More from the fog....

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Life in the fog....

Things are slowly warming up here... but the frost and snow has been replaced by a thick fog. All weekend long we lived and walked in this eerie gray soup. We normally would just hunker down and wait for it to lift, but I ended up in the city with the camera for a few hours over the weekend. I'm so glad that I took the time to explore and see the city in a new way. The streets and spots that I have photographed a thousand times had magically transformed into a new and sadder place.

This photo was taken in one of my favorite spots. During the long warm days of summer it is a popluar picnic and hangout spot for college students.... but in the fog it just felt abandoned and lonely.








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2010 Calendar - December

This photo was taken not too far from the February photo, but the conditions could not have been any different. I took this photo on a cold January morning. It was actually taken at midday, but the combination of the high mountains and low winter sun meant that many areas of my little valley did not receive any direct sunlight for several of the winter months.








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2010 Calendar - November

As I have mentioned before, I am a city boy. And nothing thrills my heart more than to see a farmer with a flock of sheep or cows walking down the street. I really feel that there is no other image more classically Irish than a scene like this. You can’t tell it by the picture alone, but we watched this farmer and his three sheepdogs slowly work and collect sheep all over the side of a mountain. The farmer stood at the base of the mountain and loudly whistled out commands to the three dogs. Slowly and systematically the crew worked with one mind and collected the massive herd of sheep.Then, to my surprise, they brought them all down to the road. There really is no way to express my excitement as I photographed the small parade of wool and dogs.








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2010 Calendar - October

I took this photo while out on a drive with Dee. This was the first and only time we had been to this area, and I was really struck at just how beautiful it was. It was one of those late summer days before the winds and rains come in force… one of those days where the wind already has a chill to it, and you know summer is going to end at any moment.








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2010 Calendar - September

This photo was taken at the National Sheep Sheering Competition June 2008 in County Mayo. Being a city boy means that farm animals still thrill and mystify me. I can honestly say that I had never really been around sheep before coming to Ireland, and I have learned a lot about them while I have been here. Sheep are, in my opinion, the funniest animal I have ever been around. They are content to feed on roadsides as cars fly by, and they are in the element balancing on the side of a cliff, but their nerves of steel melt away as soon as they see a person. You really can see instant panic in the faces and hear it in their voices as they react with their one and only defense… they urinate. They are quick to run away – even if that is in the direction of danger, and try their best to hide by blending into the crowd. Needless to say, I have a new respect and understanding of why the Bible refers to us as sheep….

I try and make it to as many traditional festivals as I can each year. The sheep sheering is always a blast. The sheep with their thick winter coats a herded into large pens only to be snatched up by the neck and quickly relieved of their wool.The look of terror and bewilderment on the sheep’s face is always funny to me.

Click here to see the original posts about the sheep sheering...






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2010 Calendar - August

I have received several requests for me to finish posting and explaining about the photos on the 2010 calendar. So… over the next few days I’ll post the remaining photos.





This photo was actually taken just a few months ago from the beach near our house. To know anything about my family is to know that we all love the beach! I don’t know what it is, but there is something about sounds of the rolling waves or the smell of salt and seaweed that instantly relaxes me and takes me (in my memory) back to so many happy vacations to the sea with my family. One week in Florida was the highpoint of every childhood summer (and now my adulthood summers). Living so close to the ocean is still a thrill to me. There is not a day that passes here where I don’t pause at and look to the sea. It is truly a place of reflection and inspiration... a place where I feel small... and a place where I somehow feel closer to my family...

This photo really captures a typical winter sunset here.







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Shameless Self Promotion Time....

It is time for the 2010 Irish Blog Awards!

Nominations will be open for the next week or so. Anyone can nominate this blog by simply clicking here or going to:
http://awards.ie/blogawards/nominations/


To nominate this blog all you need to do is pick the category and then enter:
your details,
my name (Wallace Jones),
my email (info@irishrainphotography.com),
and the web address for this blog: http://www.heyitsourwebsite.com/irishrain.html

You will then receive an email to confirm your nomination.




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Today's Random Pic...

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Said too much...

Saying 'tucked away in a warm little house' was only true for a little while (see our last post). We awoke to a flooded kitchen yesterday morning. Two pipes (or one in two places - not sure which) had burst in the middle of the night. Water was pouring out of our ceiling in several places. We got the water turned off and dried up... and we worked with our landlord all day yesterday to get the kitchen ceiling torn out (along with the insulation, etc).... So... needless to say, our house isn't as warm as it was when it had insulation... and it is damper.... but, thankfully, our landlord is going to work hard to get everything taken care of!

In the mean time.... here are just a couple more pictures from the wood.












Closeup of the ice...




A bonus pic: my cute little wife...





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Snowed In.... and Loving It....

The winter storms are getting worse... and I am happy to say that we are tucked away in our nice little warm home. Several of our friends have lost their water (due to pipes freezing in the ground), but (thankfully) we still have ours (and can share). So... I have been content to spend a quiet Sunday at home with a fire the in the fireplace and friends dropping over from time to time.

Yesterday was a cold but sunny day. Dee and I got out for a little while to go to the store and to see some friends... We made a brief stopover at a local wood. If you have ever come (or ever do) to visit us we will probably take you here. There is something about the moss covered trees that makes the whole place feel enchanted (not to mention the occasional little person sightings). Once again, I was awed to see the green wood transformed into a winter wonderland. So - with the ground crunching beneath my feet - I explored and took a few pictures....

Here are just a few:





















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Today's Random Pic...

The view out of our upstairs window....







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Brrrrrrrr......

Ireland is in the grips of the next ice age.... well.... almost. We are having the coldest spell on record for the last 40+ years. We have had nearly a month of ice, snow and below freezing temps. To be honest, I love it. It is wonderful to actually have a winter!

Here are a couple of winterish pics that I have taken over the last few weeks...













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Happy Birthday - Irish Rain!

This week marks our little website's 6th birthday! I can't believe that I have been updating this several times a week over the last 6 years. In fact, this is my 980th post here. I have to say that this website has really been a lot of fun over the years... and it has often given me the chance to sit back and reflect on the world around me, and to see the amazing things that are going on all around me. I want to thank all of you who drop in on the website from time to time. Your comments and feedback really keep me motivated and encouraged!


In 2009 we averaged 97 hits a day from all over the world. Here is a map showing where all you guys are coming from:




Here is a graph showing the total number of visits over the year:




Our most frequent visitor (you know who you are!) came 1346 times. This was closely followed by someone who came 1240 times!

Wow... I am feeling the love! Stay tuned... we will keep updating!




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Today's Random Pic...

A frozen spider's web







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Nuclear Jesus

I have passed it many times over the years.... The bizarre glow always catches my eye as I zoom by in my car. Tonight, however, was the night that I actually grabbed the camera and tripod and headed out to the little church. I have always been intrigued by nuclear nativity scenes... I don't know what it is about the soft glow that seems to always be emitting warmth and welcome on cold and frosty winter nights...... I stood with my camera for a long time looking at the glowing faces that silently tell a miraculous story............ I don't actually know how long I stood there before I looked up and noticed that right next to the nativity scene stood another (more gruesome) scene from the life of Christ (that is always located there). The glowing face of the baby was now that of grown and bloodied man who seemed to have compassion and wisdom in His eyes and in his hands. Standing there on the side of the road in the light of the nativity and in the shadow of the cross, I was silently reminded that the story does not end in Bethlehem... and it does not end on the cross.........


The nuclear nativity scene...





Nuclear Jesus











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