In Praise of Women - Eleven Portraits

For Women's History Month:

Lately, I've had a real yen to "just paint" and have had a reprieve between projects. I bought a bunch of small canvases and started a somewhat improvisational process. If you know me, you know I have a thing for women's faces [just look at my collection!]. It got me thinking as I started sketching...

What does it mean, really, to be a woman. To be a positive influence on the world. What might great women - from Cleopatra to Elizabeth I to Florence Nightingale to my Grandma to Gloria Steinam to Hillary Clinton to Lady Gaga have in common?

I decided to create a group of portraits to depict eleven aspects of women. These portraits are not a complete definition of womanhood, but a positive portrayal in paint.

So what are the best things about women? We're tenacious, we're intelligent, we multi-task...

There are the obvious biological components, physical attributes, genetics. Half of the earth's population - or more - are female.

Okay, so beyond being female and having an assortment of specific organs and other goodies.

But spare me two things:
Let's not even discuss beauty - for several reasons. One, it's fleeting, and these days what many call beauty could very well be a concoction dreamed up by a magazine editor or a plastic surgeon.
For another - every society has a different version of how physical beauty is manifest - a face, a figure, the length of your neck or your tiny feet.
Different times called for different needs. To be considered beautiful a generation ago meant straight hair and an upturned nose...the generation before loved curves...many generations before, the ability to lead a team of oxen behind a plow or survive influenza or childbirth was a big plus.

So let's take physical beauty off the table.

I'd also like to dismiss "hotness" as evidence of womanhood. Sex appeal for the sake of being an object of lust or gratuitous sexuality is quite frankly, subjective. And, not in the realm of my sort of definition or thought process. And some of the worst aspects of womanhood can be related to sexuality - as a tool, a weapon - or exploitation - or as victims. Sexuality is a double-edged sword.

A lot of negative things can be said about some women recently. Rush Limbaugh calling a law student a slut, whore, prostitute just because she wants birth control covered by her insurance? Laws that force women to have ultrasounds and listen to heartbeats prior to an abortion?

Perhaps there are false, scheming, money-hungry, sluts. Negative things can be said about men. Or anyone.

There is so much more to being a woman. I'm keeping this light. Positive. What I am trying to create is an ideal picture - and it's my ideal of womanhood. I am sure I've left out attributes.

I am also not looking to re-create a mother, a daughter or a friend or lover by creating this grouping.

Once you get to a certain age, you realize that within a society, people fit into "types." No one is exactly one way or another. It's not complete, but these ideas came from several weeks of painting these eleven portraits. Different faces, expressions, ages. Eleven aspects of womanhood. Of course, the combination of all eleven aspects - in one portrait, so to speak, would create a "perfect" woman.

This collection of eleven small [11x14" each] paintings on canvas creates the combination.

The portraits themselves are random faces - no one in particular, and none are the same. This was an improvisational process.

They started out as line drawings on canvas, then I focused on the faces, using the same color scheme for all of them [you can't tell by the photos]. They were all redheads with green eyes [no particular reason]. As I kept painting, I started making slight changes to colors. I pulled in; keeping the portraits an 8" square and created a translucent background - keeping the original sketch lines painted. The titles are hand-painted. There is a bit of gold-leafing and tiny mosaic tiles "frame" each portrait. Then I created small tiles of gel and translucent and metallic colors; and from junk mail. They're all in gold metal frames. The pics below show them before the tiles were added; the pic above is the completed group. Not a great shot, I admit, but the glass reflects light [and me with a camera].

Here are the eleven - as I see it -

1. Genuine: She is open, a loving friend, partner, parent, daughter, she is loyal, you can count on her, she is sharing and honest.

2. Wistful: She is hopeful, spiritual, sentimental, is positive and forward thinking, respectful of people, animals and the environment. 

3. Expressive: She is humorous and witty, ready to try anything, adventurous, spontaneous, eloquent in her own way and always enthusiastic.

