Slight Detour
Mutterings of a country hick.
Thursday, April 03, 2025
Ireland 2025: Day Six
Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Ireland 2025: Bill's Milestone
Happy Birthday, Bill Love.
You've done well in your 75 years.
Forester, fisherman, friend, kind, generous and thoughtful soul, father, brother, husband, uncle, dog lover and all that good stuff about being a human.
And, here's something to think about. You always say that your twin sister Margaret has been the boss because she's a tad older than you.
Well, on this morning, you've caught up and passed her chronologically.
After all, you are in Ireland where it's April 2, and she's in California where it's still April 1.
So, it took 75 years, but you are officially older than your sister---for a few hours at least.
Happy early Birthday, Margaret. Hope when you turn 75, it's a great day and many more years to come.
And, for you, Bill, we'll try to make it a nice day of celebration as we travel through the midlands of Ireland on our way to Dundalk.
It looks like another gorgeous day ahead. The Irish birthday gods have been good to the two William's in this family.
And, now for some images of another spectacular day in Ireland.
We drove to Dingle and stopped at one of our favorite walking areas, Inch Strand (Beach). It was relatively quiet compared to past visits, probably because it was a week day.
We also stopped at the convenience store near Inch Strand where the owner told Bill a few years ago about the wonderful connection between the Irish and the Choctaw Indians, a continuing relationship which was forged during the Irish famine when the tribe donated $170 to help the starving Irish.
Bill had never heard the story until that convenience store stop, so yesterday, he was thrilled to tell the owner how the story had impacted him since that first visit.
Our trip started out with some local intrigue. A man from west of Kenmare has been missing for a week, and there appear to be suspicious circumstances. So, as we drove through Moll's Gap, we saw a large search party assembling at a farm below the road.
Later, we encountered a car which had caught on fire in Killarney National Park. Apparently, no one was hurt, and the owner was obviously distraught. It was a spectacular sight to see the blaze and feel its heat as we drove past.
We enjoyed a stop at Muckross House and its beautiful grounds. It's a place where Britain's Queen Victoria visited, near Killarney.
Later, Bill requested that his birthday lunch for today be included along with Willie's birthday lunch at Murphy's in Dingle. It's one of his favorite spots to enjoy fish and chips.
So, we enjoyed a festive lunch at the pub where a gentleman walked in with an impressive camera. I finally asked if he was a professional photographer, to which he said his hobby had evolved into a profession after his retirement from Intel.
Daniel O'Neill is not only a photographer but a very sweet man. He told us that he LOVES horses and once participated in show jumping. Nowadays, he takes the pictures of the beautiful jumpers and of hurling matches and teams.
https://www.facebook.com/photographycreatedbydaniel/
Daniel was nice enough to snap a photo or two of our family (seen above). I look forward to following him and his award-winning photography.
On the rest of our road trip, we took in spectacular ocean scenes and made a stop or two to capture some photos of baby lambs.
Twas a great day, and we're looking forward to another today as we celebrate Bill.
Happy Wednesday. Enjoy the photos.