Dornoch’s Delights, 2024

One of the many delights I have had during these last five weeks in Dornoch, is playing the piano in the Cathedral for a couple of hours on weekday mornings, appreciating the stained glass windows and the wonderful acoustics, and interacting with visitors from around the world. I met people from Russia, Italy, South Africa and St. Louis. This Church of Scotland is very much like our Presbyterian Church in Delray Beach, Florida–beautiful stained glass, good acoustics, friendly dedicated members who volunteer– except that it’s 800 years old. In addition to Amazing Grace and Highland Cathedral, I play pieces from Quiet Classics, a collection of piano music appropriate for churches , selected and edited by Keith Snell.

Volunteers welcome visitors from 10 am to 4 pm each day. They say that live music seems to please everyone; guests often thank me whenever I take a break. Yesterday, Marius van Doleweerd, an organist at Saint Nicholas Dutch Reformed Church in Elburg, Netherlands, took my place at the keyboard. The day before it was Peter Wood, a pianist from England, who played Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata from my book. Just hours earlier I had seen a full moon over Dornoch Firth. Today he sent me this video of himself playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D, a new arrangement of a piece I’ve long loved.

Besides classics by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, and Schumann, I also play Spanish favorites I learned for my trip to Spain in June, and pieces by American composers Florence Price, Edward McDowell, and George Gershwin. One visitor was surprised to hear “I Got Rhythm” as he entered a Scottish Cathedral, but I showed him the Angel Bagpiper carved into the organ and assured him that Scots Got Rhythm, too

A special delight the first weekend was to see two beautiful gardens near Dornoch, an event that raised money for charities. Both were owned by fellow altos in the Cathedral Choir, in which I sing each week. Allison’s was Skelbo House which has replaced the nearby Skelbo Castle a ruin from centuries ago. Here are some photos:

While I play the keys, Steve plays the tees. In addition to the Championship and Struie courses at Royal Golf, he has played Tain, Golsby, Brora, and Nairn this year. These are all tough links courses where it’s hard to shoot your age. He has been especially considerate of my bum right knee this year by driving me to and from the Cathedral whenever he can. I can manage the walk back to our rental house–it’s less than a half-mile and includes beautiful gardens like this one on Meadows Road.

More delights:  During the annual Carnegie Shield tournament we co-hosted with the Cooleys and Lisa Craig a party that brought together many Scot and American friends. My contribution was two plates of deviled eggs, several Highland cheeses, and this display of langoustines, crabs and prawns. Between greeting and hosting, we had a nice visit with our Houston friends, Trey and Kimberly Wilkinson. A week before the Shield, eight of us had gathered for dinner at the Castle.

Delights beyond Dornoch included a fabulous tasting experience at the Macallan Distillery on the Spey River with Allene, Lisa, and Charlie. Click here for a detailed description and photos. This album depicts an earlier visit to Carbisdale Castle with Marion, Allene, and two new friends from Charlotte NC, and sheep galore! For a particularly delicious lunch, one day Jim Cooley drove us 20 miles to The Pier in Laird, which had this lovely view. The temperature of 68 degrees contrasted nicely with 88 degrees that day in Boynton Beach!

Last Saturday our neighbor Kerensa Carr hosted a wonderful dinner party that encouraged guests to circulate and get to know each other. I heard such interesting stories from people I’d just met. Here’s Allene and friend Christine Sutherland in Kerensa’s charming garden. The Cooleys had to return early to North Carolina yesterday. Update on August 24, our day of departure: We missed three invited guests at the dinner Iwe had last night at Links House to celebrate Steve’s birthday, but had a grand time. Farewell Dornoch! Until next year!