On the Road Again with Merle

[JohnDF]

Great pictures and what a beautiful city.
Mostly, thanks for showing me the University.

 

[Magizm7]

Great pictures and what a beautiful city.
Mostly, thanks for showing me the University.

You are welcome, John

 

[Jack Black]

Fantastic photos, Glasgow has some beautiful architecture Merle is having a great tour

Gallery of Modern Art at Royal Exchange Sq. The statue in front is the Duke Of Wellington, disappointingly, without his formal headwear!
View attachment 1855390

With all those pigeons and seagulls, I imagine The Iron Duke regrets not wearing his hat!

 

[Horsewright]

At least he has his Wellies on!

 

[Horsewright]

Ok weird. I’m out here in the shop minding my own dang business buffing a batch of knife handles. What comes on my Carlos Santana Pandora station but: So Far From the Clyde by Mark Knoffler. If you are unfamiliar I suggest looking it up and giving it a listen. Haunting.

 

[btb01]

Magizm7 what a great start! I have to confess to not knowing much about Glasgow, so it was great getting such a thorough tour.

A short dog walk yesterday through the west end taking in the Botanical Gardens of Glasgow and the Great Western road. The church pictured was repurposed about 20 years ago and is now a pub/restaurant/music venue. Bob Mould was playing the other night - certainly was a blast from the past. I would have ventured into the plant houses but no dogs allowed unfortunately.
View attachment 1853408View attachment 1853409View attachment 1853413

Beautiful green space. Although I’ve only visited a handful of cities in England (never been to Scotland, and only briefly to Wales), I feel like green space is something the UK does very well.

Looks like Merle has a fine traveling companion there. #77, right?

From the shores of Lake Minnetonka to the banks of the Clyde, Merle insisted he have a dip in Scottish waters
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Minnesota, Alaska, Scotland… maybe one of these days someone will take him for a dip somewhere warm. (To be fair, he was in a hot spring in Alaska, but still… not exactly tropical.)

Some images of Glasgow city centre taken yesterday. The weather was rubbish - very dull
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City Chambers
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Thomas Graham was an eminent scientist and has a building named after him at Strathclyde University just around the corner.
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Some additional photos of the surrounding area including a small sample of the university buildings.
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The Royal College at Strathclyde Uni where I was an undergrad many years ago, George sq in the distance.
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Gallery of Modern Art at Royal Exchange Sq. The statue in front is the Duke Of Wellington, disappointingly, without his formal headwear!
View attachment 1855390View attachment 1855391

Looks like a beautiful city. The film connections with George Square are interesting as well. When Pearl visited a few years back (right after we moved to MN), I took her to a bar that had been used as a filming location in Fargo.

 

[Horsewright]

Some additional photos of the surrounding area including a small sample of the university buildings.
View attachment 1855380

The Royal College at Strathclyde Uni where I was an undergrad many years ago, George sq in the distance.
View attachment 1855381View attachment 1855382View attachment 1855383View attachment 1855385View attachment 1855386View attachment 1855387View attachment 1855389

Gallery of Modern Art at Royal Exchange Sq. The statue in front is the Duke Of Wellington, disappointingly, without his formal headwear!
View attachment 1855390View attachment 1855391

Great pics!!!

I didn't remember Strathclyde University so I looked it up. Very cool. I recall, vaguely, (all my recollections are somewhat vaque as it was 43 years ago) a street down either from the cathedral or Glasgow University that was all international restaurants. I remember going to an Indian restaurant there and having an amazing salmon curry. I can still remember how good it was and its size. It was served as a large filet bout two feet long with the curry on top, not with the fish mixed into the sauce. It was one of those places that had unbelievable service, like 3 or 4 waiters for every table even though there was only two of us.

So your pics from Dumbarton reminded me of this. Its hanging in my shop by the backdoor:

Hope ya guys can make er out

I see a Scottish education wasn't wasted on you Dave

Jack, on occasion I will stand back there and read the whole thing out loud just to make sure I can still do it right with the proper accent. Tends to be in the late afternoon on a long hot day after a couple beverages have come out of the beer fridge on the other side of the shop. Thats where Rabbie hangs out:

Both of those items are pretty old. They date from 1972-1973. My father was working on his PhD at St Andrews and we lived there for 18 months while he was doing that.

