Back home . . .

After much drama that included a lost/stolen wallet and passport (I'm actually home now trying to get charges removed that were put on my credit and ATM cards in the few hours between it being stolen and me reporting it gone). Of course, no passport or drivers licence meant no photo id so no getting on my flight from Philly to DC. Thankfully I have wonderful parents and the drive to the airport was a mere 2 1/2 hours so they came to pick me up. Hey-- I did ask before I left if they'd pick me up at the airport when I got home-- I never specified which airport! While waiting for them, I spent an interesting few hours in the international arrival area in the Philly airport where there is NOTHING-- no travelers assistance people at the desk (despite having a desk), no way to hear or make pages, no airport staff, no security guards other than the one who showed up about 10 pm to read the newspaper and hit on me-- just basically a holding area with a bank of pay phones and a change making machine that doesn't work and some round banquets to sit on. Very depressing. I knew I should have stayed in Ireland.

On a lighter note, ALL pictures are up on the web. Here's the link. Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=561985474804_391376718306&collid=19194593206.653859218306.1214571695285&page=1

Rainy and Gray Sunday Morning

Well, the house is clean, the last of the sheets are in the dryer, suitcases are packed for the most part and we're heading out this morning to spend the afternoon/night in Galway before our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon from Shannon.

We seem to be leaving just in time as the weather changed-- our warm, sunny days were replaced by cold, gray, windy & rainy skies. The storm really hit in the late afternoon/evening. It is still so cloudy that I can't even see Blacksod or the hills on Achill island as I look out the window. Yesterday evening there was a rainbow that went from one side of the bay to another-- it was gorgeous.

Yesterday was a quiet day-- after lunch at the Anchor in Belmullet yesterday we then spent a lovely afternoon with Sadie and Paddy Murphy and a neighbor, Eamon, having tea and then chatting by the fire. Last night was our last evening at Cormack's which was very sad as we bid good-bye to Rose & James, Brendan, et al. But we'll be back . . .

New picture above also-- Heidi, Rose and Brendan after our big Friday night out (this was actually taken in the not so wee hours of Saturday morning).

Pictures as promised

Man Eating Plants and Imperative Reverse Moments

A leisurely Friday afternoon here-- I'm keeping an eye on the laundry (Sam II, whom I'll post a picture of, is known to snatch it off the line) while Heidi is out on the bog looking for "man eating plants." Seriously. On our trek to Ceide fields, the neolithic farming site, the tour guide was giving us a quick overview of the plants found on the bog including daisies, buttercups, wild orchids, bog cotton and, two carnivorous plants that dine on midges. One of the old ladies on the tour mentioned that they used to use the plants to make a tonic to get rid of warts while another chimed in that they would go out in the morning and gather a dew covered snail and rub it on the warts and that was said to cure them. If it were up to me, I think I'd rather brave bathing in the extract of carnivorous plants than having a snail massage. Either way, I'm glad I don't have warts and have to try either of the aforementioned remedies. Ugh.

When the internet is working better (it's spotty right now which explains why this wasn't posted till much later than Friday afternoon) I'll post more pictures including more happy cows,the Blacksod lighthouse and harbour, and a sign that warns of an imperative reverse moment as we're calling them. There have been several times we've gone down a road that dead ends at a cliff and Heidi has to skillfully do a three point turn with a car that is difficult to get in reverse and sometimes wants to go into first gear instead-- which is why we've dubbed such occasions, "imperative reverse moments." The worst was yesterday when we drove down a rocky dirt road past St. Brendan's Church at Tiraun to see the Atlantic side of the area where we're staying. The road ends suddenly at the drop off to the beach which is about 20 feet down and where the wild sea beats against the rocky shore. It was breathtakingly beautiful but definitely an imperative reverse moment!

Early Morning in Mayo

Up early this morning (although I'll likely go back to bed shortly for a little power nap). The light this morning is gorgeous. I'm sitting in the study looking at the window across the bay. Although an enormous cloud is balancing atop Slievemore on Achill island in the distance (ht. 671 feet), the sunlight was gleaming off the Blacksod light house illuminating the entire point. Yesterday was quite windy but it appears calmer today. Despite the wind, it was a gloriously warm day following Tuesday's rain which at times was coming down horizontally.

Yesterday around lunch time I walked down the lane to the sandy beach and walked all around the beach and even waded into the water. In places it must have been 70 degrees warm as it was fairly shallow (I walked in probably 30 or 40 feet and never went completely up to my knees) and crystal clear.

In the afternoon we headed to Ceide fields and the cliffs at Downpatrick Head. Took an interesting tour of the neolithic farming site at Ceide and watched the fill-um (aka film) about the site. On the way home we stopped off at Cormacks for a pint and a chat. We get the feeling that the pub scene is basically a male thing as other than Rose, the bartender/owner whom we adore, we've encountered very few women in there. The men, however, come in after work to drink, look out the window and chat. They've been extremely gracious in allowing us to intrude on their routine and are eager to chat with us about American politics (many are Obama supporters and most are probably better versed in US politics than the average American voter), life in this area, etc. When we mentioned the one thing we want to do that we haven't done yet is visit Inishkea they told us about the annual BBQ on the island that is happening on Saturday night and Rose immediately got on the phone and began making plans for us to attend. Evidently boats ferry people to the island, an early Christian monastic site which was home to a fishing village that was abandoned in the 1930's. People build fires on the beach, cook out, drink, and there's music and good craic (fun). Can't wait!

