I have wandered into a brand new world. It is a land of hormones, attitude and noise, constant noise. The land is called Middle School. Many years ago I helped to design the plan for this thing called middle school. In our minds it was a utopia for adolescents. A safe world not exactly elementary school and definitely not a mini high school. The children would be charming and the staff would be caring and classes would be designed around the needs of the students. Ahh, the eighties.
People ask me how I like middle school. That's a hard one to answer. I am very grateful to have a job. I am blessed that it came about. I am learning something new almost every day. But how do I like it? Like any new job, I am a little lost, a little confused, a little excited and very tired. I do have resources and people to go to so at least I do not have to figure out every thing on my own. I really like having a scripted curriculum that I can enhance with my own ideas. I love my ESOL buddies on my hallway. I like most middle school humor and there are several kids that I have bonded with and really enjoy seeing every day. Oh, and I adore getting out of school at 3:10 and being able to leave a lot of responsibility behind for the day.
One thing that has shocked me is the freedom kids think they have to say anything to an adult. If I could ban the phrases "whadidIdo?", "Oh my God" (said in a tone that implies you are the stupidest thing in the world), and "shut up" (not to me but to classmates) I would do so. I get soooo tired of hearing them. I have been threatened with "telling my mom", or"telling my dad". I reply that I am going to tell my mom (or dad) too. That usually gets a shocked look followed by a laugh and we just go on. Those things seem minor but there is definitely an air of disrespect that was not there several years ago.
Another adjustment for me is the isolation that I feel. I come to school, go to my room, see my colleagues at passing period, see my team first thing in the morning, eat by myself in my room, teach and go home. I am just not used to that. But, it is a lesson that I need to learn and it certainly keeps me out of trouble.I'll keep you updated as the year goes on. After all, it is only September.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Irish Adieu
For those of you who have been waiting for me to finish my reflections on Ireland, wait no longer. I have decided that I am not going to write one. I just don't think I could find the words to adequately describe the experience.
I am very thankful that we got to go despite the events of this past spring. It was an incredible experience. The country is beautiful and the people are friendly. We had a wonderful time.
Keep checking back to the Prairie Wanderer. Or better yet, become a follower. My next journey is going to be the adventures of making my Little House in the Big Woods quilt.
Slainte!
I am very thankful that we got to go despite the events of this past spring. It was an incredible experience. The country is beautiful and the people are friendly. We had a wonderful time.
Keep checking back to the Prairie Wanderer. Or better yet, become a follower. My next journey is going to be the adventures of making my Little House in the Big Woods quilt.
Slainte!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Irish Reflections
Greetings All,
I am sorry that it has taken so long to add my reflections on our trip to Ireland. I think I just had to put it aside for awhile and let my thoughts mull a bit. Plus, I have been mentally and physically tired since our return and just haven't felt much like writing. But, I will try to sum it all up tonight.
Random Thoughts:
When I was in Ireland I dreamt about home. Now that I am home, I have been dreaming about Ireland. Last night I dreamt that I got a job and moved there. Somehow, I magically learned Gaelic so that I could teach there.
I miss Bulmers/Magners Cider. No one seems to carry it here in Wichita. Woodchuck just doesn't cut it. Apparently Bulmers and Magners are the same product. However, outside of the Republic of Ireland it is called Magners.
Riding on the bus doesn't seem as bad now that I'm not doing it every day. I might consider taking a bus tour again some day.
Air travel isn't as fun as it used to be. As Ken said, the flying part is great but the process you have to go through to get on the plane takes a lot of the fun out of flying.
I wish we would've sprung for the 15 day trip and stayed through the next week of the tour. However, last Monday I was ready to go home!
************************************************************************************
Monday morning we joined our tour friends for breakfast one last time. Ken and I were the only people leaving the tour early. Apparently the Irish Interlude and the Irish Adventure tour go the same places the first week of the tour. At the time I booked our tour, I just didn't think I could afford a longer tour so I booked the 10 day tour instead of the 15 day tour. Anyway, before breakfast we found our guide and driver and gave them their tip and told them goodbye. Adrian and Ken both kissed me on the cheek when they said goodbye. I know it is customary but I was impressed.
Around 9:00 our taxi driver picked us up for our trip to the airport. He was a character and talked the whole way to the airport. He made a point of pointing out the bar where Bill Clinton drank while he was in Dublin. He said that Clinton didn't even drink Irish beer, he drank American. He seemed quite put out about that.
Once at the airport we checked in and went through security. Irish security is nothing like American security. For one, you don't have to take off your shoes! But let me tell you a story to illustrate the difference.
I packed all of my souveniers and gifts in my hand luggage and made sure I didn't have any liquids other than the Jameson I was bringing home. At security I told the agent that the only liquid I had in my bag were two little bottles of Jameson. I offered to take it out and she said "oh no love, don't worry about it." When she scanned my bag however she asked if I was sure I didn't have any other liquids. I told her I was pretty sure. She then asked "do you mind if I take a look in your bag love, I'm seeing something and I don't know what it is." She ASKED if she could look in my bag! When she looked she found a small round candle that I bought at Knock Shrine. She said "oh, it's just your holy candle. No problem then. I'm sorry to bother you." She APOLOGIZED! Now, in Chicago, we had to go back through security after going through customs. Ken forgot that he had a coke bottle in his bag. The agent in Chicago weighed about 300 lbs and was sprawled in a chair watching the screen in front of her. When Ken's bag went through she heaved herself up, yanked it out of the scanner, ripped open the zipper and pulled out the coke. She YELLED "Whose bag is this!"Ken told her it was his. Although he was standing in front of her she yelled "you can't take this with you. You can't take this through security!" Like he was stupid or something! I'll take Irish security any day.
Our flights were uneventful although the plane in Chicago had to go back to the gate because of a hydraulic leak. They fixed it quickly and we were only a half hour late. One bag got to Wichita but the bag with all the dirty laundry came on the next plane. I made them deliver it the next day instead of waiting for it to arrive. I think I was hoping that they would do my laundry.
It was a nice trip but as Dorothy says, "There's no place like home!" I do want to share my thoughts about Ireland but tonight, my brain is too tired. I'll get back to it sometime this week.
I am sorry that it has taken so long to add my reflections on our trip to Ireland. I think I just had to put it aside for awhile and let my thoughts mull a bit. Plus, I have been mentally and physically tired since our return and just haven't felt much like writing. But, I will try to sum it all up tonight.
Random Thoughts:
When I was in Ireland I dreamt about home. Now that I am home, I have been dreaming about Ireland. Last night I dreamt that I got a job and moved there. Somehow, I magically learned Gaelic so that I could teach there.
I miss Bulmers/Magners Cider. No one seems to carry it here in Wichita. Woodchuck just doesn't cut it. Apparently Bulmers and Magners are the same product. However, outside of the Republic of Ireland it is called Magners.
Riding on the bus doesn't seem as bad now that I'm not doing it every day. I might consider taking a bus tour again some day.
Air travel isn't as fun as it used to be. As Ken said, the flying part is great but the process you have to go through to get on the plane takes a lot of the fun out of flying.
I wish we would've sprung for the 15 day trip and stayed through the next week of the tour. However, last Monday I was ready to go home!
************************************************************************************
Monday morning we joined our tour friends for breakfast one last time. Ken and I were the only people leaving the tour early. Apparently the Irish Interlude and the Irish Adventure tour go the same places the first week of the tour. At the time I booked our tour, I just didn't think I could afford a longer tour so I booked the 10 day tour instead of the 15 day tour. Anyway, before breakfast we found our guide and driver and gave them their tip and told them goodbye. Adrian and Ken both kissed me on the cheek when they said goodbye. I know it is customary but I was impressed.
Around 9:00 our taxi driver picked us up for our trip to the airport. He was a character and talked the whole way to the airport. He made a point of pointing out the bar where Bill Clinton drank while he was in Dublin. He said that Clinton didn't even drink Irish beer, he drank American. He seemed quite put out about that.
Once at the airport we checked in and went through security. Irish security is nothing like American security. For one, you don't have to take off your shoes! But let me tell you a story to illustrate the difference.
I packed all of my souveniers and gifts in my hand luggage and made sure I didn't have any liquids other than the Jameson I was bringing home. At security I told the agent that the only liquid I had in my bag were two little bottles of Jameson. I offered to take it out and she said "oh no love, don't worry about it." When she scanned my bag however she asked if I was sure I didn't have any other liquids. I told her I was pretty sure. She then asked "do you mind if I take a look in your bag love, I'm seeing something and I don't know what it is." She ASKED if she could look in my bag! When she looked she found a small round candle that I bought at Knock Shrine. She said "oh, it's just your holy candle. No problem then. I'm sorry to bother you." She APOLOGIZED! Now, in Chicago, we had to go back through security after going through customs. Ken forgot that he had a coke bottle in his bag. The agent in Chicago weighed about 300 lbs and was sprawled in a chair watching the screen in front of her. When Ken's bag went through she heaved herself up, yanked it out of the scanner, ripped open the zipper and pulled out the coke. She YELLED "Whose bag is this!"Ken told her it was his. Although he was standing in front of her she yelled "you can't take this with you. You can't take this through security!" Like he was stupid or something! I'll take Irish security any day.
Our flights were uneventful although the plane in Chicago had to go back to the gate because of a hydraulic leak. They fixed it quickly and we were only a half hour late. One bag got to Wichita but the bag with all the dirty laundry came on the next plane. I made them deliver it the next day instead of waiting for it to arrive. I think I was hoping that they would do my laundry.
It was a nice trip but as Dorothy says, "There's no place like home!" I do want to share my thoughts about Ireland but tonight, my brain is too tired. I'll get back to it sometime this week.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
In Dublin's Fair City
In Dublin's fair city
Where the girls are so pretty
I once met a girl named Sweet Molly Malone.
We didn't hear anyone crying "cockles and mussels" today but we did see Dublin's fair city and more. This was our last day with the tour. Our tour mates are all on a longer tour so today is their half-way point. Sunday's in Ireland are very slow until noon when mass is over or they wake up from partying the night before. So, CIE usually plans for a slow Sunday giving everyone a break. We joined our guides at 9:30 and found that Adrian had decorated the bus with a variety of American flags. He was even wearing an American flag tie. I really appreciated that little touch.
We drove around Dublin a bit but there are so many twists and turns that it was hard to keep track of where we were. We finally ended up at Trinity College and qued up for the Book of Kells. Briefly the Book of Kells is a 1500 year old transcription of the 4 Gospels beautifully illuminated with Celtic designs. We also saw the Brian Buru Harp, the national symbol of Ireland. It was very crowded so I didn't stay long. Shopped a bit then reboarded the bus.
We had 3 options today, visit Guinness, visit the Jameson Distillery or take a bus tour. Ken and I decided that we have seen several breweries in the US and have never seen a distillery so we went to Jameson. Jameson Irish Whiskey has been distilled since the 1700's. John J. Jameson came to Ireland to learn how to make a better whiskey than they had in Scotland. I am not a fan of whiskey but I have to say, the way they drink it here, with cranberry juice, was quite good.
After Jameson then we walked back across the Lithey river to the Ben Burdock Fish and Chips. It was sooooooooooooooooooo good! I dare say it was the best meal we've had here. It is made and served in the traditional style, wrapped in newsprint (not newspaper) and placed in a brown bag. Wish I could bring some home. We brought it back to the hotel and ate and then we both crashed for about two hours.
