…..Ailsa’s travel theme this week is where land meets water
Water and beach scenes have to be my favourite subjects for photographs……. from the shores of Ireland to the rocky coast of Lake Ontario and the sandy beach at Christian Island.
….I’m very attracted to water
I live by water all year round. My home is 100m from Lake Ontario and my cottage is on Georgian Bay. My walks take me along the shores of the lake and our dog loves to swim in the lake.
For more photos of water check out Sue Llewelyn’s A Word in Your Ear.
……in Ireland and at the cottage
I try to gather my art supplies together in the summer and make a concerted effort to practise my drawing skills, something that I feel I’m very inadequate at. I know it would be better to draw a little bit everyday but between reading and life in general it seems to fall by the wayside, especially when I start back at school.
On our trip to Ireland I purchased a small sketch pad and a black gel pen and put them to use on our train trip to Westport. We had a table between us, which made it very easy for sketching. I attempted to sketch some of the landscape that we passed and I even tried to do a portrait of my husband. Any of you who know him or have seen pictures of him can quickly assess that my attempt doesn’t look that much like him. Of course he wasn’t being particularly cooperative when he knew what I was doing. 
The one thing that I really enjoy doing is Zentangle art. As the name implies it is very relaxing and the process is very satisfying. Our trip inspired me to include images and words of Ireland in the Zentangle that I did on the train. 
Earlier in June I discovered a great website through Art Expectations, hosted by Carla Sonheim. She offers on-line workshops and I purchased her Gelli Plate Printmaking course,Carla Sonheim. Luckily you can access the videos anytime and as often as you need once you’ve purchased a class. With June being as busy as it was I didn’t get to trying this method until a couple of weeks ago.
Here are some of the prints that I made. I’m not sure that any of them are worthy of framing but the whole idea behind gelli printing is creating a large number of prints at one time and then deciding which you like. You can always go back later and add more detail or use the prints as background for another art project. I chose to do the later with one of the prints. I wondered what a circular Zentangle would look like on a printed background.
During our trip to Westport, Ireland I was completely impressed by the wonderful hospitality that our bed and breakfast hosts showered upon us. Both my husband and I felt that they went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable and for that reason I wanted to do something special for them. For that reason I created a Zentangle in honour of the Elephant Guest House, Westport, Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick. If you look closely you can see that I have written little messages throughout the circle and included images of some of the sights in Westport.
I’m hoping to frame the piece with a mat but I haven’t decided if I should use a round mat or a square one. I made a temporary paper mat to see which I preferred and took photos of both. Do you have a preference?
I only have a couple of days left at the cottage before I return home so I’m trying to create a few more drawings. I have a large painting here that I’ve never finished, so maybe I’ll pull out my paints and add some more detail to the canvas. But before I do that I want to go for a swim. The only problem with reading and painting here at the cottage is that it gets in the way of my physical activity. I’m feeling a little bit guilty about that and am actually looking forward to our walks when I get home.
Drop me a line in the comment box and let me know how you think I should frame my round Zentangle. I’d like to mail it to Westport as a gift to our hosts.
….my most memorable moments
Time Spent With the Irish Cousins
Checking out Dublin With Our Son
Meeting Our Son’s Beautiful Girlfriend
Our Trip to Westport
Our Day at Howth
The Museums, Art Galleries and Beautiful Gardens
Spending Time With My Wonderful Husband
….and Finally, Finding a Good Cup of ‘Coffee’ in Ireland (something we had a hard time finding 9 years ago)
…..in search of the Atlantic Ocean
When we woke up this morning we discovered that our ham had been stolen from our window ledge. Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained. I hope that whoever or whatever took our meat at least enjoyed it.
We knew that breakfast was waiting for us downstairs so we quickly got dressed and made our way to the breakfast room. As with most B & Bs, the counter was stocked with croissants, bread for toasting, jams, butter, cereals, milk, fruit salad and juices. What we weren’t expecting was to be handed a menu with more breakfast options, such as the full Irish breakfast, smoked salmon, eggs and bacon and oatmeal.
We placed our orders and were brought a carafe of freshly brewed coffee. While K enjoyed his full Irish breakfast and I my smoked salmon we discussed what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. We had pretty much decided that a hike was in order and I really wanted to see the Atlantic Ocean. One of the things that caught my eye as we perused the travel brochures was a boat tour of Clews Bay.
Overlooking the town along the Greenway.
After our hearty and delicious breakfast we went back to the room to get ready for the hike along the Westport Greenway. This is a popular walking and cycling path that used to be the Old Railway Line. It goes from the city centre down to the The Quays, a distance of 2.5 k one way.
Before we left we bought some water and a couple of sandwiches from the local grocery store and we still had the salad from the night before. The walk was relatively easy and the scenery was magnificent. The mountain in the background is Croagh Patrick.
Croagh Patrick (pronounced Croke Patrick) stands at 764m (2,507ft) and is the third highest peak in Mayo. Best known for its association with Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, who is said to have fasted for 40 days at the summit in 441AD, Croagh Patrick has been a pilgrimage destination since pre-Christian times.
When we reached the Quays I was disappointed to see that the tide was out and there were only beds of mud and rock to be seen. We rested for a bit, ate our salad and drank our water before we continued on our way. We walked along the Quay and followed the signs to Westport House, the home of the infamous pirate, Grace O’Malley.
