Blue Wave Invades Ireland

First and foremost, so far your kids are having the time of their lives. Sloan is loving her trip. David...that kid can sleep in almost any position. Ty B. is a crack-up. Jason...that kid loves his sweets. Alex and Vinny, those two are twin brothers from different mothers. Kayley, Allie, Meg, Hillary, Jessica, Karissa, Kelli, Katie, Giorgie and all the others were just smiles and giggles all night long. Poor Coach Don, he was stuck in the middle of all of them. Coach Peter got stuck in the back by a fussy baby. But all-in-all, it was a very enjoyable team time together.

The Flight:

Ugh!!! Ever try sitting in a cramped seat and unable to move your legs for 8 hours? Well that pretty much sums up the flight. But the kids all seemed to have a great time. Perhaps it was the excitement of the trip, or maybe the fact that the flight crew never turned off the cabin lights, but quality sleep was pretty much nonexistent.

We arrived to a very cool overcast morning, but by the time we got to the hotel, it had turned into a lovely spring day. Comfortably cool, bright and sunny with song birds a singing.

Before arriving to the hotel, the bus drivers (we had two buses) took us on a driving tour of Dublin. Trust me when I say it is much different than what we are used to. The architecture is much different, and nothing above 4 or 5 stories. Remnants of the revolution can still be seen. There are statues and buildings that still harbor the scars left by the bullets. The city has numerous parks - some private, but most are now public. When I tell you that I have never seen greener grass, I mean...bright rich green grass. Growing up in Northern PA, green was commonplace, but here the grass is certainly much greener.

Mel and I are staying at the home of Nuala Murphy and her parents. Many of you may remember Nuala, as she stayed with us for two summers. Anyway, her parents home is a beautiful Georgian home, built during the reign of King George. We were quite surprised to find the cooking stove is an anthracite coal stove. They also have a drying rack suspended from the ceiling from which they dry their clothes after washing. The bathrooms have separate faucets for hot and cold running water. The home is three and a half stories - with the kitchen and formal dining room in what we would call the basement. There is a small court yard in the back of the home. With ivy growing up the stone-faced walls, brightly-colored flowers and stained glass windows, this home is exactly what you would expect to find in a 18th / 19th century Irish home.

Once we are able to "ring up" Nuala's older brother and get the password for the wireless network, I will be up and running on my laptop. Until then, I am writing to you from the Murphy's desktop.

Photos are coming as soon as I get them transfered over to the desktop. And I have a few winners!!!

So, so long for now, I need to get some sleep!