Day 2

So I was texting with JB last night, and today I let Mairead know what is going on.

I was up till 12:30 am last night and was in a deep sleep when they collected the trash this morning - the noise woke me up at 7 am. But I was having a nice dream so rolled back over to try to catch the ending. I woke up again at 9 am when my alarm went off - I don’t like to waste time sleeping so I have my alarm set to go off every morning at 9 am. I had been getting up at 7 am when I was working - having a cup of tea and a mini bagel or English muffin in bed while I watched CBS This Morning or Morning Joe until it was time to log onto work. But today I got right up and made myself French toast with Canadian White Bread - it was delicious!! I made my second cup of tea and “went to work.” I called Fidelity to set up my 401K monthly distribution - I kept getting kicked off the website so I finally called. Once that was done, I called BCBS to set up a Medicare Part D drug plan and a Supplemental plan. I had a couple of questions about travel coverage so I did the application on the phone - it took forever. By now it was noon!!

Then my sister-in-law called from Kenmare to find out how I was. Monica said she called Mike today about 9 am Irish time to see if we were almost to Sneem. She was shocked when Mike said I had to cancel the trip. We talked about me for a couple of minutes, but then talked about restoring the old house. I was telling her that I had large pictures of Uncle Tim Burns and his wife Ellen who was the first relative to come to the US in 1852. He became a merchant and land developer in Cambridge, and was able to bring out his nieces and nephews when their sister Mary was married to John Curran, and they took over the homestead. 

Mary’s brother David brought out Mary and her 5 children when she was evicted from Gortdromagh - he helped her to save enough money to go home and buy it back. I have a large picture of him as well - plus a mug with his name on it and a large heavy milk jug. Aunt Helen Murphy gave me these things, and I plan to take them back to the old house once it is renovated. Monica said that we think the same way - she thinks it is great that those things are going back to the old house plus Nana Murphy’s set of blue and white dishes that are in the new house now.

I didn’t realize that my PCP was trying to call while I talked to Monica. Her voicemail said that she had received a call from Dr Dimond’s office re my Creatinine and BUN being a little elevated. No mention of the GFR of 29. She said that it is probably a little alarming to hear this - she wants to check how many NSAIDS I am taking for my hip. (NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.) I rarely take any but have been taking Ibuprofen recently after dental surgery. She wants to set up a renal scan and repeat the labs next week. She said that she asked Dr Dimond to keep my spot open for the 15th. I called her back, but she was with a patient. I left her a voicemail message that any time next week was okay for the tests - I said that I would be by the phone this afternoon.

Do I really want this revision? I don’t have good feelings about it now. Do I want to have Dr Dimond hold that spot? I can function ok now - I can walk short distances - my hip kills me if I walk further - but Lidoderm patches help somewhat if I am traveling. I can’t lift my right leg more than a couple of inches off the floor - I have to throw my pants onto the floor and wriggle my foot into the pants. I can’t stand for extended periods of time - but that is more likely my back than my hip. So I could survive the way I am. But my fear is that I’ll get to the point that I won’t be able to lift my foot to drive. So that is my dilema.

By now it is after 3 pm. So I head into the Stop and Shop so I will have some food tomorrow - I had thrown everything out yesterday when I thought I was going to Sneem. So I stocked up on fruit and veg. It takes a while when you are reading food labels - I’m used to checking for sodium, but now I am reading ingredients because potassium and phosphorus are not normally listed in th percentages - you have to read the ingredients for them - and of course, they are in small print!

I drove home along the shore. I had heard wind last night when I was in bed. It must have been strong because there was sand all over the road near Maravista. The town has piled up sand at Maravista and Menauhant Beaches because of the erosion. Every storm wipes it out - then they replenish it. It must cost thousands.

I worked on this blog until it was time to head to Johnny and Vicky’s at 5 pm. I went over for dinner. It was very nice - they are always up to something with their estate sales. Tonight Johnny gave me a box of books about William Shakespeare - I am to share them with you Jody!! Then he showed me 2 fascinating books on Ireland - one was a history of Irish food and recipes - the other was written in 2006 and has pix and stories of every day Irish people. I loved the faces! Johnny gave them to me to take home. 

Mairead called as we were watching Victoria on PBS. She asked how I was doing. She said it was pouring rain in Seattle, and she had just heard lightening. She had wanted to watch the fireworks but thought they would be canceled. There was a party, but she was comfortable in her 3rd floor sitting room and didn’t know if she would go.

When Mairead hung up, I decided to head home - it was almost 9 pm. There was a lot of traffic out as I drove home - people going out to celebrate? I got home and was going to jump into bed to watch Rachel Maddow, but my bed is so full of junk that I am sitting in the living room. I worked on the blog as I watched Rachel and then turned on CNN for New Year’s Eve coverage. 

It is now 12:13 am on New Year’s Day, and it is time to clear off my bed and jump in!

