July 5, 2001
A special hello to Fred Beinke, a friend since we were boys and a retired
over-the-road driver. His dad, Fred, and my dad, Carl, also were friends as
young men and raced the long, slender rowing shells of our Viking Club on the
river. I thought of Fred today as our bus driver David covered a lot of miles on
some very narrow roads. Edith and I sat in the front seats and really got a
bird's-eye view of the road. I can't believe how calm he was when negotiating
the narrow streets of the small towns and still was able to clearly describe
what we are seeing. Busses and trucks have large rear view mirrors that protrude
mainly from the front of the vehicle, and there were several times when the
mirrors of slowly passing trucks missed our driver's mirror by only an inch or
two. Once or twice, the truck had to back up on the narrow country road so we
could pass. Fred was a "Million Miler" a few times (this is someone
who drives a million miles accident-free). And he seems to have a thousand
truck-driving stories, one better than the other. He would make a perfect tour
leader in Ireland.
I said that Edith and I had the front (best) seats in the bus. I believe that
her sprained ankle gives her certain handicap rights (of course, I must be at
her side as the care giver.) We got an elastic bandage at the
"chemist" and I wrapped her ankle this morning. She was able to get
around some but could not move too quickly. She plans to stay at the hotel
tomorrow and rest. Her ankle started to turn blue this evening (kind of a
Colorado vacation deja vu).
I expect that when you receive these emails, you say to yourself "oh,
here's another message from the Prince." I would like to change that to
Squire if you don't mind. When we entered County Mayo today (the most scenic of
all counties), we heard about Michael O'Brien, the principle landlord of the
region. He did much for the people, building bridges over the creeks and even a
schoolhouse for the children. He thought of himself as quite a ladies man and
was referred to as Squire O'Brien. When a young woman was about to be married,
the Squire showed a "special affection" towards her. Yeah, Squire -- I
like that.
Another important person from the area of Liscannor was John Holland. He was the
inventor of the submarine and also designed the Holland Tunnel in New York.
During the bus-ride in this area, a swarm of bees hit the windshield. Anne Louise, my sister,
asked me to mention this in my email. Okay, I mentioned it. (I'm beginning to wonder if she
was adopted.)
We drove along resort villages near the bays of the North Atlantic and the
scenery was beautiful. There were several famous golf courses, some of which
were sites of the major master tournaments. We stopped at the Cliffs of Mohr at
the edge of the Atlantic. The cliffs are 700 feet high and drop straight down to
the ocean. Most people from the tour walked up the trail to a small castle at
the top and climbed the spiral staircase to enjoy the spectacular view.
Before we came to Ireland, people told us about the hearty breakfasts. They are
really special and we must make choices so as not to overeat. Both Bruce and I
like the cold cuts, cheese and smoked fish. This morning, there were nine
different bowls of freshly cut fruit, six bowls of reconstituted dried fruits,
yogurt and granola. In addition to the typical eggs, ham and cereal, there is a
wide assortment of baked goods. This included assorted breads, four different types of scones, croissants and various Danish pastries. There is even more, but
I’m sure that you get the picture.
We arrived in Killarney this afternoon and will stay here tonight and tomorrow
night. Tomorrow promises to be a long day in the bus visiting a number of
locations. This seems to be the part of the tour mainly concerned with the
natural beauty of Ireland. We are not disappointed. And, I should say that the
tour has become all the more special because of the closeness and friendship
that all persons on tour feel towards each other.