Tonight we strolled over to Temple Bar to the Hard Rock Cafe to eat and buy our hat and shirt. This is the 15th HRC that I have been to all over the world now. The food isn't great but it is tradition. After dinner we took a slow walk down Temple Gate, the oldest street in Dublin. It is a bar and pub area with many buskers, something like Covent Gardens in London. It was very fun and a nice bit of Ireland. Then to a cash point (ATM) and back to the Blu. Our travel Visa is low on funds so I guess that means it is time to go home. Once home, I will write a summary of my thoughts about the trip as a whole so be checking back.
Now it is time for a soak and to pack for tomorrow. We will join our mates for breakfast and then take a cab to the airport for our 12:55 flight. If all goes well we will be back in Wichita around 8:00 p.m.
Hey Erin, do they have Bulmer's at home?
See you later then!
Where the girls are so pretty
I once met a girl named Sweet Molly Malone.
We didn't hear anyone crying "cockles and mussels" today but we did see Dublin's fair city and more. This was our last day with the tour. Our tour mates are all on a longer tour so today is their half-way point. Sunday's in Ireland are very slow until noon when mass is over or they wake up from partying the night before. So, CIE usually plans for a slow Sunday giving everyone a break. We joined our guides at 9:30 and found that Adrian had decorated the bus with a variety of American flags. He was even wearing an American flag tie. I really appreciated that little touch.
We drove around Dublin a bit but there are so many twists and turns that it was hard to keep track of where we were. We finally ended up at Trinity College and qued up for the Book of Kells. Briefly the Book of Kells is a 1500 year old transcription of the 4 Gospels beautifully illuminated with Celtic designs. We also saw the Brian Buru Harp, the national symbol of Ireland. It was very crowded so I didn't stay long. Shopped a bit then reboarded the bus.
We had 3 options today, visit Guinness, visit the Jameson Distillery or take a bus tour. Ken and I decided that we have seen several breweries in the US and have never seen a distillery so we went to Jameson. Jameson Irish Whiskey has been distilled since the 1700's. John J. Jameson came to Ireland to learn how to make a better whiskey than they had in Scotland. I am not a fan of whiskey but I have to say, the way they drink it here, with cranberry juice, was quite good.
After Jameson then we walked back across the Lithey river to the Ben Burdock Fish and Chips. It was sooooooooooooooooooo good! I dare say it was the best meal we've had here. It is made and served in the traditional style, wrapped in newsprint (not newspaper) and placed in a brown bag. Wish I could bring some home. We brought it back to the hotel and ate and then we both crashed for about two hours.
Tonight we strolled over to Temple Bar to the Hard Rock Cafe to eat and buy our hat and shirt. This is the 15th HRC that I have been to all over the world now. The food isn't great but it is tradition. After dinner we took a slow walk down Temple Gate, the oldest street in Dublin. It is a bar and pub area with many buskers, something like Covent Gardens in London. It was very fun and a nice bit of Ireland. Then to a cash point (ATM) and back to the Blu. Our travel Visa is low on funds so I guess that means it is time to go home. Once home, I will write a summary of my thoughts about the trip as a whole so be checking back.
Now it is time for a soak and to pack for tomorrow. We will join our mates for breakfast and then take a cab to the airport for our 12:55 flight. If all goes well we will be back in Wichita around 8:00 p.m.
Hey Erin, do they have Bulmer's at home?
See you later then!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
A Tale of Two Cities
You are very welcome to my wanderings today!
I didn't post while we were staying at Ballygally because they charged 10L for the internet which would be about $13 and I am too Scotch to pay for only a few hours of internet usage. I will catch you up as best I can today. I apologize if you worried that we had blown off the edge of the Giant's Causeway. I assure you, we are in one piece.
We spent most of yesterday in Northern Ireland. I found this fascinating. I remember back some 36 years ago when we read about the troubles in Northern Ireland in our Weekly Readers. I also remember Anne Laughlin and I shaking hands and saying that although she was Catholic and I was Protestant, we could still be friends. I don't know why I remember that silly little thing, but I do. And on Friday, I stood where the troubles started. I won't bore you with the history, you can look it up on wiki or Google it if you want to know more.
Derry is a small town in Northern Ireland. If you are a Republican you call it Derry. If you are a Unionist you call it Londonderry. It is a town divided-the flag of the Republic of Ireland may fly directly across from the flag of the United Kingdom. However, the bombings and the majority of murders ended with the Good Friday Peace Treaty in 1998. There are remnants of the past alongside evidence of the healing that has taken place in the past decade. We took a walking tour down the wall of Derry with a very engaging guide named Rowan McNamara. He was tall, had a booming bass voice and looked like the actor Mako. Yes, Rowan is half-Chinese and half-Irish. He says it made for an interesting childhood. I very much enjoyed the tour. A rather humorous sight was the statue of Queen Victoria in the Guild Hall. Guild Hall was blown up several times during the troubles. One time, the hall was pretty well destroyed. The bomb was placed at the base of Queen Vic's statue and launched her about 70 feet up and over. Her head came off, her hand was shattered but she was repaired and still stands majestically in the grand hallway. She was not amused.
After Derry we traveled to the Giant's Causeway on the Atlantic Coast. Mrs. Jones would have loved to take her ALC'ers to this geological formation. The Causeway was formed by a volcanic eruption. The magma cooled to form columns and six sided stones made of basalt. It is a strange scene but one I would love to explore in the future. We didn't have enough time to see it all but what we saw was intriguing. The wind was so strong that it would blow me off balance so I didn't venture out to the edge of the rocks like some.
Last night was spent in Ballygally Castle on the coast. I was not impressed. The room was nice enough but small. It wasn't air conditioned and we were on the side without a breeze. To top it off, there was a wedding in the hotel and several drunk, giddy Irish girls stood outside in the car park talking with one of our younger men. He was having a great time entertaining them. I was not having a great time listening to them so about 12:30 a.m. I called reception to complain. Apparently the desk clerk took care of the problem because it did finally get quiet.
Today we moved on to Belfast, another city divided by religion and politics. But again, healing has occurred. Any violence that goes on there is committed by thugs who use the name of religion to carry out their violent fantasies. There are murals all over the city recalling the heroes and martyrs of the fighting. The Belfast Hospital is renowned for their expertise in neurology and head injuries because of all the people injured by bombs in the twenty years of war. Ken O'Connell said that if you ever need a titanium plate in your head, Belfast is the place to come. Isn't that a sad legacy?
We had a step on guide whose name was Billy on the Protestant side of the river and Liam on the Catholic side of the river. I must confess that my Kwells kicked in about that time and I slept through most of his tour. I guess I wasn't alone. Several of my tour mates confessed to doing the same.
This afternoon we visited the Battle of the Boyne historic site. This was the first battle between King William, King James and Louis of France. Billy had pushed Jimmy out of his kingship so Jimmy got Louie to help him fight Billy near the Boyne River. Billy won.
We progressed on to Dublin and arrived around 3:30. Dublin reminds me a bit of London although it is in the Republic and not Northern Ireland. Our hotel is the Radisson Blu and is a true luxury motel. Now, don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the uniqueness and quaintness of our other hotels and inns but it is nice to have air conditioning and an ice machine. Three of our hotels have had twin beds rather than doubles as does the Blu. I tell Ken we are Lucy and Desi-ing it! I would think Ken would enjoy not having me toss and turn next to him like I usually do but I think he misses me. Awwwwww....
We had an evening out at the Merry Ploughboy Pub. Music and Irish dancing. It reminded me of the Lazy B in Estes Park. An Irish chuckwagon dinner only we had a choice of gourmet dishes and drank Irish coffee for dessert. We were served at our table rather than carrying our tin plate under the cold peach but, the ambience was the same.
Tomorrow is our last day before we go home. We take a short bus tour of Dublin and visit the Book of Kells at Trinity College. Then, we are on our own. We have a voucher for the hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city and a voucher to tour either Jameson Whiskey or Guinness. We will probably tour Jameson as we have been to several other breweries. We plan to find the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and to buy a hat and t-shirt. I will try to blog again tomorrow night and then Monday we head back to the US. We are the only one's from our tour who are leaving on Monday. The others are part of a longer tour.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July. We sang God Bless America on the bus coming to the hotel tonight. In honor of our holiday, we get to sleep in tomorrow. Woo hoo! Enjoy the fireworks for us.
A Very good night!
I didn't post while we were staying at Ballygally because they charged 10L for the internet which would be about $13 and I am too Scotch to pay for only a few hours of internet usage. I will catch you up as best I can today. I apologize if you worried that we had blown off the edge of the Giant's Causeway. I assure you, we are in one piece.
We spent most of yesterday in Northern Ireland. I found this fascinating. I remember back some 36 years ago when we read about the troubles in Northern Ireland in our Weekly Readers. I also remember Anne Laughlin and I shaking hands and saying that although she was Catholic and I was Protestant, we could still be friends. I don't know why I remember that silly little thing, but I do. And on Friday, I stood where the troubles started. I won't bore you with the history, you can look it up on wiki or Google it if you want to know more.
Derry is a small town in Northern Ireland. If you are a Republican you call it Derry. If you are a Unionist you call it Londonderry. It is a town divided-the flag of the Republic of Ireland may fly directly across from the flag of the United Kingdom. However, the bombings and the majority of murders ended with the Good Friday Peace Treaty in 1998. There are remnants of the past alongside evidence of the healing that has taken place in the past decade. We took a walking tour down the wall of Derry with a very engaging guide named Rowan McNamara. He was tall, had a booming bass voice and looked like the actor Mako. Yes, Rowan is half-Chinese and half-Irish. He says it made for an interesting childhood. I very much enjoyed the tour. A rather humorous sight was the statue of Queen Victoria in the Guild Hall. Guild Hall was blown up several times during the troubles. One time, the hall was pretty well destroyed. The bomb was placed at the base of Queen Vic's statue and launched her about 70 feet up and over. Her head came off, her hand was shattered but she was repaired and still stands majestically in the grand hallway. She was not amused.
After Derry we traveled to the Giant's Causeway on the Atlantic Coast. Mrs. Jones would have loved to take her ALC'ers to this geological formation. The Causeway was formed by a volcanic eruption. The magma cooled to form columns and six sided stones made of basalt. It is a strange scene but one I would love to explore in the future. We didn't have enough time to see it all but what we saw was intriguing. The wind was so strong that it would blow me off balance so I didn't venture out to the edge of the rocks like some.
Last night was spent in Ballygally Castle on the coast. I was not impressed. The room was nice enough but small. It wasn't air conditioned and we were on the side without a breeze. To top it off, there was a wedding in the hotel and several drunk, giddy Irish girls stood outside in the car park talking with one of our younger men. He was having a great time entertaining them. I was not having a great time listening to them so about 12:30 a.m. I called reception to complain. Apparently the desk clerk took care of the problem because it did finally get quiet.
Today we moved on to Belfast, another city divided by religion and politics. But again, healing has occurred. Any violence that goes on there is committed by thugs who use the name of religion to carry out their violent fantasies. There are murals all over the city recalling the heroes and martyrs of the fighting. The Belfast Hospital is renowned for their expertise in neurology and head injuries because of all the people injured by bombs in the twenty years of war. Ken O'Connell said that if you ever need a titanium plate in your head, Belfast is the place to come. Isn't that a sad legacy?
We had a step on guide whose name was Billy on the Protestant side of the river and Liam on the Catholic side of the river. I must confess that my Kwells kicked in about that time and I slept through most of his tour. I guess I wasn't alone. Several of my tour mates confessed to doing the same.
This afternoon we visited the Battle of the Boyne historic site. This was the first battle between King William, King James and Louis of France. Billy had pushed Jimmy out of his kingship so Jimmy got Louie to help him fight Billy near the Boyne River. Billy won.
