See ya later Doolin

Well, I'm checked out of the hostel, though still here, in the lounge, waiting for the bus. I took one last hike this morning to an old tower I had seen up in the hills the last couple days . . .it took about an hour to walk to but it was fenced and the sign read "Private". . . .ran into a car load of Americans there so I took their photo for them and they drove off and I had the place, and the peaceful countryside all to myself again! It is grey and cooler today. The wind off the ocean is wonderful. The smell of sea, soil, grass and manure (!) remind me of my childhood and at one point I just stood there, breathed it all in and actually got a little teary-eyed. Not sure why . . .just remembering my young life and great childhood, my pony, Sweetcorn, spending days at the farm, staying overnight in the barn because I didn't want to go home but wanted to sleep with Sweetcorn! They were GREAT years and that smell on the breeze this morning just took me back there, I guess. I'm looking forward to getting Gort this afternoon and meeting Gwen and her family, and seeing my home for the next two weeks! I'm especially excited to be living in a house with two dogs! Going to pop out for one more walk . . .got an hour before my bus comes and all this sitting around is making me cold!

We're up!

After many many tries of doing a new post, and losing either the connection or the computer freezing up, this one feels hopeful! Yay! I was going to say my travel day (the flight) was uneventful and, for the most part, it was. Upon boarding the plane I was at the window, an an older Irishman, Billy, was on the aisle. A yound, kind of nerdy looking young man came and sat between us. He was acting a little wired and told us both that he'd been up for 28 hours with no sleep, had flown in from Seattle that morning and had spent the afternoon wandering the streets of Boston. He said he fell asleep in the sirport about 4.30pm (our flight was at 8.30) and that 'they' said he'd had a seizure and he was rushed to a hospital in an ambulence! I wonder if he discharged himself because a stewardess came and told him that he could NOT take the flight as he didn't have a doctors note, saying it was safe for him to fly. He said he had a discharged sheet from the hospital and the stewardess went to talk to colleagues while he showed me (who really didn't want to get involved) he sheet. I didn't read it, really I didn't but I saw it said "confusion" and "You MUST see a neurologist upon arrival in Ireland"! Yikes! Anyway, the next thing I know a security possie came and told him he had to deplane, which he did without incident. Billy and I chatted ab9out it (Billy believing him to be high on drugs, me just grateful for a bit of room in the middle to stretch my legs and not fall onto someone if I managed to sleep). It was the only empty seat on the plane! Billy and I had fun, learning about each other's life (he'd been in Boston for a surprise 40th birthday present for his son). He was a fun and happy seat mate. I LOVED Aer Lingus. All the staff were Irish and, I can honestly say, every Irish person I have ever met (and I've known a bunch) have always been super nice and friendly, as was the case on the plane! Billy eventually popped a sleeping pill and tried to sleep and I watched ALL IS LOST, the Robert Redford movie. After the flight and trip out here I checked in to Doolin Hostel. It's a cute little place, one of many hostels and B&Bs in the village. (In fact, as small as this village is, apart from a few pubs and souvenir shops, most of the buildings are hostels)) In the summer the area is a big draw for surfers, bikers, ramblers, cavers and sea kayakers. Lots of buildings have little stations outside them with a hose to wash down your gear (bike, board, kayak, etc) after a day of fun!

