The Last Post From Ireland

Welcome to my last post from Ireland! The weather is horrendous, but we trekked through the horizontal rain to our favorite pub where we all, ironically, ordered hot chocolates so I can put up a few more pictures. Ireland has definitely been an experience, with many new opportunities (I know, cliche) but I am ready to have pizza and Jimmy Johns again. Last night, thanks to Turner, we met singer/songwriter Tom Kimmel at a house performance. He is originally from Alabama, but was touring Galway and made a special stop in Lahinch to perform for us. I don't really know how to describe his music (country? alternative? folk?) but it was good. I think that everyone enjoyed the evening. His music has been in such movies as "She-Devil," "Cruel Intentions", and the show "Dawson's Creek." I was a fan of his Deep South accent and his amusing stories and poems. I look forward to seeing you all and sharing the many stories and pictures I haven't been able to post. Only three planes and lots of Dramamine and I'll be home. PS

We have done a lot over the past few days. We spent Tuesday night at an entertainment folk park and the castle Bunratty. We were served a medieval banquet complete with costume, music, and mead. There was a noticeable lack of forks on the premise though - things got pretty messy. My favorite part of the night, besides the bagpipes, ribs, and the fruit juice they found for me to replace the absolutely horrid red water they called "wine," was that the sky was clear enough to see stars. I'd almost forgotten what they looked like. Before Bunratty Turner taught a class on drawing, which actually turned out better than I thought. My picture doesn't really resemble anything, but you can definitely tell that I tried to draw something. Yay for progress! On Wednesday (sorry this commentary is moving so fast, but my computer's battery has really taken a blow since coming to Ireland), we took a bus tour to Galway. Dr. Lloyd (sr.) read some beautiful Yeats' poetry throughout the trip. We went to Lady Gregory's manor while on the way to Galway. It was gorgeous. The sounds oddly reminded me of Colorado. I think it was the wind in the trees. I was so happy that we finally found fall in Ireland. I was getting very worried that I was going to miss my favorite season. In Galway we had the best fish and chips ever. It has completely restored my faith in fish and chips. Oh goodness, my computer is flashing me warnings. Perhaps I will have a chance to post one more time before I head home. Oh, I must share that Taylor and I saw a pod of dolphins playing the surf today while walking by the beach.

Something a little different

I wish I could adequately describe for you the pit of anxiety and anticipation that one feels as they crest the hill and look out on an angry ocean. You see the wave forming, you know it needs to break, but something holds it back. You notice your breath has caught and all you can hear is the thunderous roar of the ocean engulfing you. The wave builds, ever gliding forward, the pressure it building and finally, gloriously, it breaks. It wants to crest, it needs to crest, and at the last moment possible, when your anxiety has reached its apex, the wave curls angrily into itself, splatter-painting its foam onto the canvas of the weather worn rocks and breathes a sigh of relief. It knows its moment of powerful existence has passed and it silently pulls itself back out to the sea, joining with the other waves of memories past and waves yet to be.

I hope you don't mind, but my post is going to be rather different today. I'm going to post a piece I wrote today while at Davy's. As much as I would like to edit it, I am going to type it just the way it was written in the hopes that you will be able to feel it in its truest form.

The ocean shined with light and appeared more a blinding mirror than a living body of water. The wind patterns were clearly shown on the rippled surface of the water. As I look across the landscape, I see the ocean stretching far, broken by the distance mountains of Galway and islands looking like the memories of skipping stones skiding along the surface of the water. White cows lounge in the luscious green blanket keeping the shale of County Clare warm. One stands as it chews the rushes, its powerful tail flicking daintily back and forth with a swishing sound that I imagine to be just past the reach of my ears. A little past the cattle a black horse, perhaps a donkey, no a horse, runs in the wind, all four feet dancing across the waving stripes of browns and greens stretching into the perfectly idealic colors of Ireland. I look back towards the beach of Lahinch and the mist from the angry, white waves rises over the barriers and onto the town beyond. From a distance it seems as if nature has been defied and the rain is falling in reverse. Oh, what a sight! Wave after blue wave, delicately laced with a white foam, crashing onto the silent sands and greedily attempting to pull the grains out with it, back into the churning sea. All around me people twitter with anticipation and energy, which is only brought on by a good meal, engaging company, and the promise of a great day. But I sit quietly back, away in my own, fully gripped by untracked land and torrent waters that seem to be issuing a challenge, "Come Jessica. Come and embrace me."

The Professors and Donors Arrive!

