Little people in the wood...

I awoke this morning to the brightest sunbeams coming in through our bathroom window. The shafts of light came in through the skylight and lit up our bedroom as if it was mid-day. I decided to get up and make the most of the bright morning by taking a little stroll through the local wood. I don't go here often, but always enjoy the strange setting of trees and rocks all covered with moss. Ireland has the reputation as being a magical place... and this is one of those places that always seems to confirm it.




I walked the paths for a long time enjoying the sounds and sights but eventually decided to ignore the signs telling you to stick to the path. I know... I was breaking the rules... but I desperately wanted to see some uprooted trees off in the distance. I trudged through the mud and eventually made it to the beautifully twisted trees.




It was while I was standing there taking the pictures that something caught my eye. I thought it was a red bird at first and didn't pay it much attention... but the sound of rustling on the ground and a little grunt made me jump. I started to run in the direction where I had seen the flash of red, but it seemed to disappear over a little ridge. It was then that I saw it or should I say... him. Being the keen photographer I am I already had my camera with it's giant zoom lens out and ready... and I was just able to snap this quick shot before he disappeared for good.




I walked around in the wood for a while more but it soon started to lash down with rain... I plan on going back and taking some more pictures... I'll let you know if I see him again...

Today's Random Pic...

Ok... one more...

I just can't stand it. I have to post another one of the rainbow pictures! I couldn't decide which one I liked best... and I have been second guessing my pick all day yesterday. What do you guys think? Here is another one!

Today's Random Pic...

I took this picture a few weeks ago on a great day out. The rain swept in with a bit a sleet so I sheltered in the car for a while... Eventually the dark clouds broke and I saw this in front of me. I jumped from the car and ran up a very slippery hill to get this shot and about a dozen others. Oh... my donkey friend (see April 8th post) was right with me the whole time.

"Wallace has a light bulb moment..."

Epiphany: the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something.

Please pardon this interruption while I have an epiphany or two:


- My sisters and I have always kidded my father about never wearing shorts and having white legs. This summer - when I go to see my family - It will have been a year since the last time my poor little white chicken legs have seen the sun.............. *Bing* - "Oh no! I have my father's legs!!!"

Don't worry dad... I won't make fun of your white legs this summer!


- I just filled up our little car with gas... well... diesel.... I paid 54.30 EURO for that tank.............*Bing* - "I paid the equivalent of $86.47 for that tank!!!" *BING** "That means that I am paying $8.28 per gallon of gas (diesel) here!!! Wow... America has it really good!"

Spring pt. 3

One last random spring photo. This one was taken in the local wood. The ground is just thick with these little wild flowers.

Spring pt 2.

Ok... I am the first to admit it... I am a sucker.

I ask you... who out there would not instantly let out an 'awe' at the first sight of those cute little pink ears? or have their heart melt at the sight of their little tails wagging? yep.... it is that awesome time of year... lamb season! Go ahead and call me a city boy... or call me a sucker... but I just have to keep taking pictures of them!

Dee discovered these little twins on a walk around our town the other night. I made a beeline over there last night to take some pics. They are just too cute... and all too tasty to resist!

;)
Hope you enjoy...

Spring pt.1

I grabbed my camera and ran out the door on a race. The clouds had cleared and the sun was setting quickly. I drove for about five min and then turned up a small little road that I have always wondered about but never ventured up. The road took me down in to a little valley where I saw a young colt running and jumping in a small rocky field. I jumped out of the car and took this shot right as the sun was going down behind the hill.

There is something so kind about a horse with its colt. There is a tenderness there that you don't really see in the other animals here. The mother is always watching as the colt dances around her... and always quick to nuzzel with her nose...

Winter pt.3

Dee and I took this pic while we were out on a walk yesterday... it almost looks like it should have been taken on Halloween... in reality it was a very sunny point in the day!