4. Strong: A confident demeanor, independent in thought and deed, vigilant, enterprising and ready to take on any dare.

5. Alluring: She is quietly sensual, in private she is enticing an vulnerable, exciting with a fascinating personality.

6. Sincere: Helpful and kind to others, truly caring about people and causes; altruistic and sweet.

7. Feminine: She is attractive and charming to all, both mysterious and sensitive, she is naturally curious about the world.

8. Knowing: She is thoughtful and serene, wise and perceptive listener, discriminating and intelligent.

9. Nurturing: A giving partner and empathetic friend, attentive to those she loves, she is protective as well as compassionate.

10. Natural: She does not artifice to glow, she is demure, tolerant and calm with subtle touch and grace.

11. Creative: she has a lively and disciplined imagination that works for her, she is inventive, nimble and playful and clever.

This is a preview - the entire collection and individual pics will be posted on my site soon. Please email me if you are interested in seeing details.

I hope my little paintings reflect the best in womanhood. I'm looking forward to your feedback!

This is a bit of a departure from my mosaic portraits, but painting is fundamental to all of those. The collection is currently at my home studio - they will be hanging in my studio/gallery in Richmond, VA later this week!

To see the rest of my work, please visit http://www.schimmelart.com

"We're All Free" - A Portrait of Abraham Lincoln

Do you ever wonder where you get inspiration - ideas that compel you to create?
I'm new to Richmond, Va. When I arrived, the Spielberg people were all over downtown - the capital area filming a movie about Lincoln. Lincoln seemed to be everywhere - galleries propped paintings of the president out front, Lincoln stuff everywhere...Lincoln fever.
I chatted with my niece who told me she had a "thing" for the president - her husband thinks she has a crush on him...and then I looked at the mini poster hanging in my studio of Lincoln... and thought. Why not.

Silly me, I thought creating a portrait of the 16th President would help me "fit in" in my new surroundings.

I grabbed an image online, a canvas and started the process. A lot of people who see my work ask me HOW I do what I do, so I'm sharing through photos. I took pics at every step of the way in the process - from the seat in front of the easel.

<-----Here you can see the image and my starting point. I draw with pencil and then start filling in with paint. I don't always paint, unless I really need to see how shadows are going to play. The green was the original idea... it changed later.
And here, is the painting done. I didn't paint a background. ----->

<---Idea generation - let's put a "flag" design in the background. I started with red. Originally, I was going to fill the entire background with photos of random people.
Now, I drew a circle...a "halo" --->
around Lincoln's head and added white and blue stripes, following the curves of the red stripes - within the halo.  Cutting all those little pieces of paper was really hard.

<---I added a "stripe" of people above and below the white and blue stripes.
And here, I filled in the halo's --->
background with sky blue pieces. And, I started on the shirt, and the tie. The tie is made up of pieces from my Dentist's appointment reminder postcards. I'm telling you, I save everything paper.

<--- I was a little stumped here. I decided to make the entire background sky blue - to have the halo just floating behind.
I used a variety of grey shades ---> of paper to fill in Lincoln's face. Most of them have text, but some are just texture - there is a lot of time and effort made to sort all of the junk mail in grey into shades, making sure all the tones are right.

<--- I wasn't totally happy with the
blue. I wanted to make it more homogeneous. So, I added some random shapes of blue tissue to tie it together.
And then some random white  ----->
tissue on top of the blue pieces. It's hard to see in the photo.

<---I used greys for shadows in grey for the hair, beard and coat. It didn't make sense to make this composition even MORE complicated or busy, the black also mimics the original resource photograph. I cleaned up ---->
the paint, details and coated the entire thing with a water-based lacquer. And now, it's done and looks like this!

We're All Free

I was trying to get this done in time for President's Day, but things don't always go to plan...

as any artist will tell you. The reason I added all the little people - of all colors, ages, shapes and sizes within Lincoln's halo - is to represent the President's dedication to Emancipation. and his belief in freedom for all people.

