Tag Archives: old

A Window In York

A Window In York
“A Window In York” — Looking out of a window in the Shambles, York, England.

We made a short, two-night stop in York on our train trip from Edinburgh to London. York isn’t exactly an unvisited place, but it is on a smaller scale than the other two cities and was a pleasant respite from the big city vibe of those locations. We had lovely lodgings on a side street, and it was only a short walk across a bridge into the older part of town. We walked over there on this morning looking for breakfast, and we ended up at this “scone shop” in the Shambles.

Yes, the Shambles. If you don’t already know, that description in the English language (“What a shambles!”) derives from this area of York, where tiny businesses crowd together in shops and stalls along very narrow streets. This scone shop was quite small, but the scones were delicious! On the first floor there was barely room for the two of us to stand at the small counter and place our order, and the upstairs eating areas were not much larger. We settled in at a table beneath this windows that provided a view over the nearby neighborhood.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Arches and Columns

Arches and Columns
“Arches and Columns” — Arches and columns at Glasgow University.

Serendipity brought us to these arches and columns during our visit to Glasgow. As we often do, we headed out on foot in the morning with only a general idea of where we were headed — essentially in the direction of the West End. We knew there was a museum along the way that we wanted to visit, but that was about it. As we approached, the impressive Gothic tower at Glasgow University dominated the skyline, and we decided to investigate.

There are modern buildings here, but this central Gothic structure, built around inner courtyards, caught out attention. At first we admired it from outside, but then I saw an entrance and thought “why not?” We walked in, wandered a bit, and eventually found these arches and columns over a walkway between the courtyards.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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The Old Tree

The Old Tree
“The Old Tree” — An old, gnarled monterey cypress grows along the cliffs of Point Lobos State Reserve.

This Monterey cypress has long been a favorite subject of mine at Point Lobos, but this year I learned something new about it. It has a name. It is known as “The Old Veteran” or “The Old Veteran of Point Lobos.” I discovered this while looking up information on the distribution of Monterey cypress trees, and one source I found included its picture and the name. Further reading turned up an estimate that it is probably 200-250 years old.

It certainly is a weathered old specimen. It lives on top of a rocky outcropping at the edge of a steep face that drops straight into a cove. One wonders if there was perhaps more soil over those roots in the past, but it hangs on still. From looking at older photographs, it appears that the tree is now increasingly stressed. There were more green branches in the past, and one prominent limb that used to extend to the left is long gone.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Blue Frames

Blue Frames
“Blue Frames” — An old stone building with blue frames around doors and windows, Stirling, Scotland.

The main focus of our visit to Scotland earlier this year was waking the Great Glen Way from Fort William to Inverness, but that hike only took up about a third of our visit. Before the walk we spent several nights adjusting to jet lag, including stays in Glasgow, Oban, and Fort William. After the walk we had a night in Inverness, and multiple nights in Stirling, Glasgow, and Edinburgh… before a bit more than a week in England. Stirling, where I made this photograph, was our first serious non-hiking destination after the walk.

Like so many old towns — and Stirling is very old — the construction materials often reflect what was available locally. Here many of the old buildings are stone — they have been updated for modern tenants, but their appearance is far from contemporary. I love interesting geometry and color, and this juxtaposition of old stone walls with the blue-painted frames around the doors and windows caught my attention. Looking more closely, you may also see the remnants of older openings that have been closed off.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | PostEmail

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.