December 30, 2019 - my first day of retirement

So the first day of retirement did not go exactly as I had planned. I got up at the same time as usual - 

7am - to be at Falmouth Hospital by 8:30 am - the time I had recently started working. I headed off for 

preop testing thinking that I would finish packing for a quick trip to Ireland after I saw the surgeon at 

10:30 am. I was flying over tonight to check out the architects/engineers about renovating the old house.Everything went very smoothly - I registered - had labs and EKG - chest Xray - then the preop 

interview with a nurse. All that was left was to meet with the anesthesiologist. She thought that my PCP had done a great history and physical. She got the lab results and asked if I knew I was anemic - I was 

surprised at that. Then she asked if I had kidney disease - I was shocked at that! She said my BUN and

Creatinine were quite elevated. I said that I might be a little dehydrated - I had only had time for a half 

cup of juice this morning. Then she said my Globular Filtration Rate was 29!! I don't know that much 

about kidney disease BUT I knew that kidney dialysis starts at about 15!! I was in shock! She was 

explaining that the GFR is normally 60 or higher. She checked my labs from 2 years ago and said that 

the GFR at that time was 40 - didn't anyone look into it? At that time the surgeon was checking for 

Titanium poisoning - he wanted to rule it out when I went to him about a hip revision. He told me that 

there was no poisoning - that was all I was concerned about! I had felt fine - why would I think there 

was anything wrong with my kidneys?!?!

The anesthesiologist was saying that at least there were 2 weeks before the surgery to investigate what
was going on. I said that I guess I should postpone my trip to Ireland tonight - she was very apologetic - she said that she knew how much went into a trip like that - but it was best to cancel and maybe the
revision should be canceled as well - she would talk with the surgeon.
As I walked out to the parking lot, I was asking myself "do I feel dizzy? a little lightheaded? maybe
nauseous?" I don't remember all the symptoms of kidney disease - was I feeling anxious and trying to
come up with symptoms? I went to call Mike who was driving to Shannon today to meet me at the
airport tomorrow morning at 6 am, but I had forgotten my phone at home. I drove down to the surgeon's office - I had hip X-rays - filled out paper work - then was told I could go home - someone would be in touch. I had told the receptionist about the kidney results - she was going to tell the surgeon and
scheduler that the anesthesiologist would be calling.
I got home about 11:15 am and texted Mike - he was halfway to Shannon. He asked if he should come
home - I told him there was no need - I feel better with someone in our house over there. I made a cup of tea and had a mini bagel - then sat down to ponder this turn of events. I was tempted to look up the
symptoms but didn't - I thought maybe I would imagine myself into having them.
I knew a GFR of 29 is stage 4 kidney disease - one step from dialysis. I wondered if it was caused by taking Ibuprofen for my recent dental surgery on December 9 - I had been taking a lot of it for swelling and some pain. Could that have done it? I'm not sure. I started Hydrochlorthiazide for my blood pressure in the last year. I also started Fish Oil to avoid or delay dementia. I did increase my Vitamin D3 to 2000 units in the last year of so. Could any of that have cause the kidney issues?
I know that hypertension can cause kidney disease, and I have had it for years - my blood pressure has been a little elevated since my physical last February. That would be more likely to cause kidney disease or worsen it.
Well, I am not going to go crazy worrying about it until I have repeat labs and any necessary testing. So what am I going to do? Well, first I unpacked and hung up all the long sleeve T-shirts and slacks that I had ironed last night so they wouldn't wrinkle in the suitcase. Then I looked up a renal diet - I know low sodium - I already try to limit sodium because of my high blood pressure, but I do go crazy now and then and have Chinese food which is loaded with sodium/MSG. And Saturday night I bought a 2/$6 Whopper and Crispy Chicken sandwich at Burger King - I ate one Saturday and one last night. They were delicious and not anything that I would normally eat. And they were the last ones I will have for a while because they are likely high in sodium and fat.
Next I checked out information on low potassium foods, low phosphorus foods, low protein! Dear Lord!
So, until I know something definite, it is back to fresh fruits and veg - except NO bananas, NO oranges, NO tomatoes!! And worst of all  - No POTATOES or sweet potatoes!! How am I going to do this? I have no will power! NO will power! But, on the bright side, I can eat white bread again - I haven't eaten it in years! White rice is okay again too. Lots of fruits and veg - my digestive system is already pretty good - I hate to think how good it will be now! I'll really be farting all the time!!
I got sick of reading about this diet so I went upstairs to look for my broom to sweep the kitchen floor. JB and Tina moved to Florida the day after Christmas and had been busy cleaning the room up there before they left. I picked up a few things in the front room - swept the floor - washed it - swept down the stairs - swept and washed the front hallway - moved the summer folding chairs back into the closet and moved the table back out there. Who says there is something wrong with me?! How could I do all this and be anemic? Or have kidney disease? But what exactly am I trying to prove?
In the meantime, I had talked to Johnny Manning who was going to drive me at 2:30 pm to the Braintree Express where I could get the shuttle to the airport. He was very supportive - told me to call if I need anything - his wife Vickie invited me over for lunch or dinner tomorrow for New Year's Eve - my tradition of getting Chinese food at Dynasty Buffet at 4 pm then bringing it home and eating it later is definitely out the window now.
I talked with Danno who was at MGH for appointments. He told me to take care of myself and get enough rest. Beth offered to come down, but I said to wait till the weekend. Julie was in disbelief in Spain - she would ask our friend who worked at BIDMC for years about a renal specialist if needed.
Danno had once said that I am the type who tells everyone everything, but I decided to hold off today. Then Christine texted to ask if I was on land or in the air. So I texted her  - she called and was as surprised as everyone else. Mary Breen called me when Christine told her - what a change that was! Telling Mary about myself instead of us discussing someone in the family or a patient!!
So now I am putting how I spent my first day of retirement into a blog!! I think I would rather be working! Danno told me to write down my retirement memoirs - but what a way to start!!

