Felting, Pubs and More Sheep!

I apologize for not writing more in this blog. It's just that we're having such a wonderful time, that it almost seems like a waste to spend glorious minutes holed up in our room to write an entry...

The sun rises at about 5:30 AM and doesn't set until well after 10 PM, which takes some getting used to. John is up with the sun in the morning, every day! He goes for long walks, takes tons of photos and is reading several books on Ireland and its history.

As for me, I'm obsessed with needle felting right now. Today we're going to the studio of one of Cheryl's friends: She is a felter and does breathtaking work! John and I both purchased great starter kits from her yesterday when she came to visit us at Mullac Fraoig. Unfortunately, we have to keep a close watch on the weight of our luggage: The round trip flight from Dublin to Madrid will only allow us 44 pounds per person (NOT per suitcase!) and any overage is charged at 8 Euro per kilo!!!

Yesterday was the last official day of class... Kind of bittersweet, as our little group is so cohesive and wonderful. But, as I told our students, this is not an end... It's a beginning! Workshop-only students have already begun to leave us, so the group is getting smaller and smaller.

Many many photos have been uploaded to our Snapfish site, so be sure to check it out. As for me, I'm going to grab some orange juice and soak in all the Ireland I can! Croagh Patrick seems to be floating on a bed of clouds this morning, and it's lovely!

Trains, Sheep and Rainbows...

Greetings from breathtaking Clew Bay in Ireland!

Our day began with a taxi ride to the Dublin train station. When we arrived, we had a fast food version of a full Irish breakfast, which was very good, and very huge! I found a phone card machine and grabbed one that I hope will work. Fingers crossed!

We bought some YUMMMMMMMMY chocolates, some Coke and Pepsi and some shortbread for the long train ride ahead.

The train was excellent: Four seats facing one another in each group, and each such seating had a table in between each set of two seats. I know I'm not explaining it very well, but I'm SO tired! We needn't have worried about needing food for the four hour trip, as a cart went down the aisle part way through, selling food and drink!

The scenery was unbelievable! IRELAND IS SO GREEN!!!! Who knew? LOL! Sheep, sheep and MORE sheep... Everywhere! Looking more like piles of wool than critters. And field after field of the happiest darn cows I have ever seen! As we moved west across the country, the landscape changed. By the time we were in Mulranny, the vistas were so fabulous that I really have no words to describe them...

A word about Beadventures and Cheryl Cobern-Browne: First, any photos you may have seen of Mullac Fraoig (the astounding location for the Ireland Beadventures) and the surrounding area do not even come close to conveying the beauty of the places. It simply cannot be captured in images. Cheryl is an amazingly warm woman who knows how to put together the experience of a lifetime. Thank you, Cheryl!

We did some exploring, then feasted on delicious Irish dishes, including perfect stew and the BEST BREAD PUDDING in the whole world!

At one point this evening I was wondering if there were ANY way possible this trip could be better. At JUST that moment, someone spotted a rainbow arcing across the ski, ending in Clew Bay. *sigh*

After dinner, folks started drifting off to their rooms: It was a LONG day! John and I dipped mandrels and laid out supplies for class tomorrow, so we're ready to go. We have class Thursday, Friday and Sunday, with adventure and travels on the rest of our days.

And now, it's time for me to eat my half of a 70% cocoa truffle and tuck my self into bed. After all, tomorrow *is* a work day!

The Most Amazing Day...

It's nearly 1 AM, Dublin time... What a long, amazing day we've had! My internet connection here is really marginal, so I hope I can get this posted before I get booted off again.

Our day began with a full Irish breakfast: Eggs, rasher bacon, blood sausage, potatoes. The eggs were completely different from those we get at home. They were... hmm... not sure how do describe it. I guess what we settled on was to say that they're more "eggy". Very rich and pure tasting. Delicious!

We took a quick train ride to visit a couple of museums here in Dublin. We're here at a very historical point in time, with all the political changes that are taking place even as I'm typing this. More proof was in the shared exhibit of artwork that included works from Northern Ireland.

At the second museum, John and I had a rather moving spiritual experience. It hit us both as we viewed the last cubby in an exhibit that our guide, Giles, steered the two of us towards. More on this later, but suffice to say we were dumbstruck. We experienced a very primal sense of 'belonging' as we viewed some clothing and personal artifacts. I, of course, decided to wear MAKEUP today which was a doubly bad idea, as you'll see later. The exhibit brought tears to our eyes, so I ended up looking like a rather chunky raccoon. LOL!

