Drive-By's and Athenry

Keeping it simple this morning because, as seems all-too customary these days, too many disturbing elements lurk in this not-so-simple, chaotic world of ours.

We spend enough time each day thinking of and discussing those items, constantly wishing for solutions that don't come easily. 

Somehow, lately, our traditional "can-do" attitude is taking a beating. 

I read somewhere yesterday a message that resonates with me.  Basically, the idea suggests that when the going gets tough in all other aspects of our lives, turning to nature can give us both comfort and constancy. 

Although Mother Nature can be fickle, nature in general almost always creates uplifting, awesome moments in the midst of chaos. 

Yesterday, after pulling all kinds of weeds and snipping off dead flowers around the yard, I took a break and drove the Sunnyside loop from east to west. 

At this time of year, this area is reminiscent of our beloved Ireland.  Pretty much every direction you look---both near and far---the natural world is putting on a grand show. 

Whether it's the lake or even a newly plotted subdivision or on hillsides along the road, scenes are nothing short of stunning.  

And, that does the heart good. 

I mention Ireland where it's difficult to even think the word "ugly," let alone see it. 

For some reason yesterday's drive took me back to a day two years ago when Bill and I were actually driving through the Fields of Athenry (Baile Átha an Rí, meaning 'Town of the Ford of the King') in County Galway.

We were bound for an Air B n B in the area.  I had picked the place, while organizing our itinerary, because the house in the picture showed a Border Collie sitting out front. 

Gotta be an okay place, I had told Bill, with that Border Collie. 

Well, sometimes, things aren't as they seem. 

This place in the country, not far from the Fields of Athenry, was the only place we could not find in all of our Ireland experience by using our GPS.

So, we drove around the neighborhood for a while, finally finding someone who directed us to the house. 

Long story short, we did not stay there that night.  The Border Collie named Ben was okay, but the odd man inside?  

Not so good and a bit intimating with his oddness. 

After taking a short walk to a park near the house, Bill and I made up our minds that we would be better off staying somewhere else that night. 

Luckily, Annie, the traveling wizard who was at work at the time in Seattle, took a quick break and, within ten minutes had us booked in a hotel closer to Galway. 

In spite of this brief blip in our travel plans, we enjoyed the area as much as any in Ireland.  

Many fields were filled with flowers, and some places seemed magical.  

Maybe that's why yesterday's drive on the Sunnyside Loop made me think back on that day when we had actually experienced the very place mentioned in the famous Irish ballad.  

And so, today, keeping it simple, I've included the song, which tells of a sad time in Ireland---the famine---and a man who is arrested and sent off to Australia for stealing corn for his family. 

A slight but different parallel in that we are dealing with a sad time worldwide. 

A tidbit about this song which has gained fame around the world:  

In what was, perhaps, one of its most famous moments, 'The Fields of Athenry' was sung for as long as eight minutes in the final game of Ireland's participation in the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, when the fans knew the team was knocked out 4-0 by Spain. 

It was the ultimate tribute to the tune.

Hope you enjoy the song and the photos.  

The beauty of nature will almost always lift us up in dark times.