 

[Jack Black]

I didn't remember Strathclyde University so I looked it up. Very cool. I recall, vaguely, (all my recollections are somewhat vaque as it was 43 years ago) a street down either from the cathedral or Glasgow University that was all international restaurants. I remember going to an Indian restaurant there and having an amazing salmon curry. I can still remember how good it was and its size it was a large filet bout two feet long and it was one of those places that had unbelievable service, like 3 or 4 waiters for every table even though there was only two of us.

Glasgow has a great culinary reputation I have never had a salmon curry though! Here's a piece on Glasgow curry houses, written by an old friend of mine, which might be of interest

So your pics from Dumbarton reminded me of this. Its hanging in my shop by the backdoor:

Hope ya guys can make er out

I thought all those blokes were from Yorkshire!

Jack, on occasion I will stand back there and read the whole thing out loud just to make sure I can still do it right with the proper accent. Tends to be in the late afternoon on a long hot day after a couple beverages have come out of the beer fridge on the other side of the shop. Thats where Rabbie hangs out:

Both of those items are pretty old. They date from 1972-1973. My father was working on his PhD at St Andrews and we lived there for 18 months while he was doing that.

Good for you my friend

Another pal of mine

 

[Magizm7]

Fantastic photos, Glasgow has some beautiful architecture Merle is having a great tour

With all those pigeons and seagulls, I imagine The Iron Duke regrets not wearing his hat!

Thank you Jack This is the attire I refer to. An ongoing battle between the pranksters and the council.

Recent show of solidarity!

Ok weird. I’m out here in the shop minding my own dang business buffing a batch of knife handles. What comes on my Carlos Santana Pandora station but: So Far From the Clyde by Mark Knoffler. If you are unfamiliar I suggest looking it up and giving it a listen. Haunting.

That is weird Dave. What a great song, I hadn't heard that one.

Magizm7 what a great start! I have to confess to not knowing much about Glasgow, so it was great getting such a thorough tour.



Beautiful green space. Although I’ve only visited a handful of cities in England (never been to Scotland, and only briefly to Wales), I feel like green space is something the UK does very well.



Looks like Merle has a fine traveling companion there. #77, right?



Minnesota, Alaska, Scotland… maybe one of these days someone will take him for a dip somewhere warm. (To be fair, he was in a hot spring in Alaska, but still… not exactly tropical.)



Looks like a beautiful city. The film connections with George Square are interesting as well. When Pearl visited a few years back (right after we moved to MN), I took her to a bar that had been used as a filming location in Fargo.

Thanks Barrett, hopefully you will be able to come and visit us in Scotland if you are back over this way. I am always amazed how green the place is when I return from holiday in warmer climes.
You are correct #77 yankee jack travelling with Merle that day - a favourite.

Great pics!!!

I didn't remember Strathclyde University so I looked it up. Very cool. I recall, vaguely, (all my recollections are somewhat vaque as it was 43 years ago) a street down either from the cathedral or Glasgow University that was all international restaurants. I remember going to an Indian restaurant there and having an amazing salmon curry. I can still remember how good it was and its size. It was served as a large filet bout two feet long with the curry on top, not with the fish mixed into the sauce. It was one of those places that had unbelievable service, like 3 or 4 waiters for every table even though there was only two of us.

So your pics from Dumbarton reminded me of this. Its hanging in my shop by the backdoor:

Hope ya guys can make er out



Jack, on occasion I will stand back there and read the whole thing out loud just to make sure I can still do it right with the proper accent. Tends to be in the late afternoon on a long hot day after a couple beverages have come out of the beer fridge on the other side of the shop. Thats where Rabbie hangs out:

Both of those items are pretty old. They date from 1972-1973. My father was working on his PhD at St Andrews and we lived there for 18 months while he was doing that.

Dave, I am glad I could stir the memories for you. I am not quite sure what street you refer to but there are many good curry houses in Glasgow, a very popular style of cooking/dining.
The tea towel had me welling up there - a classic.