We're All Free

24x24"

Footnotes:

• As always, my art work is all hand done, mosaic "tiles" are created by upcycling a variety of paper - from junk mail to calendars to postcards, etc. All materials used are water-based, acid-free and non-toxic. For more information, please visit my web site.
• While I was working on this piece, I kept humming a song from the musical "Hair"

 "Four score
I said four score and seven years ago
Oh sock it to 'em baby, you're sounding better all the time!
Our forefathers, I mean all our forefathers
Brought forth upon this here continent a new nation
Conceived, conceived like we all was
In liberty, and dedicated to the one I love
I mean dedicated to the proposition
That all men, honey, I tell you all men
Are created equal.

Happy birthday, Abie baby,
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, Abie baby,
Happy birthday to you!"

You can listen here -[Happy Birthday, Abie Baby] [warning, some very explicit language]

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

My Dinner with a Super Model!

How does an unknown Virginia-based artist end up having dinner with a super model 

and her boyfriend at Cipriani in New York City?

Faire* question.

Answer: Kismet

and to modernize this charming word in familiar terms - FATE.

But, let's also recognize the significance of the internet in this story.

Some time in 2010, yours truly perused the Neiman Marcus fall catalog. Came across a photo of a beautiful young lady and ripped it out. 

Put it in a drawer full of inspiration - magazine pages, photographs, and many other images. Popular culture, fashion, beauty - yes, these are my references. It might not be an accepted or respected resource material, but it's my artistic vision to recreate one image of beauty from another:

"My work reflects our society's obsession with beauty through advertising - and the endless images that bombard us daily. It is a purposeful intermix of images derived from advertising and thousands of incongruent pieces - images and text - from advertising that arrives through my mailbox. Assembled like a mosaic; the junk mail paper tiles create an entirely new image - an eclectic and tactile portrait reworked in my imagination, utilizing materials that would otherwise go to waste."

At the right moment, I pulled out that photo and created a painting on canvas. The image is a jumping-off point. It is only a sketch, and then I make up a story as I go along. I often don't know who the model is, unless it is a celebrity... As I created this piece, I realized this beautiful young woman reminded me the serene beauty, sexiness and confidence of a young Catherine Deneuve in the film Belle de Jour. The colors I chose became a 60's pop scheme reminiscent of the time of the film...and the title "Faire" is one word from the some phrase I translated from French - "Do I remind you of someone else?"

 

The composition is mixed media - a paper mosaic. All of the pieces of paper were hand-cut pieces of junk mail, or paper that would go to waste. The background includes scraps of scrapbook paper that a friend was going to throw away! I don't color the paper - that is the color of the material - it might be a magazine fly card, a postcard, advertising, catalog cover, menu...anything. I save everything paper to upcycle/recycle/repurpose into my art.

The piece was shown in NYC at Art Expo, and afterwards was sent to Translations Gallery in Denver - one of the galleries that represents my work.

If you know me, you know I post images on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, I blog, I send out emails. I can't help it, my background is in marketing, and I don't just make art, I do whatever I can to get it into the hands of the collector who I made the art for...

finding that person is the challenge for the artist, the gallerist, the collector!

Екатеринбу́рг is somewhere in the Ural mountains in Russia. An artist there saw a blog which featured my work. She followed the link to my site and realized the subject of one of my pieces, "Faire" looked a lot her friend, Masha. She sent Masha a link to the blog - who followed it to my web site. She and her boyfriend, Adis were certain "Faire" was indeed Masha Philippova!

That night, they called the phone number on my web site. Adis told me he thought I created a piece of art of his girlfriend. I felt a bit awkward, I didn't know where the conversation was going. We talked for a bit, in the meantime I was scouring the internet for photos to confirm Masha was Faire. Adis wanted us to meet, but of course, we're in Virginia, he and Masha are in NYC. He would have loved to have a reproduction of the piece - BIG.

However, my husband Norm and I were headed to NY in just a couple of weeks. I thought I would see if I could get the original piece from the gallery to take to NY. 

The next day, I called the gallery in Denver. "Sandhi, great news - I just sold one of your pieces!' Judy told me. "Which one," I asked. "Faire." Uh-oh. Yes, that is great...and the timing couldn't be stranger!