A little background

So a little background - 

I babysat for my Huliston cousins when I was 12 years old - I suppose I was more company for them 
than a babysitter - Joanie was 10 after all - and life was simpler - no locked doors - no worries about 
someone breaking in. I went on to babysit for the Griffin cousins, neighbors, and I don’t know who else. I was babysitting on Common Street the night the Boston Strangler escaped - I remember being 
terrified that he would find his way to Watertown! 

I think I was a sophomore at St. Pat’s High School when I got a job on Saturdays from 9 to 2 
collecting money from the Watertown Press paperboys. That was a dream job because I had a 
huge crush on Paul McCaffrey - he went on to become Watertown’s Fire Chief.

The nuns at St. Pat’s High School recommended me for a job after school in the library at Perkins 
School for the Blind when I was a junior. I would walk there after school - then worked there during 
the summer. I used to put the Braille books away in the stacks or wrap those big books to be 
shipped to someone’s home. I lost a lot of sympathy for the blind when the teenage students used 
to shut the lights off in the basement when I was down there stocking books - they chased me 
around in the dark. I guess that put me on a somewhat level playing field with them.

I became a nurse’s aide at Waltham Hospital as soon as I graduated high school - I remember 
shaking down a handful of glass thermometers and accidently hitting them on the metal counter - 
they shattered of course, and there was mercury everywhere!! We just swept it up and put the glass and the mercury in the trash - today you would need a Haz Mat team - actually, do they still make 
glass thermometers? I worked there most of the summer until I developed mononucleosis and was 
sidelined until I started nursing school at BC. I worked at Waltham every weekend, every school 
vacation, and the next summer. 

When I was a junior at BC, I moved over to Sancta Maria Hospital in Cambridge because not only 
could I take blood pressures like I did at Waltham, but Sancta let me change simple dressings. I 
loved the staff at both Waltham and Sancta - we would go out to dinner - Waltham Head Nurse 
Mary McNamara would order me a Dubonnet because I was underage. At Sancta we had 
Christmas parties, birthday parties, any kind of parties. One of the cleaning ladies lived around the 
corner - one day we took turns going to her house for a big Italian dinner. Sancta was a great place to 
work despite Sister Mark telling me that my white uniform was too short or to take the Tootsie 
Roll out of my mouth.

My friend Beth and I had talked about joining the Navy when we were in school, but I wanted to 
take the summer off - after all, I had been working since I was 12! I stayed at Sancta for a year to 
get my med-surg experience. I was put in charge shortly after graduation from BC. A man on the 
unit was having a seizure - it was the first one I had ever seen - I didn’t know what to do. We had 2 
great LPNs from Holy Ghost Nursing School in Cambridge working with us - they jumped right into 
action. I had never really bought that distinction in nursing with the degree nurses above the 
hospital nurse above the LPNs - hospital nurses and LPNs always had more clinical experience 
than I did - didn’t they staff the floors in the hospitals? That day with the seizure made a profound 
impact on me - I knew who should have been in charge - and it wasn’t me. Hospital nurses and 
LPNs had my undying respect from then on.

I left Sancta to have weekends off during the summer - I did some private duty nursing. One patient wassuicidal - she was about my age and lived in those apartments near North Station - “If you lived here, 
you’d be home now.” She spent most of her time in her bedroom - I wasn’t allowed to knock or enter it.So I watched TV with 2 crazy Siamese cats racing around the apartment until the patient 
was ready to walk to Newbury Street to get something to eat or to shop. I remember having 
Gazpacho soup with her or was it borscht? I had never had it before and probably never had it 
since.

