Galway – Connemara Weekend

I had a Branch Conference to attend in Galway on Sunday, and it’s a long 3-1/2 hour drive.  So instead of driving up by myself, or trying to organize a lift, Blaik took time out from his Cork Branch Presidency duties and we made a weekend of it.

One end of the pub for breakfast

Got into Galway on Friday night and stayed in a delightful little hotel called Ward’s. It has old-fashioned decor, soft seats in corners for a chat, a large room with a wide screen tv (perfect for watching GAA matches), and a pub on the ground floor.  I had read that they had a trad music session every Friday night, but evidently that doesn’t happen in the off season.  Staircases with twists and turns, old photos and paintings, an antique globe on a hall table, the whole thing took you back a century.  Except the rooms had modern en-suite facilities (bathrooms).  Overall, much more enjoyabe than a generic chain hotel, and a full breakfast came with!

Winter in Connemara

There’s not much happening in Galway in the winter, so we drove out to Connemara on Saturday.  Not much happening there, either.  The countryside is very barren – lots of rocks, peat bogs and sheep.  And a few ponies.

Watch out for sheep while driving!

Connemara ponies on winter grazing.

It’s interesting to see where they cut peat – basically harvesting a layer at a time over a wide area, then going deeper.  I don’t know if the peat that’s piled up will be dried and sold as is, or if it’s compressed into the peat briquettes that we buy in the stores.

Peat Bog - see the sharp drop where it's been harvested

Peat Stacks

We had lunch in Clifden and wandered the shops and bought some stuff (can’t help myself), and then headed back.  Connemara National Park is supposed to be great, with a visitor’s centre that explains a lot, but the visitor’s centre was closed and there’s no road that drives through.  Our clear day had turned to spits of rain, so we didn’t feel like getting out.  Around a few corners, there was suddenly a castle – Kylemore Abbey, magnificent against the hills.

Kylemore Abbey

I took a picture, but we didn’t stop to find out if it was open or not.  I want to go back in the summertime anyway.

Back in Galway that evening, we  headed down to an Italian restaurant near the hotel, but found a pub by the Promenade that looked to have good food and had their Saturday night traditional music starting at 9.  So we stayed, ate good food, and I had a ball!

It’s a family run place, and the gal that played the piano, the gal on the fiddle and mandolin, and the guy on the fiddle and flute were all part of the family.  It was good, just music, no vocals.  Then another fiddler showed up who I think was part of the band.  But then someone started playing the spoons with them, the mandolin player pulled out her bodhrun (an Irish drum) and handed it to someone – she knew he played – and another fiddler joined them after a bit.  A guy close to us pulled out his harmonica a while later and joined in.  It really was an awesome jam session, and I guess it happens every Saturday night.  Which is how they know the regulars who play, etc.  I want to go back!  (I have probably poor quality photos on my phone, but haven’t figured out how to get them off.)

Wintry Weather in Cork

I’m finally getting around to posting the winter pictures from our house, instead of various other photos from all over Ireland.

Front corner of our house - looks better if you click it.

Snowy Sunrise in Kinsale - Click to enlarge

The cold continued, and we  ran out of oil!  They only gave us half a tank last time and we didn’t realize it, and of course it was Saturday afternoon when we figured it out.  They didn’t come over the weekend, and Monday it snowed (we did get our four inches – beautiful, although with no snow plows, nobody was driving anywhere).  But instead of another week of cold, it rained on Tuesday and washed it all away!  I was sorry to see it go, but it meant that the fuel truck could get out and then we had the plumber out to re-prime the boiler, and we had glorious hot water again!  We’d been warm enough – a bag of coal and closing the living room doors so the fireplace was only heating one room kept us warm enough, as long as you don’t count frigid toilet seats!  But showers were oh, so nice that night!

Overall, I’ve been enjoying this winter.  The cold that freezes the Irish isn’t so bad for us Midwesterners, and it’s meant lots of clear, sunny days and not the everlasting dreariness of last winter.  And they say that with a cold winter like they used to get here, perhaps that means we’ll have a lovely sunny summer, like they also used to get.  Here’s hoping!

Really Cool Camels – National Geographic Photo

Awesome photo - Look Carefully!

This is an incredible NatGeo picture.  Click on it to enlarge and read the explanation, then look carefully!  From the Funny Pictures Haven website.

Icy Ireland

Swans on the Canal

While all you American northerners live with three or six feet of snow and sub-zero temperatures, we’re dealing with snow, ice, and sub-zero here, too.  Of course, it’s sub-zero Celsius, but whatever.

Actually, it’s hit pretty hard.  Started in early December, and we’ve spend the last three weeks hardly getting above freezing.  Down in the teens (Fahrenheit) at night.  The frosts are heavy and very slick on the roads for some reason, and while there hasn’t been much sleet, we get freezing fog.  Roads are treacherous, and THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE IN IT!  (Actually reminds me of a college friend  who said she hated to drive in the snow.  I asked why, since she was from Montana. She said “because you Oregonians don’t know how!”)