Goodness it has been a few days since I have had the chance to update everyone. Both the internet and the weather situations have deteriorated over the past few days. Don't worry, though, I am bound and determined to keep people informed, so I have trekked through the rain and braved the pubs in order to track down some wifi I can pay for. Success! The professors and donors finally arrived two days ago. Last night we went to Vaughn's Lodge and had an amazing meal. I am in debt to any person who has ever attempted to teach me proper table manners - they sure did come in handy. For my family, Noah, and Mr. and Mrs. Elmshaeuser, don't you even fret, I did in fact try some wine last night. It smelled fantastic, but was less than stellar in taste. I am still always open to suggestions for a sweet wine. Noah, communion wine ;) We spent today up at Davy's listening to Danny, a professor from NUI, Galway, lecture on archeology in Ireland. It is interesting that the Irish are vey hesitant to excavate anything and therefore most of Ireland's ancient history is still buried. Taylor, Jenny, and I rounded out the day with a nice, but a little wet, walk through Doolin. I can't believe that the countdown has begun and soon I will be back on American soil. Ireland is fantastic, but I am also ready to be back in the arms of where I am supposed to be. PS

A Night of Schmoozing

Our last full day in Dublin was an action packed one. I learned that I have an amazing ability for finding the sketch area of big cities. But, I also learned that the map reading class from 9th grade actually has value and that I remember something from it. Kelsi, Taylor, and I started the day at Trinity College where we saw the Book of Kells (the four Gospels) and the Long Library. I really wanted to touch all the old books in the library and discover all the cool facts I am sure they held within their pages. It is amazing how vivid the ink from the Book of Kells still is after all these years. After Trinity, we hiked across Dublin, through some shady areas, and ended up at Kilmainham Gaol. It was rather surreal to be standing on the same grounds on which so many notable Irish revolutionaries were killed. I was horrified to learn that children as young as 5 years of age were also held at the jail for such petty crimes as stealing apples or scarves to stay warm. The children, like the adults, were kept in solitude for 22 hours a day. The kids were made to exercise one hour a day by walking in a big circle; they weren't allowed to make eye contact or talk to eachother. Some of the children were in the jail simply because their parents were and there was no one on the outside to take care of them. After the jail we opted to ride the lightrail back into the heart of the city and wandered over to - I would just like to mention that my train of thought was just completely destroyed by the excitment of seeing a Coast Guard helicopter circling the water about 50 meters away from us. We are guessing that someone was swimming from the Cliffs of Moher or something and that the helicopter was an escort to make sure he didn't die, back to the retelling of our day - the National Art Gallery. I stumbled across a picture called "Ecco Homo" that I believe would be a perfect addition to Mike and Noah's wall. After we fortified ourselves with a milkshake for dinner (don't worry, Dad, not anywhere near as good as our's and totally not worth the money), I convinced Taylor and Kelsi to go to the Dublin Castle with me to attend a free performance by the Royal Irish Academy of Music Chamber Ensemble. The night consisted of actors reading segments of fictional works pertaining to music and musicians and the the RIAM would play a piece. There was a tenor last night who was phenomenal! One of the peices of literature read completely reminded me of Woodwind Quintet and our "closed door" rehearsal policy. All in all, it was a fantastic day. Now we are back in Lahinch and preparing for our last eight days in Ireland. I hope everything is well in America. Jennifer, you should read the book "The 19th Wife" by David Ebershoff - good, but odd. PS

Dublin!

We arrived in Dubin yesterday and totally attacked the town today. While the other girls went shopping, Taylor and I went on a tour guided by a recent history PhD student from Trinity College. It basically jammed Dr.Babcock's entire class into two hours. I did learn some interesting facts that Dr. Babcock has not yet taught us. Fact 1) The library at Trinity was used to film the library scenes in Harry Potter (yay!) and Star Wars. 2) The number three is believed to have magical powers in Celtic mythology, hence why groups of three are very common on Irish crests. 3) It only took two generations for Irish to go from being the majority language to being the minority language. While on the tour we ran into lots of costumed actors walking around. It turns out that the show The Tudors is filming in Dublin this week. Kelsi went absolutely crazy when she found out and Jenny managed to get the phone number of one of the extras. In addition to the tour, we picked up Kelsi from the stores and went to tour the local churches. I was very excited to see Christ Cathedral, but we couldn't get in because The Tudors was filming there also and no one was allowed in. Grrr. We did make it to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Just in case anyone was wondering, St. Pat's is Anglican and not Catholic like we originally thought. St. Pat's was really pretty. It was interesting how they had the coat of arms of all of St. Pat's soldiers/knights/I forget what the plaque called them in the choir loft area. (One of the pictures above shows the choir loft which is decorated with flags and helmets.) We ended the day by walking through St. Stephen's Green, shopping (window shopping), and meeting up with Antje and the other girls (plus Brooke B. and Megan A. who have joined us recently) for fish and chips. As I am writing this, people are getting all dressed up to go hit the club scene, but I am opting for a night in. A random side note, I am very glad that someone thought it wise to paint on the streets which way one is supposed to look before crossing the road.