Winter - pt.2

Winter - pt.1

Summer is almost here... you can feel it in the sunshine and in the lengthening of the days... Winter, however, does not want to give up its grip on this green island. It continues to hold on and remind you of its presence with the occasional cutting wind and snow on the mountains. You have to remember that this wild place was never conquered by the Romans... and they named it Hibernia - or land of eternal winter.


In honor of winter's last stand - I am going to post some winterish pics this week.

100 Things...

I was ‘tagged’ by Alison. As best as I can understand it… this means that I must write out 100 random (but true) things about myself. I took the time to read my friends’ lists…. And had a good time catching up on their lives. Hope you enjoy.

1. I have the same name as my father. I can’t tell you how proud I am to be named after him. This is perhaps one of the biggest honors of my life.
2. I was born and raised in the deep south of the USA.
3. Everyone says that I don’t have a southern accent.
4. I am the baby in the family. I think that this is the best because I was able to experience growing up in a house full of other kids… but eventually I was the only one living at home.
5. I like that my family is so big. I only wish that I got to see everyone more often.
6. I’ve been married to my best friend for almost 9 years.
7. We met our second week of our first year at University… and she is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
8. I love that I have so much in common with Dee.
9. We don’t have kids yet.
10. I’m still impressed/touched that so many of my old high school friends came down for my wedding.
11. I wish that we had had TJ in the wedding.
12. I have my master’s degree.
13. I turned the big twenty-ten last summer… and I still can’t believe it!
14. I’ve always said that my favorite color is blue… but I think that it is really green.
15. I remember telling a kid in elementary school that green was a stupid color and that he should pick another favorite…. Sorry David…!
16. I’ve lived in Ireland for 5 years…
17. We try and get back to the states once a year but that is harder at times than others.
18. I wish that my family came to visit more often.
19. I would really love to have a bowl of Capt’n Crunch… but can’t get it here. Thankfully my sister (Jodie) and mother send me some from time to time!
20. I love writing emails and internet posts mainly because I don’t have to use proper grammar…. And I can use “…” a lot. Is that lazy?
21. My in-laws are amazing. They have taken me in and made me to feel like a part of their family. I truly look forward to spending time with them and love to talk with them.
22. I love having fires in the fireplace. We have a nightly fire in the fireplace about 9 months of the year.
23. My favorite TV shows are: The Amazing Race, The Tudors, Home and Away (Australian soap opera), How I Met Your Mother, The Office, Father Ted, Deadliest Catch, Gilmore Girls.
24. My favorite high school teacher was Dr. Black… favorite University prof was Dr. Younce. Both of these men made me really think.
25. I don’t like it when people call themselves a ‘realist’ when they are really just a ‘pessimist’.
26. I’m dyslexic.
27. I still have a hard time spelling… Thankfully the computer has solved that for me!
28. I have always admired my mother’s creativity
29. I have very clear childhood memories of my mother taking art classes and bringing her work home. I remember sitting beside her as she wove baskets… did calligraphy… painted… learned to read and write in braille… (to name a few things)…
30. I have never considered myself to be artistic.
31. I played the french horn for about four years… but I never enjoyed it or really excelled.
32. Since moving to Ireland I have started feeling (for the first time) truly creative.
33. I love photography. I take photos just about every day and am never without a camera…. But you already knew that.
34. I secretly wish that I could be a professional photographer (but don’t tell anyone that).
35. I have been in a local pottery course for the past four years. I love it and I am actually producing some useful things!
36. I love to write. I have been writing in my personal journal (not just this online one) for about four years now. The little leather bound book comes apart so that I can print pictures onto the pages and then reassemble it. I keep it in my coat pocket and I usually write in it while I’m at the coffee shop.
37. I think that my father is one of the funniest people I know. We (my family) kid him about being competitive… but he just loves to have fun and to play.
38. I love that my dad is the only person I know that actively tries to play ‘April fools’ jokes.
39. I still can’t figure out how he gets so many ringers when we play horseshoes.
40. I love that everyone says that I look just like my dad.
41. I am an ‘on time person’…. Actually… I am a ‘be there before time person’.
42. I love all kinds of games… but my favorite would be Nertz or Power Uno (see I can’t even pick a favorite).
43. I hope to someday meet the president.
44. I fear loosing my hearing….
45. I am ticklish but I won’t admit it…
