entry was Calgary.  I retrieved the gun and my over- sized bag from the baggage area  and went to Canadian customs.  They then steered me to a separate area where my document to bring in a gun was reviewed with my passport.  I presented a folder with my passport, my contract with the outfitter, and all e-mail correspondence with the outfitter, along with a document issued by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on the firearm.  The Canadian form to bring in a firearm into the country is in triplicate and DO NOT SIGN IT.  It must be signed in front of an officer.  I paid $25.00 and then went on to the connecting flight. When hunting, you will need to carry the document signed by immigration along with your hunting license.   At the next connection counter, the case was opened and another document from the airline was added to the other documents.  The locked case was then sent on to the baggage area to be added to the flight. My bag and firearm showed up in Grande Prairie.  This was my first time flying with a firearm.  Driving is much simpler.  All in all, it is not that difficult once you have done it. 

We were off on the hunt the next day.  This would take place over bait.  Bait consisted of the ground up innards from the elk, moose, and deer shot at the lodge during the regular hunting season.  It was frozen and stored until needed, then thawed and placed on the bait sight the night before hunting the sight on the next day.  The wolves are nocturnal animals so it was expected they would feed on the sight during the night and the next day.

This is the blind I where hunted from, and the outfitter had a number of locations with blinds we would hunt from depending on the wind.  I would face the wind and in the above case, I would be looking out the front window toward the bait site 180 yards from me.  The average shot would be around 200 yards.  The blind is 45×45 inches. I could not stand up, and it is very difficult to move around.

This is looking into the backside of the blind.  The floor is five feet above the ground and I just stepped on the cross pieces and pulled myself up.  Notice the chair.  It is an office type of chair that can be raised and lowered and it is comfortable.  Notice on top of the blind there is a little black box. This is a very important item and the outfitter uses this item when bear hunting.  It is called Ozonics, and the purpose to eliminate scent.  It runs quietly and draws air up from the blind and filters it out into the air stream.

This was a mile walk from the drop off point and my guide walked me in.  It was -10 and I was dressed like Nanook of the North with multiple layers of clothing.  In addition to my gun, a small space heater was brought along, an extra propane tube, my lunch consisting of a thermos of soup, the Ozonics, extra “Hot Hands,” extra “Toasty Toes,” a small bottle of water, and extra ammo.  Fortunately for me, my guide was in his early 20’s and was a college basketball player.  He was in outstanding condition and insisted on carrying all the equipment in.  All I carried was my shooting sticks that I did not need.  This young man was built like Paul Bunyan and was in outstanding physical condition.  The snow was knee deep and we walked in on a packed down surface made by a snow machine.  My guide never got winded, and I had to stop several times to catch my breath.  Why not, I have over 50 years on him and I could have been his grandfather. 

Organization was the key element in the blind.  Second, was getting myself positioned so that when I brought the gun up, I could point it out the window, then drop it to the target and get my eye on the scope.  This was not like shooting elk, moose, or buffalo which was like shooting at a billboard. 

This is what I saw as I was looking forward out of the blind.  On each side there was a small window that  I could open.  With the space heater running, I opened up a second for safety.  I sat there for two hours with nothing happening, and then it came.  Just at the tree line edge a wolf stepped out in the open.  Did I make the shot?  The answer is not only NO, IT IS NO NO and MORE NO. I had the rifle on my left side, my extra bag on the right and the space heater behind me.  Now, I had to get the gun over to my right side, stick the barrel out the window, and try to scope the animal.  The gun is 47 inches long.  The width of the blind is 45 inches.  The chair was too low.  The critter stood for at least 15 seconds staring straight at me.  Our eyes met as I was thrashing and thrashing around.  By the time I was set to shoot, he split. I could have sworn there was a paw that went up and a middle claw sticking up in the air as he disappeared.  That night I slept like a baby, and cried all night.  

