Bye, Baggies!

 

As we stood for about ten minutes in the aisle next to our seats waiting to deplane in Spokane last night, I watched the lady in the window seat of my row pull out a plastic zip lock bag, grab some kind of pill and pop it into her mouth. 

I chuckled to myself, thinking that it's easy to recognize your own ilk while traveling as a golden girl:  the arthritic knuckles, the weathered skin, the weird shoes with two-inch soles and those aging fingers popping a pill from a zip lock bag.

Suspicious activity, probably to some, but totally familiar to those of us who are there, doing that.  

Although I usually don't pop my pills on the plane, I know the drill.  

Long before leaving on a trip, one of the first tasks  is to count out enough glaucosomine/chondroitin, Vitamin B complex, Calcium and Vitamin D supplements to last through every day of the upcoming trip. I often throw in a couple extra of each, just in case we get stuck in an airport and have to sit for extra days somewhere. 

That baggie project is one aspect of packing that I have down to a science.  

What clothes to take, what clothes not to take and all the other little items that keep us senior citizens going (for me the fiberglass shoe horn my friend Chris gave me a few years ago is tantamount, thanks to my fiberglass orthotic which requires my left foot to be wedged into a space that I swear every single day is not adequate for my foot and that draconian brace). 

It's all an ongoing, stressful aspect of pre-trip planning, but that planning is really nice the last day of the trip.  

There's a very satisfying adrenalin high to pulling out the bathroom items at trip's end, popping the last set of pills and throwing all baggies into the hotel wastebasket, hence lightening the load to a suitcase that no longer needs to have its load lightened cuz you're done with the trip and the constant fear that your bag is going to weigh in at "overweight." 

Of course, the hotel cleaning lady who finds all those leftover pills probably feels a sense of suspicion.  But my baggies are all labelled with those red and white mailing labels, so she knows not to call the police and report the ancient "drug addict" who stayed in Room 238.

Anyway, I've thrown my baggies away.  I don't care today what I put in my suitcase (which weighed only 44 pounds in Seattle last night).  I took a little extra time this morning enjoying "luxury" living at the airport Hilton, even lounging in the bathtub while cleansing with the Hilton body wash and then dabbing the body lotion on my pasty, dried-out legs, feet and hands. 

All the while, I knew it would be a long time before I once again step into any sense of luxury that goes along with our typical last night on the road. 

Three years ago, I decided the last night on the road after our Ireland trips no longer needed to require a fully exhausted Bill to drive us home to Sandpoint after a 30-hour, 6,000-mile, two-jet plane trip  for two more hours in the pre-midnight darkness fraught with deer waiting to meet their master.

And, so we stay at the Airport Hilton Garden.  

This morning we're living life at a leisurely pace because Annie won't be flying in to Spokane Airport (probably not loaded down with zip lock bags full of stuff) until 9:30 this morning. 

Bill wondered a few minutes ago if we were going to just grab breakfast or if we would go downstairs for a full "American sit-down breakfast, minus the beans, tomatoes, black and white pudding of a full "Irish sit-down breakfast."

Yes, by all means, I said to him, adding that we were going to enjoy every single moment of this last-day "luxury" existence before re-entering life as we usually know it. 

And, we are very excited about that re-entry which means picking up our daughter Annie, then tearfully and happily greeting our dogs at the Pet Lodge and finally driving to our home in beautiful Selle to see the new driveway.  

While we were gone, Scott Wood and his crew from Woods Crushing redid our driveway AND paved most of us.  Everyone in the neighborhood watched the process and saw the finished product.  

Some have even  sent photos because it seems they are just as proud and happy as we shall be once we turn the car in to the Lovestead entrance and resume life as we know it and love it. 

So, a big day ahead, to say the least, and it's already gotten off to a great start with the dispensing of those baggies and their remaining residue. 

Life is good, and arriving home will be Heavenly, even after an amazing flawless and meaningful trip to Ireland.  Hard to believe, but in my mind, there is actually one place that I consider better than Ireland, and that is HOME and all that encompasses it at the Lovestead. 

Finally, we are all really excited, as a family, to cheer on our beloved Debbie Love and her amazing Food Bank team as they pull off this year's second annual Bonner Community Food Bank fundraiser tomorrow night at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. 

Best of luck to Debbie and the team who have worked so hard because success means lots more ways to help those in need in our community. 

GO, Debbie!  We are, as always, proud of you!

Happy Friday.  