We progressed on to Dublin and arrived around 3:30. Dublin reminds me a bit of London although it is in the Republic and not Northern Ireland. Our hotel is the Radisson Blu and is a true luxury motel. Now, don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the uniqueness and quaintness of our other hotels and inns but it is nice to have air conditioning and an ice machine. Three of our hotels have had twin beds rather than doubles as does the Blu. I tell Ken we are Lucy and Desi-ing it! I would think Ken would enjoy not having me toss and turn next to him like I usually do but I think he misses me. Awwwwww....
We had an evening out at the Merry Ploughboy Pub. Music and Irish dancing. It reminded me of the Lazy B in Estes Park. An Irish chuckwagon dinner only we had a choice of gourmet dishes and drank Irish coffee for dessert. We were served at our table rather than carrying our tin plate under the cold peach but, the ambience was the same.
Tomorrow is our last day before we go home. We take a short bus tour of Dublin and visit the Book of Kells at Trinity College. Then, we are on our own. We have a voucher for the hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city and a voucher to tour either Jameson Whiskey or Guinness. We will probably tour Jameson as we have been to several other breweries. We plan to find the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and to buy a hat and t-shirt. I will try to blog again tomorrow night and then Monday we head back to the US. We are the only one's from our tour who are leaving on Monday. The others are part of a longer tour.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July. We sang God Bless America on the bus coming to the hotel tonight. In honor of our holiday, we get to sleep in tomorrow. Woo hoo! Enjoy the fireworks for us.
A Very good night!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Donegal Traveller
Top O' the Mornin'We had a bit of a late start today since we didn't board the bus until 9:00. It was nice to be able to sleep a little later especially since it was cool and rainy outside. To avoid another bout of motion sickness I avoided the Irish breakfast and had a good ol' American breakfast of cereal and toast.
Our journey today took us to the north of County Donegal near the Atlantic coast. We visited Glenveagh National Park and Castle (http://www.glenveaghnationalpark.ie/). It is a lovely wooded area on the banks of a serene lough or lake. Glenveagh Castle was built by John George Adair in 1859. In 1861 he forcibly evicted 243 tenants who were legally, by contract, living on his land simply because they detracted from the beauty of his castle. Adair later moved to Colorado, bought a ranch from Charles Goodnight in Texas and then split his time between the ranch and the castle. He died while hunting buffalo in Texas. His wife continued to keep up the castle and the ranch. The castle was later sold to a professor from Harvard who mysteriously disappeared during a research trip to the Aran island. The castle was then sold to it's final private owner, George McIlhiney who lived in the castle until he gave it over to Ireland in 1986. The castle and grounds are now a national park. The castle is fairly modern and quite different than other castles I've visited in that it reflects its final owners rather than the time period in which it was built.
We ate lunch in the little tea room at the castle while listening to 3 old men who were singing Irish pub songs. They were just as you would picture them to be and were quite delightful.
We journeyed on to the Atlantic cost stopping in Downing (Dunning) for ice cream and then on to Letterkenney for some free shopping time while our guide went to the doctor as he hasn't felt well all week. Letterkenney is the largest city in Donegal and the fastest growing in IE. However, they need a new mall. It was probably the least interesting hour that we have had on the tour.
Dinner is at 7:15. Our meals have been an experience. Breakfast is always a full Irish meaning eggs, rashers (like bacon), bangers (sausage), tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, blood pudding and toast. There is always fruit and cereal as well. I have not tried the blood pudding! Lunch is on our own wherever we might be. Dinner is table d'hote meaning a 3 course meal of appetizer, main dish, dessert and tea or coffee. We usually have a choice of fish, poultry, beef or pasta as the main course. The food is outstanding, just heavy.
Tomorrow we leave at half-eight to head to Derry aka Londonderry by the British, and the Giant's Causeway. We sleep in Ballygally castle tomorrow night.
Well that's the news from Stranolar (Stran-no-lar). Later then.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Tuesday From Hell and A Wonderful Wednesday
Cead Mile Failte Ya'll,
The wonderful news is that my purse was returned to me at dinner on Tuesday with everything in it and, I only threw up once today!
I don't even really remember where all we went yesterday during the day. I know we stopped at Connemara Marble and I was still feeling pretty good. Then we progressed on up into the hills and stopped at a lovely Benedictine Abbey where Madonna was going to send her daughter but they wouldn't accept her. Then we got on a catamaran in the Killary Fjord and ate lunch while cruising down the fjord. That was very nice. But, let me back up.
We are on a very tight time schedule. We have to have our suitcases in the hall at a certain time, be at breakfast at a certain time. Get on the bus at a certain time and so on. They told us that if we weren't on time, they would leave without us. Fortunately, that wasn't true on Tuesday. I remember waking up enough to hear voices outside in the parking lot. I thought that someone was getting an early start because I have been waking up about 5:30 every morning. I dozed back off, waiting for our wakeup call. Presently the phone rang but it wasn't the wake up call we were expecting. It was Ken our guide saying "Laura love are you comin' with us?" I was wide awake then! Yes we were coming. I hung up' jumped up and so did Ken. We were dressed and down to the bus in less than 10 minutes! At least we had a good excuse-my alarm clock was locked in my suitcase and the key to the suitcase was in my purse which was locked in the CIE office downtown. And, our wake up call was never made. No breakfast, rough looking and embarrassed we joined the bus that hadn't left without us.
Back to the Catamaran tour. The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious and we had a very nice time. Back on the bus we headed toward the village of Cong for our Quiet Man tour. A few miles into the trip, in the back of the bus, on a bumpy road, I began to feel very nauseous. I moved to an empty seat thinking if I could be cooler, I would be ok. Not so. I will spare the indelicate details but I became VERY sick. Several times. By the time we reached Cong I would have felt better dead. I did not enjoy the tour and spent much of it sitting with my head in my hands. One of our tour mates gave me a motion sickness pill that helped and I slept all the way back to the hotel. I felt sick most of the evening but I was able to enjoy the Irish Music and Dance show that we went to called Trad on the Prom. It featured several key performers from Riverdance plus a few of the local talent and was very good.
Today we left earlier than usual and despite the pill, I got sick once but was fine the rest of the day. Maybe it was the holy water from the Knock Shrine, I don't know. Our first stop today was the Knock Shrine. Back in 1879 I believe, a local woman and several other villagers saw a vision of the Holy Mother surrounded by angels on the wall of the Knock church. The vision was verified and in 1935 or so, it was officially .made a shrine. It was a holy place and I was able to step in for the opening prayer of Mass. In Ireland, most masses are 30 minutes or less. Meghan, you will have to tell Father Jim to cut it shorter from now on. We then went to the Museum of Country Life in Co. Mayo. It is one of 4 national museums and sits on the former Fitzgerald "farm". I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let's just say that real life in rural Ireland between 1865 and 1950 was much darker than what you see in the movies.
Our next stop was Drumcliffe Abbey and the grave of W.B. Yeats. Cute little church but since I don't remember much about Yeats it wasn't a highlight. The highlight of the day (besides not throwing up) was the Beleek Pottery Factory. We had a nice tour of the factory. I now understand why Beleek is so expensive. The pieces that look woven and that have the teeny weenie flowers are very labor intensive. One craftsman was working on pedestals for large candles. He said they would be sold on QVC in September. I said "Rose of Tralee Day" and he lit up and said Yes! I told him that I only watch QVC two days out of the year, Rose of Tralee and St Patrick's. He said to watch for his candle holders so I will. I spent way too much in the show room but the nice thing is that they are shipping it home for me for the same as I would have spent on tax if I'd taken it home with me.
Our last stop was our hotel in Stanolar/Ballyfoe, a little town in the mountains. It is a delightful family run inn called Kee's Inn. It is just what you would picture an Irish upscale inn to be. They treated us to a welcome drink before dinner. I also had a Bushmiller's Vintage Cider. Yummy! I guess I am feeling better. Dinner conversation was fascinating as we sat with an older couple who are professors in California. Several of our tour mates are going next door to a very traditional pub but I am being a party pooper. I don't want to push it. If I still feel well tomorrow night, maybe we will go.
I kind of had my crying jag yesterday and just decided to start over today. We are on the last half of our tour and it is going to be even better. I bought my own supply of Kwell's (same as dramamine) and will be very careful abo ut what I eat at breakfast tomorrow.
Slán go fóill !
The wonderful news is that my purse was returned to me at dinner on Tuesday with everything in it and, I only threw up once today!
I don't even really remember where all we went yesterday during the day. I know we stopped at Connemara Marble and I was still feeling pretty good. Then we progressed on up into the hills and stopped at a lovely Benedictine Abbey where Madonna was going to send her daughter but they wouldn't accept her. Then we got on a catamaran in the Killary Fjord and ate lunch while cruising down the fjord. That was very nice. But, let me back up.
We are on a very tight time schedule. We have to have our suitcases in the hall at a certain time, be at breakfast at a certain time. Get on the bus at a certain time and so on. They told us that if we weren't on time, they would leave without us. Fortunately, that wasn't true on Tuesday. I remember waking up enough to hear voices outside in the parking lot. I thought that someone was getting an early start because I have been waking up about 5:30 every morning. I dozed back off, waiting for our wakeup call. Presently the phone rang but it wasn't the wake up call we were expecting. It was Ken our guide saying "Laura love are you comin' with us?" I was wide awake then! Yes we were coming. I hung up' jumped up and so did Ken. We were dressed and down to the bus in less than 10 minutes! At least we had a good excuse-my alarm clock was locked in my suitcase and the key to the suitcase was in my purse which was locked in the CIE office downtown. And, our wake up call was never made. No breakfast, rough looking and embarrassed we joined the bus that hadn't left without us.
Back to the Catamaran tour. The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious and we had a very nice time. Back on the bus we headed toward the village of Cong for our Quiet Man tour. A few miles into the trip, in the back of the bus, on a bumpy road, I began to feel very nauseous. I moved to an empty seat thinking if I could be cooler, I would be ok. Not so. I will spare the indelicate details but I became VERY sick. Several times. By the time we reached Cong I would have felt better dead. I did not enjoy the tour and spent much of it sitting with my head in my hands. One of our tour mates gave me a motion sickness pill that helped and I slept all the way back to the hotel. I felt sick most of the evening but I was able to enjoy the Irish Music and Dance show that we went to called Trad on the Prom. It featured several key performers from Riverdance plus a few of the local talent and was very good.
Today we left earlier than usual and despite the pill, I got sick once but was fine the rest of the day. Maybe it was the holy water from the Knock Shrine, I don't know. Our first stop today was the Knock Shrine. Back in 1879 I believe, a local woman and several other villagers saw a vision of the Holy Mother surrounded by angels on the wall of the Knock church. The vision was verified and in 1935 or so, it was officially .made a shrine. It was a holy place and I was able to step in for the opening prayer of Mass. In Ireland, most masses are 30 minutes or less. Meghan, you will have to tell Father Jim to cut it shorter from now on. We then went to the Museum of Country Life in Co. Mayo. It is one of 4 national museums and sits on the former Fitzgerald "farm". I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let's just say that real life in rural Ireland between 1865 and 1950 was much darker than what you see in the movies.