This was a very hard lesson to learn as this might be the only opportunity for the trip.  This type of hunting has a very, very low percentage of success.  I had to get organized.  First, I moved the rifle over to my right side and practiced pulling it up and positioning it to fire as quickly as possible.  Second, I moved the space heater between my legs where I could easily control the heat output. Third, I put my bag on my left side.  Fourth, I moved my shooting sticks behind me as they would be of no value.  The window ledge was where the gun was laid on top of a mitten to avoid scratching it. Fifth, I raised the chair to the maximum so that I would lean into the gun and the scope.  Sixth, I practiced this movement over and over until I got all movements just right.   

My guide would text me periodically to check on how things were going.  It was embarrassing to let him know one got away. 

This is looking off to my left.  The wind remained in a northerly direction and this location was hunted for two days.  Another lesson I learned was water intake.  First, do not drink coffee in the morning.  Second, limit your water intake to not more that a half a bottle of water during the day.  When you leave for the blind do not drink any water.  You will get thirsty, but that won’t hurt you at all and when you leave in the evening, you can have a big drink of water.  On my second day, I was not out of the blind except one time.  The first day it was several.  

The next day the temp was still below zero,  but the light breezes had switched to a more northeasterly direction.  The walk in was a lot shorter and more flat, and I had less trouble and did not tumble into the snow.  

This pic is just peering out the left side of the blind. It had a rather picturesque look and you can see the light snowfall that had taken place during the night. 

This is looking straight out of the front of the blind.  The tracks you see are from the tracked vehicle that brought in the bait during the night.  Just on the other side of the small rise is the location of the bait.  It is out about 200 yards.  Looking to the far end of the cut is 500 yards per my range finder. 

It was at the far end of the cut that two black dots appeared.  I said to myself, “Are the gods going to look favorably on me and give me another shot?”  I texted back to the guides and told them there were two out 500 yards and working their way toward me.  Immediately the response was, “If you have a comfortable shot, take it, we can always track the results.”

I patiently waited and they worked their way to the bait pile.  The ground was rolling and they would appear at the top of the roll in the earth, then disappear as they went down.  With the lesson learned from the first day, I got set up and ready to take my first wolf.  The barrel was out the window and the scope had a great view of the ridge above the bait.  I only wished at that moment that the bait was on my side of the rise rather than on the opposite side.  

It was all about waiting, waiting, and more waiting.  A blackish wolf popped up and I leaned into the firearm, had him in the scope, but as I started to apply pressure on the trigger he went back onto the bait pile.  Then I saw a head poking up and then it went back down.  I waited and waited.  In my lifetime, I have fouled up more easy shots by not being patient and being in too big of a hurry.  Finally, there seemed to be no more activity on the bait pile. As I looked down the cut, they appeared at the far end and disappeared.  

The only thing that happened then was a coyote came by and I watched him dive into snow and track rodents scurrying underneath the snow. I had a coyote license, but I did not want to ruin the spot for a coyote. 

The next two days the wind shifted to the southwest and the light snow quit.  I was taken to a blind where a trapper had seen a big pack of wolves working through the area and he believed this was their territory.  

The bait is just beyond the shadow line.  There is a cut that comes in from the right and the guide said they had seen tracks there.  

This is the cut that came in from the right side of the blind.  There were a lot of ravens on the bait sight and that was a good thing as it demonstrated security for the wolves. 

Off to my left was a small pond with wolf tracks coming across it to the cut above the blind and then to the bait.  No one came by that day. 

To the left and right inside of the box were convex mirrors that I could look behind myself and see if anything was coming.  I was told that wolves will come to bait at a good clip and then slow down the closer they get.  You can see the tracks in the snow made by the snow machines.  All the blinds had a tree at the back of them so you can see off to one side through the mirror if something is coming to call. 

Nanook of the North

This is the space heater that was used to take the chill off.  The first day, I ran it on high about every couple of hours for 15 minutes.  But my guide and the other hunter kept it on low all day long and that worked really well just to keep the chill off. 

Was this a successful hunt? Yes it was and no it was not. It was my fault that I blew the shot, but it was a great time and experience, and I will do it again next year.  Next time there will be a better knowledge level of how to do it, which will bring success. 