That fall I gave up private duty to take a job at Winchester Visiting Nurses. I loved that job! We had a 
contract with the town to do school nursing in the morning - I was assigned the Muraco School. I 
remember checking classes for lice - I had never known anyone with lice - had never seen a louse - had no idea what I was looking for! Then I would visit mostly elderly patients in that same area - we had no home health aides in those days so the nurses gave baths. I had one elderly Italian couple - the husband had the heat on at 85 degrees in the middle of summer so his wife did not get a chill. I would be a ball 
of sweat when I left there. In the later afternoon I would visit the new mothers - the VNA had a contract with the Winchester Board of Health. So sometimes I would visit the kids at school, see their 
grandparents after that, then visit their mothers in the afternoon! It was a great job!

Winchester merged with Arlington and Lexington VNAs so they could all survive. I left at some point 
to return to med-surg nursing - I felt like I was stale - I needed to get back into the hospital. So I went 
back to St. Elizabeth’s - we had done some of our med-surg training there. I was assigned to a 
medical floor in the new Medeiros building. I was still learning - I had never worked with trachs for 
instance. 

At some point I went back to the VNA - I was working at Oyster River Home Heath Agency in 
Durham, NH. It was rural back then - I loved that job - I loved being out in the country on the farms - 
the people were down to earth. 

I also later worked at Lynn VNA - I had the best hours!! I worked 10 am to 6 pm - I was able to go out 
to the pubs in Boston with my friends at night and didn’t have to crawl out of bed too early - I missed 
the rush hour traffic in both directions. I left that job during the energy crisis when I ran out of gas twice - we could only get gas on an odd or even day - I ran out and couldn’t get home.

I went to the Watertown-Belmont VNA then - close to home! I loved working in east Watertown - I met a diverse culture of Armenians, Greeks, some Italians - remember this was in 1980. I had gone to St. 
Pat’s - we were all mostly Irish and Italian descent. I don’t remember seeing a black person in 
Watertown in those years - so the East End was very exotic to me. I tried all kinds of foods - I loved the Challah bread. I learned about the Armenian Genocide. 

I left there when I had Danno - I took some time off. I think I went back to St. E’s sometime around this time - my friend Julie was working in Human Resources and got me a job. I loved the variety - I was 
working in the Employee Health Center one day, and interviewing nurses for open positions in the 
evenings another day. My childhood friend Alice Nelligan was working at St. John of God in Brighton and suggested I apply there. I started working 11 pm to 7 am three nights weekly. I became part time 
night supervisor. I remember I would be falling asleep in the morning after work while watching 
Danno. Sometimes I was too exhausted to drop him off at Nancy Huliston/Torres day care. Those 2 or 3 nights in a row killed me.

I stayed at St. John of God until we left for Ireland - I thought for a vacation - Johnny was thinking 
about staying there.

We did come back almost 3 years later, and I went back to Sancta Maria Hospital - they were looking 
for a part-time 3-11 nurse. I stayed there when they changed to a skilled nursing facility, but eventually I left due to the chaos of the change. I had been working per diem at Maristhill Nursing Home in 
Waltham - so I went there part-time instead of per diem. I think I was there for 12+ years. I met some 
great people there - both staff and residents. I met the grandson of one of those residents at the benefit 
we had for Danno - I remembered him, his mother, and younger brother coming to visit his 
grandmother - his younger brother had cystic fibrosis.

I started working a couple of nights a week private duty for Mrs. Edwin Land - her husband had 
invented the Land camera. They had a big house on Brattle Street in Cambridge. I worked 11-7 and 
filled in 3-11 sometimes. This job helped pay for Danno going to BC.

I had always been the breadwinner - Johnny Murphy did landscaping and received no benefits. So 
I took a job at Fernald State Schoool - it was run by the State of Massachusetts for developmentally 
delayed children - now adults. My friend Gail Shutt worked there and highly recommended it - she said the salary was good and benefits better because they were from the state. So I took the 11-7 position in 
the medical unit. I loved those residents. I would have stayed here except I had to have a hysterectomy, and the lifting got to be too much.

My friend Beth was working at Visiting Nurse and Community Health - previously the Winchester, 
Arlington, Lexington VNA where I had worked before. She said they had an intake nurse position 
available working with her. The Monday thru Friday days clinched it - no weekends, no 3-11s, no 
11-7s. I loved this job too. It was the first time I worked with a computer - thankfully I was able to cop on to it. But a year of so after I started, there were rumblings of financial instability - the agency might 
close. I heard about an Open House at Tufts Health Plan which was in Watertown and had been for 
years. How many times had I passed it by! I went for an interview after work one evening, and they 
called me the next morning with a job offer. I grabbed it! The salary and benefits were so much much 
better than anything I had ever made. And it was Monday through Friday 8:30-5!

I soon began working with Uniformed Services Family Health Plan members - retired military and their spouses plus active duty families - and loved them. And who wouldn't love working from home every day! I was there 15 years last March!

