Ireland

We’re back from a great trip to Ireland. We met new people, including some from our area, and everyone in Ireland was extremely friendly and hospitable.

Homes with real thatched roofs, horses and carts in almost every town, gardens, churches, castles, cliffs, and enough sheep, cows and horses to keep any photographer busy.

It was a great ten days, and I’d give it a two thumbs up to anyone who has it on their bucket list. I could go on and on or post a couple hundred more photos, but I think you get the idea. More door and garden photos will show up down the road not to mention the oldest light house in the world. Like I said, I could keep going.

Ireland has a rich history that directly links to America. During the famine years, many Irish emigrated to the United States for work in order to send money back to their families. The famine years are a big part of their history and how the country has evolved.

There is an Irish tradition to keep a light shining from the Hall of the Irish President in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. It is a symbolic beacon reaching out to guide emigrant families or their descendants back to visit the homeland. Is that welcoming beacon calling to you? ☘

After beautiful hotels, delicious meals, decadent desserts, and plenty of good beer, it is back to reality. The washing machine hasn’t stopped running, there are well over 1,000 photos to go through, and I haven’t read one email or blog post. So, I’m off to see if I can make a dent in any of it. Hope you are enjoying a great fall Monday, and it sure is good to be back on the laptop and not the phone.🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge: Quest

Quest for perfection at Waterford Crystal. All the gardeners who own a pair of Fiskar shears have a connection to these works of art.

Thursday Doors

Here are a couple of doors from my walk around Limerick this morning. The doors are in a variety of colors as is are the houses in many instances. Big or small, they are all neat and tidy.

We are in Killarney for two days, Waterford, and then back around to Dublin to head home on Sunday. The week had flown by.

Ireland is a lovely country absolutely overflowing with Americans representing just about every state. US news hits the front pages of the papers here. There is not the violence here that we are experiencing, and the locals seek you out to ask about it and our political situation. I have had quite a few conversations including one in a restroom. They just don’t understand it, but then again neither do most of us.

Have a great Thursday. We are off to the Ring of Kerry, pony cart ride, shopping, and more great food.

If Ireland is not already on your travel bucket list, consider adding it.

Wordless Wednesday from Ireland

Postcard from Ireland

Weather has been good, scenery is beautiful, people are extremely friendly, Guinness beer is plentiful, and the food is delicious. 

Today we are off to the Aran Islands, and tomorrow we visit the Cliffs of Moher.

Wish you were here.🙂

Packing

I love traveling to new places and learning new things. But, I can’t say the prep work and the day of traveling is all that much fun.

Right now, I’m in the obsessive mode of trying to make sure I have packed everything that I need for ten days but not anything I can get along without.

Tablets are going for reading and occasional email checking. I agonized over the camera decision and ended up buying a new ‘in between’ camera – Canon Powershot SX 410IS. It is bigger than my previous compact Canon but tremendously smaller than my DSLR. I’ll also have my telephone and tablet cameras for backup.

Documents, tablet, makeup, passport, cell phone, and camera with pocket for extra battery and card.

My biggest challenge is organizing all the stuff. This is where the OCD side of me kicks in, and I make little bags for everything that are attached with hooks. I got this idea from a Baggallini purse I bought that had hooks inside for a wallet and car keys. I love that purse because I’m not running around looking for something I think I lost.

Now, I just can’t set the purse or the backpack down, but I think I can handle that.🙂

We are going to be picked up at 8 a.m. on Thursday and will probably get to our hotel in Dublin around 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning. I’m exhausted just thinking about that part.

The security lines from Boston to Newark will hopefully be somewhat expedited because we have TSAPre✓. We also applied months ago for Global Entry but then found out our interviews are scheduled for April 2017. I guess it doesn’t help when there is only one interview site for the entire Northeast.

I wonder if the government sees any irony in a nine-month waiting period to ask similar questions and get copies of the same fingerprints we gave to TSA, U.S. Department of Home Land Security, that we will now be required to give to CBP, U.S. Customs and Border Protection?

If you are even considering going through this security pre-approval process and you have any remote thoughts about taking an international trip, apply through CBP and they throw in the TSA clearance. It may still take the same amount of time it does to produce a small human being, but at least you will only have to do it once.

Hope you are having beautiful fall weather. I saw my first red leaves today.  :-)

Weekly Photo Challenge: Edge

Portland Head Light is on the craggy Maine shores of Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth just south of Portland.

A couple of years back, I climbed a very short fence and stood on the edge to include the rocks, shrubs, and the wild rose in the photo. Although it wasn’t dangerous, I wasn’t suppose to do it. When you have been bitten by the photography bug and you find yourself at a beautiful spot with a camera in your hands, you sometimes don’t use good sense.

I didn’t have a Thursday Door post yesterday because I got caught by a homeowner snapping photos of her house. She came out and questioned me. Was I from the newspaper? No. Was I a real estate agent? No. All the time, I’m chuckling inside trying to figure out how to explain to her about Norm and his Thursday Doors.

I gave her my very best explanation including bringing up the blog on my phone to show her a post. She was fine at that point and told me about the history of her house and how she needed some gardening help. Okay, now I can redeem myself. I listened and was able to give her a few suggestions. After I got home and looked through my photos, I realized I didn’t even have a good photo of the door.

Who knew blogging could be so dangerous?  :-)

Update to post: Here is a great link to a wonderful folk song about the Portland Head Light provided by our blogging friend, Kerry, at LoveThoseHandsatHome.

Check out the other Edge photos at the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge.