27-28 September 1989I had my last English breakfast with the Brownsetts. Smithy joined us for the drive to Manchester Airport. I was sad saying good-bye, and wished I could have stayed longer. As I said, I had a feeling this would be the last time I'd see Smithy, despite the obligatory final promise that I'd visit again soon. I may not have a photo ( Read more... )

26 September 1989

I had some time to kill before my train left for Manchester, so I got a map of Glasgow and tried to find the old hotel where Mother and I stayed over our very first night ever in Britain in 1967. More's Hotel was no more, however. A motorway had sliced its way through this section of town, and everything on India Street had been ( Read more... )

25 September 1989Not much to say about today. The time had finally come for me to leave the West, start making my way back to England, and thence to the US. I was sad, but at least I had the hope that I'd be returning to Scotland in the not-too-distant future as a doctoral student, and might eventually be able to make the Western Highlands my home ( Read more... )

24 September 1989

Every vacation should include something completely unplanned or unexpected, and for me, on this trip, it happened on my last day in Scotland, when I serendipitously discovered this magnificent vista, and the road that lay beyond it.


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24 September 1989


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23 September 1989

If I were simply on holiday for leisure's sake, I probably would have stayed an extra day or two on Skye, but now having seen my wild otter, and being near the end of my trip, it seemed a good idea to start tying up some loose ends.


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22 September 1989

On this journey, I had three principal goals: first, of course, was to attend the otter colloquium in West Germany, second, to visit my otter Mecca, Camusfeàrna, and finally, to track and observe Lutra lutra in the wild. With the first two goals now on the scoreboard, I set out to achieve my hat trick today on the Isle of Skye ( Read more... )

21 September 1989

This is another tale of origins and inspiration: one even more momentous to me than yesterday's.

Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell was the first book I read after finishing college. An acknowledged literary masterpiece, it utterly captivated me, and my resultant newfound enthrallment with otters set me on a path of destiny ( Read more... )

20 September 1989I've always been drawn to seek out the ultimate origins of things. In my own case, I try to think back through a series of events to find out when I first did something, where I did it, and why. A thought process like this can lead to surprising discoveries, like how one's path in life can turn in a completely unexpected direction ( Read more... )

19 September 1989My purpose today was to take the car ferry from Mallaig to Skye, and there find some accommodation for the next few days. Unfortunately, when I got to the embarkation point, I was informed that the 1045 ferry had been cancelled. Great. So, to kill some time, I went walkabout in Mallaig town ( Read more... )