I loved all the jobs that I have had. During the last couple of years, Danno has had his lung transplant, 
and he and Amanda are living in the house they bought in Leominster. Mairead moved to Seattle last 
August for at least a year. Mike stayed in Ireland in September. JB and Tina were planning to move to 
Fort Myers, Florida the day after Christmas. I would be living alone in this house and paying a monthly mortgage for another 15 years - we were old when we bought it! The house needs a lot of work so I 
would need to take a loan to fix it up. 

I have loved every job I have had, but I finally decided to retire and sell the house!! I would spend moretime in Sneem - Johnny Murphy and I had always planned to renovate the old house. So that is what I 
decided to do. So I resigned Friday, December 27, 2019!

Making the decision

Tuesday morning was a repeat of Monday - it was sunny, bright, warm - we could see County Clare across Galway Bay. And that was where we were headed. Rather than drive to Kerry on the motorway with nothing to see, we decided to take the scenic route to the ferry in Killimer.
I was in a bit of a funk after looking at Monica's and Mike's pictures from Sunday and yesterday. I looked half dead - stooped way over - looking like I was about a hundred years old. I never like pictures of myself, but these were the pits! And I was still feeling tired - from jet lag maybe? From the trip to the office on Thursday before we left? From the cleaning after the cat? From all of these? I started wondering what the hell am I working for? I have always had the job with the benefits - Johnny Murphy did landscaping which was dependent on the weather. We moved to the Cape about 11 years ago - we had always rented but bought a house in Falmouth.  It was a fixer upper, but I could afford it on my salary and not be scrambling to pay bills. JB was going to help fix it up.

Mike has come and gone a couple of times since we moved here - John Brendan and his wife Tina are here but are planning to move to Florida in January. Mairead is in Seattle for at least a year and has said she will never move to the Cape. Danno and Amanda have their own house now.  Johnny Murphy died in April.  The house needs repairs that I can't afford without taking a loan. So why am I working? And how long will I keep working? And for what? To pay for a mortgage?! Anyway this is the mood I was in as we left Micheal and Connemara Coast Hotel after another hearty breakfast and a wonderful stay. 
We drove down to Oranmore - Clarinbridge - to Dunguaire Castle. We parked and walked back to the Castle for a look. I had been here back in the 1980s with my son Danno. The castle seemed to be as I remembered it, but I didn't remember the gift shop.

Dunguaire Castle is a 16th-century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, near the Clare border.

The name derives from the Dun of King Guaire, the legendary king of Connacht. The castle's 75-foot (23 m) tower and its defensive wall have been restored. In the 1600s the castle passed to Richard Martyn(Martin) who was Mayor of Galway - he lived here. The Mrtyns owned the castle until this century. The Martins also owned Ballynahinch Castle near Roundstone. "Humanity Dick" Martin began the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

Mike took some pix of a couple of tourists so they snapped us.

Medieval Banquets are now held in the Banquet Room.

We drove through Kinvara - a cute little village on Kinvara Bay just up the road from the castle. I think Mary and Anne Kirwin are from Kinvara, but the woman at the castle's gift shop who is from Kinvara did not know them.
We continued on to Ballyvaughan down through the Burren which they say is like the lunar landscape. It is sheer limestone cliffs, ledges, hills. 
For years I have wanted to see the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a megalithic portal tomb. Mike is a very accommodating driver and agreed to make the short detour. I was telling Mike how disappointed I was when I saw Stonehenge - I expected big huge stones - and it seemed small compared to what I was expecting. I was thinking the Poulnabrone Dolmen would be the same - and it was - it was smaller than I expected but impressive at the same time.

I had been to the Aillwee caves in the 1970s or 1980s - Mike had just been there a couple of years ago - so we skipped the caves.
We drove by Caherconnell Fort - an ancient ring fort. Since we were heading to the ferry in Killimer, we drove by the fort. Plus we are spoiled in Sneem with the fabulous Staigue Fort in nearby Castlecove. But this area would be worth a couple of days to tour around and investigate.

Mike walked up close to the dolmen.

Look at the limestone rocks - they are everywhere.

"Poulnabrone is a classic example of a portal tomb with two tall portal stones flanking the entrance to a rectangular stone-lined chamber which is covered by a single large capstone. A low oval-shaped mound (cairn) of loose stone, which helped stabilize the chamber, surrounds the tomb. This cairn would originally have been no higher than it is today, suggesting that the dramatic tomb structure was designed to be the main visual focus."

"Archeological excavations were carried out at Poulnabrone between 1986 and 1988 when the fractured eastern portal needed to be replaced (the original portal stone can be seen lying on the limestone pavement just to the north of the tomb.)
The excavations revealed that at least 33 individuals were buried in the chamber - infants, children, adults, both male and female. It is likely that the bones, which were highly fragmented, were initially buried or allowed (to) decompose elsewhere before being transferred to this tomb sometime around 3000 BC. Personal possessions buried with the dead included a polished stone axe, quartz crystals, chert and flint weapons and implements, and fragments of pottery (many of these artifacts are on display in the Clare County Museum in Ennis.)"

