Kilkenny and Cork Ireland Sun Jun 5, 2022

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On the bus ride from Dublin Airport, I was struck by homogenized the world has gotten: on my first trip to Europe many years ago you didn’t see Circle K gas stations and Burger Kings like we did today.

Therefore I was charmed by the town of Kilkenny near the Castle because it looked and felt uniquely Irish. Too bad it was rainy and cold but we ate lunch in a nice pub and then were inside touring the castle. I would love to come back and spend more time here exploring the town, especially in nicer weather

Didn’t realize how pretty the flowers would be here because the climates so much more temperate than ours

Flowers grew out of the stone walls here! And I love the big tall mature trees and architectural details like transoms over the front doors and wrought iron work

Here

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Leavin’ On A Jet Plane

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All day in airports but ate the best lobster roll I’ve ever had at Legal Seafood in Boston’s Logan

4-DC Wedding

Dancing the rhumba … the groom’s parents and grandparents

3-My Nephew's Wedding

Shortly before my nephew's wedding, this family photo was taken. L to R: groom's step-grandmother Frances, groom's grandfather George, groom's sister Kara, bride's mother Susan, the groom (my oldest nephew), his beautiful bride, her father Steven, her step-mother Ellen, the groom's mother Claudia (my dear sister-in-law), the groom's father (my brother Jon) and the bride's grandma Susan.

Here are both mothers in the hotel lobby before we left for the wedding.

And here are Jon, Claudia, Frances and George in the hotel lobby getting ready to leave for the wedding.

Matt, Ashley, and Grant at the Long View Gallery before the wedding.

George, Frances, and my baby brother Mark shortly before the wedding.

Grandma Susan in the Long View Gallery before the wedding. She wore the prettiest shoes of any woman there and that was saying something considering the bride's Jimmy Choo's with the big tulle bow on the front of the left shoe and the back of the right one -- those were spectacular.

Claudia before the wedding. My mom would have loved all the fresh flowers and the table settings -- prettiest blush and bashful ever!

Have you ever seen a wedding where the judge walked his only daughter down the aisle to the groom and then performed the ceremony. Steven did a wonderful job and I loved sitting close enough to watch the groom's and bride's faces during the whole thing ... it was very moving!

This is my favorite photo of the bride and groom but I'll include some others as well.

Here is the groom with his mom and dad

And my brother with his new daughter-in-law during the reception.

I like this picture of my two nephews having fun together during the dancing. You can see me and Mark in the background watching them.

 

2-DC Wedding Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner was at Moon Rabbit, a restaurant at the Wharf near the Capitol Yacht Club.

Moon Rabbit's Web Site

Claudia and Jon greeted us in an area where we could meet the other guests and have cocktails before entering the private room where the dinner would be served. I was thrilled to see my family members for the first time, especially my nephew the groom, who I was able to see and hug for the first time since the Christmas before COVID. I also got to hug the bride and admire the ostrich feathers on her outfit before going into dinner.

You can see how pretty she looked in this picture taken of the hosts' table -- the bride sat between Jon and Claudia on one side, the groom between her parents on the other side, and the bride's step-mother on the end between her husband and Claudia with the groom's sister Kara at the other end between her dad and the bride's mom, Susan. I admired Susan's pretty bright pink dress (my kind of color) and she made me laugh by telling me if I'd seen Steel Magnolias, the wedding colors were also pink, namely "blush and bashful." More about this later but let me just say it was the most beautiful, elegant, and tasteful blush and bashful imaginable -- nothing like Steel Magnolias!

This photos are a little too candid (Mom would say "tear-ups") and don't do justice to my sister-in-law or the beautiful dress and earrings she wore.

Ashley, Matt, and Grant enjoyed sitting at a table with people their age, including the matron of honor and her husband and the bride's cousin on her dad's side (his parents sat with us at the Aunts and Uncles table)

The couple was lucky enough to have grandparents able to attend their wedding. I had fun people-watching on The Wharf outside the restaurant with George and Frances before dinner. And they got acquainted with Susan, the bride's paternal step-grandmother at dinner. I met Susan during the cocktail hour and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her -- the bride's paternal grandfather Travis was the love of her life!

Groomsmen and their dates sat at the other end of the grandparents table, near where my brother gave his speech.

