"Door to the Sea IV." Another study: one of the many ruins alongside and in front of our cottage.

"Door to the Sea V." One of the many studies of the ruin in front of our cottage.

Climbing to the top of Bolus Head

At the top of Bolus Head, the stone fortress.

Here's another shot of what we saw outside our cottage door. Standing there, drinking coffee, watching the light change. In retrospect, I find myself immersed in the life there. Tonight a long walk up the road would have been perfect; but I'm back in Chicago, feeling myself in two places at once.

At Bofey Quinn's. There is no doubt that Irish food is amazing, the people lovely, lively, warm. Most of the areas we visited on the west coast were Gaelic-speaking, as well as English.

Up in County Clare, we drove through Corofin, and decided to stop for dinner. Another lovely town-- but no traditional music that night, just Sundays and Wednesdays. At Tig Rosie's pub in Ballinskellig we all danced to traditional music and drank Guinness on tap, but we'd hoped to hear more.

On the way to Killorglin

The River Loame, at Killorglin, on the Ring of Kerry. And yes, those are white swans in the distance.