 

[mbkr]

Recent show of solidarity!
View attachment 1856400

 

[Magizm7]

Glasgow has a great culinary reputation I have never had a salmon curry though! Here's a piece on Glasgow curry houses, written by an old friend of mine, which might be of interest

I thought all those blokes were from Yorkshire!

Good for you my friend

Another pal of mine

An interesting article Jack. Have dined in many of the restaurants mentioned. I visited Creme del a creme for my stag doo 20 odd years ago. Sadly, it is no longer, it was some place, always busy. Balbirs on Church Street was always a favourite, quite classy compared to a lot of the tired, cliched places. He was a nice man, always at the front of house to greet you.

 

[Jack Black]

Thank you Jack This is the attire I refer to. An ongoing battle between the pranksters and the council.
View attachment 1856399
Recent show of solidarity!
View attachment 1856400

LOL! Clearly a longstanding local tradition! I love the solidarity version

An interesting article Jack. Have dined in many of the restaurants mentioned. I visited Creme del a creme for my stag doo 20 odd years ago. Sadly, it is no longer, it was some place, always busy. Balbirs on Church Street was always a favourite, quite classy compared to a lot of the tired, cliched places. He was a nice man, always at the front of house to greet you.

I'm glad that brought back some happy memories It was only when I was reading back through it, that I realised how long ago it was written

 

[Horsewright]

I enjoyed that article Jack. Very interesting. So some 43 years ago, (easy to do the math I'm 63 now, well will be in a few weeks) and was 20 then) I was staying and working on a small estate outside of Aviemore for about 6 months. I became very tight with the laird and his family, I became part of the family. Stephen was an interesting character. First of all his family always referred to him as "Himself." Himself is the old highland term that a clansman would use to address his chief. Stephen wasn't a clan chief and I don't know how that got started. His wife Joy was sister to an Earl that was a clan chief so maybe there, don't know. Joy became my "other mother" as she called it.

Stephen, was the last British Viceroy to India. He and Joy were on the ship and enroute when as happens, plans change. WW2 broke out. Stephen demanded that the ship return so that he could "rejoin the Regiment," The Royal Scots Greys. Being Viceroy gives a guys some juice I guess because the ship did indeed turn around. Lord Mountbatten filled that role after the war but was never actually appointed Viceroy. I was with Stephen when the IRA assassinated Lord Mountbatten. Stephen was also the middleweight boxing champion of the British Army during the war. He had a presence that was hard to explain if you hadn't experienced it. You literally felt him walk into a room. Joy had spent some time in India and while there she learned to cook up a mean curry. This was my first exposure to curry and she did it really, really well. I remember my first tea there.

Joy had picked me up at the train station in Aviemore. Not what you would expect. An old worn corduroy skirt, wellies, and an old jumper worn through at the elbows. She was driving Cuthbert an old rusty, rattling Land Rover with the spare on the bonnet, (hood). It smelled of sheep when I stowed my pack in the back, well she'd been hauling a ram around earlier. We get out to the house and I move my stuff into my room. She tells me Himself isn't here right now but should be back in time for tea. He was coming back from a meeting in the south somewhere. Just about finished unpacking and I hear a commotion head down the stairs and at the foot is Himself, in the kilt, which he wore often, dogs barking and his two daughters that are still home are hugging on him. Joy calls us for tea bout that time.

I'll finish this later. Interestingly it ties into knives too, besides curry and ultimately Glasgow and Merle's wanderings.

Gotta go feed. Mitchy is hungry:

Standing at the gate saying feed me.

 

[dogboye]

Beautiful horse. Good story, too, so far.

 

[JM2]

Cool travels. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jack Black]

I enjoyed that article Jack. Very interesting. So some 43 years ago, (easy to do the math I'm 63 now, well will be in a few weeks) and was 20 then) I was staying and working on a small estate outside of Aviemore for about 6 months. I became very tight with the laird and his family, I became part of the family. Stephen was an interesting character. First of all his family always referred to him as "Himself." Himself is the old highland term that a clansman would use to address his chief. Stephen wasn't a clan chief and I don't know how that got started. His wife Joy was sister to an Earl that was a clan chief so maybe there, don't know. Joy became my "other mother" as she called it.