Because it doesn’t happen often enough for them to learn, the Irish tend to be very very very cautious.  Long line of cars doing seventeen kilometers an hour going up a wet hill on  a good highway, and then, wow, up to thirty on the way down.  Then I got off at a roundabout, curved nicely around, and came to a dead stop.  Here, the road was icy.  Everyone had slowed down to about 5 mph, but there was another hill and we ended up in a line just sitting, with one car stopped in the oncoming lane.  (Yes, it was wide enough to have two proper lanes.)  The second guy in line finally got out, slipped and slid his way to the front car, talked for a bit, and we finally moved on.  Judging from the tracks on the ice when I passed, I think she had been going slowly, saw a car coming, got scared and either braked or jerked the wheel.  Anyway, got scared some more and just sat there.  And the oncoming car figured that if she was stopped, he better not pass!

Finally got home.  That was Christmas Eve, but it hasn’t changed much.  I wish they’d learn a few things:  1) drive smoothly, don’t hit brakes, downshift, or jerk the wheel.  2) don’t slow down to almost nothing on a hill or you’ll never make it up.  3) use the grass or gravel on the side of the road for traction, especially if it’s frozen.  (Two people were pushing a car up a hill, slipping and sliding themselves.  We were going the other direction, Blaik leaned out and suggested they get over on the verge, and once they did, they were fine.)

Current Snow in Ireland Mountains

On the other hand, we’ve got snow coming in, even in coastal Cork.  Four inches, if you can believe that!!  The county, which is large and very hilly, has only four “gritters,” so not very many roads or intersections get any help.  (They don’t sand the roads, they grit them.)  Met Eireann’s forecast goes out 10 days, and the cold snap has no let up in sight, here or across the country.  Part of Ireland have lots of snow already.  Cork ran through their year’s worth of road salt in the first 3 weeks of December, got some more in, and will finish that tonight.  More isn’t coming until Tuesday – not good for a city built on steep hills, or for the hilly highways running to Killarney, Bantry, Limerick, or even to Dublin or Waterford.  Dublin ran out of salt, got more in late last week, but will be out again and they say on the news that it will take the next ten days to source more from Europe (the UK is out), get it here, unloaded and delivered to local areas.

Lough Rea in Galway

City buses shut down sometimes (not good for a country where many people don’t drive, but rely on public transit), cross-country buses are on a very restricted schedule.  Schools are out, but kids are having fun.  Except for the stupid ones who fell through the ice on the lough.  Generally good for skating, but not out in the middle!

Ah well, hope you’re all warm, wherever you are.

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Our Sad Little Tree

Our tree last year not only had slippery needles that dropped any ornament that was the least bit heavy, but came with a common stand for which the vendors peel the outside of the core so it fits in the holder, and there’s no water reservoir. It was dropping needles on the first day! Needless to say, we weren’t going to do that again.

I spent a long time looking for a different type of stand this year. I never found anything like we have in the States, but did find a similar shaped one to last year, but closed-in instead of open. It would hold a bit of water.

By that time, though, everywhere I went, and then Blaik went, there was only one basic type of tree left. We decorated it all we could, and it smells good, but it still reminds us of Charlie Brown!

Silly String Wars!

We had early Christmas morning here, including a lovely phone call with Kim.  Santa put Silly String in Blaik’s and Bryan’s stockings. They got to do the vacuuming!

We spent Christmas day at the Peters’ house; Cathy is a good friend, with two older sons (one of whom could be Bryan reincarnated), and three younger ones. Plus five missionaries. It was a fun, chaotic time.  We left at about six, though, to get back for Tim’s phone call.  He’s cheery and chipper and doing well, and loves teaching people and seeing the changes in their lives.

Impromptu Concert at Mayo Clinic

My sister just sent me a link to this.  It said, “An elderly couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano. They’ve been married for 62 years and he’ll be 90 this year. Check out this impromptu performance… It’s all about attitude. Enjoy!!”

I especially love the gentleman’s enthusiasm, shown in his bounce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI-l0tK8Ok0

(I can’t figure out how I inserted an actual YouTube video before!)

Elder Tim Jensen in the Colorado Denver South Mission

Tim, us, and the Dittmers (TIm's adopted parents while we were in Ireland)

Well, it’s almost New Year’s now but I can’t get the pictures from the London trip off the little camera, so I thought I’d do some catch up about Tim.  (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

We had a lot of back and forth as to whether he was being set apart as a missionary and leaving officially from Ireland or Indiana, but we (and he) wanted our old Stake President to do it.  So with the necessary permissions, because Tim’s records had been moved to Cork, President Sinclair set him apart on Sunday, August 30th, and we left Monday morning for Utah.

