Philosofishal by Carrie Tangenberg

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A habitat of original essays, poetry, photos, travel guides, reviews, fiction, art, and creative inspiration.

See the Menu tabs above and visitor hot springs below.

What’s New

A rare celestial gem, the total solar eclipse

Dip a toe or have a swim.

Wild (and not-so-wild) nature and science

Dog DNA breed identification series

A Dog’s DNA, Part 1 – rethinking purebreds and guessing our mutt’s ancestral mix
A Dog’s DNA, Part 2 – our surprising dog DNA test results with family reactions
A Dog’s DNA, Part 3 – clearing up the “mismatch” and why visual breed ID needs to end

My life with dogs, birds, critters, parks, and nature poetry

Charms and challenges in dogs and dog training
Backyard Brief series, field notes and photos from an armchair naturalist
Local color and adventures
Wild Verses: Bits of Nature Poetry, a series sampling my original poems

Arts & travel

Books/TV

Outlander STARZ TV series, Outlander book series

Most popular in TV: Adapted Bawdy Lyrics from Season 1
Most popular in books: Live Event with Diana Gabaldon
I recommend: Sandringham in Outlander STARZ – Beyond Adaptation

Scotland because Outlander because . . . Scotland

Most popular: An Outlander Tourist in Scotland series
I recommend: Scotland Ventured, Scotland Gained

**An Outlander Tourist in Scotland: The Complete Series**

An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 1 – introduction and Central Lowlands filming sites (Edinburgh and environs), featuring the STARZ show’s Fort William, Castle Leoch, Crainsmuir, 1940s/1960s Inverness, and Lallybroch

An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 2 – Central Lowlands filming sites continued (Glasgow and environs), featuring the show’s L’Hôpital des Anges and the Bois du Boulogne of Paris, exterior for Culloden House, Outlander Studios in Cumbernauld (sets for most interiors), and some in the Southern Uplands such as Reverend Wakefield’s house and the Duke of Sandringham’s second home

An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 3 – introduction to the Highlands plus Highland filming and book sites from Perthshire & Glencoe northward, including the show’s Craigh na Dun, the real Fort William, Loch Ness, landmarks of the Frasers of Lovat and the Mackenzies, and Culloden Battlefield

An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 4 – our planning process and sample itineraries, all that went into making our trip great

Review: Slainte Scotland Outlander Tour + Outlander Tourism Resources – all about our Outlander day tour and all you need to plan your own, including a list of 40 book and filming sites used as of late 2017

An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 6 – a comprehensive, experience-based travel guide to visiting Scotland and the UK