Scotland – part III

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Happy Monday, friends! I hope everyone had a delightful weekend. It was pretty overcast here the whole time, but it was nice to get a bunch of things done around the house. And now, back for round 3 of our Scotland adventure!

I last left you with a sneak peek photo of about 50 barrels of… scotch! I am sure everyone was able to guess what gold was in those barrels. We left Dunkeld bright and early that morning and headed out for a day full of fun. Well, two days full of fun, really. Heading south back towards towards Perth, we made a quick trip to the beautiful Scone Palace, site of the crowning of the King of Scots. Another site where I was unable to take photos inside, I don’t have much to show you on the palace. Although, I did have a friendly encounter with a peacock while I was there!

 
A few more touristy photos, and it was back on the road, making a quick jump west to Crieff for our first official distillery tour at Famous Grouse. There, we ate a delicious lunch and got a tour of the distillery, learning the intricacies of how single malts and blends are made. At the distillery, Glenturret is the single malt made, which is one of several that ultimately go into the blend that is Famous Grouse. At the end, we got to taste a few of the different varieties available. Needless to say, it was quite a fun afternoon!
Largest bottle in the world – real glass and all!
The Famous Grouse Family – via
Cheers!
Heading north to Inverness, we made it to our digs for the next two nights- the beautiful Culloden House. After a delicious meal and some good wine, it was off to bed to rest up for our busiest day yet. The following morning, we made a quick trip to the Culloden Battlefield, site of the 1745 Battle of Culloden. I always find visitor’s centers incredibly cheesy, but the one at the battlefield was incredibly educational and entertaining! Then it was on to the Mackintosh estate at Moy Hall, a real treat as it is not really open to the public. A family friend of my parents’ is a Mackintosh and was able to set it all up for us.
Culloden House
You’d go hungry long before going thirsty!
Hunting and fishing tallies
Hunting and fishing tallies from 1880 and 1881. So neat.
Whew! Already a busy day… And then it got better. We drove way on up north to Golspie to visit the ridiculously beautiful Dunrobin Castle. Oh hello, amazing castle and grounds set right on the coast of the North Sea, don’t mind me if I just move on in! I kid you not, I could have made a home just in the gardens, it was so pretty. We even arrived just in time to see a falconry display in a corner of the gardens situated overlooking the water. It was so much fun to watch, and then wander around taking it all in. Lucky for us, we also spotted two more distilleries on the drive up, so we made it a point to stop by on the way back to Culloden. Quick tastings at the Glenmorangie and Dalmore distilleries, and I would say we had a pretty successful day!
Dunrobin – more than worth the drive!
The clan
Beautiful view of the North Sea
He flew so low over the top of us, I could feel his wings on my hair
 Harry Potter fans? An eagle owl!
Golden eagle – photo does not do justice to his size
Incredible gardens with hundreds of thousands of flowers
Giant rhubarb
The height of the still determines the outcome of the single malt’s taste
Dalmore Distillery

Needless to say, it was a busy and exciting day! We ate dinner that night at the cutest place just a mile or two away from the Culloden House in Inverness called The Snow Goose, and had some fantastic traditional Scottish fare. I highly recommend it if you’re ever in the area! A good night’s sleep was in order, particularly with the days coming up. More on our travels tomorrow!

Scotland – part II

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Guid mornin’ friends! I hope everyone is excited for the weekend… I am still a little jet lagged for some reason, so it will be nice to do not much of anything for a day or two!

Back to our Scotland adventure. From Edinburgh, we started our travels heading northeast to St. Andrews via Fife. In Fife, we visited Falkland palace, which was situated right the in center of the adorable town. There were flowers everywhere I turned, and I loved it. Unfortunately, I was not able to take many photos inside the castle- It is frowned upon and I was caught very quickly! After our quick stop, it was on to St. Andrews, located right on the coast, to see the cathedral ruins and the golf course. Both were incredibly beautiful, but the cathedral really took my breath away. Although it was abandoned in the late 16th century and left to ruin, it is still an awesome sight. The south wall of the nave is still standing, along with part of the south wall of the transept, so it is easy to imagine how large the cathedral was when it was in working condition. The grounds were beautiful, overlooking a cliff down to the North Sea. Since I am not exactly a golfer, we didn’t spend a lot of time on the course, but it was great to wander around the town and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Falkland Palace

Steps worn down from hundreds of years of foot traffic

Town view from inside the palace… I was scolded right after this shot 

 Overlooking the gardens

Wildflowers growing from a stone wall
 St. Andrews Cathedral

“Inside” the nave, with a view of St. Rules Tower {center}

Coastal view

Loved this saying

 

Italian beer with a Scottish lunch
A quick lunch and we were off! Driving through Dundee and Perth to do some sight seeing from the car, we finally arrived in the little town of Dunkeld to stay in the Hilton Dunkeld House for the night. I really loved this place, situated right on the banks of the River Tay, with sprawling grounds full of wildlife. We saw a group of deer right when we turned into the gate, and followed the drive up to the house. We immediately unloaded the car, grabbed a cocktail, and started to look around the grounds. Gun maker Dickson & McNaughton had a workshop/showroom here, so it was fun to see the different types of guns available (and make a bit of a wish-list!).