I wish I could post photos but until I get to a town with a phone shop I don't have the cable I need . . . I spent yesterday trying to stay awake until the evening to reset my sleep from jet lag. The big draw here are the Cliffs of Moher (I think it's one of Ireland's biggest tourist draws). They are about 9km south of Doolin. There's cliff walk/trail called The Burren Way that starts here, just outside the village, and ends at the Cliffs, so I set out yesterday to check it out. It was GORGEOUS yesterday afternoon, about 58 degrees and bright sunshine! As you walk on this beautiful trail, every turn brings you an even more breathtakingly gorgeous view. Farms and fields come down to the cliff top, all with old stone walls dividing them. There are ruins everywhere, old castles or old cottages. I used my phone to snap photos every step of the way. The trail is directly on the edge of the cliff, in some places you are 2 or 3 steps from the edge! The noise is incredible. The roar of the waves below as they come crashing in and hit the rock, sending spray up and over the top is awesome! One plus about coming now? Despite the amazing day, I only saw 3 people!The thing that happened yesterday was my battery light came on and my phone was almost dead! I think I had walked about 3 miles. In retrospect I wish I had just continued on and saw the BIG cliffs a couple miles further on. I was chatting to a guy on the trail, Steve from Alabama who is a grad student at Auburn and we said our byes, and I said I'd get the bus the next day to the Cliffs and walk BACK to my hostel. I walked the 3 miles back to Doolin and went to Fitzpatricks Pub for a vegetable curry, before crashing in my bed by 8pm! The moral of this story is "If you can do something today and not put it off, especially if it's weather dependent, DO IT TODAY!" Today I got the noon bus to the Visitor Center at The Cliffs and you couldn't see a thing! The fog was sooooo thick! Ha Ha! I was a little disappointed but told Charles we'll both just have to come back. I took a photo anyway and, once I get the cable I need will post yesterdays and todays so you can see the difference a day makes. To rub it in, this morning while eating breakfast in the hostel I see Steve, the Auburn dude who finished the walk yesterday. He said it was one of the most spectacular sights he's ever seen! Thanks, man. (LOL!) Well, I could ramble on all evening but pub times-a-wasting. Gonna walk over to O'Connors for a little bite and a bevvy. . . . I love having a pub one hundred yards away! Ha Ha! Not even gonna spell check as I don't want to jinx the computer!! I go to the farm tomorrow. . . check in soon!

Off to Ireland!

Okay . . .I think I'll get better at posting for the next few weeks as I'm traveling! As some of you know I had been saving a little here, a little there, for YEARS, in anticipation of my 50th birthday year. I thought I'd take a BIG trip, like India or Africa.  I want to share that with Charles and when we started looking at it, we need much more time than he can get off work at this point in his career :-(
So, the wild and crazy trips are being put off, and that's okay with me . . .hopefully there's time for us to experience those amazing places.

Long, convoluted story short - I am going to Ireland to volunteer with WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) on a small farm, owned by a couple who have a baby and 2 dogs. They farm 7 acres with veggies and herbs. It's in County Clare in a pretty remote location  (well, as remote as you can get in a country the size of Virginia!) and looks beautiful. I will spend 3 days on the west coast first, go to the farm, spend 2 weeks there, spend 3 days in Dublin, and then take a cheap Ryan Air flight to England!

The hardest part so far as been trying to pack for a month in my backpack!!!

 

 

But I finally, today, 12 hours before I leave, have done it!!!! One big backpack to carry on my bag and one small one to carry in my hand on the plane!

 

 

 

 

So . . I'm not going to ramble right now (as you will see I tend to do in this blog). I'm going to hang out with the Spouse for a few hours and make dinner but I'll be online in a day or two!

Bon Voyage to me!



 

 

Hmmmm . . . let's try this again, shall we?

Okay. . . .a friend said tonight "You should write a blog". To which I replied "I have one." And I decided to look it up and see when I last posted to it. Next month, it'll be two years!!!! That is wild. And dumb!  So much good stuff has happened! I have kept up with my handwritten, paper journal but seem to have an aversion to blogging!  No matter. New Year. New intention (again).

Of course it's late now and almost time for bed but herein is my Intent. I will try to write in here at least once a week, but hopefully twice a week. Beginning in the morning.

Really.
I will!

See you tomorrow friends!

I'm optimistic I can do this . . . .

I know it has been MONTHS, but I DO write in a paper journal everyday!  I think that's just it . . .I'm old fashioned . . . I like PEN and PAPER, not keyboard and screen. Anyway there are many, many things to be glad about and optimistic for. I'm going to try and get back to it, here on the screen.

