It's been awhile...

Burying Zane in the sand... again, it's not much more than 50 degrees, with an ocean breeze!

GREEN! We actually saw more cows than sheep...


Galway! I really liked this city!

Jellyfish washed up on the shore..... goofy things!


Someone pointed out that we haven't posted anything since April! Wow, time flies!
Since April, we've been to Ireland twice! Both times to chase Irish bands from America (and Canada) that we enjoyed in the US. In May, we chased Enter the Haggis to Galway. During that trip, we rented a car, and drove around the southwest coast of the island. It was very beautiful! However, driving was quite the experience for David. Not only was he driving on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car, but those coastal roads were very narrow and twisty! We were very glad we didn't run into a tour bus, because the roads are just about wide enough for one of those alone!

The boys really enjoyed the beaches during this trip, even though it was in the low 50's and rainy most of the time! We also saw a lot of surfers there. I never thought about surfing in Ireland, even though it is an island...

In July, we went back to see The Elders in Arklow, which is where the lead singer grew up. It is a coastal town in the Wicklow Mountains on the east coast of the island. Again, we rented a car, but this time, I drove. Again, quite the experience! I wimped out and got the "automatic upgrade," because I figured I'd have enough to think about without having to think about changing gears with my left hand while driving through the mountains. Most cars here have manual transmissions, including rental cars. You typically pay a premium price to get an automatic. Fortunately, when I rented this car, it was a pretty minimal charge for it.

In May, we flew to Ireland. In July, we went by train and ferry. It did take a bit longer, but not as much as you'd think when you consider that the airports are an hour or more away, and you have to be there 2 hours before the flight. (So, add 3 hours on both sides of your travel to the total travel time. A 2 hour flight actually requires 5 hours of travel time.) The train station is in town, and you show up 5 minutes before the train leaves. Actually, you want to be there 15 or 20 minutes before the train leaves to get seats all together, but you won't miss it if you show up 5 minutes before. The hard part about taking the train is you have to stand and stare up at the departure boards to figure out which platform your train is on. And, often your destination is not the final destination, so you have to look at all of the stops between London and wherever you are going to figure out which train. I usually try to figure out the terminal stop before I get there, but every now and then, I just forget...

I now understand why Ireland is called "The Emerald Isle!" So very green and beautiful! I'm not sure if the photos do it justice. The boys really liked it too. Gray loved looking out as we drove the windy, twisty roads, though he does tend to get travel sickness, so he rides with the window down the entire time. Brrrrr!

We have also visited the Isle of Wight, of the southern part of England. The weekend we went, there was a yacht race around the island, so it was very cool to see all of the boats coming into the harbor. We hung out on a beach there for a bit, but it was a pebble beach (as many beaches here are),and it was pretty chilly, so the boys didn't get into the water past their ankles.

The boys ended school on 23 July. They go back on 7 September. They have been to two different camps: one a Christian Camp in Somerset, near the west coast of England. The other on the Isle of Wight. I have to say, the English countryside is quite beautiful-- rolling, green hills, dotted with trees and houses. We decided to rent a car to go get the boys from camp in Somerset, because it was either cheaper, or just the same as going to get them by train. David drove alone and unfortunately he got lost! I ended up navigating from home, and he was 2 hours late getting them! Fortunately, the folks at the camp were very understanding and didn't mind hanging with the boys until he finally arrived. Again, though, it was driving on the wrong side of the car, wrong side of the road, manual transmission, on some pretty narrow, twisty roads!

Needless to say, we sent them via the camp's transportation for the other camp. We dropped them off at a train station in Surrey, and they took a coach (big tour bus) and ferry to camp. At the second camp, Gray got to spend the week on quad bikes and go-karts. Zane learned to body surf, and said that on his second time out, he caught 27 waves! Wish I could have seen that! It is nice to have them home! Next week, we will do a "staycation" here in London. We have a pass that gets us into several amusement parks in the area as part of the membership, so we will hit several of those (including Legoland!) We may also visit some of the parks we haven't seen yet. There are many huge, green spaces in this very crowded, compact city. Parks so huge you could walk for hours and miles and see only a small part of them.

Last weekend, David and I visited Hampton Court Palace. It is a huge palace just outside of London, with huge, wonderful gardens. The boys are tired of castles and old buildings, so we decided to go when they weren't here. But, I think we will drag them back next weekend because they are having "Tudor Games." King Henry VIII must impress Anne Boelyn with his jousting, archery and other skills. I imagine it as a kind of Ren Fest, though on a smaller scale (well, unless you count the HUGE palace and gardens surrounding it...) Then, in the evening, there is a jazz festival. Should be some good, live music.

Well, I keep getting distracted, so I'm going to just post this. Better than going another 4 months without anything!