A word about Giles, our guide: What a delightful man! Knowledgeable, a joy to listen to, and brimming over with the warmth we've come to find in all the citizens here.

John had let Cheryl Coburn-Browne (our Beadventures host) know that we really, REALLY needed to get to the ruins of our ancestral castle (Castleknock) while we're here. She, in turn, found out that Giles lived near there, and he graciously offered to take us there at the end of the day. So into Giles' car we piled: Giles, Cheryl, John and Me.

We got to the grounds, which is now a private school, I believe, and Giles knocked at a door and explained why we were there. That person was kind enough to point us in the right direction and give us his blessing. So up a tiny dirt road we went... It was raining, and getting muddier by the second. We got to a point where we could go no further, so Cheryl trotted down the road to see if she could find it.

(My 'net connection is getting worse by the moment, too, so I need to wrap this up!)

We found the ruins, and they were BEAUTIFUL! We have lots of photos to share later. There was one archway intact, and as we were standing beneath it soaking in the history of our ancestors, John turned to me and said, "I can't think of a more perfect time, nor a more perfect place..." And he got down on one knee.... And took a ring box from his sporran... Opened it... And asked me to be his wife.

The ring was the ring that his father gave his mother a long, long time ago.

I, of course, said yes!

After much hugging and smooching and crying and more hugging, we made our way back down the hill! Cheryl and Giles knew all about the plan, and were John's co-conspirators!!!! Cheryl has some great photos of us with the castle ruins in the background, and I will share them as soon as possible.

We then went to Giles' home, met his LOVELY wife, were toasted with champagne and served a fabulous meal. The conversation was scintillating and inspiring, and if we hadn't been so exhausted, we would probably be there still!

So I have to say that this was probably the most amazing day of my life. No kidding...

In Dublin at last!!!

We're actually here!

The flights were uneventful: I took TWO Xanax, which caused me to sleep the entire trip. Yay! Hooked up with Ellen Ingram and her darling daughter at the Chicago airport, which was really nice!

The hotel is incredible: We're staying at Bewleys Ballsbridge, which is simply TOO MUCH fun to say. LOL! It's wonderful, and I've put an exterior view below (Photo 1), as well as a view of the facade from the window in our room (Photo 2)

We had several hours for sightseeing today, so we grabbed a cab and went to a great shopping area (Photos 3 - 5). I got a purple hat :-) and some postcards to send off. We then found a great little park to hang out at for a while (Photo 6).

Back to the hotel restaurant for a nice welcome dinner with the group, then up to our room to chill. Terry Hale came to the room and hung out for a little bit, which was the perfect end to a perfect day!

More later!

Today's The Day!

It's nearly 4 AM, and for all my obsessive planning, I still seem to have a million things to do.

Yes, I finished up my electroformed piece for the museum in Spain. Yes, I remembered to buy new reading glasses. I've already checked in for our flight, and have our boarding passes. The BIG stuff is done. It's the little stuff that's making me nuts.

I need to grab a couple hours sleep, then get up and give Macy a bath. I torched a tiny bit tonight, so I have a few vessels I need to clean and pack.

I have no idea when I'll have internet access again. Oh! I think I remember having access at the Chicago airport! We have a manageable layover there.

Talk to you guys soon... Adios!

Photos to View...

As we travel, I'll be posting pics. Hopefully, a lot of them. Some will be from my phone, and you can find those here. Some will be from my camera, and you can find those on Snapfish. Yeah, I know you have to register to view them there, but no biggie. I'm hoping to figure out how to get them into a dedicated album on my website, too. I'll let you know if I do.

Have to torch today. Have to. Must. Seriously.

I LOVE GETTING A GREAT HAIRCUT!

We both went for haircuts today. I love my hair guy, Kevin Charles, and John and Donna both use him, too. Haircuts are always traumatic for me, as it really brings out my insecurities or something. But a GREAT haircut is a WONDERFUL feeling, and that's what I got today!

Oh, and I also had them put my purple/magenta stripe back in! Yay! Tink is BACK! LOL! I love my stripe! We went out for lunch afterwards, and as we got out of the car to go into the restaurant, I got the first of several cool comments about my hair. For someone with self-esteem issues inexorably related to at LEAST hair issues, this is a big deal.

