England - Thirsk, Shingle at 23 Kirkgate

A look at any photograph taken of the clinic while Alf Wight worked there will show this sign affixed onto the brick next to the door.  It's amazing that he, along with Don Sinclair, kept a full-time practice going even after the books made him world famous.  Humility stands out as one of his greatest traits.

This is the last to be posted relating to Alf Wight's practice.  It was awesome being here but, sadly, I did note that a vast majority of the other tourists making their way through 23 Kirkgate were older, white-haired Brits in their seventies and eighties.  Granted, we were there on a school day during school hours, but I couldn't help but wonder whether, when these people are no longer here, will James Herriot remain the icon that he is today?  Will interest be gone also, leaving a relic that is largely vacant and forgotten?  Haven't met a young person recently that's heard of James Herriot or read his books, but would like to think that they will experience a renewed look by another generation.

On another subject, I must say that one of the most interesting things I heard on the trip was some of the Brits, with whom we shared breakfast at a B&B in North Yorkshire, referring to James Herriot as Alf Wight, his real name.  They either knew him or knew someone who knew him, or even had a farm where he made his calls.  Really personified someone who is a bigger-than-life character in my eyes.  And the lady who ran the place had the noticeably thick Yorkshire accent so beautifully written within his works.  This is a trip that I will never forget, and this bucket list item was checked off in a big way.

The next three posts have nothing to do with James Herriot, but were captured on or about the premises.  Then off to the church down the street, where he was married...

Bookmark - Thirsk Cathedral Candle Stand / Our Yorkshire Stay

Ideal for a bookmark.  The candle was not lit, so borrowed the flame from another candle there in the cathedral.

And this the same cathedral where Alf Wight (aka James Herriott) was married.  Amazing that only a handful of folks attended...just a few friends and family members.

I was taken aback, and impressed with where we really were, when a conversation took place during breakfast at an Air B&B in Yorkshire.  Andrew and I managed to find and stay a night in a farmhouse built in the 1700's very close to Thirsk.  This was the bucket-list portion of our journey to England where I wanted to see the surgery and travel the same roads made famous by James Herriot's books.  Since this was an Air B&B there were several other guests, all from other parts of England.  One older couple, who lived elsewhere but whose parents were from Yorkshire, learned of my interest in the books and the reasons we were there.  Very nice couple.  The gentleman then began to tell of how his parents would run into "Alf" once in a while.  I was blown away that these people were speaking of the fabled James Herriot - not as a world-famous author, but as a neighbor calling him by his real name!

The house in which we were staying hit the jackpot in another way upon listening to the lady - who was in her 60's - that owned the place.  Her speech was thick with the famous rural Yorkshire accent that James Herriot had written about, and in fact that he tried to protect his children from by sending them to elocution lessons so they wouldn't end up talking like that (didn't work, according to his son Jim).

Seattle 2016 - Blue Flowers / Thank You James Herriott

Was glad to be able to fill the frame up with these guys...
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The other day we were flying home from an awesome trip to Colorado, as mentioned a few posts ago and the pictures from which will be featured in the next series, Lord willing.

I've always been a huge James Herriot fan, and am now into my third reading of the core books - All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and The Lord Hath Made Them All.  I saw the first three of those bundled for sale in iBooks, so bought the lot and now have them handy on the iPad.  As stated, this is my third reading; the first time was during my college years in the early '80's, next was in the early 90's when Andrew was small, and now in the late 2010's.  Though I remember the essence of most of the stories, each time it's been like a fresh reading complete with tears in some places and gut-splitting laughter in others.

In fact, it was on this flight from Colorado that I got my family quite concerned that the gut-splitting laughter might lead to real harm.  We were on the descent into Houston while I was into the first Grier story, when the young James Herriot was forced by a neighboring vet to don a wet suit solely for the purpose of handing his boss-for-the-day a pessary during the post-op phase of treatment for a cow in distress.  When the predictable wave of laughter first began to washed over me it was merely a nuisance to Chenjean and Allison, as we were surrounded by other passengers, from which it was impossible to hide the mirth.  Unfortunately for them I was only halfway through the story at that point, so the intensity and depth of my laughter was bound only to increase before it was all over.

