July 28 Update

We had a wonderful weekend - we were forced to take a holiday because our house had been promised for this weekend before we had it - and it turned out to be a blessing.

After therapy in Listowel on Saturday, we drove north to Tarbert and took the car ferry across to Kilrush in County Clare. Actually, there was such a long line for the ferry that we missed the first one and were #2 in line for the next one. This was no big deal, as they run every 30 minutes during this tourist season, and we actually enjoyed walking around the pier at Tarbert. The ferry ride was kind of fun, too - we drove on, then were able to leave the car and go up on top, where there is an observation deck, so it's like a real boat ride.

Upon arrival we drove north to Kilrush, and walked around that pretty town for a while - talked to a very nice lady in the Tourist Info office. There's a lot to see around there, but we had been advised by some parents in Listowel to go ahead north - that the area north of the Cliffs of Moher was very beautiful. So, we headed north along the coast. Being who we are, we were supremely confident of finding an inexpensive and perfect B&B. As we drove through several really hopping tourist towns on the coast, we started looking - and saw many No Vacancy signs. We went on north of Liscannor, nearly to the Cliffs of Moher - stopped in at 2 B&B's - No Vacancy. By now it was about 7:00 Saturday night and I (MFE) started getting a little worried - but our luck held. We went back through Lisconnar, and about 1 km out of town, turned in a lane for Sea Haven B&B - she had one opening - not "en suite" (In Ireland, that's with a private bath). It was a very reasonable room and price, so we jumped on it and were very glad.First of all, it may have been the last opening that night on the Co. Clare Coast! And, it turned out to the great - the proprietor was Sheila Lees and she was friendly and helpful. It was walking distane to the pubs. The room was small but adequate and sharing a bath was not a problem (and that's probably the only reason it was still vacant, waiting for us). The breakfasts were excellent and we had a view of the bay from our breakfast table - my idea of heaven! Also, to top it off, there were 2 Irish Setters living there - we became quite friendly!

On Sunday morning we went to the Cliffs of Moher - only about a 15 minute drive - what a prime location we had! The Cliffs are spectacular - straight up from the ocean. There is a walking trail to the top, which we took and then walked along the top for a while (with many others!). Dana took lots of pictures and I did lots of oohing and aahing. When we walked down, the path up and the gift shop/restaurant at the bottom were absolutely packed - we were really glad we hadn't waited any later to visit.

We then began driving further north. The first km was hairy - cars park along the road, not wanting to pay the 5 euro parking fee - this makes the road very narrow and it is packed with tour buses. We manage go get behind one heading north and let him clear a path for us - which helped.

Our next major stop was Doolin, which we loved. It is a port with boats for veiwing the Cliffs and for going to the Aran Islands. We did neither this trip, but really loved the shore, which was very large flat rocks for miles and a great view back to the cliffs. The "Burren Walk" had also been recommended - this is 26 miles in its entirety, but you can do parts of it. It is reportedly "sign-posted" and this became funny, as we had a hard time finding where to hit it, and every time we asked someone we got a slightly different explanation of where it was. Anyway, we just enjoyed the rocky coast for a long time. I sat on a rock and dangled my feet in the Atlantic Ocean and gazed on the Cliffs of Moher - what a great experience. (I also noticed and like that this was at 4:50 pm here, 10:50 Siloam Springs - just as my friends at 1st Pres were filing in and the choir was gathering to process - I worshipped with them in my mind, with my feet in the ocean!).

We walked through the little village of Doolin several times - we thought. Then, the last time through, we went on a little further and found another whole part of the village, including - FINALLY - a sign for the entrance to the Burren Walk. By then I was pretty tired so I enjoyed the scenery from an outdoor table at a pub while Dana took a part of the walk. When he returned we drove back to our B&B - a wonderful day.

We had 2 good dinners - Saturday night McHugh's pub, followed by traditional Irish music (guitar, fiddle, and....... bagpipes!). Sunday night we at at the Lisconnar Hotel - amazingly economical and very good, and again a beautiful view of the bay.

Monday we drove to Ennis - a beautiful market town. We had tea with Ciara Keane, my recuriter, and then walked around for a while. We then drove back to the ferry and drove to Killarney where we spent the night with a family from Kerry Down Syndrome. Real life started again the next morning with therapy in Killarney.

Mundane things - I have an appointment for a hair cut!! I have driven a little, but Dana still does most of the driving - the roads are really, really narrow! The Irish people have been very friendly and helpful - I often feel like we've become friends with the people who show us houses to let! The accent is getting easier to understand, and we're picking up vocabulary. The most crucial so far is to say "ring" or "phone", not call, as call means to make a visit.

The Down Syndrome caseload is heavy right now because everyone wants to try - however, I think there will be some attrition after a month, which will make it more feasible. Right now I am working hard, and getting pretty tired. There's a Bank Holiday in 2 weeks - a long weekend, and I look forward to that!

We are still house hunting, still nothing perfect, but we have looked at a few possibilities both in Killarney and Tralee, so we're feeling a little more optimistic!

That's all for now - still no regular internet access, so no pictures on here - but when they come, you are going to love them!

July 17 update

I am not posting much until we get access at home. Then, we will have beautiful pictures to put on the site, and I hope you'll all come back and enjoy them!

Yesterday, the big news was I drove myself to the Anglican Church in Tralee - successful drive and wonderful experience in church, including use of the Pool of Siloam text in the sermon - which was by a visiting priest from Alabama!