I created a reproduction on canvas - as large as possible. We took our trip to New York [we were going on a pilgrimage to see Ronnie Earl play at BB King's in Times Square anyway]. Adis invited us to Cipriani [you know, like Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy...where W Somerset Maugham [my favorite author] and Hemingway used to drink!].

We had a lovely dinner, the four of us talking, eating and laughing - thinking of how impossible the circumstances were to bring us together. Adis is charming and dynamic. I spent a lot of time looking at Masha's incredibly beautiful face, and there was much mutual admiration around the table. I am hoping we can meet again and work together showing and sharing my work with the world!

In the meantime, I signed the reproduction of "Faire" on the bar, and we went our separate ways...for now. 

And that's how this [temporarily] [hopefully] unknown artist had dinner with a super model!

In Praise of Women - Eleven Portraits

For Women's History Month:

Lately, I've had a real yen to "just paint" and have had a reprieve between projects. I bought a bunch of small canvases and started a somewhat improvisational process. If you know me, you know I have a thing for women's faces [just look at my collection!]. It got me thinking as I started sketching...

What does it mean, really, to be a woman. To be a positive influence on the world. What might great women - from Cleopatra to Elizabeth I to Florence Nightingale to my Grandma to Gloria Steinam to Hillary Clinton to Lady Gaga have in common?

I decided to create a group of portraits to depict eleven aspects of women. These portraits are not a complete definition of womanhood, but a positive portrayal in paint.

So what are the best things about women? We're tenacious, we're intelligent, we multi-task...

There are the obvious biological components, physical attributes, genetics. Half of the earth's population - or more - are female.

Okay, so beyond being female and having an assortment of specific organs and other goodies.

But spare me two things:
Let's not even discuss beauty - for several reasons. One, it's fleeting, and these days what many call beauty could very well be a concoction dreamed up by a magazine editor or a plastic surgeon.
For another - every society has a different version of how physical beauty is manifest - a face, a figure, the length of your neck or your tiny feet.
Different times called for different needs. To be considered beautiful a generation ago meant straight hair and an upturned nose...the generation before loved curves...many generations before, the ability to lead a team of oxen behind a plow or survive influenza or childbirth was a big plus.

So let's take physical beauty off the table.

I'd also like to dismiss "hotness" as evidence of womanhood. Sex appeal for the sake of being an object of lust or gratuitous sexuality is quite frankly, subjective. And, not in the realm of my sort of definition or thought process. And some of the worst aspects of womanhood can be related to sexuality - as a tool, a weapon - or exploitation - or as victims. Sexuality is a double-edged sword.

A lot of negative things can be said about some women recently. Rush Limbaugh calling a law student a slut, whore, prostitute just because she wants birth control covered by her insurance? Laws that force women to have ultrasounds and listen to heartbeats prior to an abortion?

Perhaps there are false, scheming, money-hungry, sluts. Negative things can be said about men. Or anyone.

There is so much more to being a woman. I'm keeping this light. Positive. What I am trying to create is an ideal picture - and it's my ideal of womanhood. I am sure I've left out attributes.

I am also not looking to re-create a mother, a daughter or a friend or lover by creating this grouping.

Once you get to a certain age, you realize that within a society, people fit into "types." No one is exactly one way or another. It's not complete, but these ideas came from several weeks of painting these eleven portraits. Different faces, expressions, ages. Eleven aspects of womanhood. Of course, the combination of all eleven aspects - in one portrait, so to speak, would create a "perfect" woman.

This collection of eleven small [11x14" each] paintings on canvas creates the combination.

The portraits themselves are random faces - no one in particular, and none are the same. This was an improvisational process.

They started out as line drawings on canvas, then I focused on the faces, using the same color scheme for all of them [you can't tell by the photos]. They were all redheads with green eyes [no particular reason]. As I kept painting, I started making slight changes to colors. I pulled in; keeping the portraits an 8" square and created a translucent background - keeping the original sketch lines painted. The titles are hand-painted. There is a bit of gold-leafing and tiny mosaic tiles "frame" each portrait. Then I created small tiles of gel and translucent and metallic colors; and from junk mail. They're all in gold metal frames. The pics below show them before the tiles were added; the pic above is the completed group. Not a great shot, I admit, but the glass reflects light [and me with a camera].

