A Little Slice of Heaven

And we're back! I had an absolute hell of a time downloading these
pictures. So, I hope you enjoy them!! It's been a long go. For some
reason my camera is set in such a way that my photo files are HUGE,
and I haven't taken the time to figure out how to change that setting.
So, they take forever to download. After I got about nine of them ready
to post, I somehow managed to delete them, requiring me to start from
from scratch! I'm not bitter though. Just took a deep breath and started
over. David, you would have been proud!

Onto the subject at hand. In the last post, I told you that we went away
for the weekend. It was heaven on earth. We really didn't do that much,
but it was romantic and relaxing. We had a fabulous time and vowed to
return again. The place David found for us to stay is called the
Abbeyglen Castle. And as luck would have it, the one picture we took
of it is giving me some touble. You can see it if you click here. It's a
lovely place, a former manor turned guest house about twenty years
ago. The rooms were fantastic with a quiet view of the lush greenery
surrounding it, and the meals served in the restaurant were among our
favorites since arriving in Ireland. To boot, we found a bottle of white
wine that we both like (perhaps too much) and could share. This place
was amazing though...there is so much to do on the grounds that one
need not leave! We even had an ole'-fashion-piano-party-singalong one
night...SO MUCH FUN.

We did take a few strolls and this is what we saw...

This is actually in front of the castle in the post below, but I took a
photo of it because you see these stone walls everywhere here.
They are all over the countryside, and from what we could tell, it
looks like they are plotting off sections of land or groups of livestock.
It's remarkable to us how much stone has gone into erecting this
country. It must have taken forever to build!


Clifden, where we stayed, is in Connemara and part of Galway County.
Butted up against the Atlantic Ocean, it's an old fishing community.

These old
boats were
resting on
kegs. D
spotted
them, and
we thought
they were
clever.





I had to roll my jeans up to keep
them from getting altogether
muddy on this walk. Of course,
with David leading the way,
we were well off the beaten
path...But that's one of the
things I love most about him.
He has to check everything
out up close and see how
it all works and feels.
Ever the adventurer.

That's OK with me! I always
have so much fun with him.
I'd follow him anywhere!





I have so many pictures like this
of David. Anytime he gets near
water, he is eager to stand near
it and observe, imagine, listen,
and think. It's one of his very
favorite places to be.

David took this, putting our macro lens to work. There are signs of
spring everywhere!




Spring has sprung, and just like in Bambi, all the babies are being
born! These two were fun to watch.


Have you ever watched lambs play? They are the most frolicking
and adorable creatures...besides our little Killian, of course. There
are so many sheep here and their pastures are spotted with what
we call 'baby cheaps'! To be up close, listen to them 'baaaah',
and watch them play was a lot of fun! You absolutely cannot help
but smile when you see them.


And today's grand finale is this sign -
Never seen that before, I'll bet!