We drove to Dingle yesterday - another gorgeous bay-side town, a little more touristy than some. Me some nice Americans from St. Augustine - acutally he was originally from Dublin, and they had lived in Tralee for 3 years, but now were only visiting from Florida.

The weathr is hot by Irish standards - ahs been in the 80's for a few days and they are really feeling the heat! We of course, love it!

July update

Well, I have had a lot of trouble getting back in to this blog - thanks for being patient. I had started another one - Ireland Report - but am going back to this one - Arkansas Travelers - which my friend Gloria had originally set up.

I am going to start from scratch on news, so some of it will be old news for a few of you!

Gerry, Jane and Catherine drove us to Tulsa on Saturday, June 17. We had a nice trip - Catherine really wanted to get on the plane with us, so we left her in tears! The flight was uneventful and we met Mick and Jeannie at our motel and had a great time - swimming, talking, a little wine, and then dinner! Next morning, Lilli, Terri, Robbie and Mitch drove in and we all had a long breakfast - a great reunion. Then Mick, Jeannie, Dana and MFE spent the morning touring the beautiful new park in downtown Chicago - Millennium Park. It was raining but we still enjoyed it very much. I (MFE) stressed out about getting the plane on time, and thus got us there very early, as usual, and the plane was late!! Dana was patient.

We arrived in Ireland on June 19 - about 1 hour late and were met by Ciara (recruiter) and DS parents: Patricia and Kevin and Donie. They drove us back to Tralee (over 1 hr) and we met other parents for lunch: Riestard, Marie, Dominique and Gerard. After lunch Dana picked up the rental car - he was very tired, but managed to drive it to Gerard's house, where we met again. Riestard drove his car and Gerard drove our rent car, as Dana was really tired by then. Our temporary (2 month) house is called semi-detached - we'd call it a condo - which belongs to Riestard's sister Carina, a physiotherapist in Dublin. She only uses it occasionally so has graciously rented it to them for us for the summer. We took a 1 hour nap, ate dinner at home (grilled cheese, though we didn't figure out the stove very well that night!)then went to our local pub to get acquainted. We enjoyed it but were home by 9:00 for a good and much needed night's sleep!

Our village is Kilflynn, about 4 miles out of Tralee. It is very quaint - a small store and post office, 2 pubs side by side, a Catholic Church, and a Protestant Church which is now closed and is used as a community Centre. Across the main highway are a bunch of turbines (modern windmills) which have become our touchstone - landmark for turning and barometer for weather, as the appear and disappear many times daily depending on fog and clouds. We have actually had much nice weather - many days when shorts and T=shirts are comfortable. Most days there are some periods of cloudiness and some periods of sun. We have only had a couple of days of "set-in" clouds and real rain. We are told to expect warmer weather (in the 70's!) for summer, but to expect damp and chill as Fall comes. The days right now are very long -we have been amazed that it is bright sunlight until after 10:00.

We have been able to do lots of sight-seeing in these first few weeks. We take a walk out of Kilflynn most days, so have explored every direction. It is all beautiful - greens of many shades, pastel colored block houses with flowers, trees and ivy, mountains in the distance, and lots of cows and sheep.

We have been to several beaches in North Kerry - Castlegregory, Banna, Ballybunion, and Fenit. We spent a long time at Ballybunion, a beautiful wide beach surrounded by cliffs. We took the cliff walk, which was breathtaking. We saw dolphins jumping in the bay. I waded, but didn't swim, though actually I think it would have been warm enough to do so. Our other favorite was Fenit - a fishing port. It was very cloudy and foggy when we arrived - but we enjoy the ocean in that kind of weather too, so ate in our car looking out at the barely visible lighthouse. Then we went into the little beachside cafe and had tea - and when we came out it had cleared and was sunny and we could see for miles - all the way back to the Blennerville windmill! We then enjoyed the lighthouse view in the sun, and also were able to view and then walk up to the statue of St. Brendan.

Last Sunday (July 2) Patricia and Kevin took us on a car tour of the Ring of Kerry in South Kerry - they said we had done too much sight-seeing in the North and needed to be introduced to the South. We met them at their house in Glenbeigh, south of Kilgorlin. Their house is on a hill-side overlooking the bay - it is a really spectacular sight! Keven drove and they were both excellent tour guides having lived in the area all of their lives. The Ring of Kerry is full of beautiful sights - bays, beaches, mountains, mountain passes - the road is curvy and narrow, which bothers the Irish not at all! We ate lunch in Waterville and dinner in Killarney - a wonderful day.

Dana has done all the driving so far - I drove a little while we were car shopping. We have bought a 1999 Honda Civic - automatic transmission. The main problem with driving is not the left side, it is the narrowness of nearly all the roads - often barely room for 2 cars, sometimes not room!!

Our house has been great - several interesting conservation devices - a water heater just for the shower, which works great. A washer and dryer which take a very long time, but do a good job and are energy efficient - we have to dump the water out each time we finish a load in the dryer. Each electric outlet has it's own off/on switch - the trick is remembering to turn them on!

I have started work, and will write more about that later. They had a beautiful welcome dinner for us at the Cahernane Hotel in Killarney on June 30 - over 60 people, kids and adults attended. We had coverage from the 3 local papers and all ran great pictures, which I will put on here when we get our own Internet access. Right now we use the library (free) or Internet cafes, so don't get to get on a whole lot. I have a new laptop and printer/scanner, but we won't have web access until we get a permanent home. We are looking in Killarney, as that would be the most convenient geographically. Gotta go - more later. MFE