06/05/2026
An excerpt from our recent newsletter:
Ron and I spent over two weeks traveling around Ireland, where we explored various cities, coastal towns, the Ring of Kerry, pubs, beer, whiskey, and most importantly, sheep herding. The green landscape, filled with cows and sheep that traverse high mountains and lush fields that are in patchwork patterns, fills your vision from every direction. Ron was brave to rent us a car, and we had to repeat the words, “Stay left!!” over and over again. Roads are narrow and the thwacking on the car from the bushes and trees as you whiz by make for exciting driving, especially along the cliffs of the Ring of Kerry. We enjoyed the people and the daily meals of steak and potatoes, all while learning more about the history of this beautiful country. My dream came true when we went to not one but two sheep-herding demos on farms where border collies were trained to move sheep and help farmers in keeping the animals in line and protected. To see these dogs work was so impressive that I cried with happiness in the car. Along with dog sledding, this was one of my bucket list items, and while I can check it off my list, I hope to check that box again in the future. I was mesmerized.
After our travels in Ireland, we returned the car and flew to Iceland for three days. With the same type of rental car, now in a deep blue color and the steering wheel back to the left side of the car, we made our way through part of the Golden Circle, where we enjoyed bathing in a hot spring with wine glasses in hand, as well as visiting an impressive waterfall. The food was incredibly expensive, but we found a bakery that was heavenly. We went 5 times.
We are back in Oregon, and I’ve had my fill of pastries and steak dishes for a while. But I would enjoy a nip of Irish Whiskey any day and will look forward to wearing my new wool sweater come winter.