Well, the family didn't want to wait that long.  In another minute or so I was doubled over, pounding my leg, trying hard to avoid slapping the seat in front of me instead.  The girls began to plead with urgency, "Please don't read any more!"  In the midst of this uncontrollable surge, and to my amazement, Chenjean even reached for my glasses, threatening to yank them from my head knowing that I can't read without them.  I managed to fend the effort off and finished the story, barely, before we cruised in for a landing.  Exhausted, I leaned back, wiped the tears once more from my eyes, and said a prayer to one long gone, "Thank you, Alf Wight, for making me laugh again!"

From North Heathrow - English Pub

Once we made the decision to stay in hotels instead of hostels, we found some good ones. Our room in Paris was excellent, one I hope to share with my wife and daughter some day.

Heading back to the States we overnightted in North London. Our objective was to keep it quiet for our last night in Europe and get some rest before the long flight home. We didn't expect to be so successful, but this little neighborhood close to the airport was exactly what I'd been wanting to see...a typical English suburb sans tourists.

About a block from the hotel we ran into this pub. I'd had some fixed ideas about what a typical English pub was like, based on James Herriot's books, and found them to be totally accurate. The inside was warm and cozy, the English patrons settling in for a pint on their way home from a day's work. This photograph shows the exquisite care taken to keep the outside immaculate; here you can see to the right a separate place for darts and sports television. The proprietor in the blue shirt is standing watch over the comfort of his guests...all of them English (except us), sitting and smoking and drinking and complaining about the struggles of the day. I finally saw what I came to see in England.

Except Thirsk. I'd like to visit Thirsk, where Jim Wight did his work that became famous in the James Herriot books.
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The other day I discovered something strange about our cat. I suppose that in the cat world "strange" is a relative term, but this was the first time I'd heard of a cat that likes to eat tortillas. Yes, tortillas. And I wouldn't've believed it if I hadn't'a seen it...

Bookmark - Herriot's Flowers (Flowers and Blooms Series)/The Bucket List

Flower cluster taken inside the back garden of the fabled James Herriot's house.  Being there checked off a true bucket list item as I approach the golden years of life.

So what are the other bucket list items?  Let's see...

• Overwintering in the Alaska wilderness, to become a sourdough.  Would be better to spend the entire year in that awesome state.  In fact I told Chenjean that we're ready for such a venture, as I've studied the western coast and now know of its ins and outs, its pleasures and dangers.  No problem.  When pressed, however, I was forced to admit that it was from the deck of a passing cruise ship, but no matter...I read a good book that makes up for the fact that I've not yet actually set foot on those shores.
  
• Hiking the Grand Canyon.  At the right time of year of course.
• Driving up to Maine.  At the right time of year of course.
• Visiting Sweden.  A holdover from having a Swedish childhood friend.  His family was fresh from across the pond, and they all had an accent when speaking English, as Swedish was still their primary language and was what they spoke at home.  I very much enjoyed hearing them speak to each other, especially during heated arguments.
• Returning to spend three consecutive weeks in West Texas.  Would like to get some good rest, and heal a little bit.
• Sharing England's Lake District with Chenjean, plus a visit to Highclere Castle.
  
• Etc. etc...
  

Intro to the UK - A Trip with Andrew

If you read the post dated July 14, 2017 on this blog, you know what a James Herriot fan I've been through adulthood.  The man was just amazing, and his back story as interesting as his books.  I've read the Creatures Great and Small series through three times, and ever since the first have wanted to visit the country where he lived, practiced, and described so vividly and fondly...a bucket list item, if you will.

The chance finally came.  About two years ago my son Andrew went with some friends to the Lake District National Park in the UK.  After returning he gushed on and on about how beautiful the place was, and that I need to go there to take some pictures.  Just my kind of place, he said - it's picturesque all around and the primary pastime is walking the hundreds of trails in the area.  Didn't take long for the idea to strike that, "Hey, why don't we go together and you can show me around?"  Meanwhile, Andrew became engaged to be married in the spring, providing the catalyst to do it sooner rather than later.  This was it - time to make plans!

Discovering that the Lake District is an easy drive from where Herriot lived and worked made it a no-brainer to include a little time there.  We settled on Windermere in the Lake District for the first four nights, two nights in Kirbymoorside near Thirsk, and the last in Manchester before flying from there back to Houston.  But the upcoming posts will not appear in that order, for reasons that will become obvious tomorrow.

