Edinburgh, Sandy Bells

On Saturday July 30, I decided to go to the world famous session pub Sandy Bells, in Edinburgh. Sessions 7 days a week. I was told it is the place for great musicians who are in the area or passing thru to pop in for some tunes. I was told the truth.

I was also told no matter what you do don't try driving in Edinburgh. So what did I do? I drove right into the belly of the beast. I did lots of homework with maps first, and only got turned around a couple of times. I found out the best way to get directions is to ask a taxi driver. One time when I was driving very slow and looking confused, instead of impatiently honking getting aggravated with me, a cab pulled up beside me and asked if I needed directions. you are not gonna see that in New York, that's for sure.

It lived up to all the hype. There was a small session in the afternoon, and a more hopping one in the evening. I had heard the sessions there can get huge with too many players. That was not the case this night. It was perfect. What a blast.

 During the small afternoon session, the players took a break and someone asked me to play a harp tune. I played a tune that nobody ever knows (or so I thought). A gentleman slipped up to the table and picked up a fiddle and played along. I said "wow, you know that tune." He said "I used to play with Ossian." It turned out he is John Martin, the fiddle player from Ossian, my favorite Scottish band (Billy Jackson's old band). He currently plays with the Tannahill Weavers. He asked me what I wanted to play, and we knocked out half the tunes from the Best of Ossian album, just the two of us. What a thrill! Here is a pic of John and me in front of the pub. We talked for quite a while, he told me all about growing up in Glasgow, meeting Billy, the band members, starting the band recording, touring etc. A heck of a nice guy.

When Jo Ellen was my Edinburgh tour guide earlier in the month, we were only a block away and didn't know it. She showed me the statue of a doggie who waited by her dead master's grave for years and years, and the Elephant House, where Harry Potter's author wrote. I set off to do a little busking between the afternoon and evening sessions, and grabbed a few pics along the way.

It was fun playing on the royal mile. Really really fun.

I had no idea where I was going to stay, I asked Fred, the house musician if he had any ideas. He said "in my guest room."  It was all good. Here is me, Fred, and some crazy Scot in the background. We had a lot of laughs.

Hooray for Sandy Bells, a great way to finish up a month of harping in Scotland. I have to return the harp today and pack for home. I'm looking forward to seeing my lovely wife, and the pets and my own harp. The videos are on youtube, I'll put links to them here on this blog soon.
Cheers!

To Dunan's Castle

As a fundraiser to restore the property, the owners of Dunan's Castle are selling one sq. foot pieces of property. It comes with a deed, peat rites, and the official title of Laird or Lady. My sister gave me one for Christmas. So I took a ride to go see it. Here is what I saw along the way.

No this isn't it.

Check out these pictures of Loch Awe (as in awesome):

No that isn't it either. That is Inverary Castle, but I'm getting closer.

There it is, my Castle. Castle Dunans. (So it needs a little work).

This is what greeted me when Laird Mikey arrived.

Flanked by these guys.

So maybe it has gone to the dogs a little, but home is where the heart is.

My bridge.

What a face!

These guys were so sweet. As I was getting ready to go, they hovered around my car and didn't want to let me in. Bye bye doggies, see you next time!

Oban

In desperate need of clean laundry, I found my way to the port town of Oban. What a pleasant surprise!

Of course I had to work a little. I ended up cranking out a few with this guy, who was wailing on the accordion.

This little town was hopping. I stayed at a little B&B, and did a lot of walking. It turned out to be a great pitstop. Armed with clean clothes, I was ready for the last leg of the journey. To visit MY castle (I am Laird of one square foot of property at Dunan's Castle-I have the deed to prove it), to make two more videos, and return the harp to my friend Susie down in Dumfries before returning the car and catching the flight home from Glasgow.

Starfish Harps

After a couple nights in Fort William to recuperate, work on the computer, ride the choo choo and earn a little cash playing the harp, I was ready to move on. Next stop: Ballachulish to visit Starfish Designs and check out their harps.

Perfect busking weather. The tips were great! People are very generous.

Show me to the buffet!

They set me in a room with some world class instruments and invited me to play as long as I wanted, and even brought me tea.

We had a great visit. The guys were very friendly. I can tell these gentlemen really love what they do.  I leaned a lot about their harps and the harp business. It was neat to see different harps being built in various stages. They are masters of their craft. I can see why so many great players use their instruments.

The view out the shop window.

I agree with this sentiment.