Ahhhhhhhhhh whewwwwwwwwww

That's the sound of the giant oh-so-deep breath we exhaled as we settled back into daily life in wonderful Westport.  It was a long journey - we left Vero at 1:30 on Tuesday afternoon and arrived in Westport at 4 p.m. Wednesday (11 am Vero time).  21 1/2 hours continuous travel - plane, bus, and train.  All our travel went according to plan; there were no delays, but still, a long trip.

Our spirits were immediately lifted, however, by the warm and generous welcome from the staff at the Clew Bay Hotel.   Darren, Maria, their daughter - the lovely Niamh, Karen, Orla, and Mary welcomed us as if we were long lost family & friends.  Plenty of hugs, kisses, and the traditional Irish greeting - "How ya been keepin."  Just a lovely moment.

And, a terrific surprise to follow - Marion & Padraic lying in wait in the pub next to the lobby.  We re-established our friendship - took all of a moment, and quickly engaged in a lively conversation of past good times and plans for the next couple of weeks.  Padraic and I may play Carne on the Belmullet Peninsula a couple of hours north, we all have made plans to conquer Croagh Patrick with Mary from the hotel (who goes to the summit a couple of times a week), and Candee and Carol plan to crawl the many shops and pubs in the town.

Carne

Tonight, we are heading to the Duffys' for dinner and a night of good fun and great conversation.  Tomorrow, off to Castlebar and a visit to the Museum of Country Life.