Here are the eleven - as I see it -

1. Genuine: She is open, a loving friend, partner, parent, daughter, she is loyal, you can count on her, she is sharing and honest.

2. Wistful: She is hopeful, spiritual, sentimental, is positive and forward thinking, respectful of people, animals and the environment. 

3. Expressive: She is humorous and witty, ready to try anything, adventurous, spontaneous, eloquent in her own way and always enthusiastic.

4. Strong: A confident demeanor, independent in thought and deed, vigilant, enterprising and ready to take on any dare.

5. Alluring: She is quietly sensual, in private she is enticing an vulnerable, exciting with a fascinating personality.

6. Sincere: Helpful and kind to others, truly caring about people and causes; altruistic and sweet.

7. Feminine: She is attractive and charming to all, both mysterious and sensitive, she is naturally curious about the world.

8. Knowing: She is thoughtful and serene, wise and perceptive listener, discriminating and intelligent.

9. Nurturing: A giving partner and empathetic friend, attentive to those she loves, she is protective as well as compassionate.

10. Natural: She does not artifice to glow, she is demure, tolerant and calm with subtle touch and grace.

11. Creative: she has a lively and disciplined imagination that works for her, she is inventive, nimble and playful and clever.

This is a preview - the entire collection and individual pics will be posted on my site soon. Please email me if you are interested in seeing details.

I hope my little paintings reflect the best in womanhood. I'm looking forward to your feedback!

This is a bit of a departure from my mosaic portraits, but painting is fundamental to all of those. The collection is currently at my home studio - they will be hanging in my studio/gallery in Richmond, VA later this week!

To see the rest of my work, please visit http://www.schimmelart.com

What I did on my summer vacation

Norm & I took a much needed stress-buster vacation to Scotland... with a little bit of England thrown in there, too.

