A Day in Heaven: Leakey's Bookshop and Café, Inverness

Don't you love serendipity? More than once, it's played an important role in my life-- most recently in the days leading to the month-long trip Denis and I took to the UK. Some of you know that on Fridays I post a batch of (usually) book-related links that I've found on the internet. A couple of weeks before we were due to leave for England, I happened across someone's post of (however many) "most beautiful bookstores in the world." I began scrolling through and after recognizing the first six or seven as ones I'd seen many times before, I almost closed the browser window and moved on. For some reason, I scrolled on... and I came upon a photo of a bookstore that made my jaw drop and my tongue hang out of my mouth. The caption read "Leakey's Bookshop, Scotland." I Googled it, although I was certain I'd find that the bookshop was in Edinburgh, and we were not going to Edinburgh this trip.

Leakey's Bookshop (Photo Credit)

When I clicked on a link and "Inverness, Scotland" was staring me right in the face, I think I shrieked with surprise and sheer glee. Denis and I were going to be staying in a cottage on the shore of the Cromarty Firth... just a few miles out of Inverness!

I told Denis about my find when he came home from work. He found it easily on Google Earth and found out that Leakey's has a Facebook page. He sent them a message about parking and received a quick reply.  Leakey's was officially on our itinerary!


The entire month we were in the UK, it was bitterly cold, and the sun seldom shone. In fact, we saw more sun in the extreme northwest of Scotland than anywhere else on the entire island. But the day we drove to Inverness, the sky was almost uniformly grey with only brief flashes of brilliant sunlight.

As far as I'm concerned, Inverness is the best shopping city in the UK. We parked in a multi-story car park (er... parking garage to us Americans) that was right next to the bus station. Leakey's was a two-block walk from the car park. A couple of blocks in a slightly different direction will take visitors to two different shopping malls-- and this was all in "downtown"-- the old city center of Inverness, on the banks of the River Ness and within walking distance of the castle! Trust me, you just don't get this kind of convenience in the UK (and for a good reason)-- my mind still boggles!

Pedestrian Bridge over the Ness

Leakey's is a block away from the pedestrian bridge across the River Ness, and there are all sorts of marvelous shops along its banks to be explored. But there was a bitter wind blowing, and I had a bookstore in my sights, so I didn't want to tarry long.

In fact, I was in such a hurry to get inside Leakey's that I forgot to take a picture, hence the one I used above from Wikimedia Commons! (Don't worry, the rest of the photos are mine, and you can click on any one of them to see them in their original sizes in a new window.)

Back in 1982, Leakey's stock was spread out in two small shops in Inverness. In 1993, they began the process of converting an old church into their present business. (So if you thought those windows in the first photo looked a bit ecclesiastical, you were correct!)

My first glimpse of Wonderland

After climbing a few steps, Denis and I entered a small vestibule. Up another step or two, open a door, and... look upon a Book Lover's Wonderland! I think Denis took one look at my face and didn't say a word; he just moved on and did his own exploring and browsing and left me to my own literary communion.

Immediately to my left were modern fiction and paperbacks, but I didn't even stop.

My kind of job!

I took a few steps inside and peeked at the woman sitting at the front desk. She was surrounded by stacks and piles of lovely books. Then I think my attention was drawn to the architecture of the building itself... to the row upon row of books... and to the big wood-burning stove in the center of the room, throwing out waves of blessed warmth. I then heard the clink of cutlery upon plates and the murmur of quiet conversation. I looked up and there was the café. It was lunchtime, and it was packed up in that tiny space. The daily menus on Leakey's Facebook page sounded delicious, but the best judges of the food are always the locals, and it was obvious that this was a popular spot to eat. No doubt about it, Denis and I would be sampling the cuisine before we left!

Now I'm going to shut up and let my photos do the talking for me. I hope you enjoy your tour of Leakey's because it's definitely a place that I plan to return to as often as I can.

The heat was welcome on a bitterly cold day.

Spiral staircase leading to the upper floor and café.

Heaven...

I'm in heaven...

Looking over to the café.

