Friday Fave Fives, November, Week Three

Happy Friday.  That means Friday Fave Fives.  Being grateful is a discipline.  I think that is a great way to look at gratitude.  We discipline ourselves and practice seeing the good and being thankful for even the hard things.  That's gratitude.  (credit to Becoming Minimalist blog for reminding me of that this week)  This weekly exercise helps me to discipline my mind and heart to be thankful.  Thankful for even the rainy days we had this week.  Here are five things that stood out to me in my week.

1.  On Saturday, we realized that there was nothing! nothing! on our calendar.  So we jumped in our car and drove to a State Park about an hour's drive away.  The weather was perfect for a hike in the woods.  After stopping to pick up coffee and a snack at the cutest little coffee shop, we hiked a couple of miles tromping through the fallen leaves and sometimes walking the trail paralleling a lake.  It was a great way to spend our free day.

2.  Veteran's Day.  Or Remembrance Day.  Our friends T and S met us at Denny's for breakfast.  Because our guys are both veterans, their breakfast meal was free.  We had the best time celebrating our veterans.  While we were sitting in the booth drinking our coffee, a young girl and her mother walked up to us and asked if they were veterans, thanked them for their service and gave them each a paper that the girl had colored with crayons saying "Thank you!"  It was so sweet and made their day so much brighter.

3.  Happy Anniversary to our son and daughter-in-law!  Eighteen years!  (old photo, but one of my favorites)  Yes, they were married on Veteran's Day :)

4.  Another hike.  This time with Younger Daughter (the nurse) and the dogs.  We were walking one of the local paved paths and noticed a side trail off to the left.  Of course we had to take the detour.  It was so much fun to explore somewhere new!  And beautiful.

5.  We have a good friend from our Los Angeles days who lives and ministers in Southeast Asia.  Her mother and brothers live not that far from us.  She is in the US visiting her mom right now and we arranged to have lunch with her and her mom.  What a privilege for us to spend that precious time with her.  Of course, we were so busy talking that we didn't remember to take any pictures.

Bonus:  I took photos of the two items I have knitted for the baby shower later this month.  Because the new little girl will be born near Christmas time, I am hoping to finish a red newborn size sweater for her, too.  It's so much fun knitting for babies!

Off to Ireland: Part 6!

 We woke in the morning to a grey day in Killarney.  At least it wasn't raining.  Breakfast was wonderful.

honey straight from the honey comb

We hopped on our bus.  Eleanor was very excited for the day's trip around the Ring of Kerry.  (Note for any knitters here:  I knitted this white sweater and almost finished it before I left home.  The sleeves were made on the air flights across the Atlantic and during our first two days in Ireland.)

Our first stop was at a small homestead which shows how people lived in Ireland during mid 1800s.  I had read books about Ireland and particularly the Irish Famine.  But here I saw it with my own eyes.  Our tour guide Karl told us that as we drove through the countryside, we would notice many broken down buildings in fields.  Most of those were once family cottages, but they were abandoned during the famine, burned down and ruined by landlords to keep their tenants from returning.  (I will be posting some of these places which we noticed during our travels.)

It would have looked much like this when it was still inhabitable.

There were (and still are) Romani people living in Ireland in caravans such as this.

So.  What is the Ring of Kerry?  It's a road trip (and can also be a hiking trip) that follows the coastline in the southwest of Ireland.  The views of mountains, lakes and beaches and ocean are incredibly beautiful.  Some photos are a bit fuzzy because I took them through a traveling bus window.

 Our three main stops on the tour were Waterville, Kenmare and Ladies View.

Waterville is a coastal village.  Its main claim to fame is that Charlie Chaplin was a yearly visitor to Waterville and loved the excellent fishing opportunities and the anonymity of this quiet, small, out of the way village.   I loved it for the beach and ocean and the lovely St. Michael's Church.

Eleanor and Charlie

Testing the waters of the wild and chilly Atlantic Ocean

My friend L loves the beach as much as I do.

Waterville is one of those places where I could have stayed for days or weeks (like Charlie Chaplin).  I know that I want to take The Professor there some day.

I think this post is long enough!  Come back soon for Kenmare and Ladies View.

Remembrance Day, Veterans Day

It is important to recognize and honor those who have fought for our freedom.  That's why I appreciate celebrating Veterans Day (Remembrance Day).

NEVER FORGET!

Also,  November 11th is Chaplain Dan and his lovely bride's wedding anniversary!

