Steele and Hatch Productions

Little did I know, but Nichole and Tiffany are directors on the side. They made this great video of some of things we've done here. Check it out!

SNP Conference

The SNP held their conference in Perth this past weekend, and we drove up to spend Friday afternoon listening to speeches, meeting party members and getting pamphlets from the political groups that descend on such events.

"Do we not remember McDiarmid’s words? 'Scotland Small?Scotland small? Our multiform, our infinite Scotland small? Only as a patch of hillside may be a cliché corner to a fool who cries ‘Nothing but heather!’ Scotland’s only small to those who think small. It’s time to think big." These are the words of Alex Salmond, who will become First Minister should the SNP form a government next year. He spoke on Friday to a full auditorium, and his passion for Scotland and for the party's potential was electric. I do not agree with everything the SNP wants to do, and I'm not quite certain about independence, but I see a lot of potential for them next year and that's exciting.

You have to really look for me, but I just made it into this picture with Alex Salmond. DId you find me? Rich and I are standing in the backround. Liz, Nichole and Tiffany, though, met him and got this great picture with him. He seems to be personable and sincere. Hearing his speech was by far the highlight of my conference experience.

Hunting for Castles!

We spent Saturday afternoon driving around the countryside looking for Castles. If I lived in Scotland, I would find a nice cottage outside the city - it is so beautiful here! It seems that most castles in Scotland are ruins, including Drochil Castle, which we climbed around and explored. The other castle was 'closed' for the winter, apparently, and the people who lived on the grounds pretended not to be home.

Van Gogh Exhibit

The Dean Gallery was exhibiting some Van Gogh works, and we went just before it concluded. The most famous piece on exhibit was Wheat Field with Cypresses, and I especially this and other pieces from later in his life. I could have looked at some of his paintings all afternoon!

Edinburgh Architecture

From top to bottom : Edinburgh Castle, view of Waverly Station from the National Gallery on Princes Street, the Sir Walter Scot Monument, Church of Scotland on Royal Terrace (I walk by this every day on my way to work), a lovely cottage at the west end of Princes Street Gardens, view of the Scot Monument from the 'Mound,' on the Roayl Mile, and Holyrood. I'm not in any of these... no fun, but the buildings speak for themselves, and I promise I was behind the camera!

Edinburgh Central Mosque

Tiffany, Rich, Emma and I spent a Saturday together around Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Central Mosque had an exhibition and opened its doors to public, so we decided to go. It was an amazing visit. We arrived at five o’clock, just in time for a prayer service, and sat quietly and watched as the men participating lined up side by side and followed the Imam through the service. We then joined with other visitors and spoke with a nineteen-year-old student who fearlessly answered questions about topics ranging from the doctrinal basis of Islam to some of the difficult political and cultural issues facing the world. He was impressive and reminded of us of LDS missionaries! The four of us tried to focus our questions about the history and doctrines of Islam. Our two-hour visit taught us a lot about Islam and the Muslim people. This was a great opportunity.

Karaoke Night

I sang the Motown classic, "Dock of the Bay"

And then there were six! Tiffany and Emma, from Idaho and Chicago, respectively, are here doing an internship with LDS Employment Services. Here we are at Karaoke on a Saturday night. Below, clockwise from me – John, Tiffany, Liz, Nichole, Emma, and Rich.

Above - Rich's friend from Canada, Sarah Irving, who goes to school in Stirling. She joined us for Karaoke - in fact, it was her idea that we go!

Four Interns in Scotland

Fab Four! Nichole and Liz from the University of Utah decided to come on the internship too. We met up on a Sunday Evening to see a chamber concert at St. Giles Cathedral, then walked around the city. An old Scottish man was kind enough to take this picture of us. He surprised us with a lot to say about Scotland and the changes – most bad! – that he had seen. There are some passionate people in this country! Also included are pictures from shopping at Asda and a jumping picture at Princes Street Gardens.

Arthur's Seat

Rich and I spend a Saturday morning hiking Arthur’s Seat together. We more or less meandered up the hills until we got to the top, and then meandered back down, taking time to relax along the way. Arthur's seat is a must do for Edinburgh.

Bagpipers!

Tourists love to see bagpipers clad in the full Scottish garb. Here are a few of the most classy I've seen!

Two BYU Interns

This is Rich Wood and I heading out to report to Parliament for our first day. It’s been great to have Rich here, especially for the first few days. It felt oddly like he was my mission companion. We had to work hard not to say, “Elder” to get the other’s attention! We actually spent a lot of time that first week at the library working on our first assignments.

Pictures at Princes Street

I decided to spend my first day discovering the city and unabashedly taking picture after picture. What better time to be a true digital camera weilding tourist than my first day? This is the view from the west side of Princes Street Gardens, which are still one of my favorite places in Edinburgh. I even had a beautiful sunny day to enjoy them for the first time!

Arriving in Edinburgh

This is the Castle Rock Hostel. Rich Wood and I arranged to stay here; other students had stayed for extended periods, and were able to work to get cheaper rents. After a few days, we were looking for somewhere else. Long term hostel living just isn't for me!



I arrived at the Castle Rock hostel in Edinburgh without my luggage on a rainy day. My bags arrived in London, but didn't make it to Edinburgh. It turned out for the best - my bags were delivered the next day directly to my hostel! After arriving, I decided to set out and explore the Royal Mile. I saw the trail up to Arthur's Seat, the hill next to Holyrood, and I couldn't resist! This is the view of the new Parliament building from the trail. Some people have said the landscape layout looks like a giant tree.