Radioactive dating has shown that those buried in the chamber died in the period 4200-2900BC placing them firmly in Neolithic or New Stone Age. Over a thousand years later (1767-1413 BC) during the Bronze Age, a newborn baby was buried in the portico, just outside the entrance to the chamber. This was not just a formal burial place but must also have been a focus for related rituals and ceremonies. The transfer of bones from their initial resting place suggests strong links with the ancestors.
The tomb continued to dominate the landscape of later generations as evidenced by the Bronze Age burial. Today it provides us with the opportunity to imagine and contemplate the past.

We headed for Kilfenora and made a pit stop at the tourist center. Then we continued on to Ennistymon which is a busy little town. I was there once before with my friend GeeGee Rafferty in 1978 - we were in stitches laughing when we saw the sign for Nagles Pub and UNDERTAKER!!! We couldn't imagine such a thing so we stopped in for a drink. Mike and I just passed by, but we were saying that there are some nice little towns - plus Salthill/Galway - that are worth an overnight. We reached the coast at Lahinch which looks like a lot of fun - we stopped for a few minutes overlooking the beautiful beach - there weren't too many waves but there were surfers in the water just waiting to catch a wave! I'd love to come back here for couple of days or a weekend.
We had thought about going to the Trumpster's golf course in Doonbeg but had decided to catch the 4 pm ferry across the Shannon so Mike stepped on the gas. We just made Killimer and rolled onto the ferry. It was lovely topside - sun still shining, light breeze, great views despite the power plants!
We decided in Tarbert to head to the main Killarney road in Abbeyfeale since it was getting late, and we were getting hungry. It was a pleasant drive through Athea. Once on the main road, we were bypassing Castleisland - into Farrnfore - then Killarney. I keep forgetting that Mike isn't used to these roads - he depends on GPS. I've been driving them since 1973 so I am my own GPS!
We hadn't eaten since breakfast - Mike was feeling the need for supper at D. O'Shea's in Sneem. So we stopped at McDonald's in Killarney for a pit stop. I had a cheeseburger - Burger King is sooo much better. Mike had something, and we were on the road again.  It was still a beautiful day so Mike made his first drive over the Killarney mountains - my favorite way to go. When I see those rugged peaks, I feel like I am home. We stopped above Ladies View for some pictures. Then it was on to Sneem. Mike did great driving over the mountains - he usually drives too fast for me - but we made it unscathed.

Views from Ladies View on the mountain road from Killarney to Moll's Gap.

We headed for Kenmare at Moll's Gap instead of taking the Sneem road - I wanted to stop at the ATM for some cash. As I was inserting my debit card at the machine outside the AIB bank, someone tapped me on the arm and welcomed me home - Patrick Connor from Sneem had recognized me and came over to welcome me.
We headed on to Sneem and stopped at O'Shea's for supper - which was good as always. Then we headed for the Little House on the Prairie as Johnny Murphy called our house. It felt great walking in the door to a warm house.

As I sat there that first night in our house, I was thinking of all the lovely towns we had passed through. When it is off season, most hotels have special deals to attract customers. If I was living in Sneem, why wouldn't I do that - every month or so take a couple of days and travel to one of these places? Like Joan and Monica staying in Galway. It is not so easy to do it now because I always want to spend time in Sneem to make sure our house is okay, and I have limited vacation time at work.
Johnny Murphy and I had talked about retiring to Sneem - I wasn't sure I could live in Sneem full time. When he died,  I initially thought that I could never live there full time. Now I am thinking that if I wasn't paying for that mortgage, I could probably afford to live in Sneem and travel to Boston as I wanted - when I mentioned it, friends and family said I could always stay with them if they could stay with me. And I might get to spend time in those cute little towns I had just passed through!
I think Patrick Connor was a sign - I wasn't even in Sneem, and I met someone I knew. I have lived in Falmouth for over 10 years and know hardly anyone. So why should I stay in a house where I may be living alone and working just to pay it off? Why shouldn't I retire to Sneem where the house is paid off, and I know so many people. So that is what I am going to do next year!

Inauspicious start

I am exhausted. I need some rest. And the worst thing is that the vacation is just about to start.
A couple of my kids thought that I might be lonesome after Johnny Murphy died so they got me a cat. Truth be told, I am a cat hater. Always was. Imagine my surprise when my son Danno - also a die hard cat hater - turned into a knowledgeable cat lover! Mike always loved cats. They are trying to turn me to the dark side.