1. Day to fly. First to Philadelphia with a lay-over that gave us enough time to have some pizza before boarding for Glasgow - we arrived the next day.
2. Took a bus to a train station to a bus to a train to Edinburgh [we were so excited to travel by train...we fell asleep!]. Could have walked to our great hotel - Dunstane House Hotel but it was raining. Took a bus into "town," climbed up to the Royal Mile stairway near the train station - stopped for fish & chips, and hard cider at Canon's Gait - right up the street from Canon's Gate church where a royal wedding took place the next week...then walked up to Calton Hill - then down a hill to Cafe Royal [you must stop here for food & drink and the Royal Doulton tile paintings]- walked along Princes Street - and dashed into another pub [Dirty Dick's in Rose Street] [order at the bar] for another pint before walking "home." A nice big bed and a good night's sleep.
3. After a good Scottish breakfast, headed back to the Royal Mile - after stopping in at the information center...and buying an umbrella. Climbed all the way up to the Castle - which was too crowded. Seemed like the Braveheart section of Disneyland... We decided to skip it, and walked down the Royal Mile, ducking into St. Giles and off to the Palace at Holyrood House. Looked at Arthur's Seat and decided we were too tired to hike up it...a bus was hanging around, so we used our all day pass to take it to Leith. Why? Because I wanted to hum "Sunshine on Leith" by the Proclaimers [it wasn't sunny]. We walked around and decided to have a late lunch at The Shore. I had wanted to go to Martin Wishart's very cool restaurant, but it wasn't open that day...got back on a bus, and headed out toward Portobello beach, then switched to another bus that took through Prestonfield "behind" Edinburgh... and ended up getting a little lost and accidently found the Edinburgh Quay and canals...[who knew?] another walk took us to the Grass Market area that is so incredibly charming. Walked around the castle, back to Princes St. and finally decided to STOP WALKING and have dinner at The Conan Doyle. Walk back to find a bus, back to the hotel and a bath. 
4. After another bowl of porridge, we took the bus to the train station to start our BritRail pass to London. Norm had the insight to buy first class tickets, so we were plied with tea, coffee, sandwiches, cakes, etc... by slightly crabby little old ladies all the way to London. We spent the day gazing out the window at the Firth of Forth, the east coast and hundreds of miles of meadows, pastures, forests, cattle, sheep, quaint villages and cities.  This is what Norm was waiting for relaxing while watching the pastoral views go by... then into the bright light, noise and madness of London in the summer. A very expensive cab ride got us to the hotel and a nice room. Small, but lovely, great location. It was late in the afternoon, so the concierge Kaspars [a Bradley Cooper look-alike from Russia] gave us a map and I decided we should walk to Harrod's. On the way, we could spend 45 minutes at the Victoria & Albert Museum before they closed. Mind you, this is a huge building. We rushed through to find the mosaics [duh!] just in time for that room to close. We were allowed 5 minutes and we made the best of it, then headed out. By this time, my feet were killing me. So, naturally, we walked to Harrod's. Mostly, I wanted Norm to see the Food Halls.  The streets were so crowded. We were both hungry - but by the time we got to the Food Halls, they were PACKED with people. Claustrophobia level crowded. I didn't see a brandy snap in the pastry case, so off we went. Now, we needed to find a place to eat. I hadn't been in London for several years...and I'll just say the Knightsbridge area has... changed.  Most of the restaurants were geared for a different clientele. We finally found an almost affordable sidewalk cafe, but when we wanted to enter we were told there was a £50 minimum [$75] per person. For lunch. I saw that there was a cafe in Harvey Nichols so we tried that. It was crowded, loud - but they had BEER and the food wasn't too expensive. Nice waitress from Lithuania. I could tell Norm was feeling edgy. We started the long walk back to our hotel [in the rain] and found a traditional pub. Order at the bar. Staff walked by several times and we thought we were being ignored...while there, we met a couple from Texas on honeymoon - they'd already been to Turkey, Paris and Portugal...and were still going. Feeling inadequate, we [no, I] started making up stories about the fellow hanging around the bar trying to flirt with the bar maids. He looked well dressed, but there was something slimey about him... I wanted to warn the girls to stay away from the potential serial killer with a serious addiction to nicotine. After this, we strayed off to find dessert in one form or another - We passed a very cool looking Portuguese restaurant that had Fado music later on... but I could't convince Norm. Dulce Pontes is one of my favorite singers, but I am the only person I know who knows who she is and adores her voice. Anyway, I found a Pavlova [sold to me by an Indonesian woman] and Norm found something elsewhere. It was pouring so we ran back to the hotel. Dessert in bed and an absolutely idiotic Arnold Schwartzenegger movie was on.
