Pictures from Waterford

These were taken in Waterford and the ride up to Waterford. They are in backward but I'm too tired to rearrange them! Enjoy.

The interior of Christ Church Cathedral. It is very austere because in order to turn the structure back to the Anglicans they had to agree to remove all the stained glass windows. Only one was left.

The altar area has Wedgwood trimmings.

This fine gentleman's name is Scotty. He sits in the doorway of his master's shop. We had a very nice talk.

St. Savior's Catholic church, across the street from our hotel.

We spent an hour in the Waterford Treasures Museum. Got lots of pictures.

We can't remember the name of this tower. I'll look in my journal and correct it later.

Sailboats moored in the Suir River in Waterford, right in town.

A ship spent the night here, then sailed off about an hour after we took this picture.

A look from the bridge going into Waterford.

The Butler House & Gardens, Kilkenny.

Exploring the gardens at Kilkenny Castle.

A field of rapeseed taken from the bus.

Gate at Cahir Castle.

Inside the courtyard at Cahir Castle.

We have one more day in Dublin and we are all more than tired and ready to come home. We went to church at the Presbyterian Abbey church this morning and enjoyed a meal afterward with the Pastor, his family and a lovely group of young people. It was in the apartment Kate lived in while she was here. We had to climb up four floors to get to it! My hat is off to you, Kate, for climbing those stairs every day! This will be my last post in Ireland. See you soon!

Pictures from Killarney

Here are some picture postcards from our ride from Galway down to Killarney. Most of these I couldn't identify if my life depended on it, but suffice it to say it's along the Atlantic Coast of Ireland!

Wild iris along the road.
Old and abandoned building.

Picturesque seaside villa

The Cliffs of Moher in the mist.

Bill in the Burren.

I want one of these solarium on my house!

A very old graveyard beside ivy-covered ruins.

Gorgeous countryside

More abandoned ruins

Anchored boats when the tide goes out.

Just a sampling of the beautiful photos we're getting. Can't wait to sort through all of them when we get home. Now to explore Dublin!

Waterford

Today we are resting, resting! This is day eleven or twelve - I've lost count. We are so happy to be away from the coach and on our own. This morning after breakfast we walked a few blocks to the Waterford Treasures Museum. We spent an hour and a half there, taking in a whole lot of history of this area. And it goes waaaaay back, before the Vikings even. It was a good museum with lots of interactive stuff and artifacts and such.

We came back to the hotel for a sandwich and then set out again to explore some of the churches in town. There is a very ornate Catholic church across the street from our hotel, and then many blocks away is Christ Church Cathedral, which is currently Anglican or Episcopal. It dates back many centuries and has changed back and forth between the Catholics and the Anglicans. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. One thing we have seen much of is churches! I hope I can get them all straight and in alignment with their photos!

For supper tonight we're going down the street to Dooley's Hotel to eat some traditional Irish beef stew. Oh, I finally got a picture of a sweet Westie. He was sitting in the doorway of a shop and I chatted with his owner for a bit. His name is Scotty and he is pretty scruffy looking, but has the sweetest face. I'll post his picture when I can. I think that will satisfy my longing for Treasure for the moment.

Tomorrow we leave for Dublin and the end of the tour and beginning of our breakaway. I hope we have enough energy left to see all of Dublin and the surrounding area. Looking forward to coming home on Tuesday.

We Made it to Cork

We left Killarney bright and early this morning and went out to a sheep farm and a really neat demonstration with a sheep dog and four sheep. In spite of the drizzle, I think we got lots of good pictures.

After we left the sheep farm we stopped in at the Muckross House Gardens. Our guide gave us about 45 minutes to stroll through the gardens and enjoy a massive display of rhododendrum and other flowers. It was just beautiful.

Then we were off to Blarney and the Castle and of course the Blarney stone. Bill and I walked over to the castle and he climbed up to the stone while I stayed below and took some pictures. He even got his picture taken to prove he really kissed that stinking stone! After a little shopping in the Woolen mill we left there and made our way to Cork.

We're staying at the Imperial Hotel, one of the oldest buildings in the city. It really is lovely, very Georgian architecture with tall ceilings and ornate fittings. Cork City is the home of the Murphy Brewery and we were able to acquire another Murphy beer mug for... Murphy!

