Anglotopia

How does one become an Anglophile?  I grew up in a small Pacific Northwest town daughter of a farming man.  Where does the love of tudor, green hills, and BBC come from?  Not sure, but there is definitely a pull towards anything English or Irish.  We live in an English tudor home and it is my sanctuary.  My enjoyment soars when I remodel, decorate, entertain. 

I am a homebody, loving the Pacific Northwest, being near the water, not minding the rain, enchanted with the green trees all around us.  I do think, however, there are one or two places I might be able to live and be happy. . .one is England, and, go figure, the other is Switzerland.  Would that be Yodelatopia?

Turning 2/3rds of a Century

A dubious honor - turning 2/3rds of a century.  But our friends at Pour at Four made is so special.  We ordered beignets, but a "smores" dessert came to the table with my name written in chocolate and a candle in the middle of both plates.  I made two wishes.  Surely hope they come true.

 

Brandon and Luke came down after the Sounders game.  Carol joined us.  We had a whiskey tasting in the pub and popped the silver Xmas poppers I'd forgotten to bring out at Christmas time.  The card my son gave me will bring me great comfort when I re-read it over the next few months. 

Daughter-in-law

When your son chooses a companion, you and the new family member both feel the same things:  will she like me, will I be able to offer any help, will she tell me if I interfere?  A kind heart finds it difficult to tell a truth that will make someone else uncomfortable.  She has that kind of heart.  We were lucky to gather to the heart of our family a girl with a kind nature, strong work ethic and bright mind who adored our son.  Eight years ago she came to our house and began spending weekends with us.  We are now looking at the possibility of a future without her presence.  I will always wonder if I said the wrong thing, didn't say the right thing, knowing it probably had nothing at all to do with me and my responses.  What I know for sure:  living together is a complicated thing.  If she leaves the fold of our family, we will always love her and wonder how she is.  No matter what, she has left footprints on our hearts and we will never, ever be the same. 

Not in a Party Mood

Today the sun is out for the second day in a row.  Spring has been a bit slow this year.  We just attended the graduation celebration of a lovely young woman, at one of our favorite, if not THE favorite, hang outs.  I looked forward to going.  But it soon became clear to me, my heart wasn't in a party mood.  When you are sad, truly sad, it's difficult not to carry that sadness around.  I'm an upbeat person, by nature.  I believe we are responsible for our own moments of happiness.  But every now and then, Life deals a blow that cannot be brushed aside.  You can put on a "happy face" for others and I want to do that.  I don't want to put my sadness on their plate, especially if they are just acquaintances.  I will share when the time is right with a close friend or two.  Sister-in-law knows, but has enough on her own plate.  I walked home from the gathering, in the sun, to the shelter of my cottage, where I will recharge these batteries and try to be of some help to those I love who are in pain.  Is happiness found in helping?  I hope that it is. 

IRELAND MEMORIES

We've been home three weeks from our sixteen day March, 2013 Ireland journey.  Not being a lover of travel, being a true homebody, I am happy to have been the instigator of this trip.  The picture above is a medieval banquet dinner at Bunratty Castle.  The smiles are real.  This was the BEST travel trip of my life. 

Though the weather was, much of the time, bitterly cold, we had a mindset not to let weather be a negative aspect, but embrace it and let it be a part of an Irish experience.  Even the natives, however, said this was an unusual year for cold weather, even a bit of snow at times - in mid March, mind you.  Brandon quickly bought a scarf, I wore scarf and gloves and Mike showed his usual toughness, wearing, every now and then, a cap.  The sun was out much of the time giving us a beautiful view of the green Irish landscape.  I kept imagining this lush greenery magnified during the Spring and Summer months. 

We did find one young lady who didn't seem to know the wind was bitterly cold.

We landed in Dublin, traveled to Kilronan Castle, Galway (for St. Patrick's Day), Ashford Castle and Cong, Killarney and Shannon.  We enjoyed libations and food in at least sixteen different pubs and that doesn't include the bars inside the hotels.  We met Laura, Oein, and Bridget in Galway; we met John and Marilyn at Molly Darcy's pub at Muckross Park.  We flew Harris hawks, rode horses, shot skeet, drove the countryside, walked the streets and found the BEST fish and chips in Dublin at Leo Burdick's.

We learned to "pour a perfect pint" and met four lads from Boston at the Connoisseur Bar at the Guinness Storehouse.  We toured the Jamison Distillery in Midleton near Cork and enjoyed a whiskey tasting of American, Irish and Scotch whiskeys.  We enjoyed another whiskey tasting at Molly Darcy's pub.  We all have certificates of these three events to prove it's not blarney.

We found the Irish people to be helpful and friendly.  On a Dublin street a complete stranger reached out and removed Brandon's lens cap as he put his camera to his eye to take a picture of the statue of Molly Malone.

On any trip I've ever been on I'm like a "horse heading for the barn", eager to get home.  On this trip, however, I can honestly say I hated to see it end. 
Highlights:  Castle hotels, Guinness Storehouse experiences, meeting young people at Taaffe's in Galway, falconry experience, Molly Darcy pub and meeting John and Marilyn, fish and chips in Dublin, scenery, Irish breakfasts (toast), Jamison Distillery Tour, and traveling with son and husband.
Lowlights:  Brandon ill the whole trip, airport experiences (Heathrow layout, two transfers going over), getting caught in the elevator at Ashford castle (lots of bruising). 

My followers on Facebook surprised me with their enthusiasm and made posting all along the way a joy. 

They say memories keep you warm on a cold winter's night. . .we won't be needing much fire wood for a while.