Mark and Lisa and I had a blast sitting at the "Aunts and Uncles" table! We all got along immediately and really enjoyed getting to know one another. I'd met the bride at Jon's house for Thanksgiving but this was my first time meeting her family. It worked just like a rehearsal dinner should in that we became friendly and had fun together at the wedding and reception too.

We dined "family style" and I tried the fried chicken for which this restaurant is known but it was too spicy for me. But I found the other entree, the salad, and the dessert just delicious and my brother thanked us for being "adventurous" diners during his speech.

People who have heard my brother Jon speak, as he did when eulogizing our parents, know what a gift he has for genuinely sharing at a time like this and tonight was no exception. I know I was touched to the point of tears by what he said. It was clear to me during this evening that the ceremony the next day would merely solemnize and make official the fact that this bride and groom have been a couple and already functioned like married spouses for quite a while now, having had to postpone their 2020 wedding due to COVID.

Here are Lisa and Jon talking after the speech behind the bride's maternal uncle, Buddy. He grew up with 5 sisters, including the bride's mother.

I thought Jon's talent for delivering touching remarks might put pressure on the Best Man and the bride's father for their speeches during the wedding reception but I needn't have worried. Both cannily quoted him in their own speeches, which were perfectly wonderful too.

 

1-Washington DC Wedding

 

Jon picked me up from Reagan Airport so I didn't have to ride the Metro, which I really appreciated! Here I am with a sculpture out front that made me feel right at home. 

The outdoor cafe on the side was closed but it had this neat "Instagram wall" for taking photos. 

We were literally right across the street from the groom's house, which I recognized from the small paintings I had done of it as part of my wedding gift to the couple. 

Lifelong friend Laurie McGregor Connor roomed with me and we enjoyed the pool deck on the top floor since it was a nice warm day. She spotted the groom leaving for the rehearsal from here and waved.

5- COVID19 after 17 weeks of self-quarantine

It's been 14 weeks since my last post during COVID19 pandemic. I've learned that regular Zoom time with people I care for has been very helpful and mood-elevating. But that sitting outdoors in lawn chairs with 10 or fewer people 6 feet part wearing masks is even better!

Of the holidays that have passed -- Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, and Independence Day -- there's been some improvement. I got to see members of my family outdoors in the yard on Memorial Day and ate cookout food with them indoors by July 4th. I drove through a "reverse parade" in Montgomery where the floats were stationary throughout the Sycamore High School parking lot and we drove past them alone in our air conditioned cars, waving.  I went to two (2) different fireworks shows in my car, sat outdoors 6 ft from others in my mask at Fairfield and Loveland. Instead of doing Final Friday at the Pendleton Art Center, I participated in the National Arts Drive where people drove in their cars to see artists like me exhibit in their driveways and front yards.

Some things that are better than before COVID:

1. Seeing at least some members of my family every Sunday night on Zoom
2. Engaging in conversation with people during outdoor walks -- saying hello to neighbors and becoming friendlier with them.
3. Spending more time outdoors walking
4. Working from home, because when everyone is doing it, they participate better in remote meetings and are more creative about how to get things done without actually being in the office together
5. Discovering new eating options like Out of Thyme frozen meals and delivery services like Hungry Root

Some things that remain challenging for me:

1. Feeling mentally and emotionally down, especially when people I know are sick or struggling. My sister-in-law's dad not being able to have the 90th birthday party he'd planned. Weddings postponed or pared down. Losing dear friends to death without being able to attend funeral services for them.
2. Not gathering in person as much with friends
3. Wearing a mask. Not hugging or shaking hands.
4. Not being able to rehearse or sing with my two choirs
5. Not feeling like painting or creating artwork
6. Not shopping in stores
7. Not getting my hair done

Still, I am fortunate and remain very grateful that no one close to me has died from this virus and I sure hope it stays that way! My first known exposure to someone who has tested positive was 13 days ago, in a parking lot, 6 ft apart, wearing masks. She drove to Michigan the next day and just got test results. Hasn't been too sick; not hospitalized. I'm now trying to get into the habit of taking my temperature before I go out to be around other people, or at least every morning. Haven't been tested yet, either antibody or the live test. Sad that Hamilton County, where I live, is Red for community spread. But that's not stopping me from picking my brother up at the airport tonight or having him stay here while on a business trip from Charlotte NC.