Christmas Eve - 2013

Celebrating Christmas Eve at home before an early start for Ontario on Christmas morning - gifts, good food, fine wine, fun, and best of all, being together.

Thanksgiving 2013 - One more photo

Love this photo of Don with the VT gang, taken during the annual tree trimming party.

Annette, Barbara, Don & Cathy

Thanksgiving 2013 - Florida

We all managed to meet in Florida for Thanksgiving. Carolyn & Tommy drove down from PSU, Don & Bryan drove down from NJ and I flew down and drove back. We surprised Carolyn by bringing Toby down too, so we were really all together!

Couple of SI firsts on this visit ... first time having Tommy with us -

First day breakfast tradition at the Sailfish Marina - bird attack in 2nd photo

And first time seeing a pelican grab a fish too big for his gullet. This poor pelican tried and tried but could not swallow the fish. It was also too stubborn to let the fish go, despite its distress and the fish's flopping.

We could clearly see the too-large fish in his beak.

Dinner & Trivia Contest at the Tiki Bar at Riviera Beach

Toby - claiming his space under the coffee table on our new rug.

It was a great week. Lots to be thankful for.

PSU Visit in Nov 2013

Still back blogged ...

We took advantage of our last time to see a PSU football game while we still have a child attending - Carolyn's senior fall semester. It is also the first year that PSU has a D1 NCAA hockey team playing in a new arena. So we had a PSU sports weekend with our Kinnelon friends who also have a child at PSU and who are also hockey fans (who we practically lived with for 4 years while our sons played on the same travel and high school team). Friday night was hockey night in State College (vs UMass-Lowell) and Saturday was football game day (vs Purdue).

Carolyn & Don at Pegula Ice Rink - this photo is from October 2013
Saw our first game here in November

Next day, off to the PSU football game with Marty & Jennie Huber - a beautiful mild November day

Dinner that night with Carolyn's roommate, Kim, who is bound for Rutgers Law School this fall

Ireland in Sep 2013: Cliffs of Moher & Galway

Ireland just kept getting more beautiful. The western coast is rugged and spectacular. After Dingle we drove north to the Cliffs of Moher. Again, we were lucky to have perfect weather and were able to enjoy our long walk along the cliffs.

This is truly an amazing coastline. The top photo is the first pano I've ever tried, looking north along the cliffs.
The photo on the left is looking south - we walked to the point where you can see a few people standing.
That part of the cliff is actually private property but they allow people to hop their little fence and continue along.

Later that day we arrived in Galway. It is a busy town - we thought it was busy due to the "Oysterfest" but that turned out to be a non-starter. We enjoyed a walk around town, along the river, across a few bridges, then over to a pub. All roads lead to the pub in Ireland.

Galway - Flags representing Galway families in Eyre Square,
street musicians, dinner in a pub, and the fun packed streets.

The following morning, we packed up our things and headed due east, back to Dublin. We spent the afternoon in a region just northeast of Dublin famous for the Battle of the Boyne, where we toured the Trim Castle and drove around the countryside.

By the time we arrived in Dublin, our car was a noisy wreck. It clunked and squeaked. We were so happy to return it, which we did after checking into our hotel and setting out on the wrong side of the road - seriously not fun. Safely back at the hotel we had a pleasant evening in the lounge with some girls sports team who obviously won their tournament and three lounge lizard singers.

It was bittersweet to be at the end - like any vacation. We will definitely be back, Ireland!

Ireland in Sep 2013: Dingle, Arthur's Day Sep 26

All across Ireland we saw banners and signs for Arthur's Day - a celebration of the man who founded Guinness in 1759. Apparently for the 250th anniversary, a Guinness marketing person came up with the brilliant idea to celebrate Arthur for a day. On that day, the festivities officially began at 1 minute to 6, which of course is 1759 on the 24 hour clock. It was so successful that first year, that it has become an annual event, with 2013 being the 4th Arthur's Day celebration. And we just happened to be in one of the best pubs in Ireland for the occasion - Dick Mack's in Dingle!

Dick Mack's - Once a Haberdashery and now a damn good pub!

We arrived at Dick Macs at about 1730 with enough time to get a few sips of Guinness into us after our adventurous day around the peninsula. At about 1755, a bus load of people descended upon the pub, got a Guinness and posed for the 1759 photo - another tradition - all the photos from pubs across Ireland are posted on some Guinness web page somewhere.

1759 - To Arthur!
The official photographer is on a ladder in the corner. Our yet-to-meet friend happened to catch us on the left side.

Then the music started up in the tent outside. We had met the band "Promise" inside and had a great time listening to them. They played a variety of good dance tunes. We took a few of our own photos but outside we met, Micki, a woman from California who had been taking photos all night and passed me her email address. She very kindly later emailed me a bunch of photos from that evening, so the photos I'm sharing here are hers.

Nancy & I and another woman, not our photographer friend, on stage singing something

With a very nice, friendly friend of the bands' - a nurse moving to Australia the next week

Mac, the nurse, me, Don

Nancy & Mac, Don & I
Others were dancing too - not just us fools!

It was so fun to have happened to be in Ireland for this revered event. To Arthur! Solange! (sp?)

Spring break in the DR

Carolyn sent this photo from the Philadelphia airport early this a.m. as she and her roommates start their adventure.