From the top of the spiral staircase.

Where we waited for the café to clear out a bit.

Our delicious meals!

Inverness City Center

If you're wondering about those meals in the café, I had the tuna mayonnaise, and Denis had the curried tomato soup. Both were absolutely delicious!

I took many more photos than this, and if you're either a Facebook friend or if you've liked the Kittling: Books Facebook page, you are more than welcome to take a look at all the others. It was a truly wonderful day-- and all because I didn't give up on an article I thought I'd read before!

Saturday Snapshot: The Infamous Butt Shot

While you're doing a little surfing this weekend, make sure you check in at Alyce's excellent blog, At Home With Books, for the list of everyone who's participating in this week's Saturday Snapshot. The rules are easy-peasy, so I hope you'll join us!

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Anyone who's ever tried to photograph any sort of critter knows that one of the most common shots you'll come home with is... drum roll, please... the infamous butt shot. 

A determined Vermilion Flycatcher

Some critters-- like the Vermilion Flycatcher you see above-- seem determined to keep their backs to your camera. (Kinda like I am whenever I see someone holding a camera and looking at me with a speculative gleam in their eye.) I'd hate to tell you how many butt shots I've gotten of a vermilion flycatcher. I don't feel like getting depressed.

"She did NOT just take a picture of my butt! Did she?"

Then there are times when you have the perfect shot lined up-- like I did with this little ground squirrel-- when something spooks it just as you click the shutter. If you're lucky, you'll have a butt shot instead of a photo of a few rocks.

For cryin' out loud... come up for some air, would ya?

I am now firmly convinced that one of the reasons why I went prematurely grey is because of all the time I spent stock-still waiting for water birds to get their heads up out of the water. 

But patience is a very good thing to have, and it is rewarded. Remember how depressed I was over never getting a head shot of a vermilion flycatcher? Well, one day when Denis and I were wandering along the banks of the Hassayampa River outside Wickenburg, a little bit of magic happened....

I finally got to see a face!

And whenever that little bit of magic happens, all those butt shots, all those cricks in my neck and stiff knees, all this white hair on my head... it's all worth while. Set me out in the wide open spaces with my camera and critters to watch, and I'm in heaven. 

Even if the only photos I get are butt shots.

Saturday Snapshot: Along the Apache Trail

Want to see who else is participating in this fun meme? Stop by Alyce's excellent blog, At Home With Books for the complete list, as well as the easy rules (just in case you want to play along, too)!

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The Northeast is scheduled to be clobbered with snow, and we're even being forecast some of the white stuff up in the mountains here, so I thought I would post a few photos of blue skies and sunshine along one of my favorite trails to take visitors: the Apache Trail. Click on any of the photos to view them in larger sizes.

The Apache Trail just outside of Phoenix

 

Just outside of Phoenix, the Apache Trail is a nice two-lane highway. In the shot above we're heading into the Superstition Mountains and not far from the turn-off to the Lost Dutchman State Park.

Apache Lake

The road takes you further and further into the mountains-- and you're also heading right for one of Phoenix's main sources of water: a series of lakes like Apache Lake that you see above.

Canyon Lake up ahead

The Apache Trail doesn't always stay that nice two-lane blacktop. By the time it reaches the first lake in the chain-- Canyon Lake-- the road narrows to one lane over a series of bridges. By the way... did you know that ARIZONA has more boats per capita than any other state in the country? That's a head scratcher, isn't it?

Heading for Roosevelt Dam

By the time you're almost at the end of the trail at Roosevelt Dam, the road is narrow, twisting... and has never been paved (and it's been that way for many miles). It's always a hoot to watch flatlanders travel this road-- preferably from a vantage point off the trail and not inching along behind them!

Saturday Snapshot: Symphony in Silver and Grey

Stop by At Home With Books to see everyone else who is participating in this fun meme. You'll also find the easy-to-follow rules in case you find yourself wanting to play along!