Our next stop was Drumcliffe Abbey and the grave of W.B. Yeats. Cute little church but since I don't remember much about Yeats it wasn't a highlight. The highlight of the day (besides not throwing up) was the Beleek Pottery Factory. We had a nice tour of the factory. I now understand why Beleek is so expensive. The pieces that look woven and that have the teeny weenie flowers are very labor intensive. One craftsman was working on pedestals for large candles. He said they would be sold on QVC in September. I said "Rose of Tralee Day" and he lit up and said Yes! I told him that I only watch QVC two days out of the year, Rose of Tralee and St Patrick's. He said to watch for his candle holders so I will. I spent way too much in the show room but the nice thing is that they are shipping it home for me for the same as I would have spent on tax if I'd taken it home with me.
Our last stop was our hotel in Stanolar/Ballyfoe, a little town in the mountains. It is a delightful family run inn called Kee's Inn. It is just what you would picture an Irish upscale inn to be. They treated us to a welcome drink before dinner. I also had a Bushmiller's Vintage Cider. Yummy! I guess I am feeling better. Dinner conversation was fascinating as we sat with an older couple who are professors in California. Several of our tour mates are going next door to a very traditional pub but I am being a party pooper. I don't want to push it. If I still feel well tomorrow night, maybe we will go.
I kind of had my crying jag yesterday and just decided to start over today. We are on the last half of our tour and it is going to be even better. I bought my own supply of Kwell's (same as dramamine) and will be very careful abo ut what I eat at breakfast tomorrow.
Slán go fóill !
Monday, June 28, 2010
Luck of the Irish
Mammaw always said that the luck of the Irish was bad luck and I am beginning to believe it in my case. My bad luck today began when my net book died. I couldn't get it to charge yesterday and by this morning it was gone. Predicament #1
Today is Monday and it is 10:09 p.m. here or 4:00 p.m. CST. We just returned from a walk down the Galway Bay promenade and it is still light out. It reminds me of when we went to Scotland when the girls were little. They would have to go to bed when the sun was still up and they got up with the sun as well. Meghan finally asked if the sun ever set in Scotland! It is the same way here. It will finally be dark by about 11:00.
Following our full Irish breakfast, we left our hotel In Ennis at half-eight this morning in the heavy, foggy rain. Our destination was the Cliffs of Moher. Ken O'Connor, our guide kept assuring us that it would clear off by the time we got there. No such luck. It was raining even harder when we got there. Predicament #2. Our tour company gave us rain ponchos but I decided just to wear my windbreaker that I thought was waterproof. We walked up the hill to the top of the cliffs and of course, couldn't see anything but fog and rain. To top it off, the wind was blowing as it does along the coast. My windbreaker was not waterproof and my umbrella couldn't take the wind. By the time we got back to the visitor's center, I was soaked. I took off my windbreaker and my entire back was wet, my legs were wet and the front of my sweater was wet in two very embarrassing spots. Ahem. Predicament #3. Luckily there was a family toilet (that's what they are called here, I'm not being indelicate) with a blow dryer. I took my sweater off and dried the spots fairly well. If you want to check out the Cliffs of Moher go here:http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/.
We traveled on to the Burren Way, a prehistoric area of tombs built from the native limestone. (http://www.discoverireland.ie/Search-Results/Details.aspx?touristItemID=13038) The rain had let up a bit so we didn't get as wet going out to see the Burren. I wasn't too impressed having seen Stonehenge and Mushroom Rock but maybe I was just too waterlogged by then. We were able to stop and walk up to a very scenic view of Galway Bay just before our lunch. I will post pictures later.
Lunch was at a small pub in a little town somewhere between the Burren and Galway. I forget the name but I know it started with a K. We have seen so much today that my brain is a little foggy. I tried the seafood chowder and an open face sandwich. And Erin, I had my second Smithwick's at lunch today. I even got Dad to drink 2 yesterday! I was afraid it would be too dark for him but he liked it. Maybe because of the beer or maybe because I wasn't used to carrying it but some of you will guess what happened next with my purse...Predicament #4.
As we were approaching Galway City I reached down to get my purse. Guess what? It wasn't there. I had left it several km away at the pub. I thought Ken would throw me off the bus. Passport, euros, dollars, Visa etc. all in the purse. We were sitting just behind Ken the guide so I sheepishly told him. Not to worry! He got on his phone, called the pub and they had it. He told them to put it on the "service bus" at quarter-two and send it down to the CIE office Inspector in Galway City. Adrian the steerologist (our driver) was on his phone telling the office to expect it and to put it in the Inspector's office. Long story short, it came in sometime after 4:00, it is locked in the inspector's office and I will have it sometime tomorrow. Ken the guide said that things like this happen all the time and that the majority of Irish are very honest and will take care of your belongings for you. I am trusting this is so but say a prayer anyway please. My Ken decided not to be mad at me although he said he was going to staple it to my body from now on.
At some point today we stopped at the Well of St. Briged's Well in Liscanor (http://www.castlebar.ie/news/article_2705.shtml) I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the pictures of it. Meghan, maybe she will look over my purse for me?
In Galway City we visited a shopping mall where you had to pay .30€ to use the toilet and then Ken and I walked through the green where JFK gave a speech in 1963. After we visited the Cathedral of our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicolas. (http://www.galwaycathedral.ie/) The city of Boston helped to fund this cathedral in the '60's. It is quite beautiful and contains a small mosaic of JFK to commemorate his connection as a freeman of Galway City.
Back on the bus and off to Connemara Celtic Crystal. We learned from 86 year old Mary Mullally how the crystal is designed and cut. The crystal is not sold in Ireland outside the showroom and is sold via Internet or shops in other countries. It is very beautiful unique crystal. I purchased two small bowls, one in the claddagh design and one in the famine design. Mary was quite a character and we learned a great deal about her one of a kind crystal designs.
We are now at the Galway Bay Hotel. The front of the hotel overlooks the bay and our room overlooks the parking lot :-(. Predicament #5, the key to our second suitcase, the one with my netbook and medication in it, is in my billfold, in my purse, in the CIE office. So, I won't sleep well and I will hurt tomorrow but that's my own fault I guess. I was able to use the business center here at the hotel to write this post. I was afraid you'd think the black gang got us if I didn't post today.
Tomorrow we go to Connemara Marble (!) , take a catamaran cruise and then to Cong for the Quiet Man walking tour. Tomorrow night we are going to an Irish dance show at the hotel next door.
Just a note, dad always said that he is black Irish. Unless we are descended from the Spaniards, I don't think so. Also, most of the O'Dea's were Catholic...hmmmm. And, Luana, I tried to take over the castle but there weren't enough of us to hold onto it. Besides, it was kind of damp inside and I don't think I would want to live in it.
Have a wonderful day, night whatever time of day it is where you are!
Today is Monday and it is 10:09 p.m. here or 4:00 p.m. CST. We just returned from a walk down the Galway Bay promenade and it is still light out. It reminds me of when we went to Scotland when the girls were little. They would have to go to bed when the sun was still up and they got up with the sun as well. Meghan finally asked if the sun ever set in Scotland! It is the same way here. It will finally be dark by about 11:00.
Following our full Irish breakfast, we left our hotel In Ennis at half-eight this morning in the heavy, foggy rain. Our destination was the Cliffs of Moher. Ken O'Connor, our guide kept assuring us that it would clear off by the time we got there. No such luck. It was raining even harder when we got there. Predicament #2. Our tour company gave us rain ponchos but I decided just to wear my windbreaker that I thought was waterproof. We walked up the hill to the top of the cliffs and of course, couldn't see anything but fog and rain. To top it off, the wind was blowing as it does along the coast. My windbreaker was not waterproof and my umbrella couldn't take the wind. By the time we got back to the visitor's center, I was soaked. I took off my windbreaker and my entire back was wet, my legs were wet and the front of my sweater was wet in two very embarrassing spots. Ahem. Predicament #3. Luckily there was a family toilet (that's what they are called here, I'm not being indelicate) with a blow dryer. I took my sweater off and dried the spots fairly well. If you want to check out the Cliffs of Moher go here:http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/.
We traveled on to the Burren Way, a prehistoric area of tombs built from the native limestone. (http://www.discoverireland.ie/Search-Results/Details.aspx?touristItemID=13038) The rain had let up a bit so we didn't get as wet going out to see the Burren. I wasn't too impressed having seen Stonehenge and Mushroom Rock but maybe I was just too waterlogged by then. We were able to stop and walk up to a very scenic view of Galway Bay just before our lunch. I will post pictures later.
Lunch was at a small pub in a little town somewhere between the Burren and Galway. I forget the name but I know it started with a K. We have seen so much today that my brain is a little foggy. I tried the seafood chowder and an open face sandwich. And Erin, I had my second Smithwick's at lunch today. I even got Dad to drink 2 yesterday! I was afraid it would be too dark for him but he liked it. Maybe because of the beer or maybe because I wasn't used to carrying it but some of you will guess what happened next with my purse...Predicament #4.
As we were approaching Galway City I reached down to get my purse. Guess what? It wasn't there. I had left it several km away at the pub. I thought Ken would throw me off the bus. Passport, euros, dollars, Visa etc. all in the purse. We were sitting just behind Ken the guide so I sheepishly told him. Not to worry! He got on his phone, called the pub and they had it. He told them to put it on the "service bus" at quarter-two and send it down to the CIE office Inspector in Galway City. Adrian the steerologist (our driver) was on his phone telling the office to expect it and to put it in the Inspector's office. Long story short, it came in sometime after 4:00, it is locked in the inspector's office and I will have it sometime tomorrow. Ken the guide said that things like this happen all the time and that the majority of Irish are very honest and will take care of your belongings for you. I am trusting this is so but say a prayer anyway please. My Ken decided not to be mad at me although he said he was going to staple it to my body from now on.
At some point today we stopped at the Well of St. Briged's Well in Liscanor (http://www.castlebar.ie/news/article_2705.shtml) I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the pictures of it. Meghan, maybe she will look over my purse for me?
In Galway City we visited a shopping mall where you had to pay .30€ to use the toilet and then Ken and I walked through the green where JFK gave a speech in 1963. After we visited the Cathedral of our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicolas. (http://www.galwaycathedral.ie/) The city of Boston helped to fund this cathedral in the '60's. It is quite beautiful and contains a small mosaic of JFK to commemorate his connection as a freeman of Galway City.
Back on the bus and off to Connemara Celtic Crystal. We learned from 86 year old Mary Mullally how the crystal is designed and cut. The crystal is not sold in Ireland outside the showroom and is sold via Internet or shops in other countries. It is very beautiful unique crystal. I purchased two small bowls, one in the claddagh design and one in the famine design. Mary was quite a character and we learned a great deal about her one of a kind crystal designs.
We are now at the Galway Bay Hotel. The front of the hotel overlooks the bay and our room overlooks the parking lot :-(. Predicament #5, the key to our second suitcase, the one with my netbook and medication in it, is in my billfold, in my purse, in the CIE office. So, I won't sleep well and I will hurt tomorrow but that's my own fault I guess. I was able to use the business center here at the hotel to write this post. I was afraid you'd think the black gang got us if I didn't post today.
Tomorrow we go to Connemara Marble (!) , take a catamaran cruise and then to Cong for the Quiet Man walking tour. Tomorrow night we are going to an Irish dance show at the hotel next door.
Just a note, dad always said that he is black Irish. Unless we are descended from the Spaniards, I don't think so. Also, most of the O'Dea's were Catholic...hmmmm. And, Luana, I tried to take over the castle but there weren't enough of us to hold onto it. Besides, it was kind of damp inside and I don't think I would want to live in it.