We're about to go out with our cameras for some photos and maybe find some traditional Irish music. The internet is in our room so may be back soon with photos.

Pictures from Galway

Some flowering gorse along a lake near Galway.


Peat bogs - notice the strips of peat drying on top of the grass.

Rock walls in an area called "Famine City". These were built by poor people during the famine in the 1840's.

This river is in Galway. The green domed cathedral in the background is St. Nicholas Catholic Church, funded primarily by Irish/American rich Catholics including the Kennedys.

Ireland wouldn't be Irish without a Murphy's Bar!

Killarney Continued

Just a quick update as I am using the public computer. We had a wonderfully full morning going round the Ring of Kerry and making several stops for beautiful photos. Grand Circle is most accommodating and offers many places to stretch our legs and refresh our bodies. We had lunch at a lovely restaurant/shop where the shopping was really good. search was successful there!

We are resting tomorrow and will go to church instead of the Dingle ride. There is a very old Episcopalian church around the corner from our hotel and Bill is delighted. Maybe afterward we'll make it out to the Muckross House.

Have heard about Doug's surgery and will keep him in prayer on Monday, because we are ahead of you and our prayers need to get there early! I'm glad to hear that Treasure is doing well. I guess she was a little confused about her place in Bible study! By next week she should have it all figured out.

Hope to post pictures next time. Love to all.

Today We're in Killarney

This is the beautiful Kylemore Abbey we visited on Wednesday. It was originally a home built for a family with nine children! It was subsequently sold and a girl's boarding school has been in operation ever since. They are now in the process of eliminating the boarding part of the school. The prettiest part of the estate is the Victorian gardens. I'll have to sort out my photos at home and post them separately.

Today we set out for Killarney by way of the Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately, a thick mist settled in for the hour we were at the cliffs and we saw little other than soupy fog! But the shopping was really good there! We got into Killarney late afternoon, just finished a delightful dinner at the hotel, and are resting up for a full day tomorrow with a drive around the Ring of Kerry.

Bill and I are having great competition with our cameras. Well, less competition and more cooperation as he is able to get shots I can't and I get some he can't, so we just are doubling our opportunities. And there are wonderful photographic opportunities at every mile. Ireland is in full bloom - hundreds of shades of green, miles of rhododendron, gorse, and a white bush that looks like spirea with beautiful fragrant white flowers. The fuchsia is starting to bloom everywhere too.

We have free wireless at this hotel, so I'll try to get back sooner.

Greetings from Galway!

It is now the end of our first full day of our trip. We have had a wonderful day out, traveling through the Connemara Region. A highlight from this morning was the wonderful Kylemore Abbey. What a great place for photos! The Abbey itself has been a boarding school for girls for many years and is in process of shutting the boarding aspect down. There is a lovely Victorian garden that rivals the gardens we have seen in Scotland and England.

We were really spent yesterday when we finally got into Galway. Our flight to Paris was smooth and seemed to pass quickly, but then we had that four hour layover and had very little to entertain ourselves with! Our flight was delayed about twenty minutes and when we finally got settled into our seats we all nodded off for much much needed sleep.

In a little while we'll be heading into Galway city to look for a place to eat. Grand Circle is very accommodating and will act as a shuttle service for the evening. Tomorrow will be full in the morning, then a nice break in the afternoon and off to an Irish Cieli tomorrow night. I'm liking the pace of this trip very much.

Sending a special hello to Treasure and Adrian and their guardians! Will be back to post again as soon as we can. Love to all.

Last Minute Thoughts

This morning I woke up in a panic - I must have dreamed that I forgot to take my heavy coat because I got off the plane in Ireland with no coat and I was freezing!

I have a few hours left to go through my suitcase and make sure everything I need is in there! Then I'll place my warm red coat right on top of the suitcase where I'll be sure to see it. Do you know how hard it is to remember a coat when the temperature is 85 degrees?

This morning our choir sang a song that had presented us a challenge for several weeks. It's a fun song, but it goes really fast and has lots of words and harmonies. You know the kind. It sounds great when sung by a really good ensemble, but it's very hard for a choir to articulate. I can't say we did a very good job with it. But I can say I'm really glad it's over!