I have a lifetime love of horses. As a tween through my teenage years I had a pony in England. They were some of the most wonderful days of my life. I love all things horsey . . . .the smell of the horses, the hay, the barn. Mucking out stalls when it's rainy and cold out but you are warm and cozy in the barn. The way horses whinney and push their heads against you, or push their faces deep into pockets to look for treats.
Anyway I resolved this January to somehow get around horses again. I took training at Saddle Up, an organization out towards Leiper's Fork, where disabled children learn to ride, and grow and have fun with horses. It's been a month and, at the moment I go out and feed the horses on Thursday afternoons. I'd LOVE to do more if my schedule will allow.
I take feed buckets and nose bags of pellets and drive in a 4x4 to the various paddocks and fields and find the horses that need feeding (only some get fed at night), throw hay down for others and get to hang out and spend time with them. The hard part is learning which horse is which! There is one horse, Sidney, who they retired and he needs a home. I cannot tell you how much I wish I had a little land and a barn. I've prayed for it a lot the last few weeks! Sidney was mistreated before he was dropped at Saddle Up, he was skin and bones and now has a hip issue. As a result, he cannot be ridden. But he is GORGEOUS and fit and healthy . . . it's just that weight on his back would aggravate his hip problem. They have been trying to find the right home for him for a year. They need to trust that he is going to someone who, when they promise not to ride him, will keep that promise. Plus, most people don't want a horse that they can't ride, but he would make an amazing pet and can still be lunged (and needs to be to keep his muscles strong and healthy) Yesterday, after I fed him, I got to put his blankets on and walk him out to one of the far fields, about 1/4 mile. We chatted all the way and, before I let him loose in the field, I rested my face against his head for a minute. I LOVE this horse. I KNOW now is not the right time for me to have a horse but I secretly hope that no-one will take him and, eventually, I'll find a solution of a barn where I can keep him, and care for him for the remainder of his years.
At the very least I hope someone with a loving heart will take him and give him the life and love he deserves.

This week I go to Florida with Luanne, Karen and Molly (and Steve and Maribeth I think too) for the Disney Princess Half. I am SUPER EXCITED but will miss my Sidney on Thursday and look forward to March 1st to see him again!!

I have to go to bed now. . . . plan on parking at Lu and Karen's halfway point (ish) tomorrow at 6.15am and running to Lipscomb to meet them a 7am, and going back with them. I can't do the whole thing with them as I'm swamped (with good stuff) tomorrow and need to get home but this way I'll get 6 miles in. . . . .

The documentary "I Am"

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Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3, testing . . . .
The site promises me that if I copied and pasted the above mumbo jumbo that when I saved my blog and re-opened it, there would be the trailer to I Am, one of the BEST, most inspiring and uplifting documentaries I have ever seen. We'll see.  I wanted to purchase it on DVD for my bro and sis-in-law for Christmas but it is not out to purchase til January 3rd!
Anyway, logging off to see if this worked (I have a sneaky feeling it wont. Techology is not my gift)

This makes me start blogging again!

This morning my fellow booties and I ran/walked a 5K downtown. We have a friend, Michelle, who has always dreamed of doing a 5K. She was born with some physical challenges but has not let them stop her from doing anything - in fact we met Michelle when she signed up to do bootcamp! I remember thinking then that this is one amazing & courageous woman.

Luanne invited her to one of the training walks we used to do (for some reason we lapsed over the summer) and encouraged her to sign up for this race. I know Michelle has been continuing her walking throughout this time with the goal of this race in her mind. She has battled a bad ankle and had to have shots in it every now and then. I have seen Luanne encouraging her on facebook.
This morning I met Michelle at their car in the dark while her mom pinned her bib number on her shirt. I asked if she was excited and she said "Karen, I am terrified".  After meeting the others at a bus-stop bench and downing some Krispy Kremes, we all ran our own races. Jo (also running her first race) was zippy as could be and finished fast (31 minutes!) Gloria and I met up with her and Molly in the finish corral, closely followed in by Karen and Sharon. We all went over and stood with Michelle's family and then she and Luanne rounded the corner of 2nd onto Demonbreun.

Even remembering watching them now, some 8 hours later, moves me to tears. I ran over to the organizer and told her that they were coming (we had been concerned because they were putting 5K medals away and getting set up with the half marathon ones) and she handed 2 medals to one of the men in uniform who were placing them over people's heads as they finished. Michelle was weeping (with pride I hope), her family were all crying and all of us booties were too. As she neared the finished she began to jog and did so all the way across the finish line! This was not an easy feat for this beautiful woman. It took courage and perseverance and belief. Many of us would have given up months ago, or never even started it. She was "terrified" and she did it anyway. I am inspired by her beyond belief, and SO PROUD to know her.

This is the Diary of an Optimist. I haven't written here for months although it's not because I've stopped being optimistic. I see things everyday that make me optimistic in our world. But I could NOT let this event go by without recording it, even if only I ever see this blog. I am so touched by one woman's determination and by what is achievable when we encourage each other with love and support. I am so grateful for my bootcamp friends, whom I truly love.
Here's Michelle getting her medal! WooHoooo! You ROCK MICHELLE!!