Two weeks without contact.
Oh, I know how you have suffered.
It began with me dropping my laptop and breaking the power cord. Two days of battery, then silence. I was back up and running briefly due only to
the kindness of the folks at the Harvey Norman store in the next town who had
taken in my computer twice to re-charge it.
Although they would not accept payment, on my last visit I forced a
piece of high quality chocolate cake on them – certainly the equal of the chocolate
cake presented by our President to the President of China – “the most beautiful
piece of chocolate cake you’ve ever seen” – as he was ordering the bombing of
the Syrian airfield. Every bit its
equal… At long last, my new cord has
arrived from the UK. I believe the good and
generous geeks at Harvey Norman have perhaps had it with this pestering old
Yank.
Lillie has left to go back to the States, and much too
soon. It’s inspiring to be with her. Her immense intelligence, her many thoughts –
on so many things, large and small - her sense of humor, and her great good
heart will be missed by us for the rest of our stay. She found a home in the west of Ireland, its
beauty and mystery seemed to speak deeply to her. She was fascinated by everything she saw and
heard, and spoke of pursuing an internship or an academic placement here. Although people are occasionally
complimentary about my scribblings, and I may sometimes have the good fortune of describing our experiences in a way that brings you along for a moment, as
Candee said, Lillie is a “gorgeous writer.”
Her ability to capture observation, insight, and image are truly
gifted. On a few nights, she shared her hastily
dashed off writings and I was awestruck.
She, as any bright and achieving youth, has changed her mind many times
about her future path. But in each of
these paths her ability to observe, understand, and express will create an immensely
rich tapestry brightly illustrating whatever she does. An extraordinary young woman. And one we deeply admire and love.
Some pictures from the week:
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| Old Head beach |
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| Old Head looking toward Newport |
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| The Cong River |
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| Morning sun on our backyard on Barleyhill |
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| Morning sun again - so clear and bright |
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| The Reek enveloped in mist |
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| Daytrip through Nephin Wild |
