While I am searching for the courage to tackle several hundred, perhaps a thousand images, that were created in Scotland I leave you with this new composition.

Combining the talents (and antics) of two young men we bring you Tourist Stop.

A bit of back ground. I had the pleasure of traveling with Prince Edward Island comedian, all round nice guy and good friend Fraser McCallum during various stages of his European blitz tour this year. There were many good times to be had, beers to drink (and make) and new countries to discover. A wonderful combination of travel photography from Hungary, Denmark, and Holland with Fraser’s music has given you Tourist Stop. Click Here.

My image of Ice Climbing at Pont Rouge in Quebec has placed in the Top Finishers for the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Photography Contest.
See results here. The third photo from the left, last row on the bottom.

I just returned from a wonderful time in Scotland and the UK with family. We explored the highlands, the Isle’s, drank the beloved Scotch and the occasional pint. We hiked the North York Moors and got a close up of the intricacies of the Northern British culture. I still think that they need to get with it, adopt the Euro and move into the new millennium. The time of Colonialism is gone, time to move on folks. The UK has a beautiful landscape, a rich arts culture, and overly large directional signs, (including one where I am sure that Gary Larson designed his Far Side cow from). I look forward to sharing images with you over the next few days here on this blog.

Till then, I leave you with an image that reminds me of methane’s contribution to global warming. A Far Sidesque look at a sobering issue.

The Street Smart Kidz program provides free information for parents to help keep their children safe. It was my pleasure to enter their 2008 online Art Show and I was pleasantly surprised to be awarded a third place. See more about this program and the results here.

A portrait that I created of Mr. Geert Lovink here in Amsterdam for the Brazilian magazine Editora Globo. We live in an interconnected world when a Canadian photographer can take a picture of a Dutch professor and it is published in Brazil. Now if only I could read the text I could tell you what it is about. Remember though, apparently a picture is worth a thousand words. See it here.

Every year the streets of Copenhagen hop to the sound of Samba and Salsa. The annual carnival is held every spring, welcoming the warm weather and sunshine to this often cloudy nation. Luckily for the parade participants and luckier for the viewers, the +20 degree weather this year meant that the festival happened with full regalia (and minimal clothing). Watch the sights and sounds of the Copenhagen carnival.

No images on this post, simply because the following experience was a moment to savour, and stare in awe at the ostentatious grandeur of the Vienna Mozart Orchestra.

Having met another Canadian here in Vienna (Anne-Marie) who had the excellent idea to check out the Mozart Orchestra we (Fraser, current traveling partner) readily agreed.
Hoping to get standing room tickets, Anne-Marie went early. Much to our disappointment, no standing room was allowed. So the cheapest option was apparently 15 Euros. Of course it turns out that they cost 19 Euros. Yet for some inexplicable reason the cashier took pity on Anne-Marie and sold her 39 Euro tickets for 19. Feeling that we had done well, we went out for a quick bite at a typically Viennese high class establishment, the trusted Gyros stand. Somehow in the midst of our excitement of buying a mouth watering, over cooked chicken pita, I lost my ticket. Feeling like an idiot, we returned to the Opera house and explained the story. Instead of being told to buy another ticket, the same cashier upgraded all three of us two more sections to front row seats. There is nothing like seeing the blood coursing through a violinists hand as the Chef Orchestra winks at his French horn player. All surrounded by buxom golden statues and frescoed ceilings as the beauty of Mozart and Strauss drifted to our ears. Wow.

A moment.

A wonderful day here in Utrecht, it was time to get out and wander the alley ways and streets of the city starting to bloom. The beer flows on patios as a boat floats along the canal. Captained by a young man that has perhaps consumed one too many beers to safely navigate the serpentine waterways, his boat floats under a tree full of vibrant pink blossoms and the rays of the setting sun fulfill the requirements of a Kodak moment.

I don’t shoot film…… but it was a beautiful day for walking the dog.