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Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck, Hank

Many biologists believe the name “wapiti” (WAA-pi-tea) is a Shawnee Indian word meaning “white rump,” an appropriate description for the elk’s large rump patch.  This is the animal I set out to hunt in eastern Idaho southwest of Yellowstone in Montana on October 8th.  The reservation was made in mid January and at that time, it was hoped the weather would be tolerable.  Two years ago a hunt was planned with outstanding results, and last year we hunted moose, and the weather could have not been better.

This year the warnings went out for Montana, the Dakotas, and Wyoming for severe cold, high winds and lots of snow.  Driving across Wyoming warning signs on I-80 gave a really bad picture of what was to come.  The plan was to stop overnight in Rock Springs and then drive up to Jackson, Wyoming next morning, and head over Teton Mountain Pass.  Now for a flat lander this is an adventure in itself.  I always put the truck in a low gear, engage the four wheel drive for more traction, and engage a trailer tow device as if the truck is pulling a trailer.  The object here is to use engine braking going down the pass.  Whenever there is a place to pull over, it is done, and the natives go around me waving with one hand and a finger.  It must be some sort of mountain greeting.  

Anyway, I did not go that way the next morning because based on the weather forecast, there was a lot of snow along that route.  Instead I went west to Ogden, Utah, and then northerly to Saint Anthony, Idaho along I-15.  From there it is only a 15 minute drive to the ranch and only adds about 1.5 hours to the trip.  

I arrived at the ranch by 3 p.m. We should have gone out and sighted in our rifles, but the wind was so strong and the temperature was falling,  so this was put off until in the morning.  This is gentleman hunting in a warm comfortable lodge, private room and bath, and three meals a day in a dining room with a fireplace and comfortable seating.  At my age, and I am old, riding old paint into the mountains and bedding down in a four walled tent has long since been over.  We ride the iron horse in search of a good looking elk to stalk.

That evening over dinner, I was teamed up with the same guide of two years ago and it was a pleasure to see him and have the opportunity to hunt with him again.  All the same people were there when my wife had gone with me two years ago.  She did not make this trip.  The staff remembered her well and was disappointed she had not come along.  When you see the same people that you saw two years ago, that tells you about the quality of the lodge and the business they are in.

The ranch covers a lot of territory and provides an excellent opportunity for a good animal.  It was extremely cold and the wind was really blowing so that made it quite miserable.  The good part was we were in a four wheeled drive truck and began searching for an elk, stopping to glass and see if we could get into a good position.  With the wind, there was no need to worry about direction as it was pouring out of the north. We would just have to get down wind from our target and move toward him.

We saw a number of good looking animals, but were unable to get into a position where a shot could be taken.  At least there was no snow as the weather had remained north of us into Montana driving southeast into Wyoming and the Dakotas.

Next morning out we went again and the weather was still extremely cold, but the wind had gone down.  Clear blue skies and visibility were excellent.  We moved from high points to scan the scenery for horns sticking up above the sage brush or an elk showing his white rump on his backside.

We kept track of the movement and moved as quickly as possible across the dense growth of sagebrush.  It was obvious where they were heading and getting there ahead of them was necessary.  The truck was back behind a rise and we moved into a vantage point where we were looking into the small valley.  We waited.  The wind was right in our face and they would not be able to wind us as they headed into the green grass. 

At 250 yards, I put the 300 win mag in the shooting sticks, adjusted for the distance and put the cross hairs in the sweet spot for the one I wanted.   Kaboom! It was all over and we hustled down to where he dropped. 

I use Matt’s Meats in St Anthony for the processing.  I used them before when we  hunted the area two years ago.  They will process the burger into half pound packages.  We give a lot of meat to friends and they like the half pound packages.  You can have sticks and salami made, but it will take an extra day.  Staying at local motels is not a problem and there is plenty of scenery to explore.   Yellowstone is close if you want to face the crowds.  I do European Mounts with my game, and Fall Taxidermy in St. Anthony will turn it around in two days.  He did an excellent job.  All in all, I had a great hunting experience with a guide I enjoy and a lodge with outstanding cooking.  Plus, I left with a load of meat and a finished European Mount. 