Outdoor dining at the Hilton Dunkeld House

Fishing cabins available for rent… Yes, please!

 Some of the many activities available {can’t wait to go back!}

 Inside Dickson & McNaughton

Caught in 1936

Edge of the salmon pool

 Morning fog

Early morning fishing
After hours of travel (and that wine), it didn’t take long for me to go to bed. After all, we had quite a full two days ahead of us… Be ready for a hefty post – I’ll leave you with this little teaser!

Scotland – part I

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Hello, dear friends! So sorry for the radio silence for so long… It’s been crazy busy around here, and without much time for my usual outdoor activities, I haven’t had too much to post about. BUT! Part of the silence is due to the fact that I was gone for a little over a week, back to the fam’s motherland – SCOTLAND! The Johnston clan (Dad, Mom, and I) flew over there to do quite a bit of traveling, sight seeing, and scotch tasting. Oh, and there was lots of good wine and good food. Shocking, right? Just kidding. My grandparents, KK and Bo, spent a lot of time traveling Scotland (being Scottish, and all…), so we had an impressive quantity of notes on which to base our schedule. Bo even set up my parents’ Scotland honeymoon schedule 32 years ago! He really couldn’t steer us wrong, and it was an amazing trip with fortunately glorious weather. Even though we didn’t have time to do the fly fishing at Inverlochy that I was hoping to squeeze in due to the outgoing flight schedule, we were able to enjoy a little skeet shoot while we were there. {More on that in another post!} I think I have already talked Dad into going back to do more of the ridiculously fun/impressive hunting and fishing during the appropriate seasons before long!

I took a ton of pictures, so the trip will be broken up into a few posts. Despite my list-making tendencies, I somehow didn’t remember the charger for my GoPro, so you’ll be getting the goodies I got on my Canon and iPhone. Don’t worry- there is still plenty to see!

Flying into Glasgow early in the morning and heading immediately to Edinburgh, we spent a day wandering around the city, taking in sights like the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle, and discovering little whiskey shops and pubs on quiet, quaint streets.

Holyrood

Gardens at Holyrood

Holyrood
 
Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh

One o’clock cannon

Edinburgh from Edinburgh Castle canon hole (I am sure there is a term for that…)

Views like this were everywhere

Loved this whiskey shop

Sorry, Wuan Paco – not one of the bottles I brought you!

b/c I had to…

Cheers!

The beginning of my flower obsession while there…
Marmaduke? Loved this mural on Rose St.

Mom and Dad exploring Rose St.

First official Scottish fish & chips

Finishing our first day with a good night’s sleep at the incredible Balmoral Hotel
Tomorrow, let the Scotland road trip begin!

bear {smell} attack

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Think you’re relatively safe up in a tree stand? Bears are cute and all, but I am not trying to have one scout deer with me. This video is just… I can’t even. If this happened to me while I was sitting in the stand? Please. Let’s not even pretend I would be this calm.

Props to this guy who manages to film the entire event. Be sure to watch until the very end.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jRTrRxamxQ?&rel=0&modestbranding=1&hd=1&autohide=1]

Well said, friend. Well said.

practice makes perfect

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Oh hello, Monday, so nice to see you. Just kidding. After a delightful weekend of being on the water, Monday mornings hit pretty hard. Anyway.. I love summer. Sunshine, boats, fishing… a tan. Who wouldn’t? The only downside is the lack of hunting seasons around here during the summer months- wing shooting in particular. And, let’s be honest, I love me some wing shooting. Duck? Check. Dove? Double check. “If it flies, it dies,” my dad likes to say! Like any sport, though, being a good shot is an acquired skill that needs practice in order to be maintained. Even the most seasoned shooters can be a little rusty after a month or two of no trigger-pulling. That’s where shooting skeet/sporting clays comes in. This provides the perfect way to maintain your skills, as well as practice shots you might find difficult during the season {i.e. an overhead, left-to-right passing shot in the dove field}. I find that I struggle with one or two types of shots each season for whatever reason, and it really helps to practice those shots in the off-season.

Also, using different guns for different types of hunting can be an obstacle in honing your skills. By that, I mean using a light 20 ga. over/under shotgun in September for doves (while wearing just a camouflage t-shirt) is different from using your heavier 12 ga. automatic in December for ducks (when you’re wearing many more layers of clothing). It may take a few shots to get the feel back for the gun you’re using, which can mean a few misses. No thank you! My dad and I try to shoot skeet at least once or twice at the beginning of each season with the gun we will be using to hunt, and I have always found this to be quite helpful.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9F64pGn_Y0?&autoplay=1&rel=0&theme=light&loop=1&hd=1&autohide=0&playlist=N9F64pGn_Y0] 
Happy shooting!