Anyway, for about three weeks I've had a really painful time with TMJ, and one side of my face has given me fits. I even got fitted for a night guard to help with the clenching. It had gotten a lot better until last night. I popped in that night guard and then tossed and turned all night. Just before church service it suddenly dawned on me that my TMJ pain and choir practice for today's song had coincided and I finally concluded the two were related! And sure enough, now that I'm done with that song, my jaw is relaxing! Who knew?

Those are my thoughts for now. I'm going to take a nap, but not a long one. Because I want to be really tired tomorrow when I get on the plane to Ireland. Maybe, just maybe I'll be able to get in more than a twenty minute nap. Otherwise I might sleep through our four hour layover in Paris! My next post should be from Galway, God willing and a good Internet connection provided!

Makin' My List... Checkin' It Twice

Just like the space shuttle, we are T minus four and counting! Not sure what that's supposed to mean, but for us it's four days to Ireland! Our plane "lifts off" at 8 a.m. on Monday and we will meet Bill in Atlanta around 12:30. Thankfully our overseas flights are the same and we have tried to get our seats together. We'll have a four hour layover in Paris! I guess I can say I've been to Paris, though we won't get out of the airport. Like when we had a plane change in Zurich. Technically we've been there but.... At least we can do some shopping in those four hours!

So where are we on the list today? Graham and I both have had our haircuts, our teeth cleaned, I picked up my night guard, He filed his ministry tax return, I have stopped the mail, canceled the paper, put gas in the car, been breaking in a new pair of SAS shoes, charged the batteries for my camera, and stocked Graham's camera with batteries and memory cards. I still need to pick up clothes at the cleaners. Graham has a doctor appointment tomorrow. And I need to pack Treasure's things for Jo when she comes to pick up her four-legged companion after dropping us at the airport.

The weather in Ireland is expected to be in the 50's during the day and down into the 40's at night. Graham's bag has been packed for a couple weeks. And unpacked... and repacked! Such indecision! Mine has been a bit slower going, but is mostly done. Except, of course, for the toiletries that I need morning and night until we leave. There's a nice space open for them!

We had a call from Grand Circle today - Graham took the call and made notes - and it seems we are being diverted from Waterford. His note mentions "Waterford Crystal (illegible word)", then in the next line "Train-ride", the word "change" and then "guided tour 15th Cent. Cahir Castle Kilkenny City." I'm guessing here, but it appears we'll skip Waterford altogether, go to Cahir Castle for a tour, then on to Kilkenny. You don't know how researched and prepared I was before getting this message! And now I've come home to a little surprise in the making. I still don't know what the train ride is about!

So Bill, how are you coming along?

It's Settled!

We finally came to a meeting of the minds - Graham and I did, that is.

I have been agonizing for weeks over what "small gift" to take to our Irish luncheon

hosts when we are in Cobh. I wanted something "Texas" to be a special remembrance

for them. I got lots of great ideas on Facebook and then set out to find something.

~~~

Short of going downtown and shopping where the tourists shop, I hit every place I could

think of in my neck of the woods and came up empty-handed. Finally I had the idea of

Texas flavored coffees, easily found at any HEB in town. But when I came home with two

sample packages, they really looked pretty puny - not representative of a big state like Texas!

~~~

Those two packs of coffee stared at me from the dining room table for weeks until last

Saturday, when Meredith and I went out to the Leon Valley Days craft show, which is

held only once a month. Cristi was taking Adrian to the park and we had time on our hands,