The Isle of Skye

On this day we had a full day of sightseeing with an excursion to the Isle of Skye, considered to be the loveliest of all the Scottish islands.   The Isle of Skye is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.  The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period, and its history includes a time of Norse rule and a long period of domination by Clan MacLeod and Clan Donald.  About a third of the residents were Gaelic speakers in 2001. 

The morning rides were exceptionally beautiful as the heather was just starting to bloom. 

The Heather was just starting to bloom.  In the more mountainous areas it was really blooming. 

Highland Countryside

We had lunch on our own in Skye and it was outstanding.  Fish and chips with a side of slaw were outstanding.  There was an enormous piece of cod and it was caught fresh that morning.  It was rainy and we had to get back to the coach to continue to our next stop and observe the beautiful country. 

Our next stop was Eilean Donan Castle. It is on a small tidal island where three sea lochs meet,  and is a picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs, films and television. Eilean Donan, which means simply “island of Donnan,” is named after Donnan of Eigg, a Celtic saint martyred in 617. Donnan is said to have established a church on the island, though no trace of this remains.

More of the Highlands

Eilean Donan Castle

There we are

The castle was founded in the 13th century and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies the Clan MacRae.  In the early 18th century the Mackenzies involvement in the Jacobite rebellions led in 1719 to the castle’s destruction.  It seems as we read through the history of these people, they were always fighting.  Maybe it was in their diet. 

Next day we followed the Malt Whiskey Trail considered the ultimate Scotch experience.  The trail is a partnership of nine whiskey destinations, all of them based in the heart of malt whiskey country in Speyside.  These partner organizations range from active distilleries like Benromach, Glen Grant, Glen Moray, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, and Strathlisa as well as historic distilleries like Dallas Dhu and the Speyside Cooperage.  

Scottish Cattle.  Touring through the countryside on a narrow two lane road, lo & behold the coach came to a quick stop, flashers on, and we all got a picture of the traditional cattle. 

Speyside Cooperage

In the heart of the Malt whiskey Trail lies the Speyside Cooperage, the only working cooperage in the UK where we experienced the ancient art of coopering.  The Cooperage continues to work and produce the age-old product, still using traditional methods and tools.  

The casks are obtained from whiskey distillers in the U.S. and wine producers from around the world and rebuilt to be used in aging Scotch Whiskey.  

Next stop was the Glen Moray Distillery.  Located in the heart of Speyside, Scotland’s whiskey capital, the Glen Moray distillery has been producing fine single malt since 1897.  The distillery uses ex bourbon barrels sourced from North America to mature Glen Moray and these produce a whiskey with rich and spicy characteristics.  

Home to the Distillery

Making Scotch Whiskey

Aging Scotch Whiskey

Here is where we sampled the fine scotch whiskey and made our purchases.  The question by some of the people on the tour was, “How do you get this home?”  A very simple solution is we pack it in our dirty laundry and load it in the suitcase.  We have never had a broken bottle yet. 

Next day we visited Glamis Castle, the childhood home of the Queen Mum.  Afterward, we crossed over into the ancient Kingdom of Fife and explored St Andrews.  This town is home to the University of St. Andrews and the place where Prince William met Kate Middleton.  The beautiful seaside town is also known as the home of golf.  From St. Andrews we proceeded onto Edinburgh. 

Glamis Castle. 

A large stone was erected to this man and I took a picture of the plaque.  We all enjoy Angus beef and this is the man responsible for the development. 

Our next stop was Edinburgh.  We arrived late afternoon and checked into our hotel just a few steps from the Royal Mile.  That evening was to be the highlight of the trip.  

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.  The event is held each August as part of the Edinburgh Festival. 