I saw this poem at St. Pat's and thought you might like it:

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. - The Breast Plate of St. Patrick

A Day Late

Hi all! I wanted to post some pictures of the sunset in Lahinch looking out over Liscannor Bay yesterday, but, alas, it was not meant to be. So, a day later than planned, but still beautiful (in my opinion). There are also a few pictures from up at Davy's. We spent yesterday (Monday) up at Davy's listening to the very talented harper - not harpist - Paul Dooley. I would love to find his CD, I think it would be the end of my whole not sleeping issue. For all those suffering from less than ideal weather and are a tad bitter about it (Kymbre), don't worry, it is starting to get cold here. I would tell you the temperature, but I have no idea how to read degrees in celsuis. If were weren't in Ireland the clouds would be producing snow, but they are only spitting rain at the moment. Oh my, I almost forgot! Allow me to gush for a moment, please. I finally found the courage (and manipulated my fingers to fit the bore holes) to play the low whistle Davy made for me in front of him. I played "The Last Rose of Summer." At the end, sorry Noah, Davy gave my hand a squeeze and my cheek a peck. I cannot believe that I played for a Grammy Award winning artist and he was gracious enough to give me a compliment! Wow! What a world! (and an amazing overuse of exclamation points. Sorry.) PS

Today Kate, Taylor, and I went with Kris for a hike through The Burren. It is mental health awareness week in Co. Clare and this hike was one of their organized programs. It was a beautiful and fascinating hike that told about the history and geography of The Burren. The tour guide took us to the remains of an ancient church and monastery. If we had not been with the tour guide we would have never found it. As soon as we approached the monastery, the landscape began to change. I know it sounds cheesy, but you could tell that you were stepping onto holy or sacred ground. It was literally like I had stepped into the middle of a National Geographic magazine or that the movie Jurassic Park had been filmed at that location. Everything was so green, moss-covered, and dripping with water. There was a majestic little brook flowing through a holy well and a crumbling church stood near by. It was breath-taking, amazing, and beyond the words I possess to explain it. It was mind boggling to step off the rocky fields of The Burren and into a green oasis. Speaking about the rocky fields of The Burren, I am happy to announce that no one broke an ankle (although we have already picked out the cast color we would prefer in case someone does break an ankle). Taylor and I are off to make some muffins to take to the Catholic Church's harvest festival tomorrow. Oh yes, please enjoy your snow and we promise to continue enjoying our mild weather, sand beaches, and palm trees. PS

Set Dancing in Kilfenora

Jenny, Taylor, and I had an amazing time learning to set dance last night in Kilfenora. I can't even explain how much fun it was. I super excited to learn that I do not totally stink at it either! We spent the night dancing with 50 years+ single men. It was slightly odd when, during the lessons, one man lost control of his foot and it found contact with my backside. As my jaw hit the floor and Jenny stood there laughing, I was only able to mumble "I'm taken, Sorry." See, Noah, no worries. Plus, I like men with teeth and the ability to find the beat in music. We had such a good night that we are hoping to go again in two weeks and take the donors with us! The two men in the picture above: the guy in blue reminds me of my Grandpa Fred and was with whom I danced the evening away. The short man was the one with the wayward foot. It was exciting to see some of the crazy good (and very friendly dancers). There was one couple that was just ripping up the floor with fancy footwork, kicks, and vocalizations. My new goal in life: learn to set dance (or square dance because that is apparently the American version of set dancing). PS.

Yesterday Taylor and I spent the morning at the tidepools. It was a lot of fun to take Taylor to the beach and search for shells since she has never done that before. After a day (full of research) at the beach we spent the evening in Doolin listening to traditional music and singing - we successfully conquered both mine and Jenny's project in one go. It was really full in the pub, but still fun. I hope you enjoy the pictures..can you pick which beverage was mine? I am off for tinwhistle lessons and then a night of Irish step dancing. See you all soon. PS