Roving Pic: Talisker Distillery

Wind-worn, weathered, washed by the rain, Talisker Distillery stands watch on the edge of the Isle of Skye. With a tradition as rich as its mash tun air, it endures single-mindedly as single malt perfection. 

Roving Pic: Window on Provence

Moulin de la Roque 

Noves, France  

July 2012  

The view from our kitchen window was a lovely distraction as we prepared dinner in the late evening light of summer.

Roving Pic: Lone Windmill

Stone Windmill outside of Ansouis, France

In a Provençal landscape surrounded by ripening vineyards and golden wheat, the windmill stood alone, its hands lazily turning in the mid-summer breeze.

Roving Pic: Vintage Positano

Vintage Shop with a View
 Positano, Italy
July 2011

The Amalfi Coast treasures in front of us couldn't compete with the one behind us. 

Roving Pic: Cliffs of Moher

 Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
June 2010

We stood on green-coated cliffs high above crashing waves, precariously balancing on the very point where the beauty of Ireland meets the endless sea. 

Roving Pic: Spring Break Vineyard View

Charleville Winery
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
March 2012

No beaches. No sun. No tan lines. Just a country winery on a rainy day and a glass of red before noon. Perfection.  

Roving Pic: A Desert Winery in Winter

Desert Winery Workhorse
Verde Valley, Arizona
December 2011

The grapes had long been picked. The desert air had cooled. But, despite the change in season, the winery workhorse remained in its place, guarding the bare vines and the promise of harvests to come.

Roving Pic: Siena Today

 Siena
July 2011 

Siena's past was pressed beautifully into every stone, structure and side street, making the present difficult to see.

Roving Pic: Red Rock Sunset

Sedona at Sunset
December 2011

Majestic. Muted. Magical.

Roving Pic: Lone Tree

Lone Tree
Sedona, Arizona
December 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

Left alone and lovely, its twisted form scattered delicate slivers of shade on its red rock resting place.

Roving Pic: On the Edge

Private Property
Jerome, Arizona
December 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

On the edge of a cliff, supported by a never-ending view and ever-shifting red and gray grit. On the edge of destruction, cracked, crumbling and awkwardly crooked. On the edge of time, suspended in a past that still lingers in the dry, high desert air.

Roving Pic: Red Rocked

Red Giants
Sedona, AZ
December 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

As we followed the trail deeper into canyon, the red giants slept, growing taller and more magnificent with every step. Sufficiently awed and thoroughly amazed, we walked on in wonder amongst them.

Roving Pic: Edge of the World

View from Ravello
July 2011

Our time in lovely Ravello can be summed up with this: One short-lived afternoon with a never-ending view. 

Roving Pic: Day on the Bay

Bay
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

On the surface, it appeared to be a dreary, drizzly day in Positano. But, as the hours slipped by, I realized it was right as rain.

Roving Pic: Positano From Above

A Positano Evening
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

Below us, a twinkling gem was tucked neatly into the hillside. In front of us, the gray sea stretched out, engulfing the horizon. Above us, night slipped in, one delicate shade of darkness at a time.  

Roving Pic: Hide & Seek

Hide & Seek
Positano, Italy
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

The Amalfi Coast air was warm on July 5th. A fingernail moon floated above us and on the waves as we walked, gelato in hand, toward the water. A group of children were already there, dodging each other in the darkness, taking turns counting to "dieci." As they stealthily ducked out of site, cloaked by vacant lounge chairs and closed umbrellas, I realized that a summer night at the beach in Italy was a lot like a summer night at the beach in the States. 

Roving Pic: Cellar

Verrazzano Cellar
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

Dimly-lit and with a distinct chill even in the Tuscan summer heat, the cellar surrounded us with scents of French oak and warm, waiting Chianti wine. The barrels stood guard, silent and proud, reflecting a stream of morning light and centuries of tradition.

Roving Pic: Fork

Chianti Country Fork
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

Getting lost wasn't our plan. When we reached this sparsely-marked fork, we searched in vain for a sign that would tell us we were headed in the right direction. Then we realized that we already were.

Roving Pic: Curious in Italy

Hiding Place
July 2011
Photo: Scott Clark

He was watching us as we were watching him. From his hiding place in the doorway of an ancient stone façade, he sensed our foreign-ness but remained cautiously curious. In this passing moment, it was just him, the native and us, the strangers, finding common ground on Tuscan soil. 

Roving Pic: Walking in Radda

Afternoon Walk
Photo: Scott Clark 
July 2011

They stepped out of their doorway and stepped back in time as they turned down a familiar path in Radda in Chianti. They were no longer in their later years. They weren't slowed by time. They were just two people in love, walking arm in arm on a cloudy afternoon, surrounded by vineyards, cypress-lined hills and memories.

If, in the twilight of my life, I spend my days walking through Chianti country with the one I love, I have no doubt that I will die with a very satisfied soul.