The cut is a fabulous, severe, geometric bob: Very utilitarian, and very 'me'. I think the whole package sums up my personality perfectly. "Yes, she's very organized and hard-working and nose-to-the-grindstone and OCD, but she also has a wacky wild streak!"

Changed hotel reservations for Madrid this afternoon. I don't care if this IS a once in a lifetime trip, the miser in me simply cannot justify $600 for two nights at a hotel. For that much money, I would expect free room service and sex. At least. So we'll be staying at the Hotel Plaza Mayor, which was, after all, my first choice anyway. I just didn't think they had any roooms available. And 95 Euros a night is much more to my liking.

Last minute errands today while we were out: Cat food, toilet paper and a laser pointer. Sounds like the setup for a tacky joke, doesn't it? LOL!

My brother Randy is taking us to the airport on Monday. Donna is happy to do it, but her schedule would require that we sit around Detroit Metro for five hours before our flight. With a flight to Chicago followed by the flight to Dublin, an extra four hours wasting time at the front end just doesn't sound like a good idea. It's Donna's birthday this weekend, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm unpacking everything from my huge suitcase and moving it to my middle size suitcase. I figure people go all over Europe for six months with nothing but a backpack, so I should be able to downsize. We'll see how that works out. I'm not taking shampoo or stuff like that: I plan to get it there and leave it behind when we come home.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE the luggage that John bought me??? It's so..... ME!

Almost finished!

I've been working on two of the surprises for my Ireland companions today. I have a tendency to come up with ideas that sound simple in my head, but the execution is... Well, long and drawn out or complicated. But of course, once I've decided to do something, I pour my heart into making it happen. I am totally finished with one project, and sort of close to finishing the LAST ONE! Yay!

I think I'll finish up too late tonight to get any torching done, and we have appointments with our hair guy smack dab in the middle of the day tomorrow. Which, for me, means no torching until we get home. When I know I'll have to stop after a few hours, it keeps me from beginning at all. I've always been like that. I need to have huge chunks of uninterrupted time to work.

The schedule for my DVD is right on track: We start work on it when I get home from Europe. The Toledo Museum has graciously allowed us to do the taping at the Glass Pavilion, which is way cool. The problem may be all the GLASS in the PAVILION: Too much ambient light? I dunno. That's something my production team will have to work out. I need to suggest that at least one of them drop in over there during the day and determine if that will be an issue or not.

I've done videos before, when I was working in another medium, and the technology is SO MUCH better now! I really hope we'll have the DVD ready to go out by the end of June. How's THAT for optimistic? Oh, and I'm also thinking about offering it as a DVD only or as a kit. The kit would include five hollow mandrels and a handle tool in addition to the DVD. Good idea?

Anyway, I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as The Trip goes: Finish the project, make some vessels, finish packing. I should be able to get that done by Monday, right?

Really worn out this evening...

I spent today tidying up loose ends. For someone as compulsive about business and correspondence as I am, I was kind of shocked at how much I needed to do.

Set up a week of classes at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN (June 2 - 6). We like to do a few non-profits during the year, and these folks came highly recommended. It should be a blast!

Finished up my paperwork for Red Deer. Still need to finish up the paperwork for Eugene. Talked to Corning. Again. Handled orders and last minute requests, as today was our last day for shipping until June. Worked more on the Top Secret Ireland Project. I sure hope I get it done in time! Eek!

Went to the post office with John, then we spent the evening with my brother, Randy, and his family in their new home. I thought it would me more difficult for me to just hang out than it was. I think my recent hospitalization put some things in perspective for me. It was wonderful spending time with them. and their home is adorable and full of character. Randy is a great cook, and we had BBQ ribs, hamburgers and some other goodies. My nephew, Hunter, let me have his electronic retro-looking ray gun!!!! It is SO COOL! I love ray guns and retro-type rocketry and robots...

No errands to run tomorrow, so I should get a lot done: Finish the Ireland Project, finish packing, maybe even torch a bit. I just realized this afternoon that I've sold all my vessels and have NOTHING to take with me. Not good. Especially considering that I need a piece for a museum in Spain.

We had to change our return flights from Dublin to Detroit, as Travelocity set us up to change planes in two minutes in Boston. Um, no. Don't think so. But John took care of it, and it's all great. We end up getting home three minutes sooner, too, which I know I'll appreciate at that point.

