Day 35 - 30th July - Cork

A quite day for the boys - a shopping experience for the girls who head for Blarney and the Blarney Stone - the Irish weather sets in - the view over the Irish farm land enchants - Pizza for all - we are off to Baltimore tomorrow.

Day 34 - 29th July – To Cork

Slowly, slowly away – tiredness is setting in – Mike ignores every instruction Tommy issues – Mike gets lost – eventually we escape Limerick and head for Tipperary in search of Tipperary Crystal – no wonder Tipperary Crystal is hard to find – it has gone belly up with its remnants receding to Dublin and Blarney –

What now – “you must see the Castle at Cahir” says the tourist lady – no – no - not another (expletive) castle says Graeme – I know what you mean says the tourist lady – I went to Italy last year – it felt like a pilgrimage rather than a holiday - Ok we will stop at Cahir – Graeme impressed with the pretty little Irish Tour guide – Katie O’Brien – he takes an immediate interest and gives the tour his full attention. Cahir Castle - small but impressive – owned by the Butler Family for 600 years - well worth the visit.

Onwards towards Cork following Peadar’s instructions to his refuge outside Cork –everyone is tense and tired - we arrive – quaint standalone cottage bordered by large hedges – a small brook flows down the block towards the stream below – the back of the house looks out over undulating farms lands with the small paddocks edged by low brush fences – the farm lands display every conceivable shade of green from the darkest of the dark to greens that approach yellow – an observer of the group would have seen the tiredness and tension dissipating from the brows of all – we draw up chairs on the back patio – lie back in the soft sunlight and enjoy the moment and the environment.

A visit to the supermarket for food and other vital supplies – sit back and enjoy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and await Claire’s arrival home from work – the oldest Cox grandchild could only be described as another Cox – the same gift of the gab – the same tall thin build – the same quick wit – like Angela and Aoife she is more than a match for Graeme – Civil Engineer in charge of a major concrete plan in Cork.

Day 33 - 28th July – Galway to Limerick

The Irish weather sets in and the tourists hide away in their B&Bs - my love affair with Ireland is rekindled - away – away – away from Galway –“ have you ever been across the sea to Galway” – yes – I will return one day in the depths of winter to enjoy the solitude of the Connemara but to do so I will need to find my way even deeper into the back country..

Towards the Cliffs of Moher – past picturesque Irish country side – narrow roads – the small villages – road side stalls – multi-colours painted houses of the villages - stone fences enclosing white painted farm houses – not the Connemara so the new houses don’t clash with visualisation of how the country side should be

The Cliffs of Moher – a waste of time – I look forward to wandering the sea cliffs around Baltimore.

Lovely morning – stop for lunch at a pub and high tail it to Limerick – taxi driver says the population is around 90,000 with almost 10,000 directly or indirectly employed by Dell Computer..

We dine at the Texan Steak House – not exactly Irish food – delightful – on the way home – Graeme to taxi driver – “lend me your wallet so I can continue my travels” – Taxi Driver - “you’re welcome to it – unfortunately for you my wife goes with it!”

Day 32 - 27th July – More of the Connemara

Perhaps I had not ventured far enough into the Connemara yesterday to be critical – wrong – we head further out – on the more major roads the once pristine Connemara shows the signs of tramplings of the now old and slightly arthritic Celtic Tiger – new houses and untidy construction sites are far too common and litter the country side like the tiger droppings - the minor roads show a much more original but still damaged landscape – we selectively photograph the way we image the Connemara should remain – perhaps it is not entirely too late – this is a sad failure of planning – perhaps it will be realised before the landscape of the bog Irish is lost forever – not my definition of progress.

Day 31 - 26th July – Aran Islands or the Connemara

Head north from Galway – struck by the development that has occurred on the immediate outskirts of Galway since we were last here in 1999 – it is hard to see all of this as progress – modern houses now speckle the landscape leaving the original tiny stone fenced paddocks strangled by untidy weeds – I head north slightly depressed and questioning the management of the Celtic Tiger.

We arrive at Rossoveel to meet the ferry to the Aran Islands - a greater extent of depression envelopes me - Too many tourists – this is Galway Race Week – abort plans – prefer a slow wander through the remaining back lanes of West Ireland – thank God some remain – the area leading up to Connemara needs urgent planning controls – slowly I feel some delight with the area returning as we encounter black faced sheep in full white coats and amusing black and white spotted legs – peat piles drying in the summer sunshine and their remnants in the form of long regular trenches abound in the dales of the vast undulating rock encrusted, treeless range – we stop and contemplate the role of the produce of these peat bogs in warming the winter hearths of Irish bog farmers over the centuries – we wander further along even more remote lanes past small lakes and streams only to be disappointed to find clusters of modern homes at their terminus.

