Hex Floor Tile Redo

I need advice. I've read somewhere about how to make grout black, other than mildew, between tiny hexagonal tiles. When we put this floor in with white grout, I didn't think about how it would look twenty-two years later. It's a dingy shade of tan. I've bleached it and tried all kinds of cleaners. It just won't come white again. So I want to make the grout black. Would a Sharpie permanent marker do the trick? Any ideas or suggestions?

Eagle on a cliff

Acouple ofweeks ago we were driving along Highway 61 on our way to do the hike to Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota. As I was driving, Jessica was gazing out at Lake Superior when all of a sudden she exclaimed "There's an eagle sitting on that cliff!". Of course I had to turn the car around to check it out, since I didn't see it when we first drove by. As we slowly approached the view where she had spotted the bird, sure enough, there he was sitting on the edge of a small (approx. 20 foot tall) cliff overlooking the lake. It was such a strange sight. I've seen eagles on the beach before, mostly going after fish that have been recently cleaned by commercial fishermen. But, I've never seen one perched on a cliff like this. He sat there for a few more minutes before taking off and landing in the top of a nearby tree. The sighting of this bird was a great start to our day, and I took it as a good sign, since we were going to be hiking Eagle Mountain that day :-)

St Andrews Castle

To continue with the mini-series of 'the ski trip that wasn't', here's St Andrews castle. A bleak but easily defensible location, looking out across the cold North Sea. The first castle on the site dates from around 1200. It was originally the Bishops' Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of St Andrews. After much siege and battery over the years, it was eventually destroyed during the Reformation, around 1560, when Scotland broke from the Roman Catholic Church.
I'm very honoured to have been given the 'Kreativ Blogger' award by Guy at Liege City Daily Photo. Thank you! I will pass it on, but with life as it is at the moment I'll inevitably take some time about it.

Indian Valley Open Space

I think Mom shoulda made a photoshow outta this adventure, because there are so many pictures of another one of my favorite places. Our county has an amazing string of lands set aside for doggies like me, Sammie, (and people too, cyclists, and, other furry creatures - some wild - and some not. I personally like the horses because of the delicious apples they leave behind. It was still a dark and stormy day, but the riverbed now has rushing water in it which makes me extremely happy. I got a lot done here yesterday - met some old friends, investigated the gopher holes, checked out the bridges to see if they were still safe for my peeps, and finally - FINALLY ran into my old golden buddies from last fall! Just seeing them made me kick up my heels in a frenzy. I get a total case of the woopies! This is when I run about 90 miles an hour around and around, making me, as well as anyone watching go totally dizzy with vertigo. In the last picture you can see Roddy's tongue in the corner trying just to stand as I race around him. That sure was fun. I was old mud-puppy again. When I got there, I was so clean (see below). When we got back to the car, I felt exhilarated and satiated. Mom and Dad massaged the mud off me with towels and I slept until dinner time. What a day! And super good cause Dad came home early from work! I hope I get to go back soon!
Love and Licks,
xo Sammie

Foothill Gold

Foothill Gold, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Poppies on the Hite Cove Trail near Briceburg, California.
For some reason, the poppies in the Yosemite foothills seemed to have smaller flowers than those in the Bay Area. Perhaps it's the soil or the colder winters, but these poppies are definitely distinct from their Bay Area counterparts.

Serene

A look back on a summer reveals the scenic beauty that can be found just outside San Francisco.

Vivaldi in the National Museum

In my Scotland Street post I mentioned my long-suffering teenagers, waiting after a morning of playing in a concert at the National Museum of Scotland while I took photos. Here's what they were working hard at - a concert featuring the music of Vivaldi. Their school has a community baroque orchestra, and two groups from it played recently for Sunday visitors to the National Museum. Here they're playing Vivaldi's concerto No. 11 in D minor for 2 violins, cello and strings. My daughter has longed to play this with an orchestra ever since we attended the Suzuki World Convention in Turin, when it was played (from memory) by hundreds of young violinists, violists and cellists from 28 countries - the common language of music. My daughter is at the extreme left in the front row of standing violinist, and my son is second from right in the two standing violists. The acoustic in the museum is glorious, and the orchestra really enjoyed playing there.
In taking these shots I realised even more my photographic limitations. The museum has beautiful stonework, but I need to find out about exposures and all that stuff. This is hard for me - it involves numbers.