One Last Post

Our trip to Ireland is a wonderful memory, tucked away and taken out when photos are shared or we are asked about our favorite places on that Emerald Isle!
If you haven't heard - the Irish people are warm, witty and kind. The castles, abbeys, manor homes and golf were awesome. The cold weather, compared to the heat we left behind in Phoenix - a treat. The time spent laughing with friends - priceless!
So you wonder why this one last post? I forgot to let you all know the final outcome of the fierce "Hand & Foot" game competition that was raging between the men's team and the ladies' team. We had it written in stone:

Yes, the women won the competition! Sorry guys, maybe next time!
I guess that's the final word.....

Adare - Golfing at the Manor

So the guys finally headed to the golf course for the long awaited round at Adare Manor. The pictures will tell the story :

Even though there were some rain showers the course exceeded thier expectations. We were waiting at the 18th to cheer them on - not realizing our position was right in the line of fire! No one was hurt and we were able to record the final hole.

We shopped and toured the Adare Manor while the guys were playing:

We found out the river flowing by the Manor was a tributary of the river Shannon, so of course had to take Teresa Shannon Pierce's photo near it!

We also arrived at our last hotel - the Adare Country House, a bed and breakfast with the cutest cocker spaniel named Bentley!

Here's a photo of the front:

That's all for now!

Those Pictures I Promised!

It's a little late here in Killarney, but promised some photos when I could add them - so here you are:

Tony and Teresa in the jaunting cart going through the Gap of Dunloe.

Philip, LuAnne and Jody on the boat we took across the lakes and river back to Killarney after going through the Gap of Dunloe.

Everyone at Woodstock garden.

The sun came out for a bit after the rain and we headed back to Muckross Gardens - after the guys won the next round of Hand and Foot (I hate to print that, but need to be fair!) So now it's one to one -
Anyway - back to the Gardens, so beautiful, even after it started to drizzle again. Then we were able to see a herd of red deer, something the hunters were much more excited about than others of us. We followed those deer around for awhile just waiting for them to do something exciting - like fight each other with antlers smashing, but they just kept hanging around looking at us.
Off to Adare tomorrow!

Just Singin' in the Killarney Rain!

We've enjoyed such lovely weather, some believe the sun follows Lon, but today it rained! Not just a light mist, but a full, sideways, blow the leaves off the trees bluster! We went to Muckross House, a home that hosted Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for 2 nights. The family that owned the home spent six years getting ready for the royal visit, and were bankrupted at the end! It was pretty fabulous, and if I weren't in the hotel lobby I'd try to share some of the photos that Rick managed to sneak in!
We are back, but Tony, Teresa, LuAnn and Philip decided to stay in town and check out the shops. We opted to get warm, have a spot of tea and fruit bread and play Hand and Foot. The women won last time and we are determined to keep our first place title!
We miss you all and promise to get some photos on later today!

Finally! Internet Service!

Something happened that I did not anticipate - I've been unplugged since I left Chicago O'Hare Airport! Now, there have been some very positive things about being unplugged, but I've felt terrible about not posting for anyone that was waiting to hear about the Emerald Isle!
If you love castles, abbeys, green patchwork landscapes full of sheep and cows of every color - well, this is the place to be. We've seen restored castles, stayed in a home attached to a castle (750 years old), and walked through castle ruins. Ballyduff House, our address for the first three nights was full of nooks and crannies and everything old. A river ran behind and Teresa actually saw two swans swimming back there when she woke up one morning - Jody had a view of cows that came up to the back fence! 

In front of Ballyduff  House - just before we left this morning.
Our host, Bred, is a delightful woman, who served us wonderful croissants, and plates full of eggs, Irish bacon (ham), mushrooms, tomatoes, regular sausages and black and white sausage.
Here are a few of the sights we've seen so far:

Castle we toured the first day - Cashel? So many castles, so little time!

Breakfast in Ballyduff House dining room - family portraits lined the walls.
We've gone on now to Killarny and waiting to see what adventures await here!

Getting Ready

After several months of preparation, tomorrow we will be on our way!
We are setting this up for anyone who would like to join us on our trip to Ireland, and I will try very hard to post regularly and include pictures so you will indeed feel like you are there!
The weather will be in the upper 50's-low 60's with a bit of rain, and after an Arizona summer it sounds fabulous!
Trying not to forget anything!
Please pray for us!