We emerge from the range and lunch on local soup in an increasingly modern Irish pub and hightail it back to our B&B for a sleep – a nice day but one tinged with sadness – why am I not experiencing the sheer delight of my first visit to Galway and the Connemara? – have I changed or indeed has it changed – I suspect the latter – perhaps winter is really the time to be here

Dinner in town – the races on – the crowds large – the pubs crowded – the buskers abundant – some photos of the sun going down over Galway Bay

Day 29 - 24th July – Kildare

What in the hell are these Car Rental companies up to? – we arrive – G&T have ordered a four door auto and pay an extraordinary amount – we rock up having ordered a tiny manual – we both received basically the same car – no justification for the two to one price difference.

Plug in Tommy – none of the tendencies of Marge (the US bitch) – beats the taxi driver back home – pack up and head to Kildare

Two car convoy heads for KIldara via Glendalough – completion develops between Tommy and Angela as the GPS’s for the two vehicles - convoy breaks up – Tommy outpoints Angela – so much for local knowledge - Stop off in Glendalough – home of St Kevin - lots of visitors – majestic scenery – site not as exciting as 1999 – site best seen in winter with no one else around – then it is magical - spiritual.

Arrive at the Cox-Martins – greeted in style – feel sorry that Colm is not here – his brothers, sisters, aunts and parents arrive – drinking – drinking – eating –story telling- eating – drinking – singing – singing – singing late, late into the night – Emma is a star – the eight year old gets the singing going – Colm senior recites, Aunt Helen sings, Angela Senior and Angela junior join the circle in turn – Romy sings - Gerry sings – Tom recites – Graeme tells jokes – Romy joins the joke circle – Gerry joins – laughter abounds – the parent sit back quietly observing and smiling – very proud of their offspring – singing starts again – Helen and Paula takes requests from Bernie and Trudy - Aoife sits back clicking the camera – smiles when she is happy with the captured moment – pensive when the outcome was less than she had hoped. Trudy entertains – encourages – tells nursing stories and continues to fill the memory card of her ever active digital camera – a night to be remembered – a series of video excerpts collected for transmission to Colm.

Day 28 - 23th July – Wandering Dublin

Bernie and Graeme compete to find the prettiest looking individual to ask a question – Graeme starts – Bernie hits the lead at Molly Malone – Graeme trumps her with the barmaid at Cassidy’s Pub .... “where are you from?” – “Brazil but I am Italian” – “gee they make them pretty where you come from”

We arrive for dinner – expecting to go out – only Aoife (pronounced “effer”) and Trudy are home – Angela and Graeme are at the pub -

Roast lamb Cox style with supervision from the master chef .... Graeme loves his time with the girls – memories of late nights in the kitchen in Wangaratta complete with sullied strainers carrying the dregs of aging port bottles flood back to him – his external appearance and mannerisms points to a warm inner feelings - you could not help but feel happy for him.

Day 27 - Tuesday 22 July - Depart NYC

Wednesday 23rd July – Arrive in Dublin – Bernie and G&T delayed on tarmac at JFK – Taxi driver amazingly helpful – he rings the Cox’s for advice on how to get to their house – travelled OZ last year – knows more about the country that me

We meet Angela – one of the Cox girls – G&T immediately look like they have arrived at home – banter between Angela and Graeme commences immediately – Angela the match of Graeme – she would say – surpasses Graeme.

Dinner in town – taxi driver – immediately identifies us as Australian - “you are not from Sydney then“ – what do you mean - “Well no one comes “straight” from Sydney”

“Where are you going in Ireland” – west - “you have to go to the Galway races” – got a tip for us – “yes – don’t back women and don’t ride horses”

We walk through the streets of Dublin – cleaner - much much cleaner than I remember - where am I? – I could be anywhere – surely Dublin is still Dublin and not just another city – even the swearing seems restrained - Everyone knows Australia or has a immediate relative who is or was there recently ....

Day 26 - Monday 21st July –NYC

Last night in New York – out to a steak house – waiter greets Graeme like life long friend – we roll on home – store owner comes out on the street – Hello Graeme! – who doesn’t know him – this is Crocodile Dundee comes to NYC

Day 25 - Sunday 20th July – Gospel Choir

BB Kings on Time Square – the Harlem Gospel Choir – an experience – we head the queue – we admire the doorman who refuses the $50 that peeps out from the back of the white hatted southern gentleman’s hand – an attempt to jump the queue – we sense a secret delight on the part of the doorman at the new balance of power - we acquire our tickets and take our place at our table – the buffet is expertly handled and 250 people are fed in 15 minutes – food is superb - Harmonies superb – recommended to all

Graeme continues to meet more and more New Yorkers – their chests puff out as he tells them how friendly they are – they are intrigued by him ...