46. I never knew that I had dry elbows until I married Dee.
47. I would go back and re-do high school. Mainly because I would do a lot of things differently… and I would know how to study this time.
48. I am sad that I have lost contact with so many people from high school and university… but I am also surprised by how many people I do keep in contact with.
49. My hair has never been as long as it is right now… I can’t decide if I want to cut it or just let it go really long.
50. I secretly want to shave my head… but Dee does not want me to… so I haven’t.
51. I am an extrovert. I’m not the life of the party… but I get my energy from being around people.
52. I love baseball but I have not been able to follow it for the past five years.
53. I played baseball when I was a kid… but I didn’t stick with it long enough to really figure it out. I remember wondering what I was supposed to do but not wanting to admit that I was clueless. I’ve always regretted quitting.
54. I have created a list of things I want to do before I die.
55. I have already marked several things off of said list such as living in Europe… camping at a rock festival… and some things that I don’t want to admit to on the internet!
56. I want to jump out of a plane before I die. I know that may not be a big deal to most people but it is something that I have always wanted to do.
57. I can’t sing…. No… really…. I can’t. but I really want to sing in public.
58. I am a collector. Name it and I collect it or have collected it.
59. I am currently collecting dirt from different places I have visited (sand from Omaha beach… black sand from Hawaii... dirt from under the Eiffel Tower…etc).
60. I love history. I collect ancient artifacts (pottery… coins… arrowheads… fossils…)
61. I love telling stories… I love to learn local history and then pass it on.
62. I enjoy working in the garden. Cutting grass… weeding… planting flowers… it is just nice to be outside when it isn’t raining!
63. I also love having plants in the house. We have about a dozen orchids… bonsai trees… and tons of others you don’t want to hear about.
64. I would love to have a dog… but we travel too much.
65. I desire to really read… but I rarely have/make the time to.
66. I have a fish tank in our living room.
67. I’ve kept fish ever since I worked in the pet department of Wal-mart when I was in high school.
68. I love being an uncle.
69. I’ve always wanted to be on a reality TV show… I even printed out the application form to be on “The Mole” (anyone remember that?). I never sent it in.
70. I have figured out that I am not a do’er. I’m an instigator. I will rarely actually do something crazy… but the crazy event is usually organized by me.
71. I would still love to ‘roll’ someone’s yard.
72. I am allergic to MSG
73. I HATE Chinese food!
74. I miss eating really good Mexican food!
75. I hate washing dishes but I would rather wash dishes than cook.
76. I snore… or so I have been told…
77. I once had a job as a secret shopper. I would go to restaurants and spy on the people working. I loved this job!
78. I wish that I was a secret shopper again…
79. I am a Mac user.
80. I still love the Simpsons. They are as funny now as they were when they first came on when I was in middle school.
81. My favorite characters are Nelson and Ralph.
82. I am not a fan of the Beatles. There… I said it…
83. I have worn a dress in public…
84. I have danced in a dress in the mall in order to make a music video for my now wife.
85. I have no idea where this video is now…
86. I am still grieving for Joel and Brian. They both were childhood friends… and both passed away last year.
87. I wish that I could skateboard… but don’t want to learn because I can’t afford to brake an arm.
88. I still have the scar all over the top of my right hand. My mother told me not to be skateboarding on this day because she was not going to be home… we did… I scraped all the skin off my hand… Joel and I tried to bandage it but only had tiny band-aids.
89. I have learned five languages but can only speak two.
90. I would love to catch a foul ball at a baseball game… but honestly… I would probably jump out of the way…
91. I love to fly. I often fall asleep before we take off and wake up as we land.
92. I hated going to coffee shops when I was in college… but I love it now.
93. My favorite drink is a dark mocha… coffee and chocolate… it does not get better than this!
94. I don’t golf, but I would love to learn.
95. I do not like facebook. Don’t know why… but I have no desire to be on it. I think that it is because it is too trendy.
96. I really want to go back to Italy. There are so many places that I have not seen… but Venice is probably at the top of my list.
97. The first thing I do every morning is to look out at the ocean.
98. I have played competitive badmitton for about four years. I’m not that good, but I enjoy the exercise and time to chat with friends.
99. I consider my life to be a pilgrimage of sorts. I don’t know where I will end up… or what the next step will bring… it does not matter to me… it is the journey that I am on… and what God is teaching me right now that really matters.
100. I am blessed… and I am content.

