Category Archives: Land trust

Sun Standing Still

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Kate Cowie Riley

(Originally posted, December 2013) The word solstice comes from the Latin: sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still”).  As seen from Earth, the sun’s highest point for the day is at its lowest for the year and the movement of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Auld Lang Syne, Eco-travel, Ecology, Highland Titles, Hogmanay, Land trust, Maes Howe, New Year's Eve, Norn, Orkneyinga Saga, Robert Burns, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Scottish Christmas history, Self drive Scotland tours, Stonehaven, Stromness, Travel, Uncategorized, Winter Solstice, Women Writers, Yule | Leave a comment

Freeing the Trees

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

We arrived at the airport in Edinburgh mid-afternoon, but with all the time spent with the lost luggage situation, we did not get on the road until a few hours after we had planned to do so. This meant that … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Mishaps Do Not A Total Disaster Make

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

We flew in to Heathrow and then on to Edinburgh. Our luggage did not. It took the British Airways baggage claim people an hour to let us know that, due to a scanner failure at Heathrow, there were somewhere around … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel | Tagged , | 2 Comments

There’s More To This Plot Than the Title

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

I spent this past weekend working at the Highland Titles booth at the Scottish Highland Gathering and Games in Pleasanton (California). I first heard about Highland Titles a few years ago when I stopped by the Highland Titles booth and had … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Modern Idiocy At an Ancient Site

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

  Yesterday, the BBC reported that someone has vandalized the Ring of Brodgar, one of the many—and certainly one of the most spectacular—ancient sites on the Island of Orkney. At 341 feet in diameter it is the third largest stone … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Don’t Judge the Land By the Title

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

I first heard about Highland Titles a few years ago. I was at the Scottish Highland Gathering and Games in Pleasanton (California) when I stopped by the Highland Titles booth and had a nice chat with Stephen Rossiter. We talked about … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Rocking Stones ~ Clach-Bràth

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

I was going through some old photographs from when I lived up in the California Sierra Nevada near Yosemite National Park. I had taken a photo of a very large rock that was sitting upon other rocks, but it didn’t look … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mountains & Munros

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Oftentimes people will talk of “hunting a wild haggis” in the Scottish countryside. They may also talk of “bagging a Munro”. The second statement has a lot more believability than the first. Named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet (1856-1919), … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Nonscents

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

I wasn’t planning on making any of the travel plans for the trip to Scotland (Alba, pronounced “Al-up-a” in Scottish Gaelic, Gàidhlig) until later on this spring. It was a combination of intuition, boredom in the moment, and excitement for … Continue reading →

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Cross-Quarter Days & Groundhogs

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

In America, February 2nd is “Groundhog Day”. If you’re not familiar with this celebration, I suggest you watch the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day (1993). If you’re not familiar with this celebration, I suggest you watch the Bill Murray movie, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Eco-travel, Ecology, Land trust, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment