Day 7: Monday July 19

This morning we get a little more sleep and take an easy morning. Breakfast in the hotel and then out for a walk of the city.


Above: I took this pic for my niece Casey!


Above: I took this pic because, well because.


Above: Certainly there is NO doubt why I took this picture and the one below. What a pleasnat surprise. This is now the screen on my cell phone.


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We enjoyed lunch at a local Pub.
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Dinner that evening at a local restaurant, 9pm.
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Back to the hotel late and crash!

Day 6: Part 2 -Sunday July 18

We finally made it to Kilarney at 4:00pm


Above: The Arbutus Hotel: our stop for the night


Above: The Lobby


Above: our room number


Above: the view (haha) from our room. When my travelling companion told the lady at the desk he didn't like the view very much, she tactfully replied: "people don't stay here for the view!"
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That evening we enjoyed dinner at an ITALIAN (can you believe it) restaurant named Roberto's. We walked along the street, in a light rain most of the time, enjoying another evening in Ireland.

The Ring of Kerry

Last night a couple was dining across from us, the woman rose from her chair and asked if we were from the United States. She said we sounded like we had Southern accents (can you believe that????). HA! We spoke for a long while. She and her husband were from South Carolina where she is in real estate. They both suggested that we NOT take a paid tour-bus drive along the Ring of Kerry (which was our plan)but rather drive it ourselves. Was she ever right.


Above: naturally we saw many, many sheep along the tour. This one place we parked the car and took a look. At first I thought this sheep and others were wounded (they were close to a barbed wire fence) but the red is really a dye to mark the sheep. Other sheep in another field were markded with blue dye.


Above: Another Church along the way


Above: Took a break here and walked about. A rough and fast moving stream along the way.


Above: I just couldn't resist!


Above: time to relax and enjoy the ice cream
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Above: Carroll's Beach


Above: Local church along the drive


Above: A canopy of trees over the road. Reminded me of 12th Ave near the Wisteria!


Inside Murphy's Pub


Above: the menu: can you guess what we had for lunch????? look below ...

Above: To quench our thirst: The beer on the left is mine, on the right is his. I tried Guinness a few times, but prefer the Carls.


Above: his lunch


Above: my lunch

Above: his dessert


Above: my dessert

It was an interesting Pub, just one we chose along the way. Delicious food and dessert and great people inside.
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Day 6: Part 1 - Sunday July 18

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Above: Flower box outside of our hotel


Above: Galway Church we visited before Leaving the city


Above: another view of the Church


Above: ruins of an old castle we passed. Stopped and took a pic


Above: view next to where we parked the car

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Above: stopped to take a pic of our car


Above: Coming into a small town



Above: City of Ennis. We stopped here to get something to eat. Great grocery store where we (I) piled up snacks to eat and, of course, bought an ice cream cone to enjoy on an outsside bench before leaving.


Above: Stained glass window of a Church we visited along the way


Above: Interior of the Church, blurred I know, but a good idea of the interior of the Church

Above: back on the road again


Above: local cows; saw lots of this


Above: View of the local landscape


Above: The Kilmer Ferry we needed to take to get to the city of Tralee


Above: View of a lighthouse from the Ferry. What a great ride.

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Day 5: Part 2 Saturday July 17

We left Knock about 4:30pm after I spent some money on the local shops. Now, off to Galway, Ireland. Somewhere in the middle of the trip we had to buy gas: diesel and spent 60 Euros!!!!!!!! (That's a fortune)

We made it to our Hotel, the Hotel Meyrick



Above: small pic, that's the front door of our hotel



Above: directly across the street from our hotel was Eyre Square which is at the very heart of Galway. The Park was originally a parcel of land given to the City of Galway in 1710 and named after the donor. In 1965 the Park was officially re-named Kennedy Memorial Park after our President who had visited Galway just a few months before his death. You can see the Kennedy Memorial to the right.


Above: outside of our hotel, a view to the right. We walked through the City that evening before dinner and rain, rain, rain. The rain was a light rain and apparently kept NO ONE from entering ALL the pubs in town. We ended the evening at 8:00pm with our Dinner Meal at the Park House Hotel: scrump - dili - icious.


Above: another view of Eyre Square.

ugh: hotel was not air-conditioned sooooooooo. That's common for the older hotels.

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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Strive to enter through the narrow gate." Jesus

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Trials can be rich opportunities on our spiritual path if we see them as "discipline". That is: training in new ways of seeing and living.

> Can I name a recent trial that helped me to be a better person?

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Ego lowering is a big part of spiritual development.

> Do I take trials and disappointments as wounds to the ego that I defend against, or as ways to lessen my ego and rely more on God?

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The narrow way which Jesus points out to us in today's Gospel reading demands awareness and choice.

> What in my behavior right now indicates that I am choosing the "Narrow Way" ?

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"Since gold and silver, which are only corruptible metals, are purified and tested by fire, it is but reasonable that our faith, which surpasses all the riches of the world, should be tried."
St. Peter Claver
1580-1654


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Day 5: Part 1 Saturday July 17

It's time to leave London and England.

We awoke at 4:30 am to be in the lobby of our hotel by 5:30 with our luggage. Right on time, too. At 6:30 our driver arrived, he was late.
We drove to Heathrow airport for our departure instead of Gatwick where we arrived. What a huge difference in airports.
We bought our plane tickets, had a delicious breakfast and waited until our departure time of 9:50am. We boarded about 9am and departed on time headed for Shannon, Ireland.


Above: first sight of the Emerald Isle.
We arrived in Shannon on time, picked up our baggage, went through Customs (easy) and headed to the Hertz car rental area. Picking up our rental went smoothly, but WAIT: we get to the car and the steering wheel is on the WRONG side, ha. That was an adjustment for sure.


Above: the map to Knock, Ireland. Knock is the site of an alleged (and approved)site where the Blessed Virgin is said to have appeared and so I wanted to spend some time there.

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Above: One of the small towns on our way to Knock, Ireland


Above: in the center of one town was this statue of Christ the King


Above: The Shrine Church at Knock. We were able to go to Mass here this Saturday afternoon. The Church was filled with pilgrims, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick was celebrated during the Mass.


Above: The small chapel built at the site of the Appirition


Above: One of the many restaurants along the street. We had lunch here. Notice the religious articles along the wall in the back. This sight was found just about everywhere.


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Life: Imagine the Possibilities

Both NBC as well as CNN refused to accept this "commercial" for broadcast during the Super Bowl last year (2009):






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This young girl was on "America's Got Talent" this week

10 years old: Jackie Evancho --




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Is she REALLY singing this?


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Thank you, God, for the Dad You gave me.

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Thank You, God, You are my Heavenly Father!
I have been twice blessed by Fatherhood.


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Who wudda thunk?

not even a grave is safe, anymore!




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Me ? A Priest?

This is a great video:







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Day 4 ... Friday, July 16: Oxford, England

Today is our last full day in England. We left our room a bit later for Breakfast (we needed some shut-eye). Breakfast in the Hotel dining room, then by 9:30 we are on the city bus headed to the train station for our ride to Oxford.

Oxford is a famous University city, it is also the home of writer C.S. Lewis. His homestead is known as The Kilns.

When we arrived at The Kilns we were met by Tammy Rowan, a parishioner of Father Allan's. We caught up with a group (from the United States) already there who were enjoying a tour of the famous home and a brief lesson on Lewis.

We had lunch with the other visitors and the staff of The Kilns



Above: Welcome to Oxford, England!


Above: A side view of Lewis' home


Above: a view of another side of his home