This ended up taking a lot more time than I had thought! I NEVER do these things… but it really made me think… I have to say that I am really glad that I did it. I had a lot of fun. I’m not sure that these are the things that best sum me up… but there you go…


This is now part of the game where I get to ‘tag’ a couple of other people to do the same…. Ha ha!
I am now going to tag Byron (because I know his list will be really funny), Ryan (because I would like to get to know you better), and Jen D (because I know that you will do it!).

Testing an idea...

I have been thinking...........



I have thought of a new slogan to help entice American tourists to Ireland. I want to try it out on all of you and see if it would sell you on the idea of coming here. Ready? Here it is:





Ireland: Where even a donkey will be your best friend!








This woolly guy came trotting up the road to see me yesterday. He seemed interested in the camera and in what I was doing. He hung out with me for a good twenty minutes and even walked right behind me for a stretch of the road. He eventually disappeared but was waiting for me at the car. I love the old donkeys. There is something goofy and crazy about them. This one probably thought the same thing about me.

Winter's Last Fight...

This weekend brought spring-like sunshine but winter-like winds. This is not a good combination for my sinus problems! The problem is that I am constantly tempted to get out and take pictures... Dee and that little voice in my head keep telling me to be smart and stay inside. Needless to say... we struck a compromise. I settled for a short afternoon walk around town... this way I could duck in and out of shops (and coffee shops) to keep warm but still have the chance to seek out that ever so important picture. Overall the day was beautiful but didn't yield many pictures. About the time that I decided that the sun was getting too low and the shadows too long I ended up getting a couple of keepers.

I could hear the sounds of tin whistles echoing off the buildings for quite some distance. I love that sound... I could catch the faint melodies and could tell that the musicians were not quite sure of themselves. It was not long until I discovered these two brothers playing the old tunes and making a fortune from the tourists. Their fur lined hat sat a few feet in front of them full of shining coins. I tossed a few quid in the hat and snapped a few quick pictures.

Today's Random Pic....

Thanks for all of the comments/jabs on the last post! I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed the coffees! Oh... and just for the record... both of the pictures were of a 'dArk Mocha'!




Here is today's random pic. I took this on the next road over from where we live. Hope you enjoy.

One for Cosmo...

Cosmo - (a blog friend from Dublin... who has a great love for coffee), requested another coffee pic.

I have to say that a coffee shop is a great and curious thing. Our local coffee shop has become a second home - of sorts. It is a safe and warm place to escape the wild weather and a source of entertainment as it is a great place to watch the wind punish those on the outside... It is a place to be alone with a good book or a place to meet friends for an hour of laughter and serious discussion... It is a place for community... a place to bump into old friends and make new ones... and it is a place to get that all so important caffeine fix... Best of all it is a warm and welcoming place where you - for the hour that you are there - feel as if the place is your own.

Whenever a new person joins the staff we are always anxious to see how long it will be before he or she starts predicting our order or bringing it to us without being requested to do so (It usually takes about two weeks). Several of the people at our coffee shop are extremely friendly, and I am always a bit blessed by their genuine friendliness. I did, however, at one point begin to question if we were going to the coffee shop too much... the question arose when I started to get my coffees this way:









Later, I really began to question if the workers at the shop pitied me for coming in so much....




Is it just me....? am I reading something into this? Do you think that they are trying to send me a message......??? ;)