Stephen, was the last British Viceroy to India. He and Joy were on the ship and enroute when as happens, plans change. WW2 broke out. Stephen demanded that the ship return so that he could "rejoin the Regiment," The Royal Scots Greys. Being Viceroy gives a guys some juice I guess because the ship did indeed turn around. Lord Mountbatten filled that role after the war but was never actually appointed Viceroy. I was with Stephen when the IRA assassinated Lord Mountbatten. Stephen was also the middleweight boxing champion of the British Army during the war. He had a presence that was hard to explain if you hadn't experienced it. You literally felt him walk into a room. Joy had spent some time in India and while there she learned to cook up a mean curry. This was my first exposure to curry and she did it really, really well. I remember my first tea there.

Joy had picked me up at the train station in Aviemore. Not what you would expect. An old worn corduroy skirt, wellies, and an old jumper worn through at the elbows. She was driving Cuthbert an old rusty, rattling Land Rover with the spare on the bonnet, (hood). It smelled of sheep when I stowed my pack in the back, well she'd been hauling a ram around earlier. We get out to the house and I move my stuff into my room. She tells me Himself isn't here right now but should be back in time for tea. He was coming back from a meeting in the south somewhere. Just about finished unpacking and I hear a commotion head down the stairs and at the foot is Himself, in the kilt, which he wore often, dogs barking and his two daughters that are still home are hugging on him. Joy calls us for tea bout that time.

I'll finish this later. Interestingly it ties into knives too, besides curry and ultimately Glasgow and Merle's wanderings.

Gotta go feed. Mitchy is hungry:

Standing at the gate saying feed me.

I'm enjoying your story Dave, it's nice to hear more details of your time in Scotland my friend, you've had an interesting life

 

[Horsewright]

Beautiful horse. Good story, too, so far.

Cool travels. Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful horse. Good story, too, so far.

Thanks guys! Thanks Jack!

So we moved into the dining room for tea. Holy cow this place was huge! I bet the table was all of 30-35 feet long if maybe not longer. It wasn't uncommon for there to be 15 to 20 people or more there for a meal and I don't recall the table every being crowded. The scary part, I wasn't sure what fork to use first. There were forks here and knives there and several spoons at each plate. I thought, I'll just watch and see what other folks do first. Stephen sat at the far end and Joy sat at the other end nearest the kitchen. I was about half way down. Joy said "Dear would you say a little prayer before we eat." Stephen did. He then asked Joy: "Dear could you pass the bread please." And Joy, the Lady of the house, wife of the British Viceroy to India, sister to an Earl, my other mother, picked up a piece of bread and flung it like a frisbee the entire length of the table! Stephen calmly caught it out of the air and started buttering it. I sat back, sighed and thought to myself, guess it don't matter much which fork I use first. It didn't but I did learn your suppose to start on the outside and work your way in. Years later Stephen and Joy were visiting me here in Tehachapi, California. We'd gone out to dinner. I was telling Joy how her flinging of the bread really put me at ease that first day. She said: "Oh My! I didn't do that. Did I?"

Stephen and Joy had five children. The three oldest were no longer at home. George I only met once and I don't remember what he did. Fionna was a world traveller. She'd pop in for a couple days and then be gone, "Off to Australia." and she'd be gone and few weeks later in for a few days and then gone. She was a wild and vivacious one. She and I once stopped traffic by fencing down the middle of the High street of Inverness. See I told ya there was gonna be knives in this story. But this ain't it cause we were using rolls of wrapping paper. Now I'm pretty good with a foil, better with an epee and kinda handy with saber. Turns out Fionna wasn't bad either. Joy was just walking along the sidewalk shaking her head. We did indeed cause a minor traffic back up being in the middle of the street, but Fionna always stopped traffic. She was that girl and that beautiful. Maybe 24 ish at the time.

Suzzie was a nurse and came home to visit a couple of times while I was there. Every bit as beautiful as Fionna but a quieter personality. We'd take her younger sisters swimming at Glen Feshie during the summer time.