Our big ball of long black fur/hair is friendly enough, but his hair is everywhere. His name is Doolin. He is 12 years old so he spends most of the day sleeping or rolling around on the floor. He is always whining for food, but he is looking bigger and bigger so surely he is getting enough to eat.
His biggest problem is that he sometimes misses the litter box.
Danno was concerned that Doolin would be lonely while Mike and I were in Ireland for 10 days. So he kindly offered to take him home to his cats. Dan was down last weekend, and he and Amanda took him home - Doolin went quietly. He had his own room at Dan's - Dan introduced him to one of Dan and Amanda's cats, BenJen, but  Doolin ran to eat his food before BenJen even thought to try it. Next morning Dan let Salem in to meet Doolin who promptly attacked and almost killed him before he dug his claws into Amanda's boots. 6 am text: Come get him - this isn't going to work. I was shocked! This cat never showed any sign of violence. Mike took the day off and brought Doolin home in disgrace. I guess he does not like any competition. 
I had to go into the office on Thursday for work - I was gone from 7:30 am - 7:30 pm. Mike worked a double so he was gone all day too. I got home and the house smelled of cat! That is one thing I will not tolerate. I couldn't find any signs of anything.
On Friday the odor was still there. So when I finished work, I started cleaning rugs and floors - now the house smelled like rug cleaner and Lysol. I was trying to get packed in between cleaning.

Mike and I headed for the Logan Express in Braintree at 2:30 pm on Saturday the 14th. We pulled into the parking lot in Braintree, and I suddenly realized I didn't have my credit cards! The wallet I had kept everything in for years - that I had bought at the Gravedigger's Pub in Dublin - had recently fallen apart. I was using an old wallet of Johnny Murphy's to hold everything. I had bought a new passport holder with pink flamingos - that would be hard to lose! - and transferred my passport/license/debit cards/euros into it. But I had kept my credit cards in Johnny's wallet in a zippered compartment in my purse.  My purse was bursting because it was so full -  so I had switched bags just before we left and never thought to take the wallet! I had plenty of money with my debit card, but car rental companies do not accept debit cards! That's what I was worried about. It is 3:30, and our flight is at 7:30! Mike suggested calling my brother Johnny to see if he could grab the wallet and meet us halfway. He and Vickie were in Virginia I think he said - I didn't stop to talk to him. I tried calling my friend Julie - this would really test the bonds of friendship! She was driving home from her cottage in Wareham. Typical Julie - of course she would drive to pick up the wallet and then drive halfway to meet us! God bess Julie.
Then as I was emptying out my purse to find the parking ticket that Mike had just handed me, I came across 2 credit cards that had come in the mail - I had never opened them. So I did! Then I immediately activated one from Marriott - bingo! I called Julie back, and she said she had the same credit card - I should be good to go. So I used it to buy the Logan Express tickets. The card worked - no need for Julie to drive up! We jumped on the bus and headed to terminal C for Aer Lingus.
I never delay going through Security - I check in and go immediately through security. That's what we did. Then we headed to the gate - when we got there, I pulled out the new credit cards and my phone. I called the Marriott number to let them know I was traveling - no foreign transaction fees. Then I activated and notified the other card - this one has foreign transaction fees so I won't be using this. Now I could relax until we got to the car rental agency.

The flight was okay - the chicken meal was not great. There was  some delay with the bags - I had never waited so long, and it was everyone's bags. We went to Alamo Car Rental to get the keys. The gal did tell me that Dan Dooley is 95 year old, and that is why he sold the business to Enterprise. I was lamenting the loss after renting with him for 30+ years. The gal said it was a culture shock after she had worked for Dan Dooley for 13 years to go to Enterprise. She gave us the keys, and thankfully it was not a hybrid! The new credit card worked so I could finally relax.
We had a quick bite at the airport about 6:30 am then headed to Galway. We got to the Connemara Coast Hotel about 8:30 am - no traffic on Sundays. We had even driven through Salthill looking for the statue of Father Griffen but never saw it - Salthill is so built up now. My friend Barbara Thompson's uncle used to live near that statue, and she stayed there as a kid. Each time I am in Galway I try to find it. We drove by it once on a bus a couple of years ago, but Salthill was under water from the tropical storm so they would not let us off the bus.  I think I drove past it last May with Beth, but the traffic was horrendous, and I couldn't find a parking space. I think I will have to stay in Salthill next time. I do love the promenade and being so close to the water.
We got to the hotel - reception told us that our room would not be ready until after noon because it was full last night. We were not surprised that the room wasn't ready, but were surprised that the hotel was packed!

https://www.connemaracoasthotel.ie

We went to the dining room and met up with Johnny Murphy's sisters - Joan and Monica who were having breakfast - they had arrived Saturday and were leaving Monday. Monica's son Micheal Lynch is the manager of the hotel - he told them to have us leave our bags in their room. They suggested that we drive them into Salthill then we could have a sleep in their room. So we drove them into Salthill - they would poke round and then meet Micheal at 2:30, and he would bring them to the hotel on his way to work.
We changed clothes and jumped into the beds. Suddenly I heard an airplane nearby - I thought it was a plane going to or from Inverrin to the Aran Islands. Then I heard it again so I got up and pulled back the curtains - it was a helicopter landing behind the hotel! We watched it land, but since there were no cameras or reporters, we figured there were no celebrities, and we jumped back into bed. We found out later it was someone flying from Connemara to Loughrea  - the visibility was so bad that it put down at the hotel - which does NOT have a helicopter pad by the way!