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Last week, Denis and I celebrated my birthday and our anniversary by staying in a small cottage in the mountains just north of the Mexican border in Bisbee, Arizona. For almost the entire length of our stay, we didn't have any sort of internet connection, but we really didn't miss it because it's such a wonderful place to relax, and there are so many things to see and do if we feel like going out and about.

We did feel like getting out and about one afternoon, so we drove over to Whitewater Draw in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County, Arizona. (This one county is larger than the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined, for any of you trivia lovers out there.) The Sulphur Springs Valley is one of the premier birding spots in the world and is well-known for the thousands of sandhill cranes that winter there each year. Denis and I always have to spend some time watching them because it's so much fun. I have to admit that, because of the light, I was reminded of James McNeill Whistler, a late nineteenth-century painter who preferred naming his work things like "Nocturne in Black and Gold" or "Symphony in White," etc.

Now that I've said that, you'll understand the title of this post. It was a day of silver and grey at Whitewater Draw. Hundreds of grey birds, silver water, and reflections that blended one seamlessly into the other. Click on any of the photos to view them in larger sizes.

Whitewater Draw, Cochise County, Arizona

The photo above is of one small slice of Whitewater Draw. The freckles on the farthest edges of the water are sandhill cranes. If the sky is left in the photos, you have no clue what I'm talking about with my "symphony of silver and grey"!

Another shot of Whitewater Draw

Snow geese make a ribbon of white amongst the cranes

See what I mean about the reflections?

A symphony....

Once you crop a bit of the surroundings away from the birds, you can begin to see how this turns into a Whistler-like study of silvers and greys... where images blend into one another so well that you have to look closely to see if what you're looking at is bird or water.

Can you tell that I can spend hours and hours at Whitewater Draw?

Saturday Snapshot: Still Fishin'!

Want to see how much fun people have when they participate in Saturday Snapshot? Head on over to At Home With Books where you'll not only find links to all the other participants, you'll find the easy rules so you can join in, too!

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Last week many of you seemed to enjoy the photo of my fishing egret, so I thought I'd share with you another shot I got of the same egret doing a bit of aerial fishing. Was the egret successful? Yes, it was, but my camera battery died, and I didn't get a picture of its catch! 

Click to view in a larger size.

Saturday Snapshot: Going Fishing

Stop by At Home With Books to find out how easy it is to participate in this fun meme!

While some parts of the world are shivering and wading through snowbanks, there's still plenty of fishing to be had at the Gilbert Riparian Reserve here in metropolitan Phoenix. I thought I'd show you some of the fishermen I met there one afternoon. Click on any of the photos to view them in larger sizes.

Has anyone ever seen a happy egret?

This osprey was happy with its lunch.

Then there are the fishermen who crave peace and quiet. See him?

Oops. He just came out to tell me to be quiet. Shhh!

The Great Blue Heron moved away, but he doesn't need to know about zoom lenses!

Saturday Snapshot: Spines? What Spines?

Stop by At Home With Books to get the links to all the other photos shared by participants in this wonderful meme. The rules are few and easy, so I hope you'll be joining us, too! (Click on any of the photos below to see them in much larger sizes.)

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A photo op at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

This is the time of year when thousands of people from all over the country (and the world) come here to the Sonoran Desert to escape cold, snow and cabin fever. Our mild winters filled with sunshine and plenty of strange things to see keep visitors' cameras working overtime. Some places, like the Desert Botanical Garden, provide photo ops for visitors-- even small plinths on which to place your camera while you run to get into the picture with your friends. 

But just how much thought do you give to those alien-looking things called... what? Saguaro? Prickly pear? Covered with those razor sharp spines, how can they be of any use to anyone or anything?

As I'm about to show you, it's all a matter of perspective-- and what you learned at your mama's knee!

The Arizona state bird-- the Cactus Wren

As you can see above, the Arizona state bird, the cactus wren, doesn't have any problems at all with those sharp spines. In fact, some of their favorite meals and nesting spots can be found in and around various types of cacti.

Snack time, anyone?

And even this little ground squirrel thinks that chunks of cholla cactus are among the tastiest things to eat on this planet. Spines? What spines?

