Enough rain already

Thursday, 7:30 am, been up since about 5:20, making taost with lemon curd, no butter, and coffee
It has rained short showers twice this morning so far. I am taking pictures every 30 minutes or so, to try and capture how fast the weather changes here. I have never seen such fast-moving clouds as here, they just race across the sky, in a hurry to get to England. It is supposed to be a nice day today, and we are going into Galway. We will drop the kids off at a hostel where they have reservations and hopefully renewed interest in this trip. With a week to go, everyone is road-weary. As soon as Mike's girlfriend returned from her China trip a few days ago, he became homesick.

It was a steroid day (every other day) and Dana's plantar fasciitis is gimping her, so I drove out to take a long hike, but got distracted by Connemara Golf Course, and found that not only was it 100 Euros to play and rent clubs, but also they couldn't get me on until maybe the weekend, and also I quit golf already. I tried to visit a nearby castle ruins, but could not find a way in; it may have been on private land. I then drove the intended hike route and found it was twice as far as I thought it would be, and it started raining, and I was supposed to take the kids to go horseback riding, so I went back.

John hadn't been very committed to the horse idea, but Mike and Laura wanted to go the night before when we were cooking this plan up. Years ago, when John was about 8, we were visiting the Farrells in Arizona and riding their horses, when John's horse slipped down a creek embankment and fell on John. Luckily the mud where they landed was very soft and he was more shocked than scared, but I think that has kept him from enjoying horseback riding. I also think that Laura was a little hesitant to have us spend money on her for this extravagance. I have probably expressed too many times that we can't be wasteful, and what I meant was that we shouldn't be having $130 dinners and $60 lunches every day when we have a house or aprtment with a full kitchen. We have done a good job in that respect and can focus our funds on fun things to do.

At any rate, when John opted out, Laura did too, but Mike still wanted to go, so I had to throw my hat in, even though I suck at horseback riding and always end up sore. He and I drove out to Cleggan and found out that the next group didn't leave until 4:30 (it was 1:30), but that it also cost 45 euros, about $60, for a 90 minute ride, and that Mike would rather go riding with his gal, who has a horse, when he gets home. This day was taking a lot of derailment. So, John, Laura and Mike spent the sunny part of their awake hours in the pub, on the internet and throwing darts, and Dana and I did some more car-touring and peeking into little shops.

We also took a hike along the bay until we came to D'Arcy's Castle, which we had tried to get to via the upper Sky Road a few days ago but couldn't find the way in. This was an easier approach, and it was too scenic for Dana's camera, with a colt and mare in the field, so the picture will live only in the mind's eye. We picked up fish and chips and the kids, and headed for home. The chips here can come with coleslaw, cheese, garlic mayo, or curry sauce on them, so I got each of those on the side, and it was quite good. After dinner Mike and Dana started practicing their Irish music, Mike on the uke and Dana on the Bodhran, the Irish drum we'd bought a couple days ago.

There was a seisun at Oliver's Pub in Cleggan that night, so the three of us headed there and arrived a half-hour early, just in time for apple pie and fresh cream. The place was packed with diners, but we found out where the musicians would set up and got good seats near there. The musicians arrived, all older than 50, and looking like they had spent the night in the fields with the sheep, with wild grey hair streaming out, and started playing Irish music on mandolin, flute, bodhrans, guitar and harmonica. People streamed in right behind the musicians, the diners crowded in, and the place was packed. Mike went and got his uke from the car and sat down with the musicians and joined in mid-song, and when the song finished the players looked up to see him beaming at them.

A few songs later and they asked Mike to sing a song, which he did. After introducing himself as 'Mike from California', young girls from 12-25 started crowding in to get a look. When he began a rousing version of 'Nantes' in a strong voice, hearts were swooning, they were taking his picture, and Dana's camera chose that moment to refuse to take video. I am so sick of that camera missing the golden moments.

Friday update - raining all day. Kids are in Galway at a hostel where we left them yesterday, and we are leaving here tomorrow, picking them up and going somewhere. ??? Pictures to come, as they are all on Laura's laptop.