Eighteen years!

This photo isn't all that recent (2021).  I just don't have a newer one to share.

Friday Fave Fives, November Week Two

Happy Friday!  The sun is shining.  The birds are flying in and out of the back garden grabbing seeds from the feeder.  There is a gentle breeze blowing.    I love my peaceful place.   Every day, I am thankful for my sanctuary.  I try to focus on the good gifts and blessings.  That's why I post my Friday Fave Fives with Susanne and others.  If you want to join, here is the LINK.

1.  Unseasonably warm weather.  This week has been almost like early summer.  One day the temperature made it to 80F.  And then there was a day of rain.  We've been able to work on some final fall projects like putting down some mulch and trimming the raspberry bushes.

2.  Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a long walk with family and granddogs.  We chose to walk the trail that follows a creek for a lovely stretch, the same path we walked last week. Sadly, we are past peak time for vibrant fall colors. But the trail is still beautiful.

3.  During the walk my grandson Warrior Boy showed me some photos he took of sheep during our trip to England. His phone is better than mine, and so are his photos. So he sent me some.  Nine pictures. I won't bore you with more than one. 

Sheep and lambs enjoying the green grass in a field near Battle Abbey where the Battle of Hastings took place (1066 AD)

4.  Have you been hearing on the news that there has been a major wild fire in Southern California this week?  Camarillo, in Ventura County (just north and west of Los Angeles County).  That's where we used to live, that very same city.  Obviously, I have been communicating with my friends, family and neighbors there.  Sadly, one family who we knew very well has lost their home.  The only good I can find is this:  this three generation family who lived there are all alive.  Their attitude has been amazing.  According to all the updates, they are staying at our church which has opened its doors to shelter people who have no place to go.  I am thankful that people are rallying around them to care for them.

5.  Knitting.  I have finished two projects I started a couple of weeks ago.  A hoodie and a vest for a baby girl who will be born before the end of the year.  I love knitting baby clothes!  I haven't taken photos yet because I need to add the buttons.  Stay tuned.

Off To Ireland: Part 5!

 Where did we visit next on our trip in Ireland?  Here's a hint!

What is the most famous castle in Ireland?  Yes!  Blarney Castle!  We walked up from the parking area and were mesmerized by beauty of this castle.  From the official brochure:  "Blarney Castle is the third structure to have been erected on this site.  In the tenth century there was a wooden hunting lodge here.  Around 1210, this was replaced by a stone structure with its entrance some twenty feet above the ground on the north face.  This building was demolished for foundation of the third castle built by Dermot MacCarthy in 1446.  It is the tower house, or fortress residence of this that we know today as Blarney Castle."

Yes, that is a crocheted afghan hanging from the iron bars in the window.  No, I don't know why.

I know your next question is going to be, "Where are the photos of the Blarney Stone and you kissing it?"  Well... we didn't want to wait in line for more than an hour, so we opted to explore some of the more than sixty acres of grounds surrounding the castle.  So we headed to the Poison Garden because Eleanor was so curious about that.  Don't worry!  All the plants were sealed off and protected.

After I dragged her away from all the scary plants, we decided to walk through the grounds to look for the vegetable garden.  You know by now that we can be somewhat adventurous in our wanderings.

Finally, we found the door into the kitchen garden.  But.  It was locked.

There was one place where we could stand on a platform and sneak a peak in to the area where the bee hives are.

Oh well.  There were still so many acres to explore.  As we walked up a paved driveway, we came across this amazing place.

Blarney House.  Built in 1871 by Sir George Conawy Colthurst, 5th Baronet.  He decided he wanted a new family home.  The gardens are still being lovingly cared for.

We continued on our way meandering through more woods and gardens to find our way back to the castle.

We proceeded out of the castle walls down the drive and across the stream to Blarney Woolen Mills.

Now, before you get too excited about visiting a woolen mill, stop.  It's not a working mill anymore.  It's a shopping center.  But at least it still had a mill wheel.  I might have been a bit disappointed to find out it wasn't a running mill...

But at least there was coffee.

We said goodbye to Blarney and County Cork and drove an hour to County Kerry and the village of Killarney where we checked in to a beautiful hotel for two nights.  Great Southern Hotel.

The two evenings we were in Killarney we explored this sweet village, walking the streets, finding amazing buildings.  But this post is getting too long.  Come back and read and see more about Killarney!