When is Muck Not Muck?

I've been getting around a bit, thanks to the walking club and friends like Charles Douglas. In case anyone thinks Charles might not really be my friend, be sure to see his comments on the previous post titled, 'Birds and Boats'. Charles and I recently tried to find the entry to an old sea-cliff path called the Gobbins (info and pics of this amazing path are hard to find on the web... try here for a start). The path has fallen into disrepair, and it is not often sought out by tourists anymore. We think we may have gotten close, but the cottage below me in this picture had No Trespassing signs posted, and the adjacent cow pastures were impenetrable fields of wet mire and muck (and cows).

Disheartened, we headed off to another place called Portmuck. The name notwithstanding, it was a good bit less mucky than where we'd just been. Portmuck is a small community and protected port for small ships, and is famous for its sodalite. On the other hand, it is notorious for its public toilets, as seen here.

As we arrived at Portmuck, we were treated to a bright and bold rainbow, half a circle of colors against the gray sea and sky. Charles turned to me and, with tremendous gravity, told me that the rock shown in this picture is the actual location of a large cauldron full of genuine gold. Mmmm hmmm. Just how daft do these people think I am? I told him that everybody knows the gold is actually found at the right-hand terminus of the rainbow, not the left. Duh.

Who Are The People in Your Neighborhood?

Folks in Northern Ireland have been exceedingly warm to us, despite the mixed reputation that the United States has in the world these days. We've enjoyed getting to know some of these folks; I've already mentioned Charles, my Wednesday walking partner, in a previous post. This post will introduce two more locals...

David is a member of Greenisland Presbyterian Church, and sings in the choir. Kristina and I often encounter him and his little terrier dog out for a walk when we're travelling to the public library or the train station. David is a very capable indoor bowler, and he's been a kind mentor, helping me learn the rules (K was already a pro by the time I arrived). I don't have any pics of myself bowling, but here's one of Kristina:


The fellow next to me in this next picture is Tony, a member of the Church of Ireland in Greenisland. We're standing in front of the Stall, a small collection of nearly-expired (but still perfectly decent) groceries. Prices at the Stall generally can't be beat, and the proceeds go to charity - in fact, Tony recently travelled to Africa with GBP £10,000 (approx US $17,500) to put towards the foundation of a much-needed orphanage for children whose parents have died from AIDS. Tony is incredibly energetic, charismatic, and gregarious. Every time I see him working as a volunteer at the Stall, he offers me 'a wee cup of tea'. He's got a heart for service, and he tells me it brings him a deep joy. I wouldn't mind being a bit more like Tony.

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Someone pointed out to me that they were required to join Blogger before they could leave a comment on this blog. I've changed that setting, and now (hopefully) anyone can leave comments, regardless of whether they're a Blogger or not. - Tumnus

Birds and Boats

Hey all... I've realized that I've only posted 4 pictures so far on this blog (though you can see a few more on my wife's blog. So some of you might be hungry for some more visuals from "Nor'n Ire'nd", as many folks pronounce it here (it's almost monosyllabic)...
Well, here's a few more pics! The first is taken from a bird observatory located near the mouth of the Lagan river. My friend Charles and I happened upon it quite by accident while looking for a place to do our weekly (Wednesday) walk, but it's a marvelous facility - not only are there sheltered benches from which to view the birds, but the observatory includes heatlamps (for the viewer's comfort), borrowable binoculars, and a volunteer to help answer questions. Funny story: when Charles and I walked into the observatory, the on-duty volunteer stood up, greeted us, and then turned to me and said, "You're Jason, right?" Turns out he knew me from one of the organized walking groups that K and I participate in each week... but of course, it seemed to me like this complete stranger knew who I was... and that sort of thing has happened to me a few times, in locations well outside of Greenisland. Guess everyone remembers the foreigner, eh?

My friend Charles is the fellow in this next picture, taken on the deck of the HMS Caroline, the oldest floating commissioned ship in the Royal Navy, or something like that. Charles smuggled me on board while he ran a quick errand (he works with the Navy). The ship hasn't seen battle in many years (the 6" guns were removed about 20 years ago, I think); it's now primarily used as government office space (!) and as a special treat for Boys Brigade (UK's version of Boy Scouts).

Ok, hope that satisfies the eyes for a bit! The weather has been unseasonably warm and dry, and many flowers and buds are threatening to erupt early... which would be nice, unless there's a frost... and there's almost certainly going to be at least one more heavy frost before Spring really sproings. We shall see...

Cheers, Mr. Tumnus