Instagram story viewer> @maryclareblakebooth> Posts

Mary Clare Blake-Booth

@maryclareblakebooth

1.4K

followers

714

following

📍Oakland, CA • Helensburgh, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
🎨 Prints, watercolors, and more original artwork.
📋 Scotland & California trip ideas & itineraries.

POSTS STORIES REELS

I turned 36 today 🩵 35 was a tough year, but there was at least one major life event I’m happy to share about here. In July, shortly after my Dad passed away, I started full-time at ODC, a dance company and performance space in San Francisco. The only pictures I have (that aren’t the back of lighting and audio consoles) are from when I painted the red wall in my office a light blue. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting a new job only a few weeks after losing a parent, but, in some ways, it was a nice distraction. I’ve especially enjoyed decorating my first ever office!
Funnily enough, it’s exactly the sort of job my Dad would have loved for me, and I like to think he had some sort of hand in it. ❤️ by @maryclareblakebooth

For anyone who might not know, my Dad passed away on July 1st, 2026. He was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2019 and fought for 7 long years. Here’s the most I can bring myself to say for now.

My Dad was born in Kirkmichael in 1946 to my Scottish Grandma and her American Navy man husband. The plan was to move to America, and they did, briefly, but my Grandpa was recalled for the Korean War, and so my Grandma moved her three boys back to Scotland, where my Dad remained until 1959 (he’d want me to share his moment of fame, picture 4). My American friends will never quite understand what it means to be from Kirkmicheal, which is a “wee shame”, as my Scottish family would say, because I think it made him everything he ever was.

My Dad always wanted children, and I’ve been fortunate to live my 35 years and counting knowing that I was wanted. Growing up, my twin brother and I were the only kids in our class with a Stay at Home Dad (a title he did not take lightly). Everyone seemed to know John Booth—teachers, parents, students, even kids in the grades above and below—and everyone had something to say about him. He loved a bit of banter, and he loved to push people’s buttons, but more than anything, he loved to help people. I don’t think there was a single day that our Honda Odyssey wasn’t seated to capacity, and I can recall very few afternoons that our friends and classmates weren’t running around our house after school.

Despite hardship in his youth, and later in Vietnam, my Dad had a gentle heart. One of my earliest memories is of attempting to rescue a mosquito hawk (“Daddy longlegs” for the Scots) from our toilet bowl. I was very young at the time, and, fascinated by the swooping quality of this strange creature’s movements, I didn’t go to my Dad for help until it was too late. The mosquito hawk didn’t make it, and I’ll never forget the look on my Dad’s face. I could tell in that moment, how important that creature’s life was to him, and I’d grow to learn that (even though he was a proud atheist) all lives, all people, all creatures—no matter how small or strange—were sacred to him.

cont’d in the comments… by @maryclareblakebooth

The Isles of Mull & Iona on film, April 2026 💚

📷 Canon AE-1, Kodak Portra 160

#scotlandiscalling #visitmullandiona #visitscotland by @maryclareblakebooth

What’s the story in Balamory? 💙

The setting of the popular kids television show Balamory was inspired by Tobermory, where we spent the second half of our honeymoon, on the Isle of Mull. It was our first time visiting Tobermory, and we happened to be there the week they screened the Balamory reboot for the locals, just before it premiered on TV the following week. It felt like a very special time to visit the island, just before “Mayhem” (as our B&B hosts referred to the month of May) and the busy summer months that follow.

Mull is a large island, with plenty of rugged landscapes and charming villages to visit, but I don’t think any trip would be complete without a visit to its capital, Tobermory. There is no shortage of things to see and do (and eat) in this picturesque harbour town, and we can’t wait to go back someday. 🌈🍦💙

#scotlandiscalling #takeninscotland #visitmullandiona #visitscotland #balamory by @maryclareblakebooth

While visiting the Isle of Mull in April, we went on a guided nature walk with Mull Magic. We wouldn’t have been able to find most (or perhaps any) of the places pictured above without local guide and Mull Magic founder, Ruth Fleming, who knows the island like the back of her hand.

Ruth’s walks are like no other. For ours, she offered door-to-door service from the Western Isles Hotel in Tobermory, a packed lunch (including piping hot soup kept warm in a thermos), as well as tea, coffee, and scones to enjoy at the end of the walk.

From start to finish the whole experience was simply, well, magic!

#isleofmull #scotlandtrip #scotlandtravelguide #scotlandiscalling #visitmullandiona by @maryclareblakebooth

The Isle of Iona is regarded as the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland, after St. Columba traveled there from Ireland in AD 563 and founded a monastery. Iona Abbey remains a site of pilgrimage for people from all around the world, and if you’ve been once, I think you’ll feel a pull to return.