Having that quick sleep was a good idea - we felt better - still tired but able to go for a drive to Roundstone.
Joan and Monica came along - neither had been to Connemara before. It was not the best day to go - damp, rainy, and very foggy. I had originally thought of going to Clifden first, but decided to just go to Roundstone due to the time and weather. We took the road to Maam Cross - turned left and headed toward Galway. Mike was driving - it was only his 2nd time driving in Ireland, and he had not been to Connemara since he was a kid - 15-20 years ago. The drab, foggy weather put a damper on the drive - visibility was limited when the fog settled in - I knew there were rolling mountains out there somewhere, but we couldn't see any! I thought I saw a sign for Roundstone on the left, but I hadn't been paying attention - no one else saw it. And the GPS said to continue straight. That next sign is for Emlagh - that is near Roundstone, but again why listen to me when the GPS said to continue straight. Finally, I knew we were in the outskirts of Clifden - we had missed Roundstone - I knew that drive was too long.
Mike turned around - reset the GPS as I was saying we could skip Roundstone and stop in Clifden. Rather than drive to the city center and take the Roundstone Road through Ballyconneelly, we headed back toward Galway and got off at a sign for Ballynahinch. This was a road I hadn't been down before - we came along the back of Ballynahinch Castle on a twisting narrow road - talk about a canopy of trees! We finally came to civilization - Roundstone was not too far away. We pulled up to O'Dowd's Pub in a light mist - we got a spot outside the door.
I've always eaten in the pub side so that is what we did. There was one loud obnoxious customer sitting at the bar with a couple of guys - there were 2 other young men trying to carry on a conversation near the loud fella - and a young couple sitting in front of the window. We all ordered - I had fish 'n chips with mash instead of French fries - Mike had an Italian pasta dish, Monica had shepard's pie, and Joan had salmon. My fish was delicious! Mike liked the pasta which makes me smile because I would never think of ordering pasta for my first meal in Ireland - I need fish or roast chicken and mash! I love the potatoes over here.

Monica, Joan, MEM, Mike at O'Dowd's in Roundstone.

I'm sure I have said before that my grandfather worked at O'Dowd's before leaving for the US. So my family has a soft spot for the place.

https://www.odowdsseafoodbar.com

MEM, Monica, and Joan at Roundstone Harbor.

After eating, we walked up to King's Pub - across a small street and up about 2 doors. It was locked up!?! That's odd. We stopped next door at my cousin Mary King's house - keys in the door but no answer. I opened the door and gave a few shouts - no response - so I left a note saying I had stopped by. Johnny Murphy and I as well as my sister Patty with her husband Richie and son Ricky Schiavoni, my sister Jody, and my brother Jimmy had rented this house during a couple of trips when Mary was still running and living next door at the bar. I knew Mary was not far with keys left in the door.

Joan had walked up to The Shamrock Pub - nice cozy turf fire going. We ordered a round - Monica asked the barman if he had seen Mary King recently. A girl at the next table said she had seen Mary going into Vaughan's a short while before. Vaughan's Restaurant is in the Roundstone Hotel. We were enjoying the turf fire when the barman said he just saw Mary going into her house. I left my Diet Coke, and ran over - Mary was just coming out to pick up her grandson at his girlfriend's. As always, Mary had a few minutes to talk - we were just catching up when a man came in - he was Mary's brother - then another brother came in and then one more. They had all had dinner at Vaughan's and were now heading to Tuam for a christening. They were just out the door when Mary's son Joseph came in - he runs the bar now. They were telling me that there had been a christening in Roundstone on Saturday - I guess some of the guests were a little rowdy, and the Gardai were called. The same blokes were around this morning so Joe did not open the bar - he did not want any trouble with them. They had just left town before we got there.
Mike, Monica, and Joan walked in now. We took a couple of pictures - Joe had opened the pub, but we didn't go in - it was late now - still rainy and foggy - we had an hour and a half drive - so we said goodbye and headed to the hotel.

Mike, MEM, Mary, and Joan in Mary's house

Mary King and her son Joseph

MEM, Mike, and Joan in Roundstone

The drive home wasn't as long as the drive to Roundstone. We all went to our rooms for a short while then met Joan and Monica in the bar for a night cap. Micheal, Monica's son, was there and bought us a drink. I don't drink very much - one drink usually puts me to