Bohicket: blue marlin wants in

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Hi friends! It’s been a busy week around here, and time completely slipped by me after spending some time at the Bohicket Tournament last weekend hanging out with the main squeeze and the Rascal crew. For a little fun, I loaned them my GoPro so they could get some amazing photos/videos, and could not wait to see what they came back with. To my excitement, they did not disappoint! With tropical storm Andrea making her way up the coast, everyone was nervous about whether or not any boats would be able to fish at all. They were able to, though, and set out bright stormy and early in the rain. That evening, soaked to the bone, the Rascal crew returned to the dock, flying 2 released sail fish flags and 1 released blue marlin flag. Woo! I arrived a little after 7 and we sat down to go through the videos. A few minutes in, we stumbled across this gem. It was taken during the wiring, landing, and release of the blue marlin, and cracks us up every time.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw3GL-GagK0?rel=0&w=480&h=360]

I thought he was getting in the boat, too!

{bad} luck ?

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I came across this hilarious article on Field & Stream last night and just had to share. {I am sure you are noticing a trend with these entertaining stories.} A woman and her husband were enjoying a Beach Boys concert when a buck knocked her unconscious. I. Kid. You. Not. The deer cleared a fence, as well as a group of people, and crashed into this woman while she sat in a lawn chair, knocking her out for a minute and giving her a mild concussion. He then jumped back over the fence and ran into the woods. Talk about a quick getaway. My response was the same as Stewie, but you can’t make this stuff up.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqyixwqiCag?rel=0]
“All of a sudden, I looked over and she was lying on her face on the ground,” Larry Leinen said. “She was knocked unconscious just temporarily.”
“They gave her a shot of morphine,” he said. “After about a half-hour, she felt a whole lot better.”
Read the full article here.
 

catch of the day

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I hope you’re hungry and ready for some deliciousness. As I mentioned yesterday, the Rascal crew was successful in catching some dolphin (mahi, that is- not Flipper!) during the tournament, and we did not hesitate in whipping up a delicious meal with it as soon as we were back in town! I unfortunately did not have my camera with me, but I was able to snap a few before and afters with my phone.

This recipe is incredibly simple- you can play around with the quantities to suit the amount of fish you are preparing. You can also throw it on the grill for some extra flavor if you’re feeling the outdoors!

INGREDIENTS:

2  4-6 ounce mahi filets, about 1″ thick
1 heaping tbsp of capers, plus some of the liquid from the jar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 lemon, sliced thin
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp grated (or shredded) Parmesan cheese
mixed greens

STEPS:

1. If you can, go out and catch some fresh fish! Then filet that beast into 4-6 ounce filets.

2. In a zip-top bag, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and the capers/liquid, along with your fish filets to marinate for 15 minutes or so. It doesn’t need to marinate too long simply because you will also be cooking it in the marinade. Non-stop flavor!

3. Using a sheet of tin foil, create a little pouch that will hold one of the filets. Place the fish inside, and pour the marinade over it so it hits the filet about half way up. Make sure you have gotten some of the capers and garlic on there, too! Repeat with the second filet. Also- preheat your oven to 375*. I always seem to forget about that part.

4. Dot the top of each filet with butter, and place two slices of lemon on top before folding the foil over and sealing the pouch. Place the pouches in a baking dish, just in case there is a leak. I say this because… The one I made leaked. Shocking, I know.

5. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the fish starts to be able to be flaked with a fork. And looks tender and juicy and delicious. Turn the oven to broil, and sprinkle the top evenly with the Parmesan. With the pouch open to exposed that Parmesan-crusted goodness, broil the fish for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese turns a golden brown.

6. Plate on a bed of mixed greens, pouring the liquid from the bottom of the pouch over it all. It will act as an easy, amazing “dressing” for the greens. We had new potatoes and roasted corn on the cob as sides, and thoroughly enjoyed this delicious, easy meal!

Definitely make this simple summer meal- I promise you won’t regret it!

 

46th Annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament

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I hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I spent the weekend in Georgetown, where the main squeeze was fishing in the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament with the Rascal crew. Even though I did not fish with them, it was such a fun tournament, with many reasons to celebrate! On day 2 of fishing, both the Arica and the Sportin’ Life brought blue marlin to the dock, with the Sportin’ Life’s fish weighing in at a whopping 534.2 lbs! What a treat to see not one, but two monster fish landed and brought to the dock.

The best moment, though, was the awards ceremony. Our boys on the Rascal did an incredible job in the tournament, coming in 1st place in the release category and 2nd overall. In addition, they received the Conservation award for the most billfish released, as well as the 2nd place Junior Angler award for a dolphin. We were all smiling ear to ear, and had celebratory drinks on the boat afterwards. I can’t wait for the next tournament!

Lots of fun on the crowded docks

All smiles celebrating 🙂

That’s one big fish!

Junior Angler award!

So proud of these guys!

Looking forward to sharing our recipe for the dolphin, coming your way tomorrow!