We're all a bit tired from our trip up to NY, but Riesling is definitely the worst off: At this point she's wishing for an early dinner and and an early bedtime for Christmas Eve. If she gets a new squirrel that would be fine too. Merry Christmas everyone! … [Read more...]
Tess McDonald, 1919-2008
December 17, 2008
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As many of you now know, my grandmother (gram) passed away last Friday evening, a mere two weeks after she spent Thanksgiving with the entire immediate family in Florida. I have been back and forth to the Tampa area three times in the last three weeks, once driving and twice flying. Once I knew she was hospitalized with kidney failure, the decision to go back and spend time with her in the hospital was obvious, but I wasn't sure what else I could do... it turns out that we were able to get … [Read more...]
work in progress
December 10, 2008
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I have been painting a few hours a day when I've been home because I have five commissioned dog portraits to complete before we leave on Christmas holiday. I am effectively doubling the amount of commissioned work I've completed, ever, this month! Here is what my studio looks like at the moment... I have three paintings about 60% done and two more to start. And yes, I am very much enjoying all of the painting time. … [Read more...]
One sad mug
December 8, 2008
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How's that for a look? Leandra has been back in FL visiting her sick grandmother, and Riesling has sorely missed her. Lots of moping, checking every car that drove by just in case... and quite a few of these looks. Poor girl. … [Read more...]
our little rental car
December 4, 2008
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One of my concerns about driving in Ireland was the whole driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road thing. What I should have been concerned with was the width of the roads and the completely unrealistic speed limits. I mentioned more than once to Eric that I finally understood the term speed limit. Picking up the rental car took a while and frankly, I think they gave us our car because we were American. See all those "x"s? The front left hubcap was missing, … [Read more...]
Dingle Peninsula
December 3, 2008
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Even though it rained for most of our last full day in Ireland, we still enjoyed some scenic views of the Dingle peninsula coastline, Dingle Bay and the Blasket Islands. This is nearby where Eric almost got blown out to sea. Looking east from one of the many pullout areas. Amazingly, there were sheep grazing right on the edge of these cliffs. This photo's purpose is to illustrate what a two lane road often looks like in Ireland. I believe the Tobacco Trail by our house is … [Read more...]
Kayaking the Manatee River
November 30, 2008
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On Friday, Leandra braved the crowds and went shopping early, then played golf with her family in the afternoon. Since I'm not partial to shopping or golf, I rented a kayak from Ray's in Bradenton and spent several hours paddling ~5 miles upstream, then back down again. It was an absolutely perfect day for kayaking with no wind, 70 degree temperatures, and very few people out on the water. Along the way I found some swamp lilies in bloom: I also saw a number of animals including … [Read more...]
a proper pub lunch in Ireland
November 29, 2008
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I ate my fair share of ploughman's lunches (what is the deal with pickled onions?) and pub food during my last visit to Ireland and when the weather started to turn against us out on the end of the Dingle peninsula, we sought refuge in a small pub, Tig Bhric, in Riasc. Eric had "the best grilled ham and cheese sandwich he's ever had" and I thoroughly enjoyed my ham and pea soup with fresh brown bread and a pint of Guinness. We grabbed two chairs in front of a peat fire and warmed out … [Read more...]
Ireland can be insanely windy
November 28, 2008
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On our last day in Ireland we drove out to the end of the Dingle Peninsula for some amazing shots of the rugged coastline. There was liberal use of the available pullouts and quite a lot of jumping out and then quickly back into the car. We have several lovely shots from this day, but I couldn't resist taking this video of Eric (from the comfort of inside the rental car) trying to take photos in what looks like hurricane-force winds. At least we saw some blue sky! … [Read more...]
Florida sunsets are suberb
November 27, 2008
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We're enjoying Thanksgiving in FL, and last night we went to watch the sunset at Emerson State Park in Palmetto, Florida. Riesling came with us and had a lovely time sniffing everything on the beach and getting her nose full of sand. :) … [Read more...]