Have a wonderful day, night whatever time of day it is where you are!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Dysert O'Dea Castle
There are two men in my life who I think can do most anything-my dad and my husband. Yesterday was an example one of the many things Ken has done that amazed me. When I was planning this trip I was looking for something to do near Shannon. Somehow I happened on the Dysert O'Dea castle in County Clare, Ireland. It was a mere 30km from the airport and our hotel. My father's grandmother was Maud Ethel Day. Her father was an O'Day as was her grandfather who we think immigrated from County Clare Ireland. O'Day was an anglicized version of O'Dea (pronounced dee) and Day was the Americanized name. Many Irish changed their names to sound more American once they immigrated to the United States. I have always been fascinated with this branch of my family tree and would like to learn more as that bit of family history has always been shrouded in mystery.
So, Ken and I hired a car, a lovely black Peugeot, very small, with a steering wheel on the right. In Ireland, like Great Britain, you also drive on the left side of the road. Everything is opposite. Ken's amazing feat was to drive this car without a problem. He even had to shift with his left hand which he did with ease. We headed out down the N19 reaching speeds of 120, km per hour that is! The N19 and N18 are beautiful new roadways, very wide and nicely paved. Once we passed the town of Ennis (pronounced Ennish meaning island) the roads got narrower and narrower. The last road up to the castle was so narrow you could touch the shrubs on the side of the road. If you met someone going the other way you either pulled over or backed up. I am glad I wasn't doing the driving! Especially after being awake for 20 hours.
We arrived at the Dysert O'Day Archeology Centre at 9:30. The site didn't officially open until 10:00 but and extremely nice man saw us driving up the road and came up to unlock the gate for us so we could wander around. One thing we are learning is that the Irish are extremely nice and very outgoing. They love to talk and will engage you in conversation. We have experienced this with everyone from the man who opened the gate to the boy cashier at the Texaco to our desk clerk this morning. They want to know where you are from, where you are going, if you are on holiday etc. It is a refreshing change from most places we've traveled in the US.
The O'Dea Castle is located in an area known as Dysert in Co. Clare (http://www.dysertcastle.com/) . It was built by Dairmud O'Dea around 1410. The castle was occupied off and on by the O'Dea chieftans and clan for many years. Also on the site is the St. Tola church which was built in the 12th century. It is a ruin that now sits in the center of a graveyard filled with descendents of the many clans who have lived in the area over time. A few meters from the church is the High Cross erected around the same time as the church. 
The cross base is from the original cross but most of the rest is reconstruction. In the original cross, the head of Christ could be removed and the myth is that one could hold the head against the jaw to take away the pain of a toothache. The church, cross and other archeological sites are located in cow pastures so to get to them, you have to dodge cow patties but the cows stay away. I don't think they understood my Kansas accent because they just would't come when I called them. You also had to climb the stone fences using steps built into the wall. Lots of fun! We spent a couple of hours wandering and visiting the castle and then drove back t Shannon where we explored a shopping mall. We decided that we were too tired to do anything else so we returned to the airport, turned in the car and hung out until we could check in at 2:00.
The cross base is from the original cross but most of the rest is reconstruction. In the original cross, the head of Christ could be removed and the myth is that one could hold the head against the jaw to take away the pain of a toothache. The church, cross and other archeological sites are located in cow pastures so to get to them, you have to dodge cow patties but the cows stay away. I don't think they understood my Kansas accent because they just would't come when I called them. You also had to climb the stone fences using steps built into the wall. Lots of fun! We spent a couple of hours wandering and visiting the castle and then drove back t Shannon where we explored a shopping mall. We decided that we were too tired to do anything else so we returned to the airport, turned in the car and hung out until we could check in at 2:00.Our hotel was ok but not 4 star by any means. We had two twin beads and Ken immediately crashed into his and went to sleep. I showered, put on shorts and a t-shirt and then went to sleep myself. We slept for the better part of 15 hours. Much needed!
Today is Sunday and we were picked up at the airport by Adrian our bus driver who looks like Jake Hess and loves to talk. We were deposited at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis and have the rest of the afternoon free until 3:15 when we meet for a walking tour. I think we are off in a few to explore the town center and find some lunch and perhaps a pint too.
Slainte!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Failte!
We arrived! After dreaming of this trip for the past ten years, we are here! I am sitting in a cafe at the Shannon Airport, looking out the window at the beautiful green countryside. Ken is snoozing in a chair across the table from me. I honestly did not believe that we would ever get here--not until our plane touched down on Irish soil. What an interesting feeling to look out across the Irish countryside of Clare Co. and wonder if my ancestors walked there many years ago. I've never had that feeling before. Maybe it was jet lag--who knows.
I have now been awake the better part of 20 hours but right now I feel great. We did not have a good start. The ticket lady in Wichita was not helpful and was actually rather put out when she had to help us check-in rather than checking in at the little kiosk. If I had wanted to check-in on a computer, I would have done it at home. When her supervisor walked up to the desk she suddenly became very helpful. Go figure. The flight to Denver was uneventful and we got there in plenty of time. We boarded our plane on time, got situated and then waited. Finally, at 11:00 when we were supposed to leave, they announced that a fuel valve was leaking and it would take about 15 minutes to fix. Hardly. 30 minutes after our departure time they announced that it was taking a little longer to fix than they thought and that we could deplane. By the way, if you de-plane when you get off of the airplane, what do you do when you get on? Plane? At 12:15 they said they would make a departure decision at 12:30. At 12:30 we were able to get back on-re-plane?-the airplane and we took off around 1:00.
Now we had planned a nice cushion of time to change planes in Boston. However, we landed at 6:15ish and weren't able to deplane until 6:30 or so. Ken and I were at the front of economy class so we were able to leave the plane very quickly. Now, get this, the Aer Lingus gates were in another terminal. The only way to get to that terminal was to go out of the secured area, sprint to Terminal E, and go back through security. We did it in a record time of 25 minutes. We were the last people to board the plane but we made it!
Here's why we couldn't deplane once we were on the ground. An older lady who must have had a connection got up while we were taxiing in and she came to stand by the door. The flight attendant politely told her to go sit down. She wouldn't. She actually became quite irate and started cursing at the attendant. A supervisor was called and she not so politely told the woman to sit down. The woman started crying but didn't sit down. The supervisor told the pilot and the pilot stopped the plane and said we couldn't taxi anymore because someone was out of her seat. When the entire plane groaned, she finally sat back down. Her seat was at the back of the plane so she did not get off as quickly as she would have liked.
I'll skip the details of the flight to Ireland. It was a typical long-haul flight. I tried to sleep but couldn't so I will be running on adrenaline today.
So, now we are here. I will wake Ken up in a minute and we will go pick up our car hire and maneuver through the highways of Co. Clare to the Dysert O'Dea castle. We can check into our hotel after 2:00 so I imagine we will be back early afternoon.
By the way, no matter how sharp your white shirt looks with your black pants, don't wear it for 15 hours on an airplane. It won't look sharp by the end of your journey.
I have now been awake the better part of 20 hours but right now I feel great. We did not have a good start. The ticket lady in Wichita was not helpful and was actually rather put out when she had to help us check-in rather than checking in at the little kiosk. If I had wanted to check-in on a computer, I would have done it at home. When her supervisor walked up to the desk she suddenly became very helpful. Go figure. The flight to Denver was uneventful and we got there in plenty of time. We boarded our plane on time, got situated and then waited. Finally, at 11:00 when we were supposed to leave, they announced that a fuel valve was leaking and it would take about 15 minutes to fix. Hardly. 30 minutes after our departure time they announced that it was taking a little longer to fix than they thought and that we could deplane. By the way, if you de-plane when you get off of the airplane, what do you do when you get on? Plane? At 12:15 they said they would make a departure decision at 12:30. At 12:30 we were able to get back on-re-plane?-the airplane and we took off around 1:00.
Now we had planned a nice cushion of time to change planes in Boston. However, we landed at 6:15ish and weren't able to deplane until 6:30 or so. Ken and I were at the front of economy class so we were able to leave the plane very quickly. Now, get this, the Aer Lingus gates were in another terminal. The only way to get to that terminal was to go out of the secured area, sprint to Terminal E, and go back through security. We did it in a record time of 25 minutes. We were the last people to board the plane but we made it!
Here's why we couldn't deplane once we were on the ground. An older lady who must have had a connection got up while we were taxiing in and she came to stand by the door. The flight attendant politely told her to go sit down. She wouldn't. She actually became quite irate and started cursing at the attendant. A supervisor was called and she not so politely told the woman to sit down. The woman started crying but didn't sit down. The supervisor told the pilot and the pilot stopped the plane and said we couldn't taxi anymore because someone was out of her seat. When the entire plane groaned, she finally sat back down. Her seat was at the back of the plane so she did not get off as quickly as she would have liked.
I'll skip the details of the flight to Ireland. It was a typical long-haul flight. I tried to sleep but couldn't so I will be running on adrenaline today.
So, now we are here. I will wake Ken up in a minute and we will go pick up our car hire and maneuver through the highways of Co. Clare to the Dysert O'Dea castle. We can check into our hotel after 2:00 so I imagine we will be back early afternoon.
By the way, no matter how sharp your white shirt looks with your black pants, don't wear it for 15 hours on an airplane. It won't look sharp by the end of your journey.
Friday, May 14, 2010
49 49 49
May 13, 2010 8:39 a.m.
I was officially 49.
I don't mind being 49. I don't think I'll mind being 50. It's just that 49 sounds so....bland. You aren't here, you aren't there, you're just, 49.
In 1999 we traveled by van to Washington D.C.. Money was tight, as always and we were going to be traveling for 14 days. If you have ever visited D.C. you know how expensive hotels are--even the one and two star rooms can cost over $100 a night. Well, Ken had heard about a motel in Vienna, VA from a well-traveled friend. It even had a classy name "The Vienna Wolftrap Inn". He said it was clean and close to the Metro station. And guess what? It was only $49 a night. How could you beat that?
This was before the days of Internet, at least for me. I didn't know a thing about Tripadvisor or anything other than the AAA travel book. It gave the Wolftrap two stars. Not bad. I just checked Tripadvisor and the dear Wolftrap is still open for business. The best comment was "at least the bugs didn't carry my bed away." That pretty well sums it up. I knew we were in trouble when we checked in. The desk clerk kind of reminded me of the guy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles that wouldn't take a Rolex in exchange for a room. He was just kind of sleazy and reeked of cigarette smoke. Our room wasn't much better. At first glance, it was just an old motel room that hadn't been remodeled since it was built. It had seventies style flowered bedspreads and disgusting matted shag carpet on the floor. Upon further inspection we discovered that the smoke detector had been covered by a shower cap. I wanted to leave.
Oh wait, it gets worse. When we pulled back the bedspread we found ashes in the bed, as if the maid smoked while hanging over the bed changing the linens. Yuck! Well, we reasoned, we would only be sleeping there and as Tom Bodette says, all rooms look the same in the dark. And, it was only $49!
Thus began a family mantra: 49-49-49. We say it when we know something is too good to be true. We say it when we encounter a crummy motel room. We say it to mean that it isn't good and it isn't bad, it isn't here and it isn't there, it's just 49.
I am just 49. I feel younger in my head and older in my body. My career is neither here or there. Right now, life just is. Some days are great, and others aren't. I know there will always be something better, but I also know that some days are just a a 49.
I was officially 49.
I don't mind being 49. I don't think I'll mind being 50. It's just that 49 sounds so....bland. You aren't here, you aren't there, you're just, 49.
In 1999 we traveled by van to Washington D.C.. Money was tight, as always and we were going to be traveling for 14 days. If you have ever visited D.C. you know how expensive hotels are--even the one and two star rooms can cost over $100 a night. Well, Ken had heard about a motel in Vienna, VA from a well-traveled friend. It even had a classy name "The Vienna Wolftrap Inn". He said it was clean and close to the Metro station. And guess what? It was only $49 a night. How could you beat that?