5. London - right outside our door - we took the Big Bus tour. I don't usually go for this sort of thing, but it was Norm's first time in London, and the double decker affords you a view of everything you wouldn't see at street level. Within several hours, you see the sights - and if you're going on to London - it gives you a lay of the land, and the ability to hop off and explore and hop back on. All the sights were crowded [of course]. Late afternoon, we headed back to the train station and hopped the next train to Liverpool. Stay at the Marriott Liverpool and you can walk from the train station and then to a lot of the sights from there. We hit the gym, swam [indoor pool] and then set out to discover the Beatles. We walked to Matthew Street where we saw the Cavern Club - along with many other clubs - bands playing in each. I was hungry and it was getting late - we found the one place that was still serving food and had fun watching the kids having a snack before clubbing. Lot's of girls in skin tight mini dresses and high heels teetering down cobblestone streets shouting at the young men in hoodies. We almost got back to the hotel before the rain started.
6. Liverpool- walked back to the Cavern Club to take pictures and walk down several flights of stairs. It was very moving - and surreal to think that those four boys were discovered and could become world famous in this small underground club. We went to the information center to book our next room [one great thing about traveling in the UK] unfortunately, the staff was a bit flustered and it took a lot of effort to book a room. We had to leave and come back. In the meantime, we walked to the docks to visit the new Museum of Liverpool which was really too crowded. Then, off to the Tate Modern to see the Magritte exhibition [inspiring!] and lunch. While at the Albert Docks, we visited the Beatles Story which is sort of how the Baseball Hall of Fame is to Cooperstown. There is so much to see and do in Liverpool. One day is not enough. We wanted to take the ferry 'cross the Mersey, but didn't have time... Before we walked back to the train station, we had a great lunch at La Tasca - tapas & sangria. Off again to Scotland. A late train to Glasgow, with reservation on hand. We arrived late and were told the hotel was a short walk from the train station. Yes. Uphill. All the way. Rough streets...bumpy. The weather was fine, and one good thing was walking past the Glasgow School of Art which I've visited before, as a rabid Charles Rennie Mackintosh fan [I was once brought to tears by his bedroom furniture] - but I digress. We were exhausted dragging our bags...and finally found our hotel. We made it up the loose slate stairs - and the desk clerk had no record of our reservation but had vacancy - and gave us the key to ROOM 26. It was late - probably after 10 or 11 at night. A lot of these lovely older homes have been turned into B&B's. There might be charming lace curtains at the front door, by don't let the exterior fool you. Inside are heavy fire doors that slam. Behind one of them was ROOM 26. Looked like the set of a horror movie. Smelled musty. Tiny room, low ceilings, swayback bed, teeny bathroom. Okay, we just wanted a place to sleep - but the bed had a bedspread and a bottom sheet. No top sheet, no blanket. Were we to assume they washed the bedspread every day? Hmmmm. I figured I'd need a benedryl to sleep in the room. The bathroom had a small FILTHY drinking glass. I opened the window for some fresh air and the giant bugs just waiting outside ALL flew in. Oh dear. While I was batting away at them with a pillow, Brave Norm went back to the front desk and got us a "better" room. Yes, it was bigger, but at the front of the house, and we slept in our clothes, on our coats - on top of the bed. And we found many of the shows on BBC ever so amusing. We might have gotten some sleep, but every late night drunk - in a car - got pulled over in front our hotel; and every late night drunk - on foot- got into a shouting match with another, or had a beef with someone on our block - screaming obscenities into the wee hours of the morning. Not a great night.
7. Off to the train station [downhill] to Perth where we changed for Inverness. The trains are so much fun. Especially when they don't even check your tickets. No- actually, being able to sit next to Norm - looking out the window and relaxing. Our "steward" [?], Charlie asked us about Arizona. He met a girl online and came to visit. Did they go to the Grand Canyon? Tubing? Quick trips to Vegas or Disneyland? No. They went to Wal*Mart. It was her idea. Geez. Anyway, changed trains and headed uphill all the way to Inverness. Great views... mountains, villages, sheep. We got off the train and walked down a main street to the i and booked a room. It was a little difficult because the Highland Games were on. We crossed the bridge and walked along the river and behind the church to Eden House. Caroline welcomed us and suggested we check out the games...and some great restaurants... and said we should go early, since there were so many people in town for the games. We headed back to town and the games were just wrapping up - the band and pipers were just heading out in front of us. Back into town and all the restaurants were booked - so upstairs at the Riva Pizzeria. We were laughing at how great the view was...as long as you didn't look at the ugly 60"s building with the big "to let" sign. Discovered delicious organic local beer Black Isle. After dinner, we walked around more and enjoyed the town...since it was light until almost 11 p.m. There's a fun show on BBC FOOL US with Penn & Teller and I caught up with Doc Martin.