Tim & Mick - twins? (the hats will be someday)

Tim & grandparents, Gene & Jill

Turned it into a bit of a family reunion – Mom, Dad and Michael came out from Oregon and Elizabeth and family came down from Montana.  They all camped in Provo, while we stayed with Rick and Leslie in Sandy.  Made time to see Dave & Sherri, too.  SO good to see everyone.  Did shopping, hung out, went to see the Sizzling String Jensens perform.  (awesome!)

Most of the clan at Sizzling Strings concert

Sizzling Strings (Springville Jensen kids) perform in American Fork

MTC day wasn’t quite as bad as I thought. It’s dump-and-run now, not the family presentation time we had with Bryan, so I was a little nervous.  But we knew we had to say goodbyes and take pictures before we pulled in to the MTC, so we did, and then it wasn’t the 15 seconds I had been warned about.  Current MTC missionaries were there to greet each incoming missionary, gave them a big, excited welcome, and us too.

Just before entering the Provo MTC.

We did have a couple minutes for final hugs, then sent him onward.  The unexpected nice thing was that as we drove down the drop-off lane to leave, other missionaries waiting to greet other newcomers grinned and waved and shouted congratulations and encouragements to us.  Made me feel good and put off my tears for a bit.  <g>

After three weeks learning to be a missionary, Tim shipped out to the Denver South mission.  He was assigned to an area called CedarEdge, with an apartment in Austin, not too far from Grand Junction.  His weekly emails are very short (which I expected, but don’t quite meet my motherly needs), but he seems to be doing well.  Teaching several individuals and families, seems to get along with his companion.  Doesn’t say much about what he’s thinking or learning, or how he’s changing, but he seems happy.  Got to go to Thanksgiving Dinner with four different families!

Colorado

He got transferred into Grand Junction itself the week before Christmas.  Don’t know much about it, but we got to talk to him  Christmas day.  Like Bryan’s calls, 40 minutes never goes so fast!  But he is happy, excited about what he’s doing.  He’s had a bunch of snow, got his winter coat a while ago (not really available when he left in the summer), and I had to prod him to go get his winter boots.  His companion now is from Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Tim was surprised that I knew where that was!  We filled him in on stuff here, and he misses everything, but is glad he’s serving the Lord.  And so are we!

I’m Ba-ack!

Well, it’s almost Christmas, and I think I promised a catch-up back in September.  That just means I haven’t changed, right?

Bryan arrived today, having finished his finals and a long work week.  We have two weeks until he goes back.  Fun time!  Christmas will be at the Peters’, some Irish friends here, and then we’re going to have a jolly time with Bryan’s big present.  Don’t know if he gets on here or not, so I’ll tell that secret after Christmas!

It’s been a crazy fall here, lots of writing.  I’m the Genealogy Feature Writer for Suite101 now, so I have a weekly genealogy article to write.  Takes a lot more time than the Writing Fiction articles!  I got my kid’s time-travel novel completely re-done and sent off to a contest, but didn’t place.  Drat.  I’ll start sending it out after the new year.  And I did NaNo again, and finished – 51,600 words!  A grown-up women’s novel this time, for a Mormon audience.  Still have a long way to go to even finish a rough draft, but it’s fun to work on.

I’ve been doing a bunch of music stuff, too.  My piano students somehow morphed from two kids and a mom last year, to six kids this year.  I’m not thrilled with two afternoons committed (Blaik says “awww”), but they’re fun.  And a couple who are really a joy to teach.  I’m also the branch music chairman, which means I do the choir for Christmas and organize the Christmas music fireside.  Being a choir director was quite an experience last year – lots of people who sing, but no men who know how to sing parts.  I was more prepared this year, so we’ve been practicing since the beginning of October.  The small groups and choir were awesome that night, but we had pianist problems and I ended up playing for a lot more than I expected!  Playing on the spur of the moment for Relief Society has made me pretty good at dropping unnecessary notes, and that came in handy. <g>

OK, that’s about it for now, catch up on such exciting things as Tim’s mission and floods in Cork coming soon.  At least sooner than six months from now!  Cheers!

Busy Days!

I’m w-a-a-y behind in posting. In the last 5 weeks, Cecelia (friend from Oregon) came to visit for 2 weeks, we spent a week in Indy visiting Kim & John and friends, doing a pile of shopping, sent Bryan back to BYU in Provo, and have now spent a week in Utah ourselves, visiting with lots of family and dropping Tim at the MTC to begin his mission. Blaik went back to Ireland last weekend, I’m headed back to Indy for a day this week, then home to Ireland in time for our 30th anniversary on Saturday.

So here’s to friends and family, awesome grown-up kids, and settling back into empgy-nester mode. I’ll be catching up on the blog once I catch up on my sleep!

David Copperfield Card Trick

Have fun with this.

How long to figure out how it worked?