Mary was the oldest daughter still at home at 15. She and I became pretty close and spent a lot of time together. Here's the knife part. In those days I was carrying two folders. An ancient Schrade trapper and a new Buck Prince. I could look at the trapper and it would get razor sharp. Never could get that Buck sharp. Looking back now as a knife maker I think the blade must of been ground too thick. However, I'd a set of stones I'd brought with me and I would work on that Buck diligently. Mary was fascinated by the whole process. Long summer evenings in the Highlands where it wouldn't get dark till 10:30 -11pm. We often wouldn't have supper till 9:30 to 10. So, Mary would often come up to my room and watch me work on those knives. She had me teach her the whole process and I'd let her work on that Buck too. We got an old paring knife from Joy for her to work on as well as I wanted her to have some success and she certainly wasn't gonna on that Buck. I had a 110 back at home that I could get razor sharp but that Prince always defied me. Mary helped me in some of my rabbit hunting adventures too. Oft times in the those long evenings we shoot some rabbits as they were over running the country at that time. When Himself and I were traveling around he'd often tell me how "sweet", Mary was on me. Or she'd just told him how much she liked me, or something similar. I never really thought of her that way, more of a little sister. Funny thing was, he'd always end those conversations telling me that when he'd sold his other estate he'd put away enough money that his grandchildren would never have to work if they didn't want too. Kinda slow on the uptake cause it wasn't till some years after I figured out what he was telling me. "You know Dave, when I sold my other estate in Perthshire, I put away enough money....." Few years later on a subsequent trip I hooked up with Mary in Aberdeen. She was a college student studying music there in Aberdeen. We went out to dinner at a restaurant called "The 51st State" and had terrible cheeseburgers. Then we went to a Corries concert. They were great as always and she remembered me always playing their tapes in my room. A few days before, I'd stopped at the house for a couple days to visit with Joy, (Himself wasn't around he was traveling someplace). It was one of those long evening when I drove up. She met me at the front door, hugged me and handed me a rifle and a box of .22s "Your little brother killed 23 one night, do better." My youngest brother Matthew spent a year with them while he was in high school as part of their family. He's a pretty good rifle shot.

Lucy was the youngest daughter. That first evening I was there was her birthday and she had turned nine. So after tea, Mary, Lucy, myself and couple others hiked up to the top of the hill behind the house. We christened it Ben Lucynine.

Well we're getting closer to Glasgow and traveling in its environs. Thought ya might like some back story first. Lil bit more to go.

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks guys! Thanks Jack!

So we moved into the dining room for tea. Holy cow this place was huge! I bet the table was all of 30-35 feet long if maybe not longer. It wasn't uncommon for there to be 15 to 20 people or more there for a meal and I don't recall the table every being crowded. The scary part, I wasn't sure what fork to use first. There were forks here and knives there and several spoons at each plate. I thought, I'll just watch and see what other folks do first. Stephen sat at the far end and Joy sat at the other end nearest the kitchen. I was about half way down. Joy said "Dear would you say a little prayer before we eat." Stephen did. He then asked Joy: "Dear could you pass the bread please." And Joy, the Lady of the house, wife of the British Viceroy to India, sister to an Earl, my other mother, picked up a piece of bread and flung it like a frisbee the entire length of the table! Stephen calmly caught it out of the air and started buttering it. I sat back, sighed and thought to myself, guess it don't matter much which fork I use first. It didn't but I did learn your suppose to start on the outside and work your way in. Years later Stephen and Joy were visiting me here in Tehachapi, California. We'd gone out to dinner. I was telling Joy how her flinging of the bread really put me at ease that first day. She said: "Oh My! I didn't do that. Did I?"