This was before the days of Internet, at least for me. I didn't know a thing about Tripadvisor or anything other than the AAA travel book. It gave the Wolftrap two stars. Not bad. I just checked Tripadvisor and the dear Wolftrap is still open for business. The best comment was "at least the bugs didn't carry my bed away." That pretty well sums it up. I knew we were in trouble when we checked in. The desk clerk kind of reminded me of the guy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles that wouldn't take a Rolex in exchange for a room. He was just kind of sleazy and reeked of cigarette smoke. Our room wasn't much better. At first glance, it was just an old motel room that hadn't been remodeled since it was built. It had seventies style flowered bedspreads and disgusting matted shag carpet on the floor. Upon further inspection we discovered that the smoke detector had been covered by a shower cap. I wanted to leave.
Oh wait, it gets worse. When we pulled back the bedspread we found ashes in the bed, as if the maid smoked while hanging over the bed changing the linens. Yuck! Well, we reasoned, we would only be sleeping there and as Tom Bodette says, all rooms look the same in the dark. And, it was only $49!
Thus began a family mantra: 49-49-49. We say it when we know something is too good to be true. We say it when we encounter a crummy motel room. We say it to mean that it isn't good and it isn't bad, it isn't here and it isn't there, it's just 49.
I am just 49. I feel younger in my head and older in my body. My career is neither here or there. Right now, life just is. Some days are great, and others aren't. I know there will always be something better, but I also know that some days are just a a 49.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Story
Growing up "The Story" was a common thread that tied together the women of my family. I can remember watching it with my mom, my great-grandmother and my Aunt Cheryl. If you missed an episode, you could always call grandma to catch up on the daily escapades of Bob, Lisa, Kim, Tom, Susan and the rest. We talked about the story at birthday parties. We talked about the story when we went shopping. We talked about the story at almost every family gathering. Heck, I thought those people were part of my family for awhile! As a child I could tell you who Bob was cheating with on Lisa. I knew that Franny was Bob's child with Kim, but not with Lisa. Oh my the sinful lives the people of Oakdale lived. For this little Baptist soul, it was all very scandalous
I think I stopped watching ATWT when I was in high school. I've tried to watch it a couple of times in the past few years but I don't know anyone any more and the story lines don't interest me. My great grandma is gone. Characters have died or moved on and The Story is no longer the same. I don't miss it. It's just a sweet childhood memory that ties me to those I love.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Meowsings on a Cat
My grandcat is sick. Poor Tuxie has come down with a common male cat ailment. He has a blockage that is keeping his bladder from draining. It is called FUS which rhymes with you know what and requires that a big FUSS be made to get him well. Enough poetic wandering...
Tux and his little sister Skittles came to live with us in 2007. As they often say about cats, you don't adopt them, they adopt you. It had been a sad, hectic summer. Erin had moved out, my cat Sam had died at Christmas and I was getting ready to start a new job. I was really depressed that summer and I really wanted another cat. Ken was adamant, "NO CATS"! and I really planned to respect that wish. But secretly I kept praying that God would send me a cat.
One evening in July or so Ken told me to look out the back window. There on our garden bench were two little black furballs and a mama cat, just hangin' out in the evening sun. I was thrilled! I went out to our deck and as soon as the little family saw me, the shot back into the soy bean field behind our house. That was the beginning of our being adopted. Every night from then on, I would go out into our backyard and sit in a lawn chair. The first night three sets of little eyes peeked out at me from the protection of the soybean jungle. I talked to them, mewed at them (no neighbors at the time to think I was crazy) and did my best to convince them that I was friendly. Using my deductive reasoning, I assumed that they must be hungry since they lived in the field. I wasn't thinking that they were hunters and predators. I began to take hot dogs and other scraps of meat out to them and would toss the food to them to entice them to come out of the jungle. Each evening they came closer and closer. I began buying dog food to feed them because it was cheaper than cat food and more filling I reasoned. Erin came home in August and by September or October, Tux, the little boy, would come close enough to pet. I would put the food by my chair and he would come to eat. As he ate, I would slowly reach down and pet him while he ate. Skittles, the tiny girl, wouldn't come close to eat and mama wouldn't come out of the jungle. By and by, Tux began to trust us and one night he let me pick him up!
Meanwhile, I began to learn about feral cats. Ferals are cats that are generally born in the wild or are abandoned and become wild. Most of the time they live in colonies and scavenge for food. In cities they live near dumpsters most of the time. In rural areas they find safe areas to congregate. Left unchecked a feral colony in-breeds and quickly multiply and can become a nuisance. Illness, predators and injury often take these kitties over time. There is a movement called T-N-R or Trap-Neuter-Release. The process involves trapping the kitty, having him neutered or spayed and then releasing it back into the colony. Neutered feral cats are very territorial and will not let new cats into the colony. Usually someone or a group of someones adopts the colony and provides food, water and shelter. Most feral cats cannot be socialized because they are too wild If you get them as kittens sometimes you can tame them. The national group is called Alley Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=191). Our local group is Friends of Felines (http://www.felinefriendsks.com/).
As I have digressed anyway, let me tell you a little story about FOF. Ray, the founder, went out to Syracuse to rescue some kitties on May 4, 2007. He filled his trailer with 27 cats to be neutered and relocated. As he drove home to Wichita it began to storm. Pulling into Greensburg he ran into hail so pulled in under an awning to wait out the storm. He didn't know that he was in the direct path of the massive tornado that leveled Greensburg that night. Ray, his truck, his trailer and the 27 ferals took a tumble. The truck and trailer were destroyed, Ray was injured and the 27 kitties died. Ray and friends were able to go back to Syracuse later that year to TNR the rest of the colony and brought them back to Wichita for relocation.
In the fall of 07 I attended two feral cat workshops and learned how to trap feral cats. My intent was to TNR both of our kittens and release them. By this time, Mama had disappeared and I haven't seen her since. In early December we borrowed a trap from the Humane Society and set out to see who we could catch. The first night we caught an opossum. That was fun. The next night we caught an opossum. You'd think he would've learned! The third night we caught Tux. I took him down to the Humane Society and had him neutered. Erin had moved into her own apartment by this time and she fell in love with Tux and decided to take him home with her. They are now inseparable. I have never seen a cat so intently loyal to its human. He looks at her with adoration and I really believe he understands everything she says to him.
That was the year of the big ice storm in Manhattan. Ken got called up to Manhattan to help put things back together. I was totally alone for a week or more. It was cold outside. It snowed. My little Skittles, named so because she skittled away from me when I came near, was outside, cold and alone. By now I was feeding her at the back door and she knew my voice. Whenever I set food out, she'd come running. Well, I reasoned, she's cold and Ken's gone. In she came. And she never went out again. Ken now says that he should've never gone away because look what I drug in. He isn't happy, but hey, he loves me.
Erin came home and Tux came with her and we are now a 2 cat family. Tux is a lover boy and Skittles is sweet only to me. They are both terrified of sudden movement or sudden noise. When company comes, they hide. Tux is still the braver of the two and at 17 lbs he is the larger of the two. Skittles is my prissy little girl. She weighs less than 10 lbs and her favorite past time is sleeping. I love my cat and I know that God answered my prayer and sent my little angel to me.
Just got a call from the cat doc. Tux is doing well but will have to stay one or two more nights. I hear cash register bells ringing. Erin will pay us back when she's able. Meanwhile, the VISA bill and Ken's impatience are going up.
Oh well, they adopted us!
UPDATE!!!!!!!
Tux came home Wednesday night and is doing great. We need to feed him a special diet but he should be just fine.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Mystery Tour
The Emma ChaseLast Friday, the Man of the Place (aka Ken) came home from his meeting in Lawrence. I asked him what he wanted to do that night, as I usually do on Friday nights and presented him with the Go section of the paper. He kind of looked through it and then told me that it was time to go. I hastily changed my shirt and shoes and off we went.
Now, from early in our marriage on, Ken has taken me on "mystery tours". We have gone to Dallas for dinner, a casino by Topeka and most famously, he took the girls to get a windshield fixed. They've never let him forget that one! Mystery Tours are always fun once we get there but the trip drives me crazy because it is so out of my control and worse--unplanned! I am completly out of my comfort zone and Ken knows it!
We headed east on highway 254. Aha I thought, we are going to PF Changs to use the gift card we got at Christmas but then, we passed Greenwich road and kept going east. Well, I knew that the restaurant at the Benton Antique Mall was out because it closed and I couldn't think of any place in El Dorado that would be worth the drive. Then I supposed that we might be going to Augusta to find the school that I was interviewing at on Tuesday. But, we didn't stay on 96. Once we got on the turnpike I guessed that we were going to Cassoday so I told Ken that I didn't think the cafe there was open for dinner. His response--"well, we will just have to see". We did get off at the Cassoday/Matfield Green exit but instead of going south, we turned north.
The drive up 177 is beautiful. To me, it is what Kansas is supposed to look like and the closest to what the pioneers probably saw. There are rolling hills and breath taking vistas. In some places, you can see for miles. The road takes you through the tiny whistle stop town of Matfield Green where train enthusiasts come to watch the 60+ trains that roar through town every day. Along the way are beautiful ranch homes and falling down buildings from the hey dey of the cattle and rail industry in the area.
After awhile, we pulled into Cottonwood Falls. Now, I was assuming that we were going to Council Grove to the Hays House as I have said several times that I would like to go there. But, we ended up on Main street at the Emnma Chase Cafe. Now I don't know who Emma Chase is or if she is a real person and that bugs me. I like to know the history of a place. But whoever she is, her cafe has some of the best pie and chicken fry I have ever eaten.
I wasn't sure about the place when we walked in. It is a small storefront with folding tables set up around the room. Some of them have table cloths and others didn't. As soon as the door opened it was like there was this long pause in conversation as all eyes turned to us to see if we were friends or strangers. Once the curiosity was satisfied, all returned to eating and we found a table and sat down. I don't know about you but I am used to having a menu placed in my hands when I go to a restaurant. I've only been to a couple of sit down places where you didn't have a printed menu. One was in Lousisana and had 3 choices...ham, ham or ham. The other was Chateau Briand and after eating at that place, Ken had to go home and get more money from his dad so we could go to prom. At the Emma, there's a marker board. Catfish is always on the menu and on Friday there were 3 or 4 other choices. I played it safe and got the chicken fried steak and ice tea. The tea was served in a quart sized mason jar which never needed a refill. Presently another 3-some came in and they were obviously from somewhere else. I thought they were German but found out later that they were Swiss. The woman was very agitated. First she was upset that there wasn't beer, then she was upset that there weren't more menu choices. Finally she was upset because the advertised music wasn't in the restaurant (more on that later) but down the street in the Emma hall. She never sat down! Well, that's an exaggeration but she never sat down for long. Her companions wolfed down their dinners and off they went down the street.
As I said earlier, the food was awesome. The steak was not frozen. It was fresh and hand breaded and I assume pan fried. I got rhubarb pie. I love pie crust anyway but this crust was flaky, crisp and wonderful.