More pictures from recent days posted at top.

More of the Mullet

Typical Day for Heidi and Terri:
Get up around 8:30ish, have toast and tea. Heidi draws, Terri writes. Showers. Get dressed. Walk on the beach. More tea. More writing and drawing-- maybe a little reading and taking breaks to gaze at the views out the windows. More tea. Lunch. Perhaps another walk. More tea. Reading, writing, drawing, gazing at the scenery. More tea, sometimes with Sadie if she pops down after her dinner. Dinner. Gazing at scenery during dinner. Playing the "guess what time it is" game. More tea. Watch the light change over Achill in the distance. Reading. Bed.

On some afternoons we actually have left the house. Friday we took a little trip into Aghleam in the afternoon to do some shopping and then decided to drive a bit further south to the tip of the Mullet down by the Blacksod Lighthouse and to Fallmore. Fallmore sits on the Atlantic (the wild side as it's known here) and was home to saint Deirbhle who was a contemporary of St. Columba. When leaders of the Irish church gathered for the Synod of Ballisodare in 585 CE Deirbhle and another woman, Ciath, were there along with Columba (Columcille) making decisions and offering their opinions. The ruins of her church as well as her "bed" and a holy well attributed to her still remain in Fallmore.

Pictures

We'll see if this works. Internet connection is spotty this afternoon . . .

What We've Been Up To . . .

Ok-- so it appears as if the technology problems have been solved-- at least for now. I did a destructive reboot of my computer which got it working again although I lost all my personal files (great reason to ask for an extension on school papers though!) and the internet at the house is working MOST of the time. . .

Our drive to Mayo was pretty uneventful. Heidi has been braving the driving and has done a brilliant job. I figured between the driving on the left and relearning manual it wasn't good to attempt it so I've been the combination GPS system/Driver's Ed instructor. "You are approaching a round about. Take the third exit to Ballina. Stop at the yield sign. Look right. Proceed after the white van. Exit here and stay in the left hand lane. Good job!"

The country side driving up the west coast was beautiful-- straight out of the Shannon airport we were surrounded by rolling green hills filled with sheep and a glimpse of a thatched roof here or there. The Mullet, however, is a completely different landscape than the pastoral views-- more ruggedly beautiful, complex, and varied. There are rolling green hills, huge mountainous hills, gentle bays with aqua water and white sand, cliffs and the wild Atlantic surf and then the view out our windows-- tall grassy fields filled with wild iris, daisies and buttercups, cows grazing in the short grass just beyond that, bogs to the right (we tried to walk across them once-- big mistake-- I got sucked down up to my knee-- it was hilarious)and then beyond the fields Blacksod Bay. Right now I can see the lighthouse at Blacksod and then in the distance the tall hills of Achill Island that today are shrouded by mist. While we've had incredibly glorious weather (I have a bit of a tan) today is our first rainy day although it looks like the sun is trying to peek out from behind the clouds.

When we first arrived we stopped in at the neighbours'-- Paddy and Sadie Murphy-- to get the key. Sadie had us sit down for tea and sandwiches and we chatted before she brought us over to show us the house and get a fire going for us. The turf fires are lovely although it's been so warm we haven't even had the heat on in the house. We've made friends with the neighbourhood dogs as well as the two-legged neighbours although Rusty, Benji and Jack haven't been over for tea while Sadie has come over two afternoons for a cuppa and a chat.

And now to try uploading some pictures-- a view of the house from the beach, one of the "ladies" in the neighborhood whom I greet each morning on my way to the beach, and a view of the beach and bay.

Technological Glitches

Well,I guess with a gorgeous view of Blacksod Bay and cows in the fields around us I shouldn't be surprised that technology would completely fail me on this trip. The wireless access wasn't working and then my computer crashed-- majorly bit the dust. Alas. Because we have some great pictures and interesting adventures. We are now known on the Mullet as "the girls"-- at least at Cormack's pub in Drum where we had an enjoyable evening last night and made some lovely new friends.

We've been doing a ton of walking on the beach which involves climbing over rocks, wading in tidal pools in our wellies and popping the seaweed which is like walking on bubble paper-- quite fun! Heidi's been drawing the wild iris and now has moved onto shells. I, for some strange reason, have been writing haiku in addition to an essay each morning. Productive time-- it must be all the tea we've been drinking!

If my computer gets fixed and if we can then get the wireless up and working I'll post more later in the week.

Countdown to Ireland

48 hours to departure. Now that the blog is set up there's no excuse not to keep everyone updated on the Ireland Adventures of Heidi and Terri . . . assuming we have internet access and our adventures are publishable!

Stay tuned for further details . . .