The term tattoo is derived from a 17th century Dutch phrase doe den tap toe (“turn off the tap”). It is a signal to tavern owners each night, played by a regiment’s Corps of Drums, to turn off the taps of their ale kegs so that the soldiers would retire to their billeted lodgings at a reasonable hour.  

It was a short walk up the Royal Mile, however it was wall to wall people taking baby steps.  I turned around to take this picture.  The stadium holds 9,000 people, and you must have reserved seats as it is always sold out.  

Looking ahead of me.  Amazing we made it with plenty of time to spare. 

We are on the top row and it was a great place as we could see everything. 

The Scottish marching music was fantastic, and the acoustics were outstanding. 

Different countries were represented. 

Watch the you-tube videos below for the 2018 performance  Copy and paste into your browser to watch the videos.  

The tour of Scotland was one of the major highlights in our lives of touring the world. 

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Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck. Hank

The flag of Scotland

We took the train from London Glasgow to join the next segment of this adventure.  Now for senior citizens,  like ourselves, this is a bit of an adventure in itself.  The cab ride to the train station was uneventful, but the drivers do not take American money and the credit card system in the cab was not working.  We just barely made the fare and left the driver a tip.  We had bought the tickets in advance and all we had was a sheet of paper with some number on it.  Entering the station there was a group of kiosks that seemed like the place where we should go.  It was.  Entering the numbers produced tickets just as we had ordered. 

Next step was to figure out where to go.  Fortunately the station has people working there that must look for people like us who look totally lost.  It is the look of a deer in the headlights.  A very nice Englishman approached us and he had all kinds of identification exposed with a name tag and his role in the station and he got us headed in the right direction. That was a good sign and we were then re-assured we would not get robbed.  

We then kind of got on the wrong train.  The one we had tickets for was non stop, but the one we got on had stops all along the way.  No problem, it just took a little longer and we saw more of the countryside.

The train went to the Grand Central Station in Glasgow and the best part was we were to stay at the Grand Central Hotel, in the Grand Central Station.  We got off the train and walked 50 yards to our hotel and we had arrived.  

The hotel had a champagne bar.  After dinner we went up to the bar, drank some bubbly and watched people come and go.  At our age it is easy to be entertained. 

Just a short walk from the train is the hotel.

We judge a trip by whether it gets a “WOW” or if we had a great time in a great place.  Scotland and the Highlands got a double “WOW”.  The older hotels in Britain do not have air-conditioning and we sorely missed that in the Grand Central Hotel.  However, it was roomy and very comfortable.  Next morning we joined our tour group that had just arrived from America after their overnight flight from the states. They looked a little wilted, but fortunately for us we were ready to hit the bricks.

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707.  By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms.  Scotland then entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on May 1, 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain.  In 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland enacted a political union to create a United Kingdom.  The majority of Ireland subsequently seceded from the 

UK in 1922.  

We were off and touring Glasgow. The origin of the name ‘Glasgow’ is disputed. It is common to derive the toponym from the older Cumbric glas cau or a Middle Gaelic cognate, which would have meant green basin or green valley.

Our first stop was the Glasgow Cathedral.  Built in 883,  there is little known about the church buildings which stood on the site of the present Cathedral until the early part of the 12th century.

The first stone building was consecrated in about 1136 in the presence of King David I and his Court when John (1117-1147) was Bishop.

The tour of the Cathedral was outstanding as two separate sections held mass and there were several levels below the main floor holding tombs of important people of Glasgow. 

Another tidbit is, the Clyde River of Glasgow is renowned for its shipbuilding heritage, with some of the most famous ships in the world being built on the river’s banks. The Glenlee is a tall ship, launched onto the Clyde in 1896

Our next stop was the Kelvingrove  Art Gallery and Museum. 

