Andy and Liam say hello to friends!

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland

This morning we're camping east of Kinsale along the southern coast of Ireland. There’s a great blue flag beach (the blue flag designates clean and safe) just outside the door. Early in the morning, when it was windy and chilly, Andy and Liam were playing Legos on the table in the campervan. Now the sun is out, so the guys are all on the beach while I use the wi-fi at the hotel next door. We’ve had plenty of sunshine so far, so an occasional wet morning is okay.

Liam says: "I like when we go to beaches, and I like when we play Legos

Our first beach! Dingle Peninsula

. It’s the best month of my life! At Skellig Michael I had to go up a thousand steps; the thousand steps were really hard to climb up. It seemed like it was going on and on forever. The little village (the monastery) wasn’t that big. But, it was pretty hard to climb up.

“At Blarney Castle I was scared of kissing the Blarney Stone because I was scared of the height. The Blarney Stone was so far out over the air—at least five stories high. I got to see the Princes’ Room: it was only stone; it was big but not very tall.

“I like to eat baguette bread here in Ireland. I like the pizza. I don’t like the fish.

“I’ll see you when I’m back!"

Andy says: “I like going to all the beaches; the beaches are very fun. We’ve gone to about seven or eight beaches. I like when we had the sand castle building contest at Allihies on the beach

Tralee Town Center

. Some of the beaches are very wide and very long, like Inch Beach, and some of them are really short and very thin, like Caherdaniel.

“At the Caherdaniel beach, while Mom and Dad were finishing dinner in a restaurant, Liam and I went out to the beach. We had our clothes on, so we couldn’t get in the water. Liam ran back to the restaurant and came back without his clothes but with his underwear on. Then he went away again and came back totally naked! We played in the water after we took our clothes off.

“On the boat ride back from Skellig Michael, we saw two Basking Sharks. They were about as big as Dad. At the Caherdaniel beach, I saw a lot of jellyfish, and I touched a lot of them. I picked one up and showed it to Mom, and she kind of screamed.

“The hot cocoa here is very different, and it never tastes the same to me. The reason I’m drinking hot cocoa here in June is that is rains a lot here and it’s very cold

Greenery-covered rock wall, Dingle Peninsula

. It seems very rainy to us, because we’re used to not so much rain.

“Even though we’re at the beach a lot, I don’t see many palm trees because we’re farther north than Colorado. I lost my sense of direction; I can’t tell which way is north or south, east or west. Some days, like today, I can’t see the sun, and I don’t have any landmarks memorized yet.”

Both boys would LOVE to hear from friends! They have met a few friends at beaches and campgrounds as we travel, but Irish children are still in school June, so there aren’t that many kids around.

Other Entries

Photos & Videos

Comments

Karen
2010-06-09

Dear Liam & Andy, thanks for the update about the beaches. I am going to Hawaii in two weeks, mainly to help Amy out after her knee surgery, but we will be going to beaches there and snorkeling....I will post pictures of Hawaii's beaches and you can compare! I love the scenery there in Ireland, think I'd like to go there next. Trying new food would be fun also. Take care will be waiting for newest update from Ireland. Karen L.

Baxter & Graham
2010-06-15

Hi Guys! It looks like you are seeing lots of interesting and different things! We liked the picture of the edible seaweed discovery. A cook at the Trading Post likes to sneak seaweed in to lots of meals because it is believed to have good nutrition.

We also love the beautiful scenery of the photos, and pix of you both.

Are you enjoying the accents of the people you meet or overhear?

We are playing baseball and T-Ball, having 2 games a week for each kid...so we have ball 4 nights a week! It is fun, though, mostly cheerful and entertaining. Baxter decided to do Science Camp after all. It is now in its second week. He enjoys the lessons and the pool time. Graham is taking swimming lessons at the North Fork Pool, and doing Gymnastics with Miss Brenda on Tuesdays. His first lesson was last week. He got to twirl on the uneven bar and do a forward roll on the balance beam- and of course a lot of jumping and tumbling. It is kind of hilarious.

We have a lot of people at the farm now. The Kids Pasta Project comes 2 mornings a week to "grow sauce." At home, we have been making homemade snacks & dinners. Our favorites include custard and pizza.

We miss you boys! It is too quiet here!! But we are glad you are having a grand adventure.

Bye for now, Katie & Bax & Graham

sam and cooper
2010-06-15

Hi Andy and Liam,

Your trip looks really fun. Your camper van is awesome!

How long did it take you to climb all of the steps at the monastery? The puffins were really cute.

We wish you were here for baseball. Liam, you look a lot bigger in the pictures. Did you grow?

We have been playing a lot of baseball. We have a game tonight. It is our Dad's birthday today. He is 40. We have been playing with a lot of friends
and hope you come home soon so we can play with you.

We rafted down the NF of the Gunnison River to Pleasure Park. We are going to hike up Mt. Lamborn this weekend and camp. Also, we are building a treehouse and a fire pit in our yard. Soon we will go to Squam Lake in New
Hampshire to see our cousins and grandparents.

It will be fun to see and read more of your posts.

Sincerely,
Sam and Cooper

Jenny
2010-06-17

Hi Andy and Liam!
It looks like you are having fun, fun, fun! I love seeing your pictures and reading your blogs.
I will be at Lake Tahoe next week. The beaches there make you feel like you are at the ocean, until you swim in the very cold water.
Love,
Jenny

Deanna Deck
2010-07-07

Hi there. I love the pictures you put up...way to go climbing those steep stairs wow! I bet the beaches are wonderful and very fun. I loved the beach at Catalina Island when John and I went. i bet it just pales in comparison to Ireland though. :) Thank you for writing. we love hearing of your adventures.
Love, Deanna, John, Graice & Malachi

Lilian C. Hutchinson
2017-04-16

which boat operator did you use? we would like to take our two boys on this little pilgrimage

Melinda
2017-04-17

We sailed out of Ballinskelligs, but I can't remember the name of the operator or the boat.

Lilian C. Hutchinson
2017-04-17

Thank you. If you recall. We would love the name. We are finding it difficult to find an operator to take us with the boys

2025-05-22

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank