Today's Random Pic...

A follow-up pic from the last one. This is another shot of the clouds on the mountain... Those little white dots are sheep grazing...







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Watching Clouds...

One of my first memories of moving to Ireland is sitting in our little green car watching the clouds (with their dark shadows and falling rain) move slowly over the mountains. That cold bright day came to my mind today as I stopped the car and watched the clouds for a few moments... Almost seven years later, and I still often sit in amazement at the skies here...








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Today's Random Pic...

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Early

I crawled out of bed extra early this morning... my need for exercise and my ever growing waist line beckoned me to the gym. Once upon a time, I was a morning person... but not any more. The house seemed unusually cold this morning, and the freezing white tiles in our bathroom felt like broken glass on my feet... I was surprised to find a frosty white coat weighing down everything outside. Temperatures had dipped below freezing last night, and as I sat shivering in my car waiting for the windows to defrost - I couldn't help but think to myself "isn't this supposed to be Spring?".

I was a good boy at the gym and had a good work out. So.... I rewarded myself with a quick swim and a long soak in the 'Canadian hot tub'. This large barrel of steaming hot water sits on a hill outside of the gym and has spectacular views. So.... stripped down to my swimming suit - I made the mad dash out of the building... across the rocky pavement... up the frosty metal steps... and into the scalding water. It was awesome to sit there in the steam and sun... watching the begining of the day with a time of reflection and awe.








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On a quiet morning....

It is a quiet and dark morning here. I'm sitting in the office watching the wind blow our overgrown grass... (a constant reminder that it needs to be cut)... I have my hot cup of tea... (which is a poor substitute for a dark mocha at my local coffee shop)... and Lynard Skynard's 'Sweet Home Alabama' is blasting out of my computer (a poor attempt to get me awake)... Today is the day that our kitchen is getting repainted, and I have been up and waiting for the painters for a while now.... The drama that was our bust pipe in the kitchen seems to never end, but hopefully today we will be able to move back into the kitchen........

I have been sitting here looking through all the photos that I have taken this winter. To be honest, I'm shocked that there are SO many that I have never posted. On average - if I go out for a drive - I'll come home with 30ish unique photos (if I'm lucky) that I'm really am happy with. It would seem that I only usually post three or four of these... So... I have a lot of photos that never make it to the internet. So.... I've decided to go through and post a few of these from this winter....



Both of these photos were taken early one winter's morning, and they both have elements that I really like. Let me know what you think!













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Today's Random Pic...

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Turning a Corner...

We have turned a major corner here in Ireland... to some people it may not mean a thing... but to me it is a major marker of every year. The first day of Spring. February first is the first day of spring in Ireland. Believe me when I say that you instantly notice the change. The weather is a bit better (although today is kinda gray and cold), animals are giving birth, and most importantly - the days are getting longer faster! Now... to all of you back in the states that are saying "how is that possible?"... It is because the Irish calendar centers the seasons around the solstices and equinoxes (so that, for instance, midsummer falls on the summer solstice), beginning the seasons at roughly the halfway points between solstice and equinox. This is a continuation of the Celtic and Gaelic system, which is pagan in origin, but feels a bit more accurate (in my opinion).


Dee and I celebrated the day in our own way...... we went for a drive. Thankfully the weather was spectacular!



I couldn't decide between these two photos... they both had elements that I liked... which one do you prefer? Leave me a comment and let me know!












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More from the fog....

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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 - 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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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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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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The Darkest Day...

Monday was a day that I have been looking forward to for some time now... the darkest day of the year.

December 21st is the Winter Solstice. It marks the moment when the Northern Hemisphere is furthest from the Sun. This mid-winter point has been celebrated as long as mankind has been on this earth. I can understand why...... Don't get me wrong - I'm not out dancing around a stone circle on the Solstice, but just knowing that every day is getting longer... and that we are moving back towards spring is reason enough to smile. Ireland is really far north, and wintertime darkness here can often be depressing. Knowing that we have beaten the worst of it is always reason to celebrate.

I got out the other day to watch the sunrise... here are a few of the pics from that cold and crisp morning.
















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2010 Calendar (May)

The photo I selected for the month of May was taken a few months ago when I was out in Connemara with a friend. We went together to County Mayo to climb Croagh Patrick (a holy mountain), and spent much of the day driving through the mountains and taking pictures together. This photo is probably my favorite picture from that day (if I had to pick just one!). I love the timeless and isolated feel of it.





The calendar is available for purchase by clicking here
or
by going to this website:
http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/ireland-2010/7908406


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2010 Calendar (April)

This photo was taken last May at one of my favorite spots to watch the sun set. This is actually a fjord - or stretch of ocean that reaches like a giant finger deep into the Irish countryside. I have stopped here on the side of the hill many times and just sat in amazement as the sunlight dances on the water and then slowly disappears behind the mountain.





The calendar is available for purchase by clicking here
or
by going to this website:
http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/ireland-2010/7908406


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2010 Calendar

As you know - we have put together a 2010 calendar that is now available for order. We included several photos that have never been posted here (and a few that we have posted- but love so much we couldn't pass them up!). I thought that I would take the next few posts to share these photos with you, and to share a few of the back stories behind the photos.

January 2010



The January photo was taken out of the window of a commercial airliner back in August of this year. Every time that we fly I board the plane with my camera ready. There is always a hope that I will be able to snap a few pictures of something from the air. You would think that this wouldn't be too hard of a goal. Inevitably, however... rain, clouds, or fog (keep me disappointed and) hide the landscape below us. On this particular flight, however, the clouds parted at just the right moment... and the sun lit up the green fields below just long enough for me to frantically take a few shots. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning! There really is something magical about these patchwork fields... and this might be one of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken...






The calendar is available for purchase by clicking here
or
by going to this website:
http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/ireland-2010/7908406



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Life on the edge

Over the weekend we had the opportunity to take some of our friends who were visiting for Thanksgiving to one of the most beautiful spots in all of Ireland. The magnificent Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare are renowned for their stark beauty... and they are never a disappointment. We have visited them a few times over the years, and I am always inspired and struck by their size and beauty. From time to time people do fall off the 800 foot tall cliffs (often to their death), and so the government has improved the walls on the walkway... put up warning signs... and even employed security guards... Despite all of this there are always people who are willing to jump over the memorial signs and wall in hopes of getting a better picture.







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On the beach...

I have been stuck all day in the office catching up on office work. Normally this does not really bother me... today, however, was a beautiful crisp winter's day, which is a rare thing indeed! I left the house around 4PM to run down to the post office before it closed at 5. I left a bit early with the camera and hoped to catch the sunset around 4:30. As I drove down to the shore I ended up speeding faster and faster in an attempt to find a good place to pull over and capture the amazing sight unfolding before me before it was too late. The sun seemed to light up the sky and water with forty shades of orange. I parked on the beach and ran down to the shore. I quickly fired off shot after shot all the while brake dancing over the rocky beach. After a few moments I started walking down the shore line in hopes of getting a better angle on the light show going on over the water. It was then that I saw him. A little seal pup lying up on the rocks looking out over the water. He seemed to be enjoying the sunset just as much as I was and didn't seemed too bothered to pose for a few pictures. I ended up watching the sunset with my little seal friend... all the while counting my blessings for being able to live in such an amazing place.


























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Views from Croagh Patrick #4

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Views from Croagh Patrick #3

Lighthouse in Clew Bay







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Views from Croagh Patrick #2

Clare Island







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Views from Croagh Patrick #1

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Still Alive

I survived my little trip up Croagh Patrick. The jury, however, is still out on whether or not I will be able to walk tomorrow. The weather turned out to be spectacular... and I could hardly walk for taking pictures. Here are just a few that I took on the mountain...


St. Patrick greeting pilgrims at the base of the mountain





A better view of the mountain





Passing a pilgrim on the way down





A self-portrait





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