Today really left me wiped out. Now the OLD Tink would have said 'screw it', and kept on working until she dropped. Literally. The NEW Tink sez 'Hmmm... I better take care of myself and listen to my body. I need to go to bed.'

And so I shall... Sweet dreams to all!

TORNADO!

We took the boys to the vet today to get their nails done. Quimby was a hoot, and Cosmo was pretty subdued. The weather was glorious, and we drove through Wendy's afterwards to reward them with french fries. They think it's amazing that you can talk to a box and then someone hands you food. LOL!

We are under a tornado warning right now, lasting until 7 PM. We've had lots of hail, a little rain and no wind at all. The warning sirens keep going off. I have all my studio equipment unplugged, just in case we get a lightning strike: I wouldn't want to lose my natural gas booster, my kilns or my O2 generator! I was kinda hoping to melt some glass tonight. I guess I'll finish my paperwork for Eugene and Red Deer instead.

This isn't a strong enough series of cells to make it a storm worth chasing, or I'd be out in it. I LOVE CHASING TORNADOS! I'm a National Weather Service trained chaser, and have participated in the Skywarn system. I'm an amateur radio operator: KA8ELJ.

Things are falling into place as far as prep for the trip goes: John's doing shipping tomorrow, we get haircuts Friday, boys have their toenails trimmed, we have plenty of various pet foods in the house, the laundry is done, I'm caught up on email... I may even have a couple of hours to relax before we leave!

I decided that I'll take some wire and show my Ireland companions how to do Viking Knit. We'll be visiting some Museums in Dublin, focusing on Viking beads and influence in Ireland. The Viking Knit seems like a good tie-in, don't you think? Oh! That just reminded me that I have to get stuff together for my Super Top Secret Ireland Project! Geez! I almost forgot! And it will take me a while to get it all together, so I'd best get to work!

IT'S FINISHED!

I was up until about 6-ish this morning putting the finishing touches on my presentation. I really like it!


The "official" presentation covers a bit of Toledo glass history and the Glass Pavilion in addition to images of my work. So that I can control the pace myself, it's very "click based". I did a special version for my mom (Hi, Mom!) that just has my work in it. It's an auto-play CD, too, so she doesn't have to do anything to make it work.


Now that I'm done with that, I only have ten gazillion more things to do in the next week: Tomorrow, the boys get their toenails trimmed, which is always an adventure. Quimby just screams like a girl and practically hyperventilates. Cosmo, on the other hand, yells "NO! OW! OW! HELP!". Like I said: Adventure, with a capital "A". LOL!


John and I are getting our hair cut on Friday. Remember my cool purple/fuchsia streak I used to have? Well I'm getting it back! Yay! And I'm hoping I can go back to my old standard "Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago" bob.


So let me ask you this: What is UP with all house slippers being "mules"... You know, they don't have heel ends to the slipper. I like a REAL, whole slipper and it's nearly impossible to find them. Consequently, most of mine are terribly old and beat up. And they smell funny no matter how many times I wash them or how much Febreeze I spray in them. I WANT NORMAL SLIPPERS!


I almost forgot that I've been asked to make something for a museum collection in Spain. Guess I better come up with something, eh? I'm thinking electroformed. Yeah... That's it! Something electroformed and on a stand.




It's my contention that the perceived value of a vessel increases dramatically when it moves from being jewelry (on a chain) to being a display piece (on a stand). Go figure.


I work really well under pressure, usually, so hopefully I'll come up with something that I'll be proud to offer.

My Butt is Numb...

...from sitting at the computer for over 12 hours so far today. And no, I wasn't playing games (though I did download Private Eye, a new game at LE (though I did answer some PMs and pop in on a couple of threads). All I've been doing is working on my upcoming presentation.

So far, I'm really pleased with it! I need it for Spain, but if there's an opportunity to show it during our Ireland Beadventure, I sure will! I had to start from scratch with raw image files. Tons of raw image files. And I kept thinking of work that I wanted to include, but couldn't find the files.

I still need to get my Top Secret Ireland project done, too. If I can just finish up the presentation tonight, I'll be able to work on the project tomorrow.

I can't stand the thought of leaving for a month without having the house as organized and tidy as possible. John's working on it, but there's a lot to do. If I start freaking out about it around Thursday (which is the night we take the trash out) I'll probably just drop whatever else I'm doing and help John with it.

