(Nearly) favorite family photos of our second year in Scotland

Choosing just a few from thousands and thousands of photos is a blessing and a curse. So many memories to reexamine; too many to share them all.

From more than 20,000 photos during our second year — the capacity of digital cameras and memory cards are a blessing and curse, too — I compiled a few hundred favorites, and then trimmed and shaved and pared to a few dozen. Some good ones simply didn't make the cut.

Of course, this was not a fast selection process for me. You might be thinking I did pretty well, narrowing down the photos from the previous year by early February. And that would be good, if only these photos were from 2015. Actually, they're from June 2014 to June 2015, our second (non-calendar) year in Scotland. Yep, it actually took me seven months to get around to these.

Anyone wanna lay odds on how long it takes me to compile our third year photos?

Hiking is one of our favorite activities, though it's more challenging when encumbered by a toddler. Here, Kate and Jackson enjoy the view on the Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye.

On the beach in St. Andrews, during one of five trips we made to the fantastic city during our first two years in Scotland.

It's an alligator, but Jack decided it was a dinosaur. Because toddler.

Kate and Jackson exploring the narrow lanes of Anafiotika, at the base of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

As you might expect, Kate and Jackson get the bulk of my attention when I'm behind the lens. Actually, only if they're agreeable, or if I catch them unawares.

While visiting Kate's family in Colorado, Jackson got his very first chance to ski.

Taking a breather while exploring the prehistoric sites in Kilmartin Glen, Scotland.

We watched some monkeys groom each other at Edinburgh Zoo . . .

. . . so Jackson had to groom and eat the bugs in Kate's hair.

Baking cookies on Valentine's Day. Could I have made this more like a Betty Crocker advertisement?

Few dogs in the world were more loved than Mattie; I still feel her loss keenly. Click on this link to see her adventures in Scotland.

Mattie was a full-fledged member of our family. Jeez, do we miss her.

Other family members get roped in to my photography, too. In our second year, we had visits in Scotland from my parents, as well as one of Kate's sisters and her family. We also spent three weeks back in the States, which has been our only trip home during our first three years abroad.

I'll even throw in a couple of photos with me in them since, as Kate reminds me, I'm part of the family and should make an occasional appearance in our pictures.

My sister-in-law, Rachel, helps draw your attention to this cup and ring marked prehistoric stone at Clava Cairns in Scotland.

"Oh!" says my niece, Rosalie.

Enjoying the view atop the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye.

My mom, whom Jackson calls "Nana," at home in North Carolina. Looking pretty good for an old broad who'll turn 70 this month.

Jack in a hat, after watching a performance of The Cat in the Hat at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

If only she had seen this sign, perhaps my niece, Macie, might've fared better.

A race back to the car in freezing temperatures.

I'm also beginning to take a few photos of strangers and passersby, though since I have no journalistic reason it feels a bit intrusive, particularly if I publish them online. But, hey, if they're performing in public, they're fair game.

Some Americans seem to think Scots walk around in kilts all the time. Nope. Make no mistake, if someone walks around in a kilt it's a performance of some kind, even if just for attention.

One of several dozen white-robed performance artists strode mysteriously around Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish Borders.

This harrowing horse crash resulted in a broken leg for the rider. Check out the full sequence of the horse crash, which took place over six seconds.

A more scenic view of horse jumping at the Blair Castle International Horse Trials, with Blair Castle as the backdrop.

A military band performing at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

A busking highlands bagpiper at the Three Sisters in Glencoe, Scotland.

Enough about all these random people. Let's finish off this collection of almost favorite family photos with pictures of, well, actual family.

Posing in front of the Acropolis in Athens.

It was a big hit to stop for a chocolate tasting at Skelligs Chocolate on the far western tip of Ireland. We bought a ton of this excellent chocolate.

A North Carolina delicacy.

After visiting Charles Rennie Mackintosh's famed Hill House we took a hike in the hills above Helensburgh, Scotland. Here, a pause for lunch.

On a boat from Iona to the Treshnish Isles to see puffins.

Sometimes, even Kate takes pictures. Jackson reclined in the Kenmare Stone Circle in Ireland.

Hiking through The Whangie in Kilpatrick, Scotland.

Want to see more? Here are the favorites from our first year in Scotland:





Favorite photos of places we visited our first year






(Nearly) favorite photos of places we visited our first year






Favorite family photos of our first year in Scotland






(Nearly) favorite family photos of our first year in Scotland

Monday Exposure: Scott's View

Is it really Sir Walter Scott's favorite view?

Dunno.

But the story goes that Scott passed by this overlook so often that his horses knew to halt here even without his command. Together they would look down the steep hill, across the meandering River Tweed, and out to the rolling hills and farmlands.

Sir Walter Scott's favorite view: over the winding banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish borders. A loop of the river carves a nearly circular valley below.

Sir Walter's Scott's tomb amidst the ruins.

The viewpoint lies near the town of Melrose in the Scottish borders. A few miles to the east lay Scott's grandarents' farm, where Scott spent a few early childhood years convalescing after polio left him lame. In the later decades of his life Scott built a home, Abbotsford House, upstream on the banks of the Tweed, a few miles west of the view. At his death, Scott's funeral procession passed by this spot on its way to his burial in the nearby Dryburgh Abbey, one of the glorious ruined border abbeys in southeast Scotland.

The three-peaked hill in the distance, Eildon Hill, is the remnant of an eons-old volcanic eruption. It lies on the path of St. Cuthbert's Way, a popular hiking trail. A small monument to Scott stands atop the middle peak. Scott's view of the hill is lovely, though better in the morning with the sun at your back than in the afternoon when you may be gazing toward the sun.

