My All-Time Favorite Photos of
People, Places and Things

I have been travelling now for much of my adult life. And I have taken thousands of photographs in the process. Some have stuck in my mind and I can recall taking them as if it was yesterday. I have pulled them all together into one gallery. Now I can easily find them when I have that urge.

I thought it would be simple to pick out my Top 10 Photos. There were a few that I knew would be included; however, my first cut included thirty-five pictures! I was finally able to cull this to ten. So here they are in the order of the date taken. And I have included the other 25 as runners up.

I made my first overseas trip in the late 80s. This was to a World GDS User Group meeting in Cambridge, England. The meeting was held at Kings College and we were housed in the dorms. After the meeting I had the opportunity to travel southern England. On the Saulisbury Plane I found the following.

This was the first time I beheld Stonehenge. Looking at it, one can't help but be spellbound. I found this bridge nearby that crossed the River Avon. I stared for some time at the Roman numerals on the side which reads MDCCLXXI (1771). I was struck by the fact that I was looking at a structure that was constructed before the United States became a nation! In 2002 I was fortunate to win a trip to Australia. This photo has stuck with me from the land that the locals call Oz and the indigenous peoples know only as Home.
Named by Europeans as Ayer's Rock, today it has returned to its original name - Uluru. Along the Liru Walk, I discovered its <q>holy places of power and solitude</q>.
In 2003, I made my first trip to Scotland with Alex. I took several hundred pictures, but these three were special.
Somewhere in the Cairngorm Mountains, Barry pulled to the side of the road and opened the doors. As I stepped off the coach I was struck by an aroma that I would later describe as "...the aroma of honey served by the Hand of God..." Walking along the Royal Mile, I came across this young girl who was obviously fascinated by the living statue. In 2008, my third trip to Scotland, my friend Sharon and I decided to arrive early and we journeyed north to the Orkney Isles. It resulted in what came to be what I consider one of the top five days of my life. Crossing the Pentland Firth as we came into St Margaret's Hope, I caught the sun setting over the Mainland. On Alex's 2008 tour, we travelled south to The Borders. In the town of Melrose, this terrier waited patiently for his master to give him his lick. In 2011, Alex's final tour, The Highland & Islands Tour, took us through the port town of Ullapool. In Ullapool, I caught this moment of golden light on the ships in the harbor. In 2013, Amy and her friend Erin, planned a trip to South Africa. They were kind enough to let me tag along. While on safari, we came upon a pride of lionesses and their cubs. I caught this one perching on a tree stump as it played in the evening sun. In 2017, I along with my sister. Cissy, and brother, John, journeyed to England in search of our Flew ancestors. This would be the first of a trilogy of such trips. Standing next to this ancient yew tree, I felt the presence of my 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> great grandfathers who, as gardeners, tended these grounds and most assuredly stood beneath this tree.
The following are memorable photos that did not make the top 10. As I took this photo of the Great Barrier Reef, I reflected on the fact that, larger than the Great Wall of China, it is the only living entity visible from space! Unfortunately, along with other coral reefs, it is under attack from humans. I took this picture on my first Scotland tour. This gentleman was certainly proud of his skill with engraving leaded glass. In 2005, John and I, along with his sons, travelled to Hawaii to visit with our nephew who was stationed there in the military. Overlooking the Arizona in Pearl Harbor, the ghost of those that lost their lives on <q>...the day that will live in infamy</q> gathered close around me. After taking the sunset picture at St. Margaret's Hope, on the port rail I found the waxing near full Moon. I caught my good friends, Merv and Pam, in this tender moment on the coach somewhere in The Borders. In 2009, Alex hosted a tour of Ireland, something that he had longed to do for years. When first I saw Kylemore Abbey in County Galway, I instantly had thoughts of Faeries and the Fey Folk. Alex hosted the Highlands & Islands Tour in 2011. This would be the last tour he hosted. Here Amy is standing on the old bridge over the Sligachan River on the Isle of Sky with the Cuillin Hills in the distance. This was my last photo of Alex performing before his accident just a few weeks later. I was totally caught off guard by the beauty of the beaches on South Harris Island. To this day I do not know what was passing through Linda's mind as we crossed the Pentland Firth. This bull elephant flapped its ears, probably to fan itself. A few minutes later, it strolled on its way. We stopped for our evening refreshment on a bluff overlooking the Oliphants River. It reminded me of a scene from <q>Bridge on the River Kwai</q> My 2<sup>nd</sup> great grandfather, William Flew, lived at the end of this lane in the mid-19<sup>th</sup> century. He walked beneath this arch daily. Along with a group of friends, we traveled to Italy in 2018. We spent our first week in Tuscany. Who cannot look on Michelangelo's Statue of David without being awed by what is considered to be among the greatest sculptures of all time. After our week in Tuscany, along with Sharon and the Forneys, we spent three days in Sicily. In Catania, Sicily, we stayed in the epitome of an Italian Villa. At the Ristorante Trattoria in Acireale, Sicily, I shared an order of the best steamed mussels I've ever eaten with Sharon. Agrigento, Sicily, was founded by the Greeks and their architecture is everywhere. Travelling back up the Italian boot to Rome, we made an all too brief stop at Pompeii. Standing among the ruins and looking toward Mt. Vesuvius is truly an eerie feeling. In 2018, Cissy, John and I travelled to Ireland, the second of our three trips, this time on the trail of our Stuart ancestors. Our 2<sup>nd</sup> great grandfather, William Stuart, was baptized in this church in 1808 and then married there to Sarah Paul in 1826. Croagh Patrick lies in County Mayo where St. Patrick was said to have spent forty days of fasting on the summit. My long time friend, Junior, and I traveled the entire length of the Pacific West Coast Highway in 2019. We stopped at this giant redwood stand along the side of Hwy 1. Standing beside this tree took me back to the yew tree in Long Ashton, England. The Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco and Alcatraz Island has to be one of the most stunning views in the entire US of A. I travelled all the way to the top of Mt. Wilson back in the 80s just to find it closed on the only day of the year it is not open. I finally made it. I stumbled on this monument to John Denver along Monterey Bay. With his tragic death I lost one of the greatest musical artists of my early years. Our final trip, this time searching for our Stuarts in Scotland, was in 2022. An opportunity to lunch with my friend Barry Austin in his home town of Melrose, Scotland, was one of the most memorable moments of our trip. Not only was this photo of my dear brother and sister, but its background was one of the most unique castles that I have come across with an even more memorable name - Caerlaverock Castle.