The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher

Yesterday, we tackled another section of the 'Wild Atlantic Way' and drove to the Cliffs of Moher.  It hardly rained at all and was quite warm.  Yippee!

We saw some beautiful sights that made me gasp.  It probably was a three hour round trip but it took us a glorious 8 hours because we stopped every thirty minutes to breathe in the scenery or visit a village craft fair or walk along limestone beaches.  I wished we could have stopped more often but the roads were so narrow and the speed limits are so fast that there was nowhere to pull over.

 Boats in Kinvara Bay

 Colourful buildings are everywhere.

 Limestone hills

 Joe had his heart set on getting a hand-knit Aran Island sweater.  He just couldn't wait for our upcoming trip to the Aran Islands on Friday.  So we stopped in Burren and he bought this beauty.  "Hand knit in her Irish home by Mrs. Delaney."

 Narrow roads, navigating around parked cars, driving on the left hand side of the road and oncoming tour buses can make driving (and being the passenger) on the 'Wild Atlantic Way' very nerve-wracking!

 Limestone beaches at Black Head.

 Rock climbing at Black Head.  I wanted to tell them about climbing the Stawamus Chief in Squamish!

 Boulders on Black Head beach

 This little conifer was doing its level best to grow on top of a boulder.

 There must be thousands of miles of drystone walls in this country.  It is quite amazing.

Black Head beach

 Cliffs of Moher

Nothing dangerous about doing this!

 Why can't pubs in British Columbia look like this one in Ennistimon?

On our way 'home', we stopped at the Irish Arms in Lisdoonvarna for a pint and a big plate of bangers and mash.  A perfect way to celebrate another successful day in Ireland.

I love this country.

Maigh Cuillinn to Kylemore Abbey

It has been raining ever since we got here two days ago.  Oh, it stops for a bit.  But Mother Nature is only teasing us because the rain starts up again in earnest as soon as the last drop falls.

We were hopeful last night because a rainbow greeted us as we pulled up the drive.

We were sure the weather was going to be good today.  And it was.  Until about 6:00am.  Then the dark grey clouds blew in, the rain pelted sideways and we were in for it for the rest of the day.

As west coasters ourselves, we told each other a little rain was not going to stand in the way of our seeing this beautiful isle.  So Joe planned a driving route for a small portion of the Wild Atlantic Way and we were off!

Man, it rained!  I swear the clouds were a scant few inches off the ground.  Saying that the roads are narrow in Connemara doesn't even begin to describe how tight things can get.  And the speed limit is 100 kms per hour in most parts!  Needless to say we were leaders of the parade for most of the day.

 Hang on Harvey!  It is a tad windy out there.

 On the beach in Barna.

Since we got lost for a bit and drove the same loop of road twice (from different directions) we decided to forego the entire route and make Kylemore Abbey our destination for the day.  The landscape was rugged, raw and beautiful.  Many times I wanted Joe to stop so I could take photos but there was nowhere to pull off.  And besides, we had a train of cars behind us all wanting to go at breakneck speed.  We saw ocean, lakes, sheep, peat bogs and miles and miles of drystone walls as we scurried over hill and dale.

Kylemore Abbey

 We met this young couple on their way out the door of Kylemore Abbey.  They were laughing as they put on garbage bags to wear as rain gear.  This will give you an idea as to how hard it rained today.

 Gothic church at Kylemore Abbey

 A river runs through it.

The Connemara Giant

Late in the afternoon, as we headed for home, the sun came out and dried up all the rain.  We decided to stop for a beer and a snack in Oughterard.  What a great way to end a wonderful day.

Best charcuterie board in the west of Ireland.

Comfort Foods

We arrived in our home-away-from-home yesterday afternoon.  We are spending the next 3 weeks in Moycullen, a small village just outside of Galway, Ireland.  Our fellow home exchangers are now fully ensconced in our house in Brackendale.  

