Finally of age…

Our pink dogwood is finally of an age.. and it's beautiful!

We're enjoying being home. The gardens call to us and the garlic looks great. Shannon's Spirit is ready to head off and we've already been out for a week. We're staying close to home this summer except for a week with friends in the Broughtons on their boat. Can't wait! Hope all of you have fun and exciting plans for the summer. As a friend of mine always says. "Stay upright".
Bye for now. CJ

Two amazing vessels

There's all kinds of boats on the water and we've been blessed with the sight of two rather unique ones. The first, an old schooner we passed when heading north to Pirates Cove on the 12th and the second, a rowing/sail vessel that just came into the cove now (1600 hrs on the 14th) after rowing from Pacific Pioneer Camp on the north end of Thetis island. They must have endured some rough water out there as the SE is still delivering her punch this afternoon.

We are at Pirates Cove doing our duty as volunteer park hosts. We're lucky to be able to do this as our yacht club (Maple Bay YC) has run this park host program since 1986. We love this place and have both been coming here since we were teenagers and carry many fond memories of the Cove.

Hope your good memories keep you company. Bye for now. CJ

We’ve made it home with much to share…

What an adventure we've had; and, yes, we are home (at least as far as Richmond for tonight and home to the Island tomorrow). Since writing last we travelled from Westport to Galway and then to Killarney and Dingle. We travelled via buses and trains (getting pretty good at dragging our luggage up, over and around) … and visited beautiful countrysides, magnificent estates and quaint villages. We learned a lot of history including about the conflicts that had such devastating affects and the ways people managed against the poverty and strife. We saw and learned about the stone walls that divide the grazing lands and we learned about the making of and various uses of thatched roofs. I could go on but won't. Suffice to say we not only visited some amazing places, we also met equally delightful people; folks like Paul & Linda who were our terrific hosts in Westport and Kathleen who gave us a personal tour of Dingle and the surrounding lands over the course of two - days and then drove us to the airport in Cork. We saw the Cliffs of Moher (from the water) and visited the smallest of the Aran islands where we toured the island in a horse-drawn carriage. We also visited Ross castle and then walked along the paths and through the fields back to the village. I'd be remiss if I didn't admit we enjoyed the food and sipped a few pints of the fine ales along the way :-)

We feel truly blessed to have had this amazing journey through rural England and Ireland and we've added many memories and stories to our 'collection' of life. The following are a few photos from the recent visits. Thanks for joining us on this journey. It feels good to know you're enjoying the accounting.

Hope all is well with each of you. CJ

Photos are:

Hooker boat racing out of the Galway Hooker Sailing Club.
One of many castle ruins.
Horse drawn carriage on the smallest Achill Island. This is Sandy, an eight year old mare who kept catching up to our cart. I was able to give her a scratch once the ride was over.
Clouds (I like clouds :-)
Ross Castle, Killarney.
Horse drawn carriage in Ross castle lands and park