Stephen and Joy had five children. The three oldest were no longer at home. George I only met once and I don't remember what he did. Fionna was a world traveller. She'd pop in for a couple days and then be gone, "Off to Australia." and she'd be gone and few weeks later in for a few days and then gone. She was a wild and vivacious one. She and I once stopped traffic by fencing down the middle of the High street of Inverness. See I told ya there was gonna be knives in this story. But this ain't it cause we were using rolls of wrapping paper. Now I'm pretty good with a foil, better with an epee and kinda handy with saber. Turns out Fionna wasn't bad either. Joy was just walking along the sidewalk shaking her head. We did indeed cause a minor traffic back up being in the middle of the street, but Fionna always stopped traffic. She was that girl and that beautiful. Maybe 24 ish at the time.

Suzzie was a nurse and came home to visit a couple of times while I was there. Every bit as beautiful as Fionna but a quieter personality. We'd take her younger sisters swimming at Glen Feshie during the summer time.

Mary was the oldest daughter still at home at 15. She and I became pretty close and spent a lot of time together. Here's the knife part. In those days I was carrying two folders. An ancient Schrade trapper and a new Buck Prince. I could look at the trapper and it would get razor sharp. Never could get that Buck sharp. Looking back now as a knife maker I think the blade must of been ground too thick. However, I'd a set of stones I'd brought with me and I would work on that Buck diligently. Mary was fascinated by the whole process. Long summer evenings in the Highlands where it wouldn't get dark till 10:30 -11pm. We often wouldn't have supper till 9:30 to 10. So, Mary would often come up to my room and watch me work on those knives. She had me teach her the whole process and I'd let her work on that Buck too. We got an old paring knife from Joy for her to work on as well as I wanted her to have some success and she certainly wasn't gonna on that Buck. I had a 110 back at home that I could get razor sharp but that Prince always defied me. Mary helped me in some of my rabbit hunting adventures too. Oft times in the those long evenings we shoot some rabbits as they were over running the country at that time. When Himself and I were traveling around he'd often tell me how "sweet", Mary was on me. Or she'd just told him how much she liked me, or something similar. I never really thought of her that way, more of a little sister. Funny thing was, he'd always end those conversations telling me that when he'd sold his other estate he'd put away enough money that his grandchildren would never have to work if they didn't want too. Kinda slow on the uptake cause it wasn't till some years after I figured out what he was telling me. "You know Dave, when I sold my other estate in Perthshire, I put away enough money....." Few years later on a subsequent trip I hooked up with Mary in Aberdeen. She was a college student studying music there in Aberdeen. We went out to dinner at a restaurant called "The 51st State" and had terrible cheeseburgers. Then we went to a Corries concert. They were great as always and she remembered me always playing their tapes in my room. A few days before, I'd stopped at the house for a couple days to visit with Joy, (Himself wasn't around he was traveling someplace). It was one of those long evening when I drove up. She met me at the front door, hugged me and handed me a rifle and a box of .22s "Your little brother killed 23 one night, do better." My youngest brother Matthew spent a year with them while he was in high school as part of their family. He's a pretty good rifle shot.

Lucy was the youngest daughter. That first evening I was there was her birthday and she had turned nine. So after tea, Mary, Lucy, myself and couple others hiked up to the top of the hill behind the house. We christened it Ben Lucynine.

Well we're getting closer to Glasgow and traveling in its environs. Thought ya might like some back story first. Lil bit more to go.

Fascinating recollection Dave, I'm sure I'm not the only one enthralled by your tale

 

[dogboye]

Fascinating recollection Dave, I'm sure I'm not the only one enthralled by your tale

I can say for a fact that you are not the only one enthralled.

 

[btb01]

Thank you Jack This is the attire I refer to. An ongoing battle between the pranksters and the council.

Recent show of solidarity!

That’s great!

Thanks Barrett, hopefully you will be able to come and visit us in Scotland if you are back over this way. I am always amazed how green the place is when I return from holiday in warmer climes.
You are correct #77 yankee jack travelling with Merle that day - a favourite.

Thanks, I certainly hope to make it there some day. My brother and I talked about it both times we visited them in Bath, but we never ended up going. The furthest north I got was Sheffield, where Jack spent the day giving me an excellent tour. Unfortunately my brother no longer lives in the UK, but I’m sure we’ll be back eventually.

Horsewright I’m enjoying the story, Dave, including the serialized nature of it, where we’re left waiting for the next installment.