 The galleries are full of objects and stunning works of art that explore importance of art in peoples’ lives across the world. Their is an organ recital on weekends and we were fortunate to hear the beautiful sounds that echoed through the gallery.  To see more of the gallery go to the following website: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum

The highlight of the museum was Salvador Dali’s Christ of St. John of the Cross. Pictures were not allowed, but below is the link to view what we saw.  This is magnificent. 

https://www.dalipaintings.com/christ-of-saint-john-of-the-cross.jsp

Loch Lomond is 22.6 miles long and up to 4.97 miles wide.  It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area.   It has a maximum depth of 502 feet.  The loch is surrounded by hills, including Ben Lomond on the eastern shore, which is 3,196 feet in height. 

The afternoon we travel into the highlands on our way to Inverness our final destination.  We visit Urquhart Castle – an impressive ruin overlooking Loch Ness.

We are in the highlands. 

More of the Highlands

More of the Highlands. 

Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century and was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by the Jacobites.  The present ruins date from the 13th century. The castle was held as a royal castle, and was raided on several occasions by the MacDonald Earls of Ross.  It was granted to the Clan Grant in 1509, though conflict with the MacDonalds continued.  It seems that the Scots were always fighting among themselves. 

The castle complex is spread out overlooking Loch Ness. 

The castle over the centuries fell into decay.  In the 20th century it was place in state care as a scheduled monument and opened to the public. 

We were near to the North Sea where Scotland has tremendous oil resources and off in the distance we could see oil rigs being floated to a location where they could be repaired and rejuvenated. 

Oil rig from the North Sea. 

We spent three nights at Inverness.  It is the administrative centrer for the Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands.  The city lies near two important battle sites: the 11th century battle of Blar nam Feinne against Norway and the 18th century Battle of Culloden which took place on Culloden Moor. A settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabid macMail Choluim (King David I) in the 12th century.  The Gaelic King Mac Bethad Mac Findlach (MacBeth), whose 11th century killing of King Duncan was immortalized in Shakespeare’s largely fictionalized play Macbeth, held a castle within the city where he ruled.  

In the morning we headed to Dunrobin Castle, a stately home in Sutherland in the Highland area and the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland.  Dunrobin’s origins lie in the Middle Ages, but most of the present building and gardens were added by Sir Charles Barry between 1835 and 1850.  

The lands of Sutherland were acquired before 1211, by Hugh, Lord of Duffus, the grandson of the Flemish nobleman Freskin.  As we looked over the history, there was nothing about how the lands were acquired.  Since it was not discussed, I can only assume some poor working slob had his land taken from him and his family and was murdered.  What can I say, it was 1211. 

The lengthy history is very interesting of how things were granted and to whom.

It was good to be rich in those days. 

The castle gardens were outstanding. 

The castle held a cafeteria and after a hurried lunch we wanted to see the rest of the interior.  We went through almost all of the rooms and countless pictures were taken.  Pam said, “Your readers do not want to see the living quarters.  They want to see the war room.” 

I did not notice a lot of weapons of war, but there were a lot of uniforms for parades.  I think someone else did the fighting, and these people pranced around and took the credit.  

The castle and the surrounding areas were fantastic, and the best part was we could take pictures of the interior.  Elegantly furnished, it was good to be the Earl.  The best part of this visit took place well after lunch.  We had the pleasure of watching the resident falconer demonstrate the different hunting methods used by owls, hawks, and falcons in a series of fascinating aerobatic displays on the castle gardens.  

Besides seeing a demonstration of the falcon, we had an outstanding talk about the bird and birds of prey used for hunting.  He released the falcon, and the bird would not come back.  The show must go on so a hawk was brought out and a demonstration was provided by this bird.  

The Peregrine Falcon before he said, “I am through entertaining this bunch of Yankees.”

Look at the face on that hawk.  He means business and he provided us a great demonstration of his hunting and killing ability.  

Listed below is a video, provided by a friend, that is an excellent demonstration of the Peregrine Falcon. You will enjoy this demonstration. 

Sightseeing on the way back to our hotel was total enjoyment as we viewed the beautiful countryside of the Highlands.

Teal Season will open on September 7th in Nebraska and the new duck hole owned by a longtime friend is ready to go.  Plus, I leave for Idaho on another Elk Hunt the second week of October.  Somehow, I will try to get a fishing trip in on Lake Elwood south of Lexington, Nebraska.  The fall in the Midwest is a great time of the year. 

