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[Louanne Learning]

We’ve been drinking and we’ve been eating and everywhere we go the food is fantastic. Every single place. Today I had Irish bacon (what we call peameal in Canada) 3 huge pieces with mashed potatoes and savoy cabbage smothered with the most delicious parsley sauce (kind of like a gravy) at Harkins Bar close to the Guinness Storehouse.

I never did try the Guinness beef stew though!

 

[CatrionaGrace]

The folks we stayed with near Clifden told us the best thing to eat in Ireland was "bear food." Ah, said I, bear food. "Yes! Bear food!"
And where does one acquire bear food? "In a bear, of course!" In a bear, said the woman from grizzly and black bear country. "A bear! A bear! Y'know: a pub!"

 

[Louanne Learning]

At Harkins today we got into a long conversation with Tina our server and she says the Irish are very much like the Canadians because both of us have the habit of saying sorry a lot!

 

[CatrionaGrace]

My husband's automatic fall back phrase is, "I'm sorry." He is Irish, English, and Norwegian, and lived only a few miles from the Canadian border until grad school. Ya think it's genes or proximity to Canada that makes him so politely apologetic? We blame his reticence on the Norwegian part of his ancestory.

 

[Louanne Learning]

Gonna have a quick breakfast and then to the airport…

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Safe travels.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Taisteal sábháilte, Louanne!

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Snow and cold today. I have reenactments scheduled today and tomorrow and next Wednesday. Having a hard time resigning myself to going out to talk to people. I also have to run out to my son's place and make sure the critters all have food and water. Without proper impetus, I might not leave the house for weeks at a time.

 

[JLT]

Just how drunk did you get last night? That song's only allowed at 3 am when faced with the choice of getting pumped out in A&E or staying quiet under the table, hoping the barman doesn't notice you.

Edit: every Irish folk group that's ever considered existing has covered it, The Dubliners, The Dubliners with the incomparable Luke Kelly, The Pogues, Clancy Brothers, Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem, and on and on...

Fascinating history, which can be found at The Wild Rover - Wikipedia

I always thought that it was of Australian origin, but found that wasn't so. Like all good folk songs, it's undergone many iterations and changes over the years.

My favorite Irish folk song is, of course, Tom Lehrer's classic "Irish Ballad." I find myself singing it at odd times.

My goal in life is to sing it, with harp accompaniment, in an Irish pub.

 

[JLT]

The folks we stayed with near Clifden told us the best thing to eat in Ireland was "bear food." Ah, said I, bear food. "Yes! Bear food!"
And where does one acquire bear food? "In a bear, of course!" In a bear, said the woman from grizzly and black bear country. "A bear! A bear! Y'know: a pub!"

Tony Horwitz once wrote a classic book on hitchhiking around Australia called One for the Road: a Hitchhiker's Outback. He said that the most wretched food on Earth can be found in Australian roadside inns. (He also found that in Australia, the distances between cities is measured in cases of beer.)

Speaking of Australia, Robert Claiborne recounted the story of a small Aussie child who was asked to define the word "bison." He said, "It's a plyce to bythe your fyce."

 

[CatrionaGrace]

He also found that in Australia, the distances between cities is measured in cases of beer.

In Wyoming, it's meaured in six packs. Wyoming's big, but still not as large as Australia, so doesn't require as much beer to drive cross-country.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

In Wyoming, it's measured in six packs. Wyoming's big, but still not as large as Australia, so doesn't require as much beer to drive cross-country.

Wouldn't it be very dangerous to drive cross-country while drinking beer?

Not that I would know -- I've never driven cross-country. ;-P

 

[Louanne Learning]

At Harkins today we got into a long conversation with Tina our server and she says the Irish are very much like the Canadians because both of us have the habit of saying sorry a lot!

I noticed another similarity - both the Irish and Canadians wear shorts in December! The Irish were most usually jogging in them!

 

[Louanne Learning]

with harp accompaniment

We went to the Irish House Party in Dublin, and were treated to the most awesome Irish music. There was a woman in the group who played both the harp and the fiddle. Can you imagine being able to play both of those instruments? Blew us away.

in an Irish pub.

Oh, we frequented a lot of these during our stay!

 

[Louanne Learning]

So I'm home, safe and cozy, and of course it's always nice to return home. (I have a lot of laundry to do tomorrow!) But - whenever I go away on vacation, I always come home anxious for the next trip. Travelling really broadens your perspectives, and you learn about things you otherwise would not have experienced. What wonderful people we met on our trip!! I will remember them all, always.

 

[Homer Potvin]

In Wyoming, it's meaured in six packs. Wyoming's big, but still not as large as Australia, so doesn't require as much beer to drive cross-country.

I think I mentioned this here before, but Wyoming is several hundred times larger than Rhode Island with significantly less people. I think our population densities are off by like a thousand fold.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

We could lose Rhode Island in one of the potholes in front of my mail box. I suppose you measure distance in sips of beer?

From the statistics geek:

Rhode Island: 1,545 square miles, including 511 square miles of water. Slightly more than 1.1 million people.

Natrona County: 5,376 , of which only 36 square miles are water. We have slightly over 80,000 people,. This is the 5th largest county in the state by area, second by population.

State area: 97,814 square miles, with only 700 square miles of water- and that's when the reservoirs are full. State population: 590,000 which depresses me to no end since it was only 400,000 fifty years ago. I feel the crush and hate it.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

So I'm home, safe and cozy, and of course it's always nice to return home. (I have a lot of laundry to do tomorrow!) But - whenever I go away on vacation, I always come home anxious for the next trip. Travelling really broadens your perspectives, and you learn about things you otherwise would not have experienced. What wonderful people we met on our trip!! I will remember them all, always.

Welcome home. It's good you've had such a great trip.

Yes, travel does broaden the mind ... and also airline revenue. (Cynical, me? Never).

 

[Louanne Learning]

I am anxious to start a new story. I have an idea...

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Wouldn't it be very dangerous to drive cross-country while drinking beer?

Rath, measuring distance in beer is a tongue-in cheek concept (at least for most travelers). I generally measure driving distance in audiobook cd discs.

So I'm home...

I'm glad it was a stellar trip. Where to next?

My royalty statement arrived last night. My income from writing is officially more than it was at either museum or law firm. Only took me half a century or so to achieve professional status.