Proper planning was done to make this a great trip, with the exception of one thing - I ended up with only ONE CHARGED BATTERY for the Bigger Cahoona, and no charger to rejuvenate it once depleted.  Fortunately it was at 100%, but I had to ration its use on a per-day basis, shooting, say, 10% on a given day but 15% the next because of where we were going to be.  The system worked fine, yielding 1,670 captures more/less evenly spread through the trip, with 7% left at the end of our stay in the UK.  But I wasn't worked up about it either way, photography being the secondary - not the primary - purpose of the journey.  Any keepers brought home were be pure gravy...

Taiwan - Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Building Through Trees #1 / My Favorite Writers

This building can be seen as part of the 4-shot panorama posted on the 25th...saw an opportunity here to take a picture of something through something.
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I read a lot, and if someone were to ask me who my favorite author is I would have to say, of all writers, Bill Watterson is definitely in the top five.  Been slowly working my way through something requested for my birthday some time ago - a four-book anthology of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes - and the man is a genius.  What many don't realize is that the subtleties of his facial expressions and the content included (or not included) in each frame is just as much a part of the writing as what is written in the dialogue or thought bubbles.

In the first book he goes into great detail on his personal journey as a cartoonist and the creative process, recognizing that the obstacles he faced served ultimately to lead him to the famous pair.  This to me is fascinating and mirrors some of the conclusions I'd already reached regarding the thought process and making use of your talents at the expense of apparent immediate success.  I'd highly recommend getting the series even if just to read what is in the beginning of the first volume.

If someone were to push me to name some of the others in the top five I would have to go back to the mid-nineteenth century.  James Silk Buckingham was one, Frederick Douglass another.  Seems that folks back then had longer attention spans and greater powers of concentration than the TV-fed generations of today.  In more recent times - that is, in the middle of the twentieth century - James Herriot (Jim Wight) is up there, as mentioned several times in previous posts.

England - Ambleside Walk, Cows in Pasture

A view like this makes it easy to understand why James Herriot fell in love with the place soon after beginning his work back in the 1940's.  Even in all kinds of weather it must have been fantastic just to drive the dales day by day and practice in settings like this.

England - Honister Slate Mine, Three Figures

Am including this focus-shift example, a little more subtly shifted than yesterday's post, as the last to be posted from the slate mine series.  Next to Byland Abbey this was my favorite shoot of the trip.

Next - on to Thirsk and JAMES HERRIOT COUNTRY!

Taipei - More Banyan Roots / Desire to Write

These banyan roots are remarkable.  They seem to crawl down from most any height, wending their way to soil even if they have to crawl around or through something like this brick wall.  The example below is an extreme case.

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I was visiting with some friends last night, and we got to telling stories.  Got me to thinking I need to get some down on paper myself.  After all, I've been supremely blessed with a varied and interesting life, full of blessings and experiences.

My greatest story-telling hero is Jim Wight, out of Thirsk, England.  He's the vet who wrote the All Creatures Great and Small series as James Herriot.  It's not too often that I'll read books - much less a whole set of them - twice, but I did with his and enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did the first (some twenty years earlier).  After the second reading I found out that his son wrote a biography, so I eagerly snapped it up and learned of the dedication and hard work that went into writing those books...and more publications later on.  The message was clear:  It doesn't come easy.  Once he identified his craft he worked at it patiently over a long period of time, starting in youth.

So how does one start when he's 57 years old?  There are dozens of stories shared over the years that my listeners have often said must be written down.  And at the end of the day, no matter who reads them, at least there will be something to leave for the children and their children to get to know Dad/Grandpa just a little bit better.

Bookmark - Thirsk Medicine Bottle Tops (Rustic Series)

A favorite, this was captured in Alf Wight (aka James Herriot)'s clinic, though he probably didn't use these very bottles.  When it was time to turn the surgery into a tourist attraction they went around and gathered some relics from the 40's and 50's, recreating the atmosphere from the days made so famous in his book.

Bookmarks - Gormire Lake (Landscapes)

This is Gormire Lake, in the Sutton Bank National Park, made famous by the inimitable Jim Wight - a.k.a. James Herriot.  Our visit there marked the ticking off of a true bucket list item during a trip to the Northern Lake District with my son.  We decided to hike a trail to its shores, which was quite a trek!  It was there that this reflection shot was captured and made into another bookmark: