The Drive to Work

This is Angus. I thought that I would show you what my drive to work looks like. We live in Banchory and my office is in Portlethen--a distance of about 17 miles. It takes me about 25-30 minutes to get to work, depending on traffic. A couple of slow vehicles can really slow you down. The drive is very enjoyable because of the scenery. I think that it is beautiful--but I will let you decide for yourself. Today (the day that I decided to take the camera), the "haar" came in. That is a weather condition where the fog and mist come in off of the ocean.
At Portlethen, which is by the coast, it was very foggy while
the sun was shining at the house.

I began taking pictures after I left the house in the morning at about 7am. The closer I got to the coast and my office, the thicker the haar. The temperature was about 45-48 F but it felt much colder. After work, at around 5pm, I retraced my path. The haar was still present.
The closer I got to home,
the lighter it became until finally, the sun came out.

There are quite a few pictures.
Most of them are self explanatory.
(I cut out 3/4 of them).
They will give you a feel for the countryside around where we live.




This rock is at the edge of town in Banchory.
Our house is just a few hundred yards from here.

The river Dee about 2 miles from my house.
If you look closely at the middle of the river,
you will see a salmon jumping.
I was lucky to have snapped the picture
at the exact moment that the fish jumped.
You will need to enlarge the picture to see the fish.

I turn off of the main road at this junction.
My road takes me up over the hill instead of along the river.
By taking this route, it shaves off about 4 miles from my trip.

Going up the hill, the road runs through a wooded area.

A misty curve in the road, bordered by stone fences.

These old buildings are at a farm.
Most of them look like they are used for storage.

This area is know as Durris. It is a rural, farming area.
There are horse stables and farms with cattle and sheep.

Headed into the woods.

I don't see deer everyday.
I was lucky to see them on a day when I had the camera.
They are much smaller than the mule deer of the western US.

The morning sun is trying to break through the haar.
It made an interesting photograph.

I had to try a second picture of the sun trying to peek through.

I really like this old stone house.
It wouldn't be good if my car didn't make the corner
and ran through the wall and into the house.

The daffodils are starting to bloom.

The drive into the fog. Most of the houses are built of stone.

Green fields, dirt road, foggy morning--Scotland.

A beautiful example of the stone fences and the winding roads.

What would Scotland be without a few Angus cows?
I pass this small herd every day. (Mine were better).

Stone walls joining at the end of the pasture.

Two stone walls-near and far.

Old hardwood trees-waiting for spring and the sun.

This is a tall stone wall that is well taken care of.
I am only 3 minutes from work now.

Almost to work. My office is in the Tuboscope building
which is located in an industrial area.

Headed home on the same road. This fence is old but beautiful.

The haar surrounding the trees.

Over the hill and through the woods.

Cattle in the mist.

Nice stone wall around a wooded area.

This flock of sheep stood out in the mist.

Water droplets on Barbed wire.

The long and winding road.

Horses in this country must be sissies. Almost all of them have blankets
even though the temperature is about 45 F.

Pastures like this make me wish
that I could bring my cows over to Scotland.

The best thing about sheep is that they end up in haggis.
Too bad for these cute lambs.

Many of the stone fences are in disrepair or are too low.
Barbed wire or electric fences are often placed next to the stone fence
to keep the livestock where they belong.

A well groomed field--plowed and planted . . .
waiting for the seeds to sprout.

A pine covered hill behind the fields.

Stone fence, trees on both sides of the road.

The pine trees are grown as cash crops. They are harvested periodically
and then seedlings are planted to replace them.

Isn't this a beautiful drive? It almost makes going to work easy.

A nice looking field bordered by trees.
The cows that graze in these cows must be contented . . .
at least in the summer.

The fields have been plowed and planted.
It won't be long until the crop is up.

This old tree is waiting for spring to come.
The leaves don't come out very early this far north.

This area has some good corners with solid stone fences on both sides.

More fences built by the Stone Masons centuries ago.

The hedges along this stretch are well groomed--just waiting for leaves.

A narrow one-lane bridge by a grove of trees.

Forest area. The old trees are covered with moss.

Back into the sunshine. It feels good to have a little sun in your life.
Trees lining both sides of the road. Sentinels watching the road.

A solid stone fence surrounding a pasture.
In the background is an old barn.

Stone fence looking toward the village of Drumoak.

Sheep grazing on the hillside overlooking the Dee River.

Gully for the runoff from the hillside.

Pasture along the Dee River. It is nice to get back into the sunshine.

A beautiful pasture with old stone fences.

A little mist is still hanging in the air around this field.

The river Dee--almost home.