After dinner we strolled down the block to find the music. We discovered it in a beautiful old limestone building. Cottonwood Falls was the "Limestone Capitol of Kansas" at one time so many of the buildings are built using limestone. The theme for that night was Old Timey Gospel. At the front of the room there were about 15 older people playing guitars, dobros, harmonicas, violins, pianos and a string bass. An elderly man was at the mic singing a song before an audience seated on wooden chairs. My first thought was "oh my-a whole evening of this?" But I quickly became enchanted with the harmony and enthusiasm of these amatuer musicians who come together to sing just for the love of music. They really didn't lack talent and any lack of intonation was made up for in sincerity. Soon I was tapping my toes and singing along. Around 9 we decided we had to head home and the music was beginning to wind down anyway.
Our drive home through the Flint Hills was punctuated by the field burning going on across the hillside. 
All in all, it was a delightful, magical mystery tour. Thank you honey!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Day of Rest
Good Thursday!
First let me say, I don't want to go home. Sorry family and friends but I am staying here. I will find a job on a dolphin boat or something and stay here. Sadly, tomorrow is our last day and then it is back to trying to keep my chin up and trying to find a job. It isn't hard to get out of bed every morning here. Of course, I am sleeping until 8 so that makes a difference!
Today was an unexpected day of doing little or nothing. We went souvenir shopping this morning and then hit "Sweetie Pies". SP's is a little cafe that was featured in the August 2008 Southern Living as having the best Pecan Pie in the south. We both had broccoli soup. I had Tropical Pecan Pie (pecan pie with coconut and pineapple). It was good but not the best I have ever had. The best pie I have ever had was at Lecompte, LA at Lea's Pie Shop.
I was really really wanting to sit on the beach all afternoon. When we got back, Ken didn't want to go directly to the beach. He promptly sat down and went to sleep. I laid down on the couch and dozed off. I woke up about 1:00 and decided I'd go down to the pool so I put on my beach clothes, grabbed my book, towel and pop and headed off. It had clouded up and the wind was blowing a bit so it was very cold. I stayed there for about 10 minutes and gave up. I came back upstairs and Mr. Ken was still asleep so I sat down and read a bit. The sun came out and Ken woke up and I decided to try the chairs on the balcony. By the time I got there, the sun was gone again and so I went back up to the condo and stayed. I was very disappointed. Oh well, tomorrow is supposed to be 70 and sunny so I will get in one last bake and burn I hope. At 6:00 or so we will go to hear Los Lonely Boys at The Hangout and then our trip will be over. Little tear.
Oh gee, I can't believe I forgot the best part of the day!!!! Feeling too sorry for myself I guess. Tonight was our Dolphin Cruise. This is the third year we have sailed with Capt. Bill and Ceatacen Cruises. He operates the only DolphinSmart cruise in the area. You have to be certified yearly by the Dolphin Research Institute to have that title. Bill really knows the dolphin pod in Wolf Bay. Currently there are 31 dolphins. One is two weeks old and one is only 4 days old. We briefly saw one of the babies tonight. I think this was the best cruise we have been on here. Several dolphins swam right up to the boat. Two or three were "dancing" so they really came up out of the water. Dancing is what boy and girl dolphins do together and then a year later, a baby dolphin is born. It was so cool. Then we went back in the swamp and saw an alligator, an osprey, a blue heron and a pelican sleeping on a branch. It was the highlight of my trip so far.
Now it is off to the Flora Bama for real this time. The old folks better get going or we will fall asleep in our chairs again.
Love you all!
First let me say, I don't want to go home. Sorry family and friends but I am staying here. I will find a job on a dolphin boat or something and stay here. Sadly, tomorrow is our last day and then it is back to trying to keep my chin up and trying to find a job. It isn't hard to get out of bed every morning here. Of course, I am sleeping until 8 so that makes a difference!
Today was an unexpected day of doing little or nothing. We went souvenir shopping this morning and then hit "Sweetie Pies". SP's is a little cafe that was featured in the August 2008 Southern Living as having the best Pecan Pie in the south. We both had broccoli soup. I had Tropical Pecan Pie (pecan pie with coconut and pineapple). It was good but not the best I have ever had. The best pie I have ever had was at Lecompte, LA at Lea's Pie Shop.
I was really really wanting to sit on the beach all afternoon. When we got back, Ken didn't want to go directly to the beach. He promptly sat down and went to sleep. I laid down on the couch and dozed off. I woke up about 1:00 and decided I'd go down to the pool so I put on my beach clothes, grabbed my book, towel and pop and headed off. It had clouded up and the wind was blowing a bit so it was very cold. I stayed there for about 10 minutes and gave up. I came back upstairs and Mr. Ken was still asleep so I sat down and read a bit. The sun came out and Ken woke up and I decided to try the chairs on the balcony. By the time I got there, the sun was gone again and so I went back up to the condo and stayed. I was very disappointed. Oh well, tomorrow is supposed to be 70 and sunny so I will get in one last bake and burn I hope. At 6:00 or so we will go to hear Los Lonely Boys at The Hangout and then our trip will be over. Little tear.
Oh gee, I can't believe I forgot the best part of the day!!!! Feeling too sorry for myself I guess. Tonight was our Dolphin Cruise. This is the third year we have sailed with Capt. Bill and Ceatacen Cruises. He operates the only DolphinSmart cruise in the area. You have to be certified yearly by the Dolphin Research Institute to have that title. Bill really knows the dolphin pod in Wolf Bay. Currently there are 31 dolphins. One is two weeks old and one is only 4 days old. We briefly saw one of the babies tonight. I think this was the best cruise we have been on here. Several dolphins swam right up to the boat. Two or three were "dancing" so they really came up out of the water. Dancing is what boy and girl dolphins do together and then a year later, a baby dolphin is born. It was so cool. Then we went back in the swamp and saw an alligator, an osprey, a blue heron and a pelican sleeping on a branch. It was the highlight of my trip so far.
Now it is off to the Flora Bama for real this time. The old folks better get going or we will fall asleep in our chairs again.
Love you all!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sailing, Sailing...
Failte!
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Didn't sleep well last night so I didn't want to get up this morning. It didn't help that it was rainy and dark either. We had already decided that today wouldn't be a beach day and the rain was expected.
Last year on a rainy day we took the ferry boat from Ft. Morgan to Daphin Island and then drove up to Mobile. We were headed for the USS Alabama but underestimated how long it would take to get there. So, we arrived about an hour before they closed. We rushed through but didn't get to see everything that we, especially Ken, wanted to see. When we were talking about our trip this year, Ken said that he really wanted to go back to see the whole thing. So, that's what we did today.
We got there a little after 10 this morning so we had plenty of time. The USS Alabama is a South Dakota class battle ship. It was commissioned in 1942 and initially served in the North Atlantic. In 1943, as WWII heated up in the Pacific, the Alabama traversed the Panama Canal and begin service in the Pacific. It saw a lot of battle in the S. Pacific before it was decommissioned in 1947. Prior to decommissioning, the Bama was one of the occupation ships in Tokyo Harbor and the Marine detachment aboard were the first Americans to set foot on Japanese soil at the end of the war. The ship was mothballed in Bremerton, WA until the sixties when it was moved to Mobile Bay and its current home. The Alabama was refurbished and turned into a museum. The USS Drum, a WWII era submarine, is also docked in Battleship Park. It is the oldest Gato class sub still in existence. We were able to see both with plenty of time to really take everything in. Ken climbed clear up to the navigation deck (really high up) but I was too pooped to go up and down all those steps. Actually, I really don't like climbing up and down those steep stairways. They also have a small airplane exhibit with an SR 71, 2 navy helicopters and several other aircraft. The hanger and some of the craft were badly damaged in Hurricane Katrina and are being restored.
We left Battleship Park about 3:00 and drove downtown to the Historic District. Mobile has been in existence since the early 1800's. Many of the buildings are pre-Civil War. We drove around Cathedral Square, Daphin Street and other historic areas. The trees are magnificent. Such big, old trees! I really wanted to go into the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception but it was closed. The church design and decor are a combination of Gaelic and French representing the two predominate cultures of Mobile.
I read in the AAA Tour Book about a place called the Dew Drop Inn.
For those who remember The Walton's, that was the name of the tavern on Walton's Mountain. This isn't the same one but the name caught my eye. According to the AAA book this is the place were Jimmy Buffet developed "his lust for the cheeseburger" and considers this burger the best around. I can't say that we agree. I didn't read the directions very carefully so we ended up driving 4 miles out of the way. Finally found it and it is a hole in the wall. The Dew Drop is the oldest continuous restaurant in Mobile. It has been around since 1924. The current building was built in 1967 and hasn't been changed since. I had the Dew Drop Hot Dog with chili, sauerkraut, mustard, onion and a pickle. It was a very different dog but was very good. Ken had the cheeseburger with chili. He said it was good but it wasn't the best he's ever had. Leaving the Dew Drop we drove through a very interesting section of Mobile. Roll em up!
We drove south toward Dauphin Island and Ft. Gaines to catch the ferry to Ft.
Morgan. We didn't have to go that way but we enjoy the ride across the bay. It happened to be sunset as we were going across and was a beautiful ride across Mobile Bay. Ft. Gaines and Ft. Morgan were the guardians of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.
Since it is St. Pat's we went to the Hangout for some music and a drink and then back home. I am pooped! Tomorrow is a beach day and the sunset dolphin tour then it's Friday. Why is it vacation goes so fast and the rest of the year goes so slow?
Slainte!
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Didn't sleep well last night so I didn't want to get up this morning. It didn't help that it was rainy and dark either. We had already decided that today wouldn't be a beach day and the rain was expected.
Last year on a rainy day we took the ferry boat from Ft. Morgan to Daphin Island and then drove up to Mobile. We were headed for the USS Alabama but underestimated how long it would take to get there. So, we arrived about an hour before they closed. We rushed through but didn't get to see everything that we, especially Ken, wanted to see. When we were talking about our trip this year, Ken said that he really wanted to go back to see the whole thing. So, that's what we did today.
We got there a little after 10 this morning so we had plenty of time. The USS Alabama is a South Dakota class battle ship. It was commissioned in 1942 and initially served in the North Atlantic. In 1943, as WWII heated up in the Pacific, the Alabama traversed the Panama Canal and begin service in the Pacific. It saw a lot of battle in the S. Pacific before it was decommissioned in 1947. Prior to decommissioning, the Bama was one of the occupation ships in Tokyo Harbor and the Marine detachment aboard were the first Americans to set foot on Japanese soil at the end of the war. The ship was mothballed in Bremerton, WA until the sixties when it was moved to Mobile Bay and its current home. The Alabama was refurbished and turned into a museum. The USS Drum, a WWII era submarine, is also docked in Battleship Park. It is the oldest Gato class sub still in existence. We were able to see both with plenty of time to really take everything in. Ken climbed clear up to the navigation deck (really high up) but I was too pooped to go up and down all those steps. Actually, I really don't like climbing up and down those steep stairways. They also have a small airplane exhibit with an SR 71, 2 navy helicopters and several other aircraft. The hanger and some of the craft were badly damaged in Hurricane Katrina and are being restored.
We left Battleship Park about 3:00 and drove downtown to the Historic District. Mobile has been in existence since the early 1800's. Many of the buildings are pre-Civil War. We drove around Cathedral Square, Daphin Street and other historic areas. The trees are magnificent. Such big, old trees! I really wanted to go into the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception but it was closed. The church design and decor are a combination of Gaelic and French representing the two predominate cultures of Mobile.
I read in the AAA Tour Book about a place called the Dew Drop Inn.