8. Nice breakfast [and no, we don't eat like this at home]. We had to take a cab to airport to rent a car. We had this ambitious goal to drive way up north. It was fascinating driving over the Moray Firth and waterways that have tides that rush in and out - whitecaps! We did get up the Brora coast - through Cromarty, Helmsdale, stopped at Dunrobin Castle. And, a delightful walk on the water and lunch at Poppy's in Golspie. We turned off the main road where I tried to pet some sheep [they would not have it]. It was a beautiful day - lovely scenery. Back to town, we managed a table at the Mustard Seed. This is a really nice restaurant with locally sourced food; they just didn't quite serve what we ordered. Back at Eden house, Donald had suggested we take the train to Skye - now, this is supposedly one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world, so we decided to leave the car. It is an amazing trip. But, when we got to Kyle of Lochalsh, we didn't have a car - or a way to get to Skye. We waited for a bus, but if had taken it, we wouldn't have made it back for the returning train... and the ferry service...nope. So, we {I} decided to try to walk. That was a bridge too far... we walked about half way and turned around. It was sort of funny. Sort of. We ended up going to Tesco [Fresh & Easy, basically] and having a picnic... on the grassy knoll at the end of the parking lot. We walked to the post office to use the internet and got on the train heading back. We should have done something...?! We were so sleepy - the train was HOT. There were a bunch of older English tourists [older than US] that were making a lot of noise. We got back into town - walked to get the car and drove to Loch Ness. Now, just a few days before, there was a story in the newspaper that a photographer had seen NESSIE! So, we didn't want to miss our opportunity, so we drove down to and along the lake...stopping here and there. And, that's when Norm's phone died [my camera battery wasn't charged]. It's so easy to see why people think they see something in the water. For one thing, the lake is enormous. There are waves, and water is very dark. The wind blows the surface, so it's never smooth. We got down to Urquhart Castle but it was closed! We peeked over the fence. Oh well, timing. Back to the B&B - and another food suggestion -  Johnny Foxes. Food was good, beer was good -and the bathroom had a hilarious vending machine that offered a "sticky dick" - and other strange toys.
9. Now, where to drive... We decided to take the car back to Aberdeen... and drove through the highlands, through the castle trail and whiskey trail. The most picturesque village was Charlestown of Abelour. We didn't really have time to explore, but it is the sort of place I'd like to spend time. Off to Aberdeen - the granite city [yes, it is grey!] and I thought the GPS was taking us to a car rental return near the train station [nope]...then the airport [nope], then another location near the airport [nope]. Talk about frustrating! We just went to the airport, and the last thing is the car rental return. Finally, Norm could stop driving. By cab to the train station where I got a few books for Ally by some of her favorite people - Stephen Fry and Jeremy Clarkson. And, now on to vacation fatigue. Train to Glasgow - beautiful again, scenery - but as much as I enjoyed seeing places like the sea and Dundee pass by, it was last day-itis. Another cab got us to the airport where our last night hotel, the Holiday Inn was literally next to the terminal. Our room was nice, but NOISY. Some loud humming [could it have been JETS?] was going on...no where to eat but the downstairs resto...or pub. We found some goodies and took them upstairs. Best french fries [chips] on the whole trip. And, we probably consumed potatoes in one form or another every day - sometimes more than once. Back in the room we watched some of our new favorite shows including Take Me Out whch is funny and stupid. I don't want you to think we did nothing but watch TV, but really, you're in your room at some point...
10. Off to the airport. Nice lady at the counter gave us passes to the VIP club. [nice!] and our boarding passes. Past a zillion souvenir stores and eateries, we didn't buy anything but a shirt for Ally. And then, the VIP lounge. Holy cow, it's good to be king! [thank you USAIR!] Caught up on email and alcohol. Off to the plane. I wanted to sleep, until we got on board. Free upgrade to first class. [thank you USAIR!] Now we talking! Great seats, blankets, pillows, champagne [don't want to sleep now], personal movie consoles, good food. The hours just flew by. Okay, so Norm has been racking up FF miles, but not enough, so heartfelt gratitude for a nice flight. To Phillie - customs and a long overlay - and then home. What, it's over 100? At night? Yeah - those 60 and 70 degree days were so lovely - and the rain - and the sheep. Fantastic trip - just what we needed. Over a week of wonderful togetherness. Stress busted.
    

Grass Market

Arthur's Seat

Cafe Royal

Cavern Club

Inverness Castle

Urquhart Castle