GARRAÍ NA SCOILE: SUMMER GLORY

Jill, Amy, Elizabeth and I took a break from our very intensive math training to have lunch in the Longwood garden. It is amazing what has grown in the week or so since school let out. The corn in the Three Sisters Garden is so tall it looks like it is holding up the sky. The beans have wrapped their tendrils around the corn and are flowering and setting fruit. There's nothing like the taste of thin bean pods that you pick and eat right in the garden. And the sweetpeas - perfumed jewels scenting the garden with an intoxicating fragrance.

CAVAN CRYSTAL

Forest and Chris came over for dinner on Saturday. I barbequed a loin of lamb and made a tea-smoked half chicken on the grill. It was a little like our bon voyage party. While we were finishing up the wine and dessert we didn't notice a candle burning down. We did hear the crack of the crystal candlestick exploding.
This is our excuse to visit Cavan and restock our crystal collection (do we need an excuse to visit Cavan?). I think we will do a day trip when we all get to Dublin. Anyone want to join us?

OUR ITINERARY

We leave San Francisco late on Saturday, July 1. First stop is Reykjavik for four nights. July 6 we fly to Paris for a week. Then I am flying to Dublin on July 12 while Rich and Vladimir take the train to Tours in the Loire Valley. I'm off to Donegal on Saturday, July 15 for two weeks. Rich and Valdimir fly to Dublin on July 25 and I meet them there on July 29. We stay with family (thank you Helen and Timmy - you know there's always a place for you on Ravenswood) until August 6 when we fly back to Paris. We fly home via Reykjavik on August 9.

A WEEK TO GO

Just about a week before we leave for
Iceland. We already had a crisis about Vladimir's passport. And where to stay - another crisis.
Everything resolved for now. We are going to stay at the Hotel Atlantis in Reykjavik. Still have to pin down a hotel in Paris.
Yesterday we took care of the train from Paris to Tours. Also rented the car.