Day 24 - Saturday 19th July – Lancaster County

Drive through the lanes of Lancaster county – Armish and Menonites in abundance – strange combinations of allowable technologies see petrol powered whipper snippers carried in the back of horse drawn carts – likewise horses pulling self powered implements with Honda motors –

Bernie and Trudy photograph madly - both fascinated with the blacks, blues and purples on the Armish clothes lines – Graeme is over it and is keen to get back to New York

A long- hard – tiring drive back to NYC.

Day 23 - 18th July - The Road to Lancaster

We change our plans and decide to head for Lancaster - A long – long – long – tiring morning – bright sun shine – haze – bright sun shine – haze – shower – bright sunshine – drizzle ......

Lunchtime arrives – we arrive at Williamsburg – we are hungry and Graeme wanted a drink – we are a little desperate – that diner and that pub cannot be that bad - yes they can – they become christened as the “red neck diner” - I keep my head down – Trudy photographs everything in sight including the patrons – I cringe -

A long – long – long – tiring afternoon – bright sun shine – haze – bright sun shine – haze – shower – bright sunshine – drizzle – hot – humid – hotter – more humid – there is a Holiday Inn – to hell with the cost! – just book in and get it over it!

Ah but life is never continually tough – Dinner in a new Italian restaurant- pastas superb - lemoncello excellent – Trudy impressed with the young waitress and offers her sons as prospective bridegrooms – waitress selects the lawyer son and agrees to email him a marriage proposal – the Armish of Lancaster would not be impressed with our swaggering progress back to the motel!

Day 22 - 17th July Niagara

We sleep well and rise late – drive to Burlington for coffee and a stroll along the foreshore – we take summer photographs to contrast with the winter shots taken in early 2006 – We note the CSU advertising sign on the foreshore.

Graeme and Bernie sleep while Trudy and I “do” the Maid of the Mist” – Trudy smiles so broadly it is hard to imagine that she did not permanently damage her face – thrilling trip – return to meet the others for an equally enjoyable Imax movie about the escapades of early Niagara adventurers.

Day 21 - 16th July – Rome to Niagara

Poor old Rome – you seem sad that we are leaving you – no need to turn out the lights yet but you should be thinking about putting up instructions indicating how to safely shut you down.

We call into one of the many identical service centres along the freeway system – Graeme heads for smokers corner – he seems to learn more from his 5 minutes of cigarette consumption than we learn from twice the time spent on the consumption of tourist books – this time he returns to the car excited – we have to go via Buffalo to try the original Buffalo wings from the Anchor Inn.

We head for Buffalo with new enthusiasm – we divert past the finger lakes and arrive at Buffalo – we follow various leads until we eventually find the Anchor Inn – it is open – feast – feel full – Buffalo rises from the bottom of my list of cities (a rival to Rome) - drift on to Niagara

We check in – gather our thoughts – wander down towards the fall – Graeme looks only half interested – Trudy’s camera finger is fully exercised – what is that noise? – we have Graeme’s attention – he is impressed – he pushes on at full speed to get closer and closer to the falls – he is impressed – Trudy’s camera overheats.

Day 20 – Woodstock to Rome – 15th July

We rise early – Woodstock still asleep – eventually she shakes her head and appears in the form of two incompetent and cranky breakfast assistants in a local cafe – the bacon and eggs barely tolerable and the coffee only a crude and unpleasant caffeine delivery mechanism.
Woodstock – pleasant enough – I was at Woodstock (40 years late!)

Sun shining - we head into the Catskills. Churches – white with square wooden bell towers mounted by shingled spires - Lush grasses preened to lush lawns fronting hide-a-way wooden houses - Hills, elm trees with dense understoreys, small mountains, lush grass, elm trees, hide-away houses nestled in bush, elm trees, a cluster of birch, an occasional blue spruce, a small village and a church with bell tower and shingled spire, more elm trees, a small lake, more hills, a small farming community, red-ochre wooden farm buildings some standing proudly – many leaning like an old man suffering the aches and pains of old age and neglect, another hide-a-way with grass preened to lawn, more elms, another cluster of birch, another hide-a-way, more even more magnificent elm trees, another village and another church, another small pond, an occasional cluster of maples, another small farming community, more hide-ways, more elm trees, more villages – summer paradise! – come winter? – perhaps Florida might be preferred!

New Blenheim – not that new – what a bridge – why covered bridges? –

the real reason for covering timber bridges was to protect the main timber trusses from the detrimental affect of rain/snow ........... rot.