The trail and road towards Westport House took us through some beautiful woodland areas. At one point we had a lovely view of the house from the far end of the pond. My only regret is that I didn’t take a photo here because once we got into the park we no longer had a view of the house. The only way to see the gardens, the remnants of the original castle and the house was to buy a pass. Once again my husband wasn’t interested in paying to see a few rooms. After checking out the website, here, I wish we had taken the time and spent the money to see it. The video is quite interesting.
We continued to walk around the park and eventually found ourselves back in town. We stopped to eat our sandwiches and then headed back to the Elephant House. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see the boat tour and I wasn’t sure what we were going to do for the rest of the day.
When we got to the B & B, our host met us at the door and asked what our plans were for the rest of the day. I told him that I had wanted to go on the boat tour of Clews Bay but I knew that we would never be able to walk back in time to catch the boat. To our amazement, Dez, our host offered to drive us back to the pier. We hopped into his SUV and in a few minutes we were back at The Quays.
The tour was 15 Euro, each, for the 1 1/2 hour boat cruise through the bay. This was something I really wanted to do so I paid for both of us. I was really glad to be wearing my hat and having sun screen with me. Not only did we use it but the two passengers next to us also used it on their fair Irish skin. It was a perfect day to be out on the water. It was calm and the tour guide was informative and witty. Did you know that John Lennon actually bought one of the islands there and stayed there for an extended period of time? I can’t really imagine why anyone would want to live on these treeless islands. No power, no water, nothing. 
John Lennon’s Island. I wasn’t kidding when I said there was nothing on it.
At the end of the tour our host was waiting for us. He asked us if we would like to go for a pint at his favourite local pub outside of town. Well you don’t have to ask my husband twice. When we got to the Sheebin, K had to insist that we pay
for the round. It was very relaxing sitting outside overlooking the water. It was great talking to our host, learning about the town, how the B & B came to be, and how the town became so famous. As is often the case the success of the Westport can be attributed to the vision of one person.
Dez bought the second round for the guys; I was still nursing my first drink. One of the other things that we talked about was how we missed our vegetables with our meals. He had some great suggestions of where we could eat and probably find what we were looking for. One of the suggestions was the Wyatt Hotel where they had a dinner special for 60 Euro for two.
We checked out all the places that our host recommended but in the end we decided to try the Wyatt Hotel. We weren’t disappointed. We opted for the dinner special that included three courses and a complimentary bottle of wine. The atmosphere and decor were relaxed chic and the food was amazing. Even the wine was good but the best part was the large platter of vegetables that appeared on the table as part of our meal. We were in heaven. 
All in all our two day stay in Westport were outstanding, partially due to our wonderful hosts at the Elephant House. We would definitely recommend visiting Westport when you’re in Ireland. Next time we would stay a couple of days longer and check out some of the other activities that the town offers, such as sea kayaking and the 42 k cycling path along the Great Western Greenway.
Time to leave Westport. We’ll be back.
….2 days away from the hustle and bustle of Dublin
Heuston Station in Dublin. We decided to catch the early train to Westport so that we would have some time to explore when we arrived.
On Thursday, July 18th we booked out of our hotel in Dublin and took a cab to Heuston Station to catch our train to Westport. The train was fantastic. The seats were comfortable and we had a table between us where we could rest our electronic devices, books, magazines and drawing pads. The best part was that we had access to WiFi on the train, so that we could check our emails and write to our family back in Canada.
When we arrived in Westport, 3 1/2 hours later, we walked from the train station into town. Along the way, downhill (thank goodness), we walked past a huge stone wall and growing in between the stones we noticed these lovely flowering plants.
We found our bed and breakfast easily and even thought we were too early for check in, the owners kindly let us drop off our bags so that we could explore the town and get some lunch.
Westport is very much like Niagara on the Lake in Ontario. It’s very touristy and the streets are lined with numerous pubs, restaurants, cafes, and gift shops. All the shops are decked out with flowers and the streets are very clean. It literally did win the Tidiest Town award.
A beautiful small river runs through the town and on the south side, next to the large Catholic church a cozy pub, called the West Pub, advertised their prize winning chowder. Not only did it win once but two years in a row. It sounded like the perfect lunch to me. I wasn’t disappointed.
K had a bowl of mussels and he raved about them; said they were the best mussels he’s ever eaten. High praise coming from someone who is very particular about his mussels.
After lunch we checked into our room. It was very small but they had managed to squeeze a king size bed, a dresser. wardrobe and two night tables into this tight space. It also had a self contained bathroom with a toilet, sink and toilet. It was beautifully finished in tile from floor to ceiling. With the windows closed the room was absolutely sound proof from the street below but because there was no air conditioning we had to open our window. This wasn’t a problem the first night but on the second night (Friday) we were entertained by the sounds coming from the pub across the street. 
We spent the rest of the day checking out all the stores. K purchased a new over the shoulder bag to carry his camera and our lunch and water for the hike we had planned for the next day. I bought myself a cap to keep the sun off my head. It never occurred to me that Ireland would be so warm and sunny when we were packing our bags for this trip. Luckily the cap was only 4 Euro but I could easily have spent 40.
We were in a bit of a quandary as to what to do for dinner. We didn’t want a big fancy meal and we didn’t want fast food or junk food. We came across a small cafe that advertised a cheese board and wine. Perfect! Well almost perfect. Two things that we were really missing on this trip were fruits and vegetables. After our meal we stopped in the local grocery stored and picked up some veggies and dip and a couple of apples.
Our first night in Westport was quiet and relatively uneventful, outside of losing our package of ham from the window sill. To be continued……..
….. in Ireland I saw some interesting roofs
Mama Cormier 