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Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

On this day we embarked on a comfortable coach ride through the splendid British countryside- a landscape which English author Ben Aaronovitch described as being  so photogenically rural.  Along the way we stopped at Bodnant Garden a historic horticultural gem located in North Wales.

We have time to wander the paths of this beautiful estate and smell the flowers.  Then we continue on to the seaside resort town of Llandudno for the next two nights.

All we have shown here is four pictures, but we took over 40 as we strolled through the gardens.

Checking into our hotel we were met with a seagull that kept itself on the ledge of our window.  It was obvious someone had fed it and it would not leave.  We were unable to open the window and enjoy the great smell of the ocean.

The next stop was the port town of Caernarfon for a visit to the 13th century Castle, a medieval fortress whose brute appearance symbolized English domination of the Welsh.  Strategically set at the mouth of the River Seiont as it empties into Menai Strait, the castle was built by King Edward I of England.  Edward I (the first) was better know as Edward Longshanks and also “the hammer of the Scots.”  If you recall from the movie Braveheart it was Edward I that William Wallace of Scotland fought against.

 

Caernarfon was the birthplace of the first Prince of Wales – a man who could ‘never speak a word of English’

As you can probably imagine, the Welsh people weren’t too thrilled with the English domination of their native country. However, the birth of Edward I’s son in the castle, in 1284, was a perfect opportunity for Edward I to ‘spin’ the story to his advantage.

The child – Edward of Caernarfon – was legitimately a Welshman, and was crowned ‘Prince of Wales’ in 1301 – demonstrably a Welshman, ruling over his own people.

This persuasive story-telling didn’t end there. It’s said that Edward I sold his son to the Welsh people as “A prince born of Wales, who could never speak a word of English”.

However, it was a bit of a crafty piece of propaganda – and it definitely didn’t mean that son Edward could only speak Welsh. The language of England’s nobility back then was still French, and so it’s almost no surprise that Edward of Caernarfon couldn’t speak English!

The history of the royals was very entertaining as we traveled through the countryside.

Next stop was a visit to Shakespeare’s Birthplace.  The restored 16th century half timbered house where the Bard is believed to have been born in 1564.

The next day we set out for the postcard-perfect Cotswolds.  England’s south central region of gently rolling hills dotted with villages of honey-colored limestone, market town, and unspoiled countryside.  The Cotswolds looks much as it did 300 years ago.

Next stop was Bath and we arrived late in the day really tired.  Checking into our hotel we were so pleased that this one had air-conditioning in the room as all the previous hotels did not.  Also this was the period where England had a heat wave and we got stuck in it in the evening.  For Iowa people used to air-conditioning, it was tough on us.  That evening we arrived at Bath.

Thank goodness we arrived in Bath and immediately contacted the front desk for help.  We had run out of clean clothes and needed to have laundry services.  It was outrageously expensive, but what were we to do.  We still had over a week of touring to do.  On our trip to S.E. Asia in January, we ran out of clean clothes in Laos.  Fortunately the guide had arranged for a person to pick up laundry and almost everyone of the tour had a bundle of clothing to be washed.  The best part was it was immensely cheap, so things balanced out.

The area where the city of Bath now stands show evidence of habitation from before recorded time.  It is best known as the location where in 60 CE the Romans built baths and first took the water at England’s only hot springs. We learned about this historic site on the morning’s tour as we visited the Roman Baths Museum.  These were a couple of buildings which included the original Roman era baths and temple.

Next we visited the 7th century Bath Abbey, a majestic Anglican church noted for its intricate, fan vaulted ceiling and for hosting the coronation of King Edgar of England in 973.

Next day the guide requested we all assemble at 7 a.m. in the hotel lobby.  A continental breakfast was available at 6 a.m. and the group was showing low caffeine levels due to lack of coffee.  We are supposed to be on vacation.

