Ireland, 2021; Day 9

She appears to be queen of the sheep pasture next door to our accommodations here at Seaview Tavern, Restaurant and B and B. 

Quite a regal lady who kept her eye on us as we strolled by her field this morning. 

This is our second visit to Malin Head, and we learned from a local this morning that people love to come back to Malin Head.  Later, I met a nice man from Belfast who said he's been returning ever since he was a child. 

The magnificence and dramatic beauty of the North Atlantic Ocean across the street from Seaview is alluring at the very least. 

Plus, as we always find, the people here are so nice, so professional and beyond accommodating. 

A mural in Sligo, featuring Irish literary giant W.B. Yeats.  One leg of the trip showed all things Yeats, including his burial site and a roadside arts and crafts center.
 

Once again this morning, my laptop stopped working right in the middle of my posting. 

That has led me to believe there is something more than outlet causing problems, so the iphone will have to do the job in a less than desirable fashion.

Update:  after writing the paragraph above, I found that a little surge protector from the next-door store got me back up and running.  

Yes, friend Vince, from Rose Garden B and B, it appears you were correct, at least until the next computer crash. 

Sometimes the technical glitches of blogging just get in the way and "disorder my mind," as Mark Twain once wrote about his aunt. 

And, if my written observations appear a bit disjointed, please give me a pass today. 

And thank you for bearing with me as I do my best to share a few photos and observations of each day’s adventure here in Ireland. 

This morning you are getting the breakfast blend of iphone and laptop posting.

We arrived in Malin Head last night around 7 after a long day of driving in the rain from Clifden where we said good bye to John and Sue and their wonderful hospitality at Sharamore House and then hello to a few of our downtown Clifden friends from over the years.

Bill visited briefly with John Stanley from Stanley's Men's store while I popped in and snapped this year's "class photo" of my friendly butcher buddies at Des Moran's Butcher Shop.  

Des has retired but his longtime team of helpers has taken over. 

 As we moved on north, our route took us to Kylemore Abbey in Connemara National Park where we hoped to pick up some items at the gift shop. 

We learned that, like so many similar situations in the world, that adding to inventory has been spotty during the Pandemic. So, we went away empty-handed but no less in awe of the beautiful Abbey grounds.

We visited Achill Island for the first time, but the steady rain and fog did not enhance the area's usual scenic grandeur so we moved on.

The day seemed long, with just a few stops along the way, but our arrival and the knowledge that we could settle in for a couple of days in another beautiful spot in Ireland made it all worth the long drive. 

Let me use this interesting rope image to tell a story I shared via text with my sister Laurie yesterday.

  I knew she would love it because she always laughs whenever her clutzy big sister falls on her face.

This time I was taking pictures during a brief stop.  I looked down, saw some wet sheep poop and upon stepping aside to miss it, I tripped.  

It was a good landing on wet ground but not in the poop, and, as far as I know, nobody saw the crash.  Bill was busy looking at his map and only knew after I had walked back to the car with a wet seat, wet knees and wet arms.  

Laurie would have loved seeing the real thing! 👀

Even on a dreary, rainy day Kylemore Abbey and its extensive grounds in Connemara is an impressive and beautiful place. 

Trader's Building Supply, Sandpoint, Idaho, here's an idea for you to add to your beautifully crafted greenhouses, etc.  

Everyone can have their very own single-unit, intimate picnic table house for those rainy days. 

We've been seeing these occasionally, including here at Seaview Tavern, and they look pretty slick. 

I'm sure with Ireland's frequent rain, they are popular items. Could be in Sandpoint, too!

Happy Saturday.  Off to explore Malin Head, Republic of Ireland's northernmost point.