Http://www.scsc.k12.ar.us/2000backeast/trip/members/JeffersE/why_are_covered_bridges_covered.htm

Eventually join the interstate I90 and make rapid progress towards Rome – cross the famous and infamous Erie Canal – “I've got a mule, Her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal. She's a good old worker and a good old pal........ “ - the canal - a sad remnant of its magnificent past – no sign of “Sal” and no barges in sight – neglected locks rust away serving little more than as a monument to days gone by.

We enter Rome – never huge but historically important – the place of early trade interactions with the indigenous – now her long history as a goods transfer hub between the river systems of upper New York State seems to have been forgotten – she is dying away just as the Canal has died – population has been in steady decline since the 1980s – now only 34,000 - the road trains hurtle past on the turnpikes that only barely acknowledge her existence - she resembles a dying city with dour, unexciting streets and tourist attractions that seem uninviting. Her county airport is now closed down and host local police training – the receptionist at the motel seems to think that the casino is now the major employer.

We enter the bar at the hotel – experienced travellers should be concerned about empty bars and restaurants - terrible drinks – atrocious food - When in Rome do as the Romans do – eat in and give the restaurants a miss.

Day 19 – I was at Woodstock – 14th July 2008

Farewell to the Bowens – farewell to the kids – program the GPS and agree that it is to be called “Marge”. Head off for Woodstock via the United States freeway systems and subsequently the minor roads of the Catskill mountains.

Marge proves to be an old model of the Garmin GPS system – she regularly makes mistakes and starts to acquire an unsavoury name .

Arrive at Woodstock – small town – lovely setting – tourism seems to drive the economy – residues of the former hippie community abound – wander the town – head for the bar – strike up conversation with a local who claimed to be a local jeweller and conservationist – strikes me as someone more likely to be encountered on a bull dozer tearing up the bush – we adjourn to the attached diner – great meal – home to sleep off the day.

Day 18 – 13th July 2008

Final Event – The Brunch

It seemed like the entire guest list managed to make it to the brunch at the Bowen’s community centre – nice – important event – everyone tired – Bowens had done a marvellous job – Jane and Peter looked tired but remained gracious to the very end – The perceptive would have, I suspect, detected in them relieve that it was over and that at last they could relax.

The Antipodeans wind down at the Stonehouse – dinner in Tiverton – Matty stars once again!

NYC - Day 17 – 12th July 2008

Fourth Function – The Wedding - Groom and Best Man arrive at the Stone House accompanied by the wedding planner – she checks everyone – ushers the family into the limo – not a drop of champagne spilled on the way to the church - Great ceremony.

Back into the limo and off to the reception at Ocean Cliff overlooking Newport Harbour about 30 minutes away – Graeme interrogates the limo driver in true Crocodile Dundee style.

Arrive at Ocean Cliff via a detour past the famous mansions of Newport - photos on the lawn in front of the reception centre – admire the water craft both modern and historic traversing the harbour.

Brief welcome by the Bride parents – no more speeches – into the wedding celebrations proper – lots of dancing and great food and drink.

Reception finishes – a selection of guests meet back in Newport for a cruise on the harbour on a historic schooner - Amy especially organises snacks of Australian meat pies and lamingtons from New York – alas the Americans do not understand the concept – much to Amy’s disappointment the pies arrive cold and the lamington’s are coated with half an inch of rich chocolate icing – the pies and lamingtons ordinary! - The cruise - magnificent – peaceful – beautiful.

Arrive home –tired – elated – sit up and watch a television program featuring an interview that Sofia had done with a local American sleaze tycoon – later reveals she was devastated that they had edited out her tough questions.

NYC – Day 16 – 11th July 2008

Third Function – the Rehearsal Dinner - Now this one had all the Australians somewhat confused. Why would you need to rehearse a dinner? - 70 people – close friends and “out of towners” - gathered on a wooden stage under an open sided marquee for dinner right on the waterfront at Bristol – the food again stunning – Scallops the size of small potatoes - literally melted in your mouth – these New Englanders really know something about seafood even if they have a lot to learn about coffee.

Everyone who participated in the wedding ceremony had earlier attended a rehearsal at the Church – the rehearsal took longer than the real ceremony

NYC – Day 15 – 10th July 2008

The Maid of Honour arrives – a tiny dynamo – American to the core – her name is Pinkie – a delight! – the Best Man arrives – approaches 6’6” – young clean cut – distinguished – Oxford graduate – also an absolute delight.

The newly arrived antipodeans surely would use the spare day to go sightseeing in the NE area – not if that group included Trudy – she shepherds the others into cars for a “sightseeing” tour of the outlet stores on the outskirts of Boston – so much for sightseeing in the NE area.

Amy arranges for Simons favourite meal to be served at the Stonehouse - Ribs flown in from Memphis – Simon acts as chef – turns on the oven – heats them up – we all feast!