Nowadays, to enjoy Scott's View you don't need to hike or ride a horse. It's marked and accessible on a small road, B6356, a mile from Dryburgh Abbey and a few miles from the town of Melrose.

Mattie in Scotland

Mattie visiting Jedburgh Abbey.

Our beloved dog, Mattie, passed away last week. I am devastated.

Conquering the playground.

The end came quickly. Two weeks ago, her only symptom was an upset stomach. When diarrhea persisted for a few days and her appetite diminished a bit, Kate took her in for some tests. At that point, however, Mattie was still her same playful and perky self.

Within two days, Mattie was showing signs of discomfort, vomiting a little and even whimpering a bit in pain. That same day, her test results started to come in. We knew she had cancer, and needed further tests.

Mattie normally slept at the foot of our bed, but that night she wanted to sleep downstairs. I slept there with her.

By the next afternoon, a Saturday, we took her to the university's veterinary hospital, where Kate is a professor of pathology. Over the next 24 hours, Mattie was diagnosed with hepatosplenic lymphoma (liver, spleen, bone marrow, possibly elsewhere), an aggressive cancer which doesn't respond well to chemotherapy. Additionally, she suffered from pancreatitis, GI inflammation, and some blood clotting issues.

By the next day, she had stopped eating. Although her pain was manageable, she was deteriorating quickly. The following morning (last Tuesday), she was nearing the end, and we had to euthanize her. Though the cancer was the root cause of her illness, ultimately it was a variety of secondary effects which did her in.

A blustery winter morning on the shores of the Moray Firth in northeastern Scotland.

We had hoped to stabilize Mattie during her hospital stay, to see if we could eke out a few weeks or months of time. Let her come home, take some walks, perhaps even go for a hike or two. Though chemo was not likely to be of much help, we were prepared to spend the money anyway to see how the cancer responded after a first round. {Ed.'s note: In veterinary practice, chemotherapy for dogs is generally not pursued as a cure, but instead as a management of the disease.} Unfortunately, we never got the chance.

Hiking on the Isle of Skye.

Mattie (short for Matterhorn, a mountain in Bern, Switzerland) was nearing her ninth birthday which, for a Bernese Mountain Dog, is bang on for the average life span. Given how active and spry she was, however, I truly expected to have more time with her. Perhaps not years more, but nonetheless a long span of time. Instead, she went from vigorous and spirited to organ failures in less than a week.

Jackson misses his dog, but has not completely grasped the concept of death. We took him into the hospital to say a final goodbye. After she was euthanized, we had him see Mattie again while we explained that she had died. By doing so, we were hoping to make her death a concrete fact for him. We explained that we won't see her again; she could no longer see or breathe or play or eat or walk; that she was gone forever. When we have our discussions —which he initiates every day, at least for a few minutes — he nods and says he understands. But then some days he'll ask when Mattie will come home from the hospital, or wonder if she needs a toy to play with. Death is not quite as concrete a concept as we had hoped, though I suppose that's natural at his age.

Goofy dog trying to get attention.

I take solace from knowing she led a good and happy life. Her last 15 months — her time in Scotland — were among her best. She no longer had to wait through a workday until we got home. Instead, she had both Jackson and me around full time. We enjoyed numerous walks and hikes. The cooler weather allowed her to lounge outdoors year round, unlike our years in North Carolina when the summer months meant mostly air conditioning and early morning walks. Since Scotland is more dog-friendly than the States, Mattie came more places with us: restaurants, stores, hotels, historic sites.

Crossing the famous Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course in St. Andrews.

Someday I'll write more about wonderful Mattie. She was my first dog. At the moment, it feels like I could never allow myself another.

For now, here are more pictures celebrating Mattie's life here in Scotland. These are some of the images by which I will always remember her.

Posing briefly outside Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye.

Grungy after a hike in Mugdock Park outside Glasgow.

Photobombing at the Machrie Moor stone circles on the Isle of Arran.

Reenacting when the giant, Fingal, tethered his dog at the stone circles.

Christmas morning with a new bone and sock monkey.

Kate took this selfie at Neist Point on the Isle of Skye.

Playing on the beach at Chanonry Point. She loved playing in sand, but wasn't too keen about water with waves.

Resting during a hike in Glencoe.

Exploring the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey.

Romping amidst the ruins with Jackson.

A rainy day walk along the Forth & Clyde canal.

At the Armadale ferry dock on the Isle of Skye, a fabulous landscape photographer has his shop. He takes impromptu photos of the dogs who pass by. (Photo by grumpygeorge)

One of our best hikes ever was on the Quiraing at the northern end of the Isle of Skye.

This photo, on the same hike on the Quiraing, is titled: "Pooping with a view."

On a walk with Grampa Bill.

Every so often, Kate took Mattie to work with her. At lunch they would take walks along the River Clyde in Glasgow.

On the banks of Loch Lomond.

We hiked only a few hours on the West Highland Way. It's one of my great disappointments that Mattie won't be able to hike the full trail with me.

An idyllic morning at the ruins of St. Blane's Church on the Isle of Bute.

I could write "a boy with his dog." But really, it was Mattie with her boy.

If you would, just for me, give your dog a big hug. And take her for a walk today, no matter the weather. You may not know until it's too late when it will be your last opportunity.

This blog is inspired by the idea of carpe diem, of taking opportunities to stretch your boundaries and live without regrets. While I would have loved to have had Mattie for longer, I feel good that I was able to spend quantity and quality time with her. I'm not filled with regret about failing to do things with her and for her.

Nonetheless, Mattie's death helps reminds me that we just don't know how the future will turn out. Live the life you want now. Before it's too late.

We miss you, Mattie. Thanks for being a fantastic companion.