Saturday Slight

 

It was another "hang on to your hat" morning, as an almost punishing warm wind blew steadily from the north.

We agree that we love the wind/breeze as a coolent on hot days, but we also hope its assertiveness of late does not contribute to any more forest fires. 

I don't know what the weather data suggests, but this seems like one of the windiest years I can remember. 

We now have a lovely paved road, which suggested that lawn mowing this year would be a cleaner sport than usual. 

We may have had no dust coming from a dirt road, but throughout most of the summer, there's been more than enough dust and dead leaves swirling around dry areas in the lawn.

This lawn mowing queen can report that the hours spent on the mower have not been nearly as much fun this year.

Maybe next year, if more moisture comes, we'll feel the relief of a paved road. 

Laurie and CB went on a nice little trail ride through the woods yesterday. Except for one little spot where they stepped off the trail for a visit with Bill and limbs were hidden in the deep grass, CB did okay. 

Ironically, he has spent rare moments in our woods during his lifetime so it was definitely new territory for him. 

He passed the test. 

For those who may wonder why I don't ride him very often, I must report that older bodies don't react very fast to swift moves.  

Occasionally, CB will react quickly to something unfamiliar to him, so I play it safe.

Laurie, who rides two or three horses every day,  seems to enjoy working with him, though, and I'm thrilled that she does. 

 

I have now pulled all of my green bean plants.  

Over the season, 30 bags of beans have gone into the freezer.  I was disappointed, however, that the rows I planted next to the barn yielded about three beans.

I'm guessing the soil may have been a factor because the plants themselves were beautiful and the blossoms were plentiful. 

Whatever the case, we have enough beans to last through winter months. 

I'll also be pulling my lettuce plants and throwing in some more seed in hopes of another crop.  This has been an excellent lettuce year. 

And, the tomatoes have been growing and ripening on the vine.  No complaints with those yields.

The gardening is winding down quickly, and I'm not going to miss dragging the hose around.   

A Taste of Ireland

Clifden is one of our favorite towns in Ireland.  It's located in the Connemara region on the west coast of Ireland.  

When in Clifden, we stay at Sharamore House, a bed and breakfast owned by John and Sue Brittain.

They are very good to "the kids" aka Bill and me and our family members.  

Sue's pancakes and John's stories of his adventures at sea with both rescue and fishing excursions always draw us back. 

One event we have never seen during our visits to Clifden is the Connemara National Pony Show which has just been completed. 

Last evening, the parade of champions wound through the streets of Clifden. 

Thought you'd enjoy this little video about the show, which celebrated its 100th anniversary. 

 

Also, while on the subject of Clifden, I've added a video with  our friend John Brittain, mentioned above. 

Enjoy. Happy Saturday.