Beatha Eileanach - Island Life

 I put together a slide show of photos from two trips I took 7 and 11 years ago to the Western Isles in Scotland.  Jennifer encouraged me to go when I was thinking about a place to go surfing when I turned 40. I was born in Scotland and so was my mother, I still have family there so it was great to go back and visit a part of Scotland  I had never been to. Thanks for the encouragement Jennifer!  I was there in Sept. (cold) and then at the end of Feb. beginning of March (very cold).  One of the most beautiful places I've ever traveled to. The waves, wind, rain, snow, sun, the landscape it all comes together to create this magical place that has many faces. Things I remember fondly.. how nice the people are, the slower pace of life,  the beaches, giving a local farmer a ride into town and hardly able to understand what he was saying,  his brogue was so thick.. together we had a good laugh!  first time I was ever denied paddling out the back at a beach break, It was the first time I've ever surfed in the snow, surfing a left reef point break with offshore winds blowing hard and the smell of a peat fire lingering in the lineup and the sheep eating seaweed on the shore. witnessing how the dramatic light transforms the landscape in seconds..the Callanish Stones,  trying to keep warm with a fire of wet and dry driftwood and incinerating my Paul Bowles books in the process,  sleeping in my the van and waking up to good surf..being too cold to surf ..sleeping at Derek's hostel and being warm and dry..surfing a reef by myself with perfect rights and a big seal in the lineup making sure I wasnt going left...eating PBJ and drinking hot tea after a surf...the pub fireplace... Calling Jennifer from a red phone booth in the middle of nowhere, freezing cold in the howling wind and pouring rain and telling her I missed her..  surfing a reef and realized I locked myself out of my van  why I felt the need to lock the door is beyond me no ones there! must have been my city mentality. I bummed a ride into town with my 6/4/3 wetsuit on from the one other guy that was out surfing, he drove me to the van rental agency in town and the owner didn't have the spare key for the van! I walked around town with him in my wettie looking for his mate who had the spare key to the van, I think he was having a laugh on me! no matters I was laughing too! I took all the photos except three of them, a friend took the photos of me surfing one of the rights on the island .I had a wonderful time there and I think of the place often.