Today's Random Pic...

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More pics from the Friary

Who needs stained glass?












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A day out....

I got to do something that I love yesterday.... take some friends on a day trip to see some ancient ruins... it turned out to be a great day to take some pictures (anyone surprised?). We went to see several things (a castle... stone circles... and a quaint village...) but the real treat was a ruined old friary. The Friary was founded in 1351 by the Norman nobleman Sir Raymond de Burgo and is "the most extensive and best preserved of all the Franciscan friaries in Ireland". The maze of rooms, corridors, and stairs is a perfect playground for kids of all age. We have in the past played 'sardines' and 'hide and go seek' here... but this was the first time that we have taken kids. They loved to run the ancient halls and play here!

As I stood there looking at the massive structure I couldn't help but wonder what it looked like in its' hay day. The last two hundred years have taken their toll on the great building (loosing the roof… 2nd and 3rd floors… windows… and inner decorations), but thankfully it is now a protected structure and is being well taken care of... and thankfully it is still open to the public free of charge!








The Friary's seventy-foot tower





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Today's Random Pic...

Have I ever told you that I love it when people paint buildings such brilliant colors here? It isn't uncommon to see building after building painted a different bright color... and I still can't help but sit back.... look at the yellows, oranges, reds, blues, and purples and smile. I don't know when they started doing this.... but it sure makes the place look so cheerful.


"Painting the wall in Ireland"





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Today's Random Pic...

This is a pic that I got last week while on a little dive through the mountains...






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Update - the exhibition

I am getting asked about how the exhibition is going..... so I thought I would post a quick update. Thankfully all the hard work was over after the opening. Now the photos are up and hanging in the hall until the end of the month. I go in about every other day to check on things and to see if there have been any other orders for pictures. We left a quest sign in book on the table with the photo descriptions, and it has been a lot of fun to see who all has called in, and to read their comments. The exhibition is open when the library is open, and the librarian takes care of putting a little freestanding sign out (that declares "art exhibition open <-----") on the main road. I have really enjoyed having the photo exhibition on. I think that I will do it again... but much later!

Thank you to everyone that has been asking! I really appreciate your interest!

Today's Random Pic...

More sheep...








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Ha Ha...

(in reference to the photo below in the previous post)

No doubt that I have confused and probably worried a few sheep from time to time. But be assured that they have scared this city boy a time or two also! You can always tell that you are off of the beaten 'tourist path' when the sheep mistake you for the farmer and happily come running towards you. This has happened on several occasions (even with cows), and it is always a bit disturbing. Those things have horns!

The sign is obviously warning against dogs not on a leash that chase or could harm the sheep. This is actually a bigger problem than you might think. The sheep panic when they see a dog and lose all ability to reason when they are chased (not that sheep seem to have a lot of reasoning skills to start with). Farmers who witness an unleashed dog worrying sheep have the right to shoot the dog on the spot. Hopefully that same right does not apply to photographers who might startle a sheep or two.... ;)









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Today's Random Pic and Question...

I came across this while on a hike this weekend.... It is a stressful life - being a sheep in Ireland!

What do you think they worry about? Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts....







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Opening the exhibition...

Well.... the dust is starting to settle... and I finally have a chance to update the website.

I did not really know what to expect going into the exhibition. I really did not know how many people might come to the opening... I didn't know how many pictures I would be able to hang in the hall.... I didn't know how the lighting would look (we couldn't set up too far in advance)...

Thankfully we had some great friends who pitched in and helped with the food and with setting everything up. I really had no idea how much would have to go into actually holding the opening, and I know that we could not have done it on our own. The setup went really smoothly, and I even had a chance to take a bit of a nap before the evening festivities.

The opening took place from 7 to 9 on Friday night... and believe it or not people starting coming right at 7 and didn't leave until 9:30! People made their way around the photos, and then hung around to chat and enjoy some of the food. There was always a good crowd in the hall, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I loved being able to hang out with everyone and have a chance to share about our time in the states. We were really happy that so many people braved the ice, snow and cold to come out and join us on the evening! It really was a lot of fun!

Here are a few pics from the night:





























Special thanks to M (the librarian) and P for translating the photo descriptions... to L and I for help with the food and set up... and to S and J for helping with the setup and for taking photos during the opening.

Photos in the exhibition...

Here are a few pics of some of the 57 photos in the exhibition...


















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Quick update...

Just a quick update to say that the opening was a blast last night. Everything worked out really well, and we had a great turn out! I'll update again soon with some details and pictures... right now - we are just too shattered to think!

T - 10hours

We are really at the finish line now... the only thing left to do...

- decide on final picture list
- finish mounting the pictures
- hang the pictures
- finish setting up the room
- finish food prep
- translate descriptions into Irish
- make price lists
- change and get ready for tonight
- hopefully get a nap in!

Dee took a few "before" pictures yesterday evening while we were setting up some lights... hope to give some updates during the day... I had no idea that this was going to be so much work... hope someone actually comes to it!

Down to the wire...

The exhibition is tomorrow night... and I still don't feel like we are close to being ready. Dee and her friend L ( see the haggis post) are sorting the food... but I still have not settled on the final lineup of pictures. I found out last night that the exhibition was going to be a "news item" on the local radio station.... so... no pressure now..... I have keys to the exhibition hall, and we are going to start setting up (just lights and furniture) tonight... oh... I just thought of something else I need to do.... will update soon on how things are going.

Evolution of a sunset 4...

Eventually the sun turned the sky a deep red before it moved behind another cloud...






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Evolution of a sunset 3...

Slowly the sun began to show itself and the sky turned an amazing orange color...






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Evolution of a sunset 2...

The clouds slowly broke up and showed us a bit of sunlight and warmth...






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Evolution of a sunset...

This week is looking like it is going to be a bit on the hectic side... so... I thought that I would do a short series of photos that I took from the same location within just a couple of hours of each other. I have often said that I never really noticed the sky until I moved to Ireland... now I can't help but watch it all day. I am constantly in awe at just how dramatic it is... and how quickly it changes. This was never truer than yesterday evening. Dee and I went down to the beach and watched the sunset. Amazing! Here is the first of the series:







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Counting Down...

Well... we only have a couple of days left now... I am looking forward to the exhibition's opening on Friday...... but I am not looking forward to setting it up. We can't really get in to set up until Friday morning, and I fear that we are going to be running around like crazy all of that day. I know that is just my tendency to worry... but I kinda feel like a kid who has a big exam coming up and knows that he should be studying... but doesn't (not that that was ever me... well... actually it was always me).

Over the weekend we worked to narrow down the photos to the select few to display. I had a horrible time doing this. It is like picking a favorite child. Thankfully - Dee was very objective and would quickly say - yes or no - to the photos that I held up. We still don't know exactly how many we can display... I don't think that we will know that for sure until Friday morning. We are going to go in tomorrow and actually measure the room and try and figure out a guess at how many we will hang. I'll post more soon... right now I have to go down to the local photo shop and get some more of the pictures printed out.


Oh.... and happy first day of Spring!!!!!! yep.. in Ireland today is the first day of spring!!!! I can't say that enough!!!


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