Irish B & B #3

Hello from the southwestern coast of Ireland!

The hydrangeas are fantastic here, thanks to the Gulf Stream. The views of the sea beyond the fields separated by ancient stone walls are lovely, the road signs take a little studying, and you will see part of our ND group as well as my dear friend Patti and me in front of a beehive hut, dating back to 1200 AD.

This website plus my rural hotel connection are doing strange things so you will need to decide which description goes with what photo. Weather here has been amazingly dry---sunny today

when we went to Blarney Castle. (I didn't kiss the stone---I don't need to talk anymore than I do!)

BOB #2

Promised I would tilt a Guinness to you---here it is!!!!
The Irish harpist at the castle banquet was quite lovely and played very well. We sipped our mead and enjoyed her music, though this is beginning to sound as if it is a beverage tour and not a musical tour!
The madrigal singers were equally good---here in the great hall the accoustics were amazing. Dinner had four "returns" (courses)---spicy parsnip soup with brown soda bread, ribs, and chicken with gravy and root vegetables followed by a sort of custard. We only had our daggers with which to eat in the medieval style. Interesting logistics...
Graveyard and church remnants near our hotel which I found on an early morning walk. The oldest grave marker I found was 1802.
Cliffs of Moher: beautiful and remote. The walk to this view was actually closed, officially, because of a very high wind (gayle, actually). Several of us walked up anyway to get a good view and I can see how, if you got very close to the edge, you might get swept over the edge.

Off to a full Irish (breakfast): eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, toast....hmmm...think I won't need lunch!

Bits and Bobs from Ireland #1

Our group of North Dakotans, seven strong, arrived early this morning at Shannon (western Ireland) after an overnight flight from Newark. Today was a glorious day with blue sky and sunshine---great for exploring!
We are staying at the Bunratty Hotel, a lovely old country hotel in a tiny village. At the bottom of the hotel grounds we found Bunratty Castle, which was built for the "last" time in 1425, having been sacked numerous times prior to that.
It was a defensive castle so has tiny slits or very narrow windows and the crenalations at the top are large enough for a man with a bow to hide behind. (not sure about that crenal...word---the stone trimmings on the roof!)

Joyce (a new friend from ND who came with my long-time friends) and I opted to not take a nap after being up all night on a rough flight. Instead we climbed the six stories of tiny little uneven wedge-shaped circular stone steps to get to the top of the castle.
This was the view over the River Shannon to the fields beyond...Ireland is just as green as the reputation would have you believe! Tonight we are going to a medieval banquet in the great hall of the castle, complete with serving wenches and mead. More on that in the next blog.
Meanwhile, i am enjoying the lovely hydrangeas and roses in the gardens of the hotel! Now I am off to the hotel's pub for the first Guiness of the trip---I shall toast you all!

As Summer Ends..........

As any of you who drop into my blog now and then know, I tend to get busy with life and neglect postings. Summer is such a glorious time in the high country of Colorado that one just needs to be outside...fishing, hiking, mowing the lawn, painting the house...all those things that are such fun!

I promised my friend Karen I would someday post a photo of a puffin I took in Iceland in July---so here it is! (Can you believe they eat these cute little birds? They reportedly have VERY dark meat, are oily and taste fishy.) Puffins can swim underwater faster than they can fly, which explains why their main diet is fish!

The puffins seem to spend a lot of time basking in the summer sun on cliffs above the sea.

(Click to enlarge this one---then use the upper RH X to close and go on with the blog...)

One of the favorite things Marie and I did in Iceland was to take a cruise on a glacial lagoon among the icebergs which had calved off the great glacier coming down to the sea from the polar icecap. We were given a small piece of ice (from an iceberg-duh!) that was estimated at

2000 years old. It was clear and delicious!

As summer ends here the peaks have new snow. This is the view out my kitchen window toward Kendal Mountain---you may need to enlarge this one to see the new snow that fell last night. Meanwhile, have a look at my new fence built from my old woodshed and my new little garden shed---all neat and tidy for winter!

My family all came for birthdays for Finn and Maggie as well as Uncle Sam. (Thanks to James

for this wonderful family photo taken on my front porch.)

Of course we always get a little crazy when dressing up to watch the 4th of July parade! (Audrey and Finn, in case you didn't recognize them in all their "bling"!)

Maggie and Finn hiking above Silverton one lovely day...

Ah yes....FISHING! You can tell these are my grand-children! Fishing is in our genes!
(JDH photo)

Maggie, Suzie, Audrey, and Finn riding in Silverton's stage coach---come visit next summer and I'll take YOU for a ride. (Enlarge this one, please.)

Tomorrow I am off to Ireland with North Dakota friends. I shall tilt a Guiness your way with

wonderful wishes!!!