Fairies dancing in the garden....

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This is the first and only picture I have ever taken of fairies. The three little guys danced and played in the sunny part of the garden for only a few moments before my camera scared them off...

I have to tell you... getting pictures of fairies in Ireland is not as easy as you would think. They don't just come out and pose like a leprechaun - you know...! You really have to know where and when to look for them. The best time to spot them is in the evening when the Sun bathes the countryside with magical yellow glow - when the smell of peat fires is starting to grace the air... They always seem to be in green leafy areas... and only can be seen on the stillest of days.... You have to be very careful photographing them. If they see you trying to take their picture they will quickly disappear.


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A great day!

Today is a great day here.... "Why?" you ask.... Burger King has opened in our town! Ok... i know that may not seem like a big deal..... but when you never get to have a whopper it is a VERY big deal! We are going to go out to lunch there with some American friends to celebrate and toast our fries together!

To celebrate this grand opening (and because I have a ton of pictures that I want to post) I am going to post a random pic!







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My spot

I think that I might have a new one... a new favorite spot in Ireland that is. It is not my only favorite spot in Ireland (after all how could I pick just one) - but it is definitely added to the list of my list of favorite spots in Ireland.

Already on the list:
- St. Stephen's Green in Dublin
- a special little lake in the mountains of Connemara
- a certain spot on the Dingle peninsula in Co. Kerry

My new spot is a little cove where the cliffs plunge directly into the sea and the waves always seem to be exploding upon the rocks in a spectacular display of mist and rain. I have been to this little cove on a number of occasions (even just a couple of weeks ago with some friends), but this week was the first time that I have actually climbed over the wall... walked past the warning signs (not to swim)... and walked down to the shore. I don't know how long we stayed there watching the fireworks like display... but I know that I could have stayed all day.

I think that my love for the sea comes from my childhood... When I was young going to the sea was what we did for a holiday vacation... the very sound of waves crashing takes me back to my childhood and those white sand beaches in Florida.
















My cute Dee




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Today's Random Pic...

I came across this strange sign this past week. It was hanging on the side of an old coffee shop in a little village. Does anyone else find it a bit strange?






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A Few more flower pics

One of the things that I love about this time of year are the wildflowers. There is a small field behind a church here that is just full of bluebells. Here are a few pics...
















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Changes to the site...

I just wanted to point out that we have been making a few changes to the ol' website. From time to time we get asked about ordering photos that we have posted on the website. Well.... (insert drum roll here)..... we have now made it possible to order cards, photos prints, canvas prints, and framed photos direct from the site. There is a link on our first page and at the top of the left sidebar. Redbubble, a professional printer in the States, does a wonderful job at printing the photos in a very timely manner. I am still in the process of adding photos to the ordering database, so just send me an email if you would like a print that is not currently on the ordering page.



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Today's Random Pic

Sunset in St. Stephen's Green - Dublin







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Fields of fluff-balls

We have been having some amazing (summer-like) weather over the last two weeks. It was so nice on Saturday that I just HAD to get out and take some pictures... I know that is not a surprise to anyone. I called up a friend and the two of us headed out to the mountains for a few hours of driving, hiking, hanging out, and taking pictures. The lighting was perfect for most of the day... but it was at the very end of the day - after the sun had gone down - that we saw the most interesting sight. In fact, I would say that it was one of the coolest things I have seen in Ireland yet.

There was a smallish sized field that was just full of lambs. I have never seen SO many together in one small field before. I don't know just how many were in there, but there were only a few (maybe 12) adult sheep who hardly seemed to notice the overcrowded preschool they were standing in. Most of the adults stood in a daze as a crowd of adolescent youngsters raced from one side of the field to the other. It was as if one of them had organized a game and everyone was invited to play. Time after time they raced from one side to the other... finally, as if on a caffeine high the lambs spontaneously started hopping... then hopping and kicking... then hopping and twisting in mid-air. It was as if they were showing off for the camera.

I could have stayed there and watched them all night. I don't know how long we were there... but my arms were tired from holding up my camera and my trigger finger was sore from pressing the camera button. Needless to say... The evening was a dream come true for a photo freak like me!

Capturing this amazing scene was much harder than normal. The sun had already set, and there was just a strange orange glow over the hilltop. All of the lambs were playing in a massive shadow and the sky was way too bright for photos. So... all that to say - That is why the pictures are in monochrome (black and white). I did not, however alter the pictures or photoshop any of the sheep. Here are just a few of the pics that I got. Let me know which one you like best!























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A study in flowers

Here are just a few quick pics that I took yesterday of my neighbor's tulips. I took them over a 30min period whenever it stopped raining long enough for me to go out and snap a few pics. Thankfully the sun came out during the non-rainy times and gave me some good light to shoot these.





















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The third day...

'When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back - it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and the were alarmed. And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here.'"
Mark 16: 1-6






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In honor of it being Good Friday...

"It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things."
Luke 23:44-49






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Today's Random Pic

"Brothers from different mothers"






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a couple of more crosses

Here are just a couple of quick shots of other crosses in the Monasterboice monastic site.

There was on massive high cross... this lives little wonder as to why they are called 'high'.







This photo shows two of the high crosses (the one pictured above) and the round tower that still stand over the ruins of the monastery. The round tower (now in ruins) was once a refuge and hideout for the monks during viking raids. It was built about the same time as the high crosses (12th century).




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A few days away...

We are back from spending a few days with our friends in the capital. Sorry that I have not been able to update much this week. Something was wrong with our internet connection over there, and I was a bit lost not being able to check my email! We had a great time with our friends, and were really sad to see them leave.

While they were here we were able to explore an ancient monastic site called Monasterboice. This monastic site was founded in the fifth century and contains some of the best examples of Irish High Crosses in Ireland. As you know - Irish High Crosses (10th century-ish) were the 'stained glass' of the Middle Ages. These massive stone crosses had Biblical scenes carved into them so that a largely illiterate culture would be able to see and remember the stories.

Here are a few pics of the first High Cross. It is known as "The Cross of Muiredach".

(the panels from the bottom to the top show - Jesus being arrested, Doubting Thomas, The Risen Christ as the ruler of the world, the crucifixion)




(detail of the crucifixion section)





(on the back side of the cross - Adam and Eve/Cain killing Abel)




(the back side of the cross showing Christ judging the souls of men. The center shows Christ with David playing a harp on the left and an angel with a book to his right. The left side shows the redeemed being led by an angel playing a trumpet. The right side shows the souls of the condemned being pushed away by demons kicking them (and one caring a pitchfork) .




Here we are - This gives you some idea of the massive size of the cross.




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Today's Random Pic...

A fairytale castle we saw this week with our friends...






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