The reason was he wanted our group to be first at Stonehenge as the later you get there, the crowds get larger.  We were on our way to London, but this was the first stop with the second being Windsor Castle.

Stonehenge is the Neolithic monument that remains something of a mystery today. Archaeologists believe that the massive stones were erected sometime between 3,000 and 2,000 BC.  The prehistoric circles of stone are a masterpiece of engineering and building is undisputed.  The why is less certain, although many experts now believe the site was used as a burial ground.

 

Our next stop was famed Windsor Castle.  Originally built in the 11th century after William the Conqueror invaded England, the sprawling stone fortification has been expanded in the centuries since to become one of the country’s most impressive sites.

 

Pictures were not allowed inside the castle. However, the government supplied a recording device that hung around your neck and you lifted to the ear and moved through the building with the history and background of each room.  This was absolutely outstanding and a tourist could move through at their leisure and pause where you wanted to take in the room and the sites.  I would recommend you go on line to see the inside of Windsor Castle and there are a lot of photos of rooms used today by the royals.  It was an enormous place and very fascinating.

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. The founders of the United States were fond of comparing their new republic with the Roman Republic, in which eagle imagery (usually involving the golden eagle) was prominent. On June 20, 1782, the Continental Congress adopted the design for the Great Seal of the United States depicting a bald eagle grasping 13 arrows and an olive branch with thirteen leaves, with its talons.

We have the fortune or misfortune, depending on how you view it, of living close to the Missouri River.  It is out of its banks and up to the base of the levees surrounding Council Bluffs.  Living on a golf course we have a beautiful lake adjoining the golf course that we can enjoy from the back of our home.  The lake is actually a retention pond that drains the streets and the houses in the development, and also the golf course when it rains.

This year the lake overflowed and is slowly draining, provided we do not get big pounding rain storms.  On the golf course small ponds formed leading to the main body of the lake and fish were seen flopping around in the ponds.  Then they came.  First it was the egrets.  These tall stately looking birds were very hard to photograph and arrived just at daylight.  Slowly they would walk along the edges of the lake and ponds grabbing fish.

Pam and I got up at first light and sat out on the deck to drink our morning cups of coffee. Just then, two bald eagles flew in and landed along the edges of the ponds and lake.  They would each grab a fish and fly off to one of the roof tops across the lake to devour it.  They were immensely patient and would stand in one place or slowly walk along the banks and pause, then jump up and grab a fish.  Periodically, they would leap into the air, circle around and come back to land in a different place or swoop down with talons out and grab a fish out of the water.  (I am going to go buy a video camera).  Watching the eagles is the best way to start off the morning.

The best part came when one morning Pam called to me to come quickly and see what was next door.  There standing on the high point of our next door neighbor’s roof was an eagle.  I shot pictures through the kitchen window and then went outside to the front to get a better shot.  The bird never moved when I went outside.  It just sat there in a stately fashion and looked around.  He leaped into the air and floated down to the lake, grabbed a fish, and dropped down to the edge of the lake and dined.

Next, we saw that two birds would fly up to the same roof top and hang out.  Pam walked out the back door onto the deck and there were the two of them looking down at her from the roof top.  She grabbed the camera, went back out, but one flew away.  The other just sat there.  Then it flew to a neighbor’s roof to join its friend or mate.

These birds are magnificent, so it was time to do a little background reading on them.  The bald eagle is an opportunistic carnivore with the capacity to consume a great variety of prey. Fish comprise 56% of the diet of nesting eagles, birds 28%, mammals 14% and other prey 2%.. Bald eagles can fly with fish at least equal to their own weight, but if the fish is too heavy to lift, the eagle may be dragged into the water.   It has been estimated that the gripping power (pounds by square inch) of the bald eagle is ten times greater than that of a human.

What we would like to find is the nesting area.  With all the water next to the levees, our plan is to walk the levees south of where we live and look for large trees that have a lot of elevation and the boughs are big and spread out.  We plan on waiting till fall to do this as we do not want to disturb the nest.