I'm hoping to get some torching done this week, but there are so many other things going on: The boys (Quimby and Cosmo) are going to the vet to get their nails trimmed Tuesday, John and I need to schedule pre-flight haircuts, I am supposed to go to the VA clinic for a post-hospital visit (but I don't see how I can get an appointment in time).

There really IS no rest for the wicked!!!

I Hate Shopping

My entire wardrobe consists of two and a half pair of jeans that fit, lots of T-shirts and a metric buttload of men's Hanes over-the-calf athletic socks in white or grey.

Quite the fashion statement, don't you think?

I dislike buying clothing for several reasons:

1. Nothing EVER fits me properly
2. Nothing EVER looks good on me
3. Everything is so expensive
4. I would rather spend my money on an Ant Farm, flameworking stuff or toys for my pets

In thinking about what to pack for Europe, it's really pretty easy: Jeans and... um... T-shirts. Hopefully shirts without holes in them. Almost all my shirts have holes in them. Molten glass, cockatoo beaks and the passage of time have seen to that. LOL!

I did actually buy a pair of walking shoes for the trip. Yay me! Of course, I bought them used on eBay! They were a great deal, plus I had signed up for some PayPal promotion that credited me with $15 right after I paid for the shoes. They arrived today and they are splendid!

Today we're going shopping. Not for clothes, thank goodness, but for a converter thingie so I can plug in my notebook, cell and camera across the Great Big Sea. Oh, and we need a Spanish phrasebook. Maybe if I'm feeling frisky I'll pick up another pair of jeans while we're out.

Nah.

******************************

Home from shopping. Got some stuff:

• Spanish (Castillan) phrase book
• Another set of electrical adapters from Radio Shack
• A dozen pair of panties (Woohoo!)
• Nick & Nora Cowgirl print PJs
• Laser pointer (for my presentation, and for the dog and parrots)
• Hour Game by David Baldacci (gotta have a book when I travel)

And John and I got matching Mossimo messenger bags. I never find purses I like, but I liked this bag and showed John and he was ALL over it. LOL! I did convince him to get the black/brown one so that I could get the olive/brown one that I liked. I must admit: John is really fun to shop with.

It's pretty cool with him being kilted all the time. The clerk at Target said, "So what are you doing here? Visiting?" And he gets a lot of "You must be one of those dancers" and "Do you play the bagpipes?" Of course, there's always the smartass that points and says, "Hey! That guy's wearing a skirt!!!"

The best response to the last one? "It's called a kilt, because I kilt the last guy who called it a skirt."

I love that man o' mine!

Indecision...

Usually, I'm very decisive. I'm finding that isn't the case when it comes to planning this European trip. It's not like we'll be going to Ireland and Spain every year, and I want it to be PERFECT.

Ireland is pretty much all set: Cheryl, the owner of Beadventures, has everything all planned and taken care of. While John and I are there, we're going to visit the ruins of our ancestral castle at Castleknock. Hugh Tiril II, one of our ancestors, was the First Baron of Castlenock, Ireland, in 1173. He was with Strongbow in Ireland in 1169, at the siege of Acre in 1191 and in the third Crusade. We're both really into genealogy, so you can imagine how cool this will be for us!

Spain, on the other hand, poses some interesting dilemmas. We'll be in Madrid for two days during the Fiesta of San Isidro, the biggest festival of the year. Finding a hotel room was a challenge. My first choice hotel was booked solid, so I ended up booking at a cool 400 year old (recently renovated) place. All they had available was a high tech suite: Really spectacular, with a price tag to match. I was then contacted by the FIRST hotel, as they found a room for me. Argh. I don't know which to pick!

One "must do" thing while we're there is dinner at the world's oldest restaurant (1725).

I've booked our round-trip flights from Dublin to Madrid. Each of us can have 44 pounds of baggage total. I have NO idea what to do with the rest of our stuff. Leave it in Dublin somewhere? Shoot, I can't visit my mom for a weekend with only 44 pounds of baggage. LOL!

We shipped 160 hollow mandrels to Escuela del Vidrio today. That will certainly help.

Welcome to my blog!

I never thought *I* would have a blog.

I usually keep people posted on what's going on in my life through my "Currently Available Work" page. Little snippets of this and that... But with all the adventures we have coming up, it seemed more appropriate to have a separate place to chronicle our travels.

So there you have it!

We leave in a little over a week for a month in Ireland and Spain. I hope you'll continue to read here as I journal about everything from packing to food to shopping to cultural observations.

Welcome!