Tag Archives: windows

Photographs: England, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

James Smith & Sons

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James Smith & Sons
“James Smith & Sons” — James Smith and Sons umbrella, whip, and stick shop, London.

During our early June visit to London we were lucky to be able to spend time with our oldest son, Brandon, who was there for a few days after a work visit. It is wonderful to meet up with your grown “kids” in such a place — for all the usual reasons, but also because sometimes they have new and different ways of orienting themselves to the local environment. At his suggestion and in his company we visited a number of places that we would not have seen. The James Smith & Sons shop, which I might otherwise have walked past with little notice, was one of them.

I’ll start with the obvious — you don’t find many shops in the US that were established nearly two centuries ago! The fascinating signs on the exterior are not just some kind of marketing — that’s actually what they have looked like for a long time. Inside, this is a classical shopping experience. Beautiful umbrellas, waling sticks, canes, folding stools, and more, at prices from reasonable to astronomical, fill the shop. Clerks talk to customers, going into great detail about the products. I came “this close” to buying something “just because,” and now I almost regret that I didn’t.

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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Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Hootananny

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Hootananny
“Hootananny” — A woman at the door of Hootananny, a music venue and restaurant in Inverness, Scotland.

Since the previous photograph I shared came from the last day of our Great Glen Way trek in Scotland, it seems appropriate to follow it with a photograph from our first full day back in “civilization” in Inveness. (To be honest, while the Great Glen Way walk is an outdoor experience, it is pretty civilized, too, as I have written in previous posts.) Our itinerary for this day would involve a train trip from Inverness to Glasgow, but we had several hours of free time in the morning. So we stashed our luggage at the train station and went out for a walk. Along the way we passed this venue, which is apparently a center for performances of Scottish music.

We really were not in Inveness long enough to fully experience the place. We had thought of it mainly as a place to end our walk and sleep one night before heading on to the rest of our trip — but after being there I realized that it would have warranted a longer stay. We did enjoy our morning walk around the compact center of the town in the area near the railway station.

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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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: England, Photographs: Travel

Houses of Parliament

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Houses of Parliament
“Houses of Parliament” — The intricate facade of London’s Houses of Parliament on a cloudy day.

I made this quick photograph in London back in June, on the last full day of about four weeks of travel in (mostly) Scotland and England. We started this day by going to Westminster Cathedral. Patty has learned that you can visit many such churches simply by attending one of the regular church events. (For example, we attended evensong in York.) Advantages are that you don’t have to sign up for tickets or, in many case, pay a fee. (Though if they “pass the plate” it is appropriate to donate something, right?) However, you are expected to act as a person attending a church event, not a tourist snapping selfies! In any case, after visiting Westminster we walked back toward the Houses of Parliament.

Parliament is typically busy, with guards watching over all the entrances. But on this Sunday morning it was quiet and I don’t recall seeing anyone inside the fence. One other factor? The British snap election was about to happen, and I’m betting that every member of Parliament was out campaigning! In any case, we walked here. because I had a memory of a little pub on a nearby side street that we visited the very first time we were in London, and I wanted to see if we could locate it. And, yes, we did — just a few blocks further up the street.

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 | Post | Email

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

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Blue Frames

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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 | Post | Email

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

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