Ireland 2026; The Adventure Ends

 

Just an assortment of photos from our trip to Dublin yesterday and from the last few days. 

Above:  one of the two Cocker Spaniels we met while taking a walk at Malin Head on Tuesday. 

Our drive yesterday involved a couple of fun stops. 

One happened just a few miles down the road from Malin Head. 

Patrick Quigley had put his Border Collies to work, rounding up sheep for the fall transition---breeding season and vaccinations, etc. 

For Bill and me, the scene provided the ultimate with dogs expertly and skillfully performing their working dog duties.

No practice, no exhibition but outright work. 

Patrick seemed pleased that we had stopped to watch his dogs and he enjoyed sharing some highlights of his life and information about agriculture in his area. 

He told us that the north part of the Republic of Ireland actually enjoys calmer and milder weather than that in the south.  

We also spent about an hour walking around the beautiful Gortin Glen Forest Park near Omagh in Northern Ireland.

Both stops provided enjoyable breaks from several hours in the car. 

Now we face the marathon day ahead. It will be long and will definitely require survival mode with passports, luggage transfer, TSA checks and pat downs, long hours squashed in an airline seat.

Never a fun aspect of traveling but necessary if we want to get back to the place we love the most:  home. 

Again, thanks to all those in beautiful Ireland who welcomed us, served us and entertained us along the way. 

Also, special thanks to the neighbors at home and my sister Laurie who kept track of the place.  

We're excited to pick up Annie at the airport tomorrow morning and later, the doggies at the pet lodge and then see a major change that happened to our Lovestead while we were gone. 

Stay tuned. 

Happy Thursday.   

The bridge near Drogheda, home of Bill's Irish roots. 

The Peace Bridge in Derry, Northern Ireland. 

We met this lovely couple last night while having dinner at our hotel.  

They are from the Galway area, and they planned to fly out this morning for a week in Croatia.  

Liam and Celia, it was fun to meet you. Safe travels.

The Irish go all out for Halloween. 

Ireland 2026; Day Thirteen

 

Bill grabbed a napkin and pen and then drew a map of the United States.  The illustration gave the onlookers a clearer idea of where our state of Idaho is located. 

One member of the small group of tavern regulars had a clear idea of our state’s location because he works in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Others were not so sure because the common confusion between Iowa and Idaho often comes up in conversation whenever we’re asked where we live.

So, the napkin image helped immensely yesterday afternoon when we stopped by the tavern for a few minutes where we’re staying here in Malin Head.

We wanted to make sure we saw Maura, who runs the bar, before she left for the day.

As one can imagine, the small group at the bar were in jolly good moods. We first met Liam, JP and a chef named Patrick.  Later, a mom and dad and their son who works in Vancouver arrived.

Lots of one liners, some not quite printable, some quite complimentary, flew from lips to ears as the group happily became acquainted with Bill and me.   

Twas our first real experience of getting to know the locals on this trip, and it was great fun.

We’ll have some good memories of these fun Irish folks to take with us when we leave Malin Head today and drive to Dublin.

We’ll stay at an airport hotel tonight, turn in the car tomorrow and then go through all the tedious airport necessities before we hurry up and wait and eventually board our flight for Seattle. 

Tomorrow will be another LONG day, especially as we keep flying toward daylight before arriving in Seattle late in the afternoon Pacific time.

And so, the long-awaited trip to our happy place slowly winds down.  It’s been beyond expectation---just as every trip to Ireland has been for us.

Our minds are filled with a treasured collection of new memories, and our hearts are embedded in this place more than ever.

It’s an indescribable experience where photos and stories are great but it’s the living of every moment that gives one a truly comprehensive view of the wonders and the wonderful aspects of this country.

All good and all will be tucked away in our hearts and minds forever.

I hope we can make it back here again, but for now, we'll go home totally refreshed, excited to see our beloveds and more grateful than ever that we have been able to enjoy this amazing experience in this amazing “motherland” one more time.

And, as always, it's been great fun sharing our travels. 

This is Maura.  

She runs a tight ship wherever she's in charge at the Seaview Tavern. 

And, we love her sharp and perceptive wit. 

We met Angela and Nigel who were walking their cocker spaniels yesterday morning while out on a walk here in Malin Head.  

They moved here a few years ago from England and they love the peace, quiet and beauty of the area. 

They invited us to to see a beautiful Air B and B home nearby which they watch over for the owner. 

JP works as a cab driver in Derry. 

Liam