For those who remember The Walton's, that was the name of the tavern on Walton's Mountain. This isn't the same one but the name caught my eye. According to the AAA book this is the place were Jimmy Buffet developed "his lust for the cheeseburger" and considers this burger the best around. I can't say that we agree. I didn't read the directions very carefully so we ended up driving 4 miles out of the way. Finally found it and it is a hole in the wall. The Dew Drop is the oldest continuous restaurant in Mobile. It has been around since 1924. The current building was built in 1967 and hasn't been changed since. I had the Dew Drop Hot Dog with chili, sauerkraut, mustard, onion and a pickle. It was a very different dog but was very good. Ken had the cheeseburger with chili. He said it was good but it wasn't the best he's ever had. Leaving the Dew Drop we drove through a very interesting section of Mobile. Roll em up!We drove south toward Dauphin Island and Ft. Gaines to catch the ferry to Ft.
Morgan. We didn't have to go that way but we enjoy the ride across the bay. It happened to be sunset as we were going across and was a beautiful ride across Mobile Bay. Ft. Gaines and Ft. Morgan were the guardians of Mobile Bay during the Civil War. Since it is St. Pat's we went to the Hangout for some music and a drink and then back home. I am pooped! Tomorrow is a beach day and the sunset dolphin tour then it's Friday. Why is it vacation goes so fast and the rest of the year goes so slow?
Slainte!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Technology-Can't live with it, can't live without it!
It is a sad thought that the one nagging little niggle of my vacation has been that I couldn't connect to the Internet unless I was in the car with my Iphone! Technology has taken over my life. Could it be that I am addicted to my social networking via email, blog and Facebook. Here I am surrounded by a beautiful beach and gorgeous weather and my main thought was would they really get my internet fixed today! Sure nuff, when we came in this afternoon, it was up and running. Life is good.
Monday was a day for the beach. The wind had died down to a manageable level and the temperature was lovely. We took our leftover shrimp, a cooler full of pop and our beach gear and staked out our little space on beautiful Sugar Beach (also known as Romar Beach). There are lots of young folks here this year. Seems to be a volleyball tournament or something going on. A busload of Canadian kids are staying here with their sponsors. They are very well behaved but it does make the beach more crowded. We sat out for 5 hours reading, dozing and walking. Despite continual application of sunscreen (yes Di, lips and feet too) I still have my red patches. I finally checked out the adult beverages at the Sugar Shack this year. Ken and I indulged in a little margarita and a little daquiri (respectively-not one of each) and it wasn't too bad.
Dinner was at Tacky Jacks, a very popular hangout on the marina. As it was Monday night it wasn't very crowded so we got to sit down right away. We wanted to sit on the deck but it was way too chilly. So, indoors we went. Unfortunately we were seated next to the loudest 8 girls (and 1 boy) south of the Mason/Dixon. I mean, they weren't just loud, they were LOUD! And, they loudly reminded each other that they were being too loud. The lady across from me kept glancing at them and then looking at me. My teacher radar went up and we both rolled our eyes. After the girls left I asked her if she was a teacher and she said yes and asked if I was. I told her I was and we both laughed. I reminded her we were on vacation and didn't have to take charge.
I did learn at dinner that they don't know what a red beer is down hey-ah. The bartender didn't look like he wanted to learn either. The margaritas were good, the steak Ken had was good and my fish was, fish.
Awoke this morning around seven to pounding hammers somewhere in the condos. You'd think they'd have a rule or something preventing hammering before 8 a.m. I don't know, maybe that would make too much sense. Tried to lay in bed but finally gave in about 8. We basically hung around the condo this morning being lazy. Went down to the beach about 12:30. I think today was about the most perfect beach weather you could ask for. About 68 degrees, NO wind and bright sun. Not hot, not chilly, just right. Fed the seagulls, walked down a sandbar, read and watched all the college kids boogey boarding. Some of them are pretty good. I predict that boogey boarding will be part of the next summer olympics :-)
Todays afternoon cocktails: margarita for Ken, Amaretto Sour for me, yum!
Clouds have rolled in so the rain must be on its way. After I fix spaghetti and meatballs for dinner we will be off to make a Wal-Mart run and then possibly hit the Flora-Bama for a little night fun.
Tomorrow's plan is to leave early in the morning and head north to Mobile. We want to tour the USS Alabama again and then we will probably head toward Ft. Morgan via the ferry boat. It will be St. Paddy's day and I think this is Ken's plan to keep my as far away from QVC as possible. Ha! He probably doesn't remember that I will actually be on the Emerald Isle itself in 3 months and will need all my Euros for shopping there.
Have to go cook dinner now. A woman's work is never done but at least my Internet is working.
Monday was a day for the beach. The wind had died down to a manageable level and the temperature was lovely. We took our leftover shrimp, a cooler full of pop and our beach gear and staked out our little space on beautiful Sugar Beach (also known as Romar Beach). There are lots of young folks here this year. Seems to be a volleyball tournament or something going on. A busload of Canadian kids are staying here with their sponsors. They are very well behaved but it does make the beach more crowded. We sat out for 5 hours reading, dozing and walking. Despite continual application of sunscreen (yes Di, lips and feet too) I still have my red patches. I finally checked out the adult beverages at the Sugar Shack this year. Ken and I indulged in a little margarita and a little daquiri (respectively-not one of each) and it wasn't too bad.
Dinner was at Tacky Jacks, a very popular hangout on the marina. As it was Monday night it wasn't very crowded so we got to sit down right away. We wanted to sit on the deck but it was way too chilly. So, indoors we went. Unfortunately we were seated next to the loudest 8 girls (and 1 boy) south of the Mason/Dixon. I mean, they weren't just loud, they were LOUD! And, they loudly reminded each other that they were being too loud. The lady across from me kept glancing at them and then looking at me. My teacher radar went up and we both rolled our eyes. After the girls left I asked her if she was a teacher and she said yes and asked if I was. I told her I was and we both laughed. I reminded her we were on vacation and didn't have to take charge.
I did learn at dinner that they don't know what a red beer is down hey-ah. The bartender didn't look like he wanted to learn either. The margaritas were good, the steak Ken had was good and my fish was, fish.
Awoke this morning around seven to pounding hammers somewhere in the condos. You'd think they'd have a rule or something preventing hammering before 8 a.m. I don't know, maybe that would make too much sense. Tried to lay in bed but finally gave in about 8. We basically hung around the condo this morning being lazy. Went down to the beach about 12:30. I think today was about the most perfect beach weather you could ask for. About 68 degrees, NO wind and bright sun. Not hot, not chilly, just right. Fed the seagulls, walked down a sandbar, read and watched all the college kids boogey boarding. Some of them are pretty good. I predict that boogey boarding will be part of the next summer olympics :-)
Todays afternoon cocktails: margarita for Ken, Amaretto Sour for me, yum!
Clouds have rolled in so the rain must be on its way. After I fix spaghetti and meatballs for dinner we will be off to make a Wal-Mart run and then possibly hit the Flora-Bama for a little night fun.
Tomorrow's plan is to leave early in the morning and head north to Mobile. We want to tour the USS Alabama again and then we will probably head toward Ft. Morgan via the ferry boat. It will be St. Paddy's day and I think this is Ken's plan to keep my as far away from QVC as possible. Ha! He probably doesn't remember that I will actually be on the Emerald Isle itself in 3 months and will need all my Euros for shopping there.
Have to go cook dinner now. A woman's work is never done but at least my Internet is working.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
We Arrived!
Greetings from sunny Sugar Beach!
I am writing this on my iPhone as I can't get my computer to connect to the net. The after hours service number only works M-F!
Friday's drive was uneventful. Including Tulsa rush hour and stopping for dinner it took 7.5 hours to get to Little Rock. We had a brief but nice visit with Don and Jamie and then turned in for the night.
We left LR at 6:45 stopping for breakfast at Mickey D's. There was an Army JROTC team there too so we felt right at home. Drove through Memphis and greeted McLemore Blvd as we drove by. Then it was south to Jackson where we ate lunch at Pizza Inn. I think John Y. and I need to start a franchise out by New Market Sq. :-) Later in the day we stopped for gas and immediately after that Erin called to say that Bank of America called to alert us of unusual activity on our account. So we called and found out that they were concerned that we had transactions in 3 seperate states in one day. Guess they aren't used to us traveling. Ha! Actually I really appreciated it.
We pulled into the driveway of Sugar Beach exactly 11:30:03 hours after we left LR. We ran into bad traffic coming into
Mobile that delayed us by an hour. I used my handy dandy timer on my iPhone to time us. We are back in the condo we had two years ago and I was so glad to see it is still comfortably nice. Nothing fancy but cozy.
For dinner we went to The Hangout. It is a huge family restaurant/bar that has something for everyone. They had an emcee entertaining diners between live music sets on the outdoor stage. Friday night Los Lonley Boys will be there so I am trying to talk Ken into going. We had great food. We had Frickles for Meghan ( fried pickles) and Ken had fried shrimp. I had a Shaka Shaka Shrimp Wrap. It was the best meal we've ever had down here.
Woke this morning to find that we had no hot water, the Internet still won't connect and my new capris that I didn't try on don't fit. Ken flipped the breaker on the hot water tank, I can connect on my iPhone and we are going to make an old navy run for shorts and capris. The sun is shining and the water is lovely so all is well.
As the say at the Hangout- laugh loud dance fast have fun or go home!
Shaka Baby!
I am writing this on my iPhone as I can't get my computer to connect to the net. The after hours service number only works M-F!
Friday's drive was uneventful. Including Tulsa rush hour and stopping for dinner it took 7.5 hours to get to Little Rock. We had a brief but nice visit with Don and Jamie and then turned in for the night.
We left LR at 6:45 stopping for breakfast at Mickey D's. There was an Army JROTC team there too so we felt right at home. Drove through Memphis and greeted McLemore Blvd as we drove by. Then it was south to Jackson where we ate lunch at Pizza Inn. I think John Y. and I need to start a franchise out by New Market Sq. :-) Later in the day we stopped for gas and immediately after that Erin called to say that Bank of America called to alert us of unusual activity on our account. So we called and found out that they were concerned that we had transactions in 3 seperate states in one day. Guess they aren't used to us traveling. Ha! Actually I really appreciated it.
We pulled into the driveway of Sugar Beach exactly 11:30:03 hours after we left LR. We ran into bad traffic coming into
Mobile that delayed us by an hour. I used my handy dandy timer on my iPhone to time us. We are back in the condo we had two years ago and I was so glad to see it is still comfortably nice. Nothing fancy but cozy.
For dinner we went to The Hangout. It is a huge family restaurant/bar that has something for everyone. They had an emcee entertaining diners between live music sets on the outdoor stage. Friday night Los Lonley Boys will be there so I am trying to talk Ken into going. We had great food. We had Frickles for Meghan ( fried pickles) and Ken had fried shrimp. I had a Shaka Shaka Shrimp Wrap. It was the best meal we've ever had down here.
Woke this morning to find that we had no hot water, the Internet still won't connect and my new capris that I didn't try on don't fit. Ken flipped the breaker on the hot water tank, I can connect on my iPhone and we are going to make an old navy run for shorts and capris. The sun is shining and the water is lovely so all is well.
As the say at the Hangout- laugh loud dance fast have fun or go home!
Shaka Baby!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Spring Fever
Greetings!
In about 28 hours we will be leaving for what has become our annual trek to the white sands of Gulf Shores, Alabama. More specifically, Orange Beach and Sugar Sands condominiums. This will be our third year going to Gulf Shores and hopefully it will not be our last trip.
This year we are taking Roy as far as Little Rock for a visit with Ken's brother Don. We will pick him up on our way back home next Saturday. I have my books, magazines, MP3 and DVDs ready to go.
I'll try to update this every day internet connection permitting.
Can't wait to get into beach mode!
Laura
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