Just Gab . . . .

My cousin Loretta's daughter kissed the Blarney Stone yesterday. 

I'm pretty sure the man who helped her hit the target was the same one who guided me and members of my immediate family on different trips to Blarney Castle in Ireland.  

Now that Lindsay has kissed the stone, she has the gift of gab.  

She may have had it before, but now she can say it's official. 

This morning I've been sending notes back and forth to a family friend who was about to take off in Dublin, Ireland, on her return trip to Seattle. 

It's been a very personal and emotional journey for Kathy who explored many of sites connected to her family roots in the Cork and Mayo County areas.

In her last note, she wrote, ". . . there’s emotion on leaving because I feel viscerally connected to the land here. 

As the trip starts to recede into the past, I’m starting to wonder “Did I really just do that?” 

Am glad I have all the photos to remember it by. I hope to return some day!" 

Yesterday, Lorraine, a former student from the '70s, posted from Galway on Ireland's west coast, where she says her first experiences of driving are getting easier. 

She's been driving through Ireland for the past few days, and it's been fun to see her travels.

I could go on and on about the folks I know who've visited Ireland in the past couple of weeks.  Seems like every time I visit Facebook someone else has headed off that way.

We've come a long ways from the good ol' days when ya thought you were pretty cool cuz you actually knew someone who had gone to Europe.   

It could be that the ease in which travelers can get there might have something to do with seeing so many Irish posts from friends and family. 

This past May, Aer Lingus began a daily nonstop flight from Seattle to Dublin, leaving at 7:20 p.m. and arriving just after noon Dublin time. 

The flight time of nine hours is significantly shorter than other itineraries, especially without the usual additional layover somewhere on the East Coast or in another European city. 

So, that's a plus.   Annie flew Aer Lingus on her recent trip and found the flights to be nice.  So, for those thinking of heading that way some day, check out this new option.  

Seems like it should be a lot more user friendly these days. 

Bill and I are getting pretty excited about climbing aboard soon. 

In the meantime, we're still making the most of this wonderful fall weather, which seems to just get better by the day.   

It will be fun to see what Ireland is like in the fall, but for now, we'll settle for our own lovely version. 

That's enough gabbing for now.  Enjoy the photos.