Upon our arrival yesterday afternoon we saw a bottle of wine and a book sitting on the kitchen island, gifts from our new friends.  And not only that!  A pot of Irish stew was waiting in the fridge for our supper.  Comfort food.  We ate that delicious stew so fast it didn't stand a chance against our hungry gullets.

Such kindness.

I don't know about you, but when I am jet-lagged I want to eat heavy, greasy food.  Jet-lag feels like a hangover to me.  The cure?  A full Irish breakfast!

Bacon, sausages, white and black pudding, hash brown potatoes, fried egg with chips on top and a nice mug o' steaming hot tea! 

Hanging at Tony's Diner in downtown Moycullen.

We stumbled upon a Marks and Spencer in Galway.  Dear Lord above, I could scarcely believe our good fortune.  I have been craving their bread & butter pudding and clotted cream ever since we left England two summers ago.

Can't wait to tuck into this baby later on tonight!

I dream about clotted cream.

Since when did Weight Watchers get into the booze biz?

There is nothing Joe loves more than a weekly outdoor market.  Yay for Fridays!

We just HAD to stop at a roadside fruit stand to buy these beautiful strawberries.  The young fruit seller looked so cold and wet waiting for customers to stop.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

Who can pass up the chance to have one's photo taken as a leprechaun?  Not me!

Me and my 5€ polaroid photo on the streets of Galway.

Sláinte!

Rest In Peace, Dad

Floyd McQueen  1937

My dad died in January 2014.  A few days ago, my sisters and I buried his ashes at Porpoise Bay on the Sunshine Coast near Sechelt, B.C.

It was a day of mixed emotions.  I laughed (a lot) and cried (even more).  I laughed about the good memories.  I cried about the bad ones.  I cried for what could have been and never was.

Me and my dad.  1958

Our dad struggled being a father.  He loved us but it wasn't enough.  He was an alcoholic who spent almost every night of our childhood in a bar.  In later years, he told us he had been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder.  BPD is a serious mental illness marked by unstable moods, behaviour and relationships.  No wonder he struggled in this world.

Floyd McQueen  1959

Try as we might (and believe me when I say we tried) it was near impossible to have a relationship with him.  And because we needed to protect our hearts from his harmful and destructive behaviour, my sisters and I were estranged from our dad towards the end of his life.

Christmas 1964

We were at his bedside when he died.  We were happy we were able to say good-bye.  All was forgiven during our 12 hour hospital vigil.

Way back in 1966, our dad found us a little slice of heaven on Porpoise Bay.  It was a big piece of oceanfront property where the McQueen clan frolicked for fourteen years.  I would say the summers we spent at Porpoise Bay were some of our happiest childhood memories.

We fished, we crabbed, we dug for clams.  We swam, we got covered in dirt, we sang every night around our campfire.  We were given the gift of unsupervised adventures on the wild, west coast.

And so we thought it a fitting place to lay our dad to rest.

Photo credit:  Chrissy McQueen

The property has been uninhabited now for 35 years.  It is overgrown with trees, brambles and the English Ivy one of my aunts planted in the late 60s.  My sisters and I easily found the site of our old homestead and chose a pretty place between two huge fir trees near the beach.  Chrissy had brought a spade and we took turns digging.

Photo Credit:  Mary McQueen

We placed the urn inside the hole along with some sprigs of my aunt's ivy and a little love note.  We thanked him for the traits he passed on to us.  Our intelligence, our creativity, our senses of humour, our love of nature, our ability to sing a decent tune.  

Photo Credit:  Chrissy McQueen

We tearily sang 'Country Roads' by John Denver, a popular song from our 'Top Ten Hit Parade' that we belted out each night around the fire.  We filled the hole, said our final good-byes and walked away down the beach.

Photo Credit: Chrissy McQueen

I pray our Dad has found some peace now.  He never felt loved or accepted here on Earth.  

We did love him.  Even when it was painful to do so.   

His brothers and sister loved him.  

His nieces and nephews loved him.  

His daughters loved him.

Rest In Peace, Dad.


Nancy, Mary and Chrissy
xoxoxo