Wallace has a light bulb moment...

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



As I was preparing to go to bed on Friday night I had a realization. It happened as I emptied my pockets (trousers and a hoodie). Here is what I was carrying:


- 4 pens all of different sizes (2 I don't remember picking up)
- 23.72EURO in change
- my phone
- my keys (which is made up of about a dozen rings that I don't need but that once served a purpose)
- 7 post-it notes (2 were written upon)
- a bottle of 'Sudafed' nasal spay
- my wallet - which is overflowing with receipts and no money
- a pocket screwdriver
- 3 screws
- a remote control
- a rock

As I stood there looking at my treasures, I had a realization....

I am my father's son... and I am just like him!

and I wouldn't want it any other way... I love you - dad!




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2010 Calendar

That is right! We have a calendar available for 2010! We have collected some of our favorite photos of Ireland and published a 2010 calendar. Many of the photos have not yet been featured on this website, but have been kept for this special calendar.






Each 11" x 8.5" calendar is coil bound for ease of hanging and is printed on bright white 100# paper for clear, crisp, and bright printed photo. The calendar includes pre-printed holidays and plenty of room to note your own special occasions.







Each calendar costs 15EURO and will be shipped directly to you within a few days of ordering.






To order simply CLICK HERE, or go to:
http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/ireland-2010/7908406





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Just for fun...

Have you ever seen any of my old yearbook pictures?


My dreadlocks back in 2000




I went through a Zac Morris phase in 1996




Who could forget my mullet back in '88?




or the "fro" in '82?





It does not take a genius to tell that these are not real... I should say: thankfully - they are not real! If you are ever in need of a good laugh check out the website: www.yearbookyourself.com . Trust me... you will spend hours laughing!



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Feeling Festive

I love this time of year. The long summer days seem to linger for ever, and all of Ireland seems to be celebrating the nice weather. There are several cool little festivals going on over the next month. Currently there is an arts festival taking place in the city. There are concerts, art exhibitions, comedy shows, and street performances. Tourists are everywhere, and buskers (aka - non official street performers) are having impromptu concerts, magic shows, face painting, etc on every spare portion of the main shopping streets. The whole city seems to be alive lave into the night and the craic (aka fun) really is mighty! Dee and I have gone to a few things (spoiler alert) and I'll be posting a few things over the next few days.



These are a couple of pictures of the main tent that Dee and I took last night around midnight.












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A hard day's work...

I had an unusual experience for an American last week. I worked on the bog. No... I didn't say blog... BOG. I have to admit that I did not know what a bog was before moving to Ireland, but I have come to know all about it over the past few years. Bogs are areas that were once fertile lands - often ancient forests. It is believed that during the last major climate change Ireland became warmer and wetter and many of the large hardwood forests that once covered Ireland disappeared forever. When this happened the rich minerals in the soil were washed down deeper and deeper into the soil by the massive amounts of rainfall. Eventually, a layer of soil rich with minerals formed. This layer (known as the iron pan) was so heavy with the minerals that it became impenetrable to the rainfall. Water stopped draining, and soon the soil was saturated with water... and when plants died they did not fully decompose. The bog was born. With time (thousands of years) layer after layer of half decomposed plant life built up and we now have a very thick deposit of peat (aka the half decomposed plant life). I don't know when it happened... but the ancient Irish discovered that this peat/turf can be cut, dried, and burned for warmth. It is a long backbreaking process to cut and dry the peat, but it is a tradition that has been practiced here for generations.

Well... a friend of mine had 'invited' me - actually I kept bothering him and until he let me - to go up and help him with his drying peat. So... I went up to the bog several nights this past week to help him turn and stack the peat blocks. The weather was amazing, and you could see for miles on the treeless plain, but the work was killer. It was as if I did a thousand squats as I went and picked up the peat blocks and moved them to dryer land. I did, however, appreciate the chance to learn about the process and to have a chance to goof off with my friend on the bog.

Here is a picture of some of the peat that we stacked to dry.











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The rest of the story...

So... I didn't spend all of the bank holiday weekend asleep in the garden! In fact, I had just come back from a very exhausting (and fun) adventure. You probably didn't know this, but Ireland is playing host to the world's fastest sailing boats as they race around the world. The two week stopover here has turned out to be a lot of craic (a real festival atmosphere). The west coast greeted the boats as they came in last week with giant bonfires all along the coast. The fact that the boats started coming in around 1am didn't seem to dampen any of the excitement. The docklands where the boats are being kept have been transformed into a concert and exhibition fair ground, and free events are being held every day of the two weeks. On Saturday (before my nap in the garden) the boats went out for a set of short races. Before the races began, however, the 'Red Arrows' (The British version of the 'Blue Angels') performed a free exhibition. It is estimated that around 110,000 people showed up to sit on the beach and watch the races and exhibition. This great crowd and the hottest day of the year (around 74F) made the whole event a blast to see and photograph. I ended up going in with a couple of friends and walking around for a couple of hours... needless to say - I was exhausted when I got home. Here are a few pics from the day.



















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Bank Holiday

This weekend is a bank holiday weekend in Ireland. This basically is a holiday for the sole purpose of celebrating the first Monday of June. These bank holidays are sprinkled around the year, and are a great break in the normal routine. This bank holiday weekend is especially nice because summer decided to show up! The last few days have been amazing.... a scorching 75 degree temperatures... sunshine... and a few days of no work....... does it get any better than this? I spent most of Saturday afternoon 'working' in the garden. Little did I know that Dee was checking up on me... I should have known better than to leave the camera in the house...







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Today's Random Pics...

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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!

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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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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Haggis anyone?

Last weekend was a weekend of several firsts. We had our first "Burn's Night" with our friends I. and L. (names have been withheld to protect the guilty). We didn't even know what a Burn's night was before moving to Ireland... so - for those of you out there (Americans ;) ) that don't know what this is - let me tell you. This sacred night (the 25th of Jan) is a Scottish holiday in remembrance of Scotland's national poet - Robert Burns. Most of you are probably familiar with his work "Auld Lang Syne" (that is sung every New Year's Eve). The evening can be formal or informal... with large groups... or small... but they always require laughter... speeches.... toasts... poetry being recited and...................... (take a deep breath)............... Haggis!

The Haggis was paraded around the room.... addressed with poetry (that was written to it) and eventually eaten.

Haggis.... well............ How should I describe Haggis? I'm not really sure how to explain the smell... and taste of sheep's heart, liver, and lungs.... that is minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt and then is boiled in the animal's stomach for three hours. I'll just let your imagination tell you what it tasted like.... I didn't think that it was all that bad. I don't know that I would order it for dinner anytime soon... but there was something cool about eating a traditional dish that you know has to be thousands of years old.

In the end - Burn's night was a lot of fun. Not so much for the food (although it was cooked perfectly) but more for the friends and the time we got to spend with them. What a fun night of laughter and fun. I can say for certain that it was a night I will never forget.

Here are a few pics for you to enjoy.

Fresh Haggis!





I. carving the Haggis (no joke)





Who wouldn't want that?





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