After a long day of travel to get all the way from Helensburgh to Fionnphort, we wanted to take it easy on the second day of our honeymoon, so we decided to make our own pilgrimage to Iona, which for us only consisted of a 10 minute ferry crossing.

Whether you’re religious or not, Iona is an undeniably special place. You can feel it—even before you take your first steps on its shores—as the ferry makes its way through the impossibly beautiful aqua and cerulean waters surrounding it. Many people say they feel a kind of peace as soon as they step foot on the island, and indeed, I think there is a certain hum to Iona that makes it unlike anywhere else.

I took a very odd mix of photos while we were there — some on my big camera, some on my film camera, and some on my phone. I wasn’t sure how to share them all, so these are all of the ones from my big camera, if anyone cares 😂🩵 by @maryclareblakebooth

A few hours well spent in Oban, drinking and eating!

I got all the film from our honeymoon developed, and I am so pleased with how it came out, especially from this leg of our journey from Helensburgh Upper (origin station Glasgow Queen St.) to Oban.

The second photo is of one of my favorite mountain ranges to behold, but probably never conquer with my weak ankles, The Cobbler. (I am working on strengthening my ankles though, so never say never, I suppose!) I loved seeing it from the train window and am so happy it’s visible in the picture — you never know with film!

The majority of the photos are taken at the legendary Oban Seafood Hut, aka “The Green Shack”. Here, I ate mussels with my fingers for the first time! I’ve only ever eaten mussels at fancy restaurants, where they give you all that tiny cutlery — what an absolute faff, I’ll be eating mussels with my fingers forever now!

I think it might have been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life, sitting at that long wooden table, listening to the low murmur of tourists and the loud squawking of gulls, my husband by my side, watching — slightly scandalized — as I picked each mussel from its shell and savored the taste.

I will remember this day, I think, forever 💛

P.S. There is one sneaky picture taken on my iPhone, the one of the mussels and oysters!

#portra160 #canonae1 by @maryclareblakebooth

Final days of our Honeymoon on the Isle of Mull: A bus journey from Fionnphort to Tobermory, followed by a tour and tasting at Tobermory Distillery. Check-In at the Western Isles Hotel, where we spent most of our honeymoon fund on a room with a view overlooking the harbour. An educational walk with Ruth of Mull Magic — sightings included oyster catchers, sandpipers, seals, a hazel wood, hazelnuts, otter straint (but no otters), and loads of sheep and lambs! Dinner at The Gallery followed by a ceilidh and concert (music by Falasgair) raising funds for the local sports hall. A visit to the Glass Barn/Isle of Mull Cheese Shop where we did more of our favorite activity — eating. A little scoop at the ice cream shop in town, and sea views at sunset from the hotel restaurant on our last night.

An unforgettable week with my Moo ❤️ by @maryclareblakebooth

Days 2 & 3 of our Honeymoon on the Isle of Mull: Cosy evenings and mornings spent at our B&B, Staffa House, with breakfast prepared by our lovely host (and excellent chef) Chris. A short ferry ride to the Isle of Iona and a visit to the illustrious Iona Abbey. Two dinners at The Keel Row, one followed by live music, and a decadent hot chocolate at The Lazy Cow. Plus, lots of highland cows and a rainbow! 🌈🎻💛 by @maryclareblakebooth

Day 1 of our Honeymoon on the Isle of Mull: Passing through Dalmally Station on the West Highland Railway Line. A quick visit to the legendary green hut in Oban, where the staff were celebrating a young man who’d just passed his driving test. An hour long ferry from Oban to Craignure, followed by an hour long car ride from Craignure to Fionnphort. Not pictured: The numerous demonstrations on the proper use of passing places by our capable host. Dinner at The Creel Seafood Bar, and a nightcap as the sun set from the comfort of our B&B. 💕 by @maryclareblakebooth

I have been quiet on here for a few months now. I don’t feel like I owe an explanation as to why, but I’ve been feeling the pull to start writing again, and since I’ve used Instagram as a diary of sorts for nearly a decade now, I want to start where I left off and address what caused my silence.

On December 2nd, 2025, my husband and I had to choose BE (behavioral euthanasia) for our beautiful boy, Wally. He passed away at 1 year and 10 months old.

Wally was, for a time, my entire world, and forever, my entire heart. I loved this boy more than I knew it was possible to love anything or anyone, and his absence is felt in every waking moment, as well as, at times, in my sleep. I hope someday we are reunited and can spend eternity making up for all the years we were cheated here on Earth. My beautiful boy. My Wally Bunga. My Bumble Bee. ❤️

I’ve written a post on Substack detailing our decision and everything leading up to it, for anyone who feels like they need or want a better understanding. You can find that through the link in my bio. by @maryclareblakebooth

Not sure how 35 could possibly top 34, but I’ll just have to wait and see 🥳🥂💕 by @maryclareblakebooth