A few friends from Class of 1963 Loreto Abbey Dalkey

Left to Right
Una Kinahan, Anne Logan, Mary Killen, Caroline Sinnott, PhillipaFeddis, Etta and Mother Matthew or today known as Sheila Kelly. She taught us Gaeilge....

Jon's Visit for a Week

Jon came for a week at the end of August. We hung out most of the time around Sligo exploring ancient sites, hill walking, hiking, and generally having a great time. Here we hiked through the valley around the famous Benbulbin Sligo landscape

Jon and Maeve enjoy each other!

Jon - on top of Knocknarea (Strandhill in background)

We took this fabulous 5 hour hike up and around the top of Knocknarea (Queen Maeve's tomb) and down into Strandhill where we stopped at a pub for a Guinness. How many men do you know who would support the women in their life taking this type of "pilgrim" journey I am on ... homage to him ... he is one of a kind.. love

On hike with Jon - am also enjoying our short time together

Maeve's Visit to Mamo - we are having a private chat!

Culleenamore Strand with Knocknarea in Background

This beach is about a 15 minute walk away for me (or about 5 minutes by car). Further down the bay is a riding school. On Wednesday, I was taking a morning walk at low tide. Three horses with their riders were slowly wading through the low water across the bay until they reached Culleenamore. Moving slowly out of the water, the riders held their horses back getting established on the beach, then all of a sudden they turned direction towards the point and took off racing along the strand.

On Sunday, after the poetry workshop weekend I came out here to unwind. I stopped to talk to an old man with a garden rake. He turning over the sand with his rake searching for cockles. We chatted for almost a half hour about the cockles he was finding, the mussel hunting further along the bay, and in general the state of the world. His bucket was half filled with cockles for his dinner later that evening.
Cullenamore Strand with Knocknarea in the Background

Culleenamore - Three Shells

This is the spot where I found the three most beautiful small round shells - one red, one green, and one yellow. The circles on the shells reminded me of the celtic swirls you see everywhere.

I brought the three shells home with me. Never had I seen such amazingly lovely shells. But what I learned the next morning was they were alive - overnight they moved from the prayer mat where I had placed them to various spots in the living room. I was startled when I woke up and went into the living room to see the empty space on the prayer mat. For several minutes I searched high and low across the floor, on the chairs, and in between books before finding the yellow shell.

Gently and carefully, I put all three of them in a little sack and carried them back to the very spot where I found them. What I noticed this time in this little section of the strand was that there were many other shells just as beautiful - but only in this little spot.

I laid the three shells out on the sand up against beach vegation. It was then I saw their little bodies move out from under the shells - they were still alive. The world was made right again.

View of the Ox Mountains from Cullenamore

My Home Away from Home

I have had questions about where I am living and what is it like.
Here are some photos of my little place! Mainly photos of the living area and kitchen.
It is from the window in the living room I look out over Ballsadare Bay, an smaller inlet in Sligo Bay where right now the tide is low and the water sparkles after a fresh rain.

Matt and Kristin and baby Maeve are visiting this weekend - it will be so good to show them around!

Ann Logan is dropping in on Thursday Aug 18

Then Jon arrives on Aug 20 for about 10 days - cant wait!

My entrance door...you are welcome!

View from the Living Room window out to the Bay.

Living Room futon - see the Eircom phone - where I take calls!

Kitchen with dishwasher - door to the right is into my bedroom

My prayer mat - fushia and lavendar from the garden, stones from my walks, my lifeline Petosky stone, and the Celtic cross with its blessing deep ...from my dear dear friends in Midand.

The little figurine is titled Love - two bodies joined together in Love embrace ... Jon has the same figurine in Ann Arbor ....

It has inscribed the words of Teillard de Chardin:
"Some day after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity,
we will harness for God the energy of Love;
then for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire."

Yeats Summer School

Am finishing up the Yeats Summer School http://www.yeats-sligo.com/html/summer.html this week.

I had the opportunity to take a poetry workshop all day Saturday and Sunday with poet/writer Vona Groarke. It was incredible. About ten other students were in the group. To join the session we had to submit two poems prior to the workshop. The time was intensive but just flew by. I am fired to continue and develop. Much work to do reading, writing and editing and more editing!