so we took off to Leon Valley after the Pearl Market and decided to look around.

~~~

Believe it or not, the first stall I looked into had masses of hand-crafted potholders, tortilla-

holders, potato bakers, tea cozies, place mats - you name it, she made it! And, yessir, youza!

She had Texas-themed everything!!! I was in heaven! After looking at every Texas-themed material in her stall, this is what I decided upon...

And I'm taking that coffee too! I imagine our Program Director and Bus Driver will enjoy

a good cuppa coffee from the great state of Texas! YeeHaw!

[Grand] Mother's Day Lunch

What a fun time we had yesterday! Meredith invited me out for a "surprise" lunch for Mother's Day. I was told to wear "something nice" and that we were going somewhere that I liked. Armed with that much information, we piled into her car and headed out for who knows where.

Soon we turned into the parking lot at Artisan's Alley and up the steps to Apple Annie's! Yes, I really do enjoy going here! Meredith looked around the corner and guess who she found! Lois White and Jo Schweizer! What a wonderful surprise she had planned! Here is Adrian, having lunch with his Mommy and two additional Grandma's! They have both adopted him as their own. And he was quite taken with his huggie bear, which he calls "puppy!"

We had lots of fun as we waited for our food. Adrian had his "puppy" and some crackers, and we all enjoyed our pink carnations and iced tea with spiffy cocktail napkins! We feasted on fruit, salad samplers and finger sandwiches, leaving plenty of room for cake afterward! Mmmm. Double chocolate... Italian creme... Yummy carrot cake... and Lemon bars!

"Happy Mother's Day" to a special daughter, carrying grandbaby number 2...

"Happy Grandmother's Day" to Ludee!

Yep! This was a pretty good way to spend a Friday, eating up all the attention a nearly two year old can bear! And what a good boy he was!

Number Five

In less than two weeks, Graham and Bill and I are going to take our fifth vacation trip together. We were talking on the phone tonight and remembering some of our good times last year, which made me think about the four trips we have taken together. It all began in 2003.

That was the year Bill almost didn't go with us. We presented him with our plan to take a tour in Scotland and asked if he would want to go too. We have ancestry there, and of course with the name William Wallace, we knew he would love the trip. It would also be his first venture overseas. He hesitated, then said he just couldn't go. Probably two days later, I got a call from him asking if it was too late to change his mind! I'm so glad he did, because we had such a wonderful time there. This picture is in a restaurant in Glasgow. Bill, what was the name of the restaurant?

Our next trip together was in November, 2005, to Italy. We gathered a large group of family and friends and trekked from Rome to Venice to Capri and many places in between. Everyone had his or her favorite place. Bill and Graham were captivated by Pompeii. That excavated city, the ruins in Rome and the Catacombs made the trip worthwhile. We encountered some very cold and rainy weather, but wouldn't let that dampen our enthusiasm for the beautiful countryside and delicious food. This picture is taken in Assisi at our hotel, the Subasio.

Our plans for 2006 started out with a trip to Russia. We were going with half of our Italy group and just before finalizing the deal, several in the group bailed out. In an effort to keep our group together we changed our plans to a week in London. This was the first time we had done an "independent" tour and so we were pretty much left to plan our own events. This was Bill's first trip to London. We did day trips to Bath and Stonehenge, Leeds Castle and Winchester, and a train ride to East Grinstead and Hever Castle. This picture is taken at a Mediterranean Restaurant in London. Pardon the focus, but this was the best I had of the three of us together.

In 2008 we ventured out, just we three, to the Northwest US and Canada and the National Parks. What a terrific trip that was! We were traveling in May, but the temps were still cool, and there was even some snow remaining in some areas. We saw so much wildlife and had a great tour director who made lots of photo stops. This was the most relaxing and enjoyable trip we have made and one that all three of us would dare to do again. This picture is taken in Jasper, Canada.

So now we prepare to see Ireland together. Graham and I did a fast tour in Ireland about four years ago. We're looking forward to this more leisurely exploration with Bill. And I'm making a note to myself as I type: Get more pictures of the three of us together!

Adrian at the Zoo

Last Saturday Meredith and Cristi took Adrian and my camera to the San Antonio Zoo. This was a first visit for Adrian and Cristi and was quite enjoyable before the sun warmed things up. After touring most of the facility (and getting dozens of great pictures), they wound up at the Petting Zoo. Now Adrian has been "petting" Treasure for many months, but that's nothing like petting this little goat at the Zoo!

One reason Meredith wanted to take my camera is that it is so responsive. The point-and-shoot cameras are nice, but they are quite slow to respond, causing one to miss a good photo. Not so with my Canon Rebel! It's my friend and constant companion!

Here you can almost hear Cristi's instruction to Adrian...

Second, by....

Second, by....

Second...

Success!

Wonder what those little hands are reaching for here!

Bubbles!

I saw a package of bubbles and bubble-blowers at the grocery store a few weeks ago.
I just couldn't resist getting them and watching for Adrian's reaction to the bubbles.
Let's just say, he didn't disappoint!