Saturday Snapshot: My Favorite Christmas Tree

Stop by Alyce's excellent blog, At Home With Books, to find out how easy it is to participate in this fun meme-- and to check out all the other participants' offerings as well!


I've been enjoying the fourteen trees that I have in the house this Christmas season, and I thought I'd show you my favorite one both at night and during the day. It's the one I call my Butterfly Tree.

The Butterfly Tree in the light of day.

The Butterfly Tree at night.

Saturday Snapshot: Be Vewy Quiet, I'm Hunting Wabbits!

Alyce hosts this wonderful photography meme on her blog, At Home With Books. Please check her blog for the simple guidelines-- and to get the links for everyone else who's participating!

Last week Denis and I went to the Deer Valley Rock Art Center to look for petroglyphs we might have overlooked on previous visits, and also to see what sort of wildlife might be out and about in the cooler weather.

While I was keeping an eye on lizards and ground squirrels, Denis found a young desert cottontail that seemed to place too much faith in the power of remaining still....

"If I stay really still, he won't see me... right?"

Saturday Snapshot: Gambel's Quail at the Garden

Stop on over at Alyce's wonderful blog, At Home With Books, to get the links for all the other photos in this fun meme. If you aren't one of the participants, you can see the easy rules there, too-- and I hope you'll decide to join us!

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This week I thought I'd share some of the photos I've taken of one of my favorite birds, the Gambel's Quail, here in Phoenix at the Desert Botanical Garden.  They're everywhere at the Garden, if you only bother to look. (Click on any one of the photos to view it in a larger size.)

They can be in small covies in quiet shady places in the Garden....

A small gathering in a glade.

But usually you see one or two darting across the path in front of you.

A scuttle-by

If you're very lucky, you'll be sitting at the Patio Cafe at the right time, and you'll either have...

...a guest at the seat next to you

Or maybe even one that will say...

"I'm ready for my close-up!"

Saturday Snapshot: Sunshine and Shadow

If you haven't joined us already for At Home With Books' Saturday Snapshot, I hope you will. Check with Alyce for the easy rules and regulations for this fun meme!

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This weekend, I thought I'd share a photo with you that was taken at the Butterfly Pavilion at the Desert Botanical Garden here in Phoenix. In the fall, Monarch butterflies are the stars, and I have to admit, there's something mesmerizing about them.

Click to view full size.

A Post-Thanksgiving Saturday Snapshot

For some reason I thought this photo taken at Black Canyon Lake high in the White Mountains of Arizona was rather fitting to post after many of us have enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner. This little golden-mantled squirrel looks a bit like how I felt Thursday afternoon! (Feel free to click on the photo to see it in a larger size.)

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you don't already participate in Saturday Snapshot, I hope you'll click over to At Home With Books to take a look at the easy rules and then decide to join us. We believe in sharing the fun!

Do these peanuts make my cheeks look fat?

Saturday Snapshot: The Opportunist

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at Alyce's excellent blog, At Home with Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

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This week I thought I'd share a photo of one of my favorite birds, the Stellar's Jay, which lives up in the Ponderosa pine forests of Arizona's White Mountains. Like all jays, these birds with the comic book eyebrows are world class opportunists. This guy saw a peanut and sunflower seed buffet that Denis and I had set out for the ground squirrels, and it flew in for its share!

 

Saturday Snapshot: Four Seasons at the Desert Botanical Garden

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

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I thought I'd share something from the Desert Botanical Garden here in Phoenix. Denis and I saw one of the statues through the trees, and it was so eye-catching that we both hot-footed it over to take a look. 

What we discovered was some amazing artwork by Philip Haas called "The Four Seasons."

Click on any of the photos to view them full size. I think you'll want to in order to appreciate all the detail in this art!

After you've taken a look at them all, please leave a comment and let me know which one is your favorite.

Inquiring minds want to know!

Spring, full face

Spring, side view

Summer, full face (& glaring sun...sorry!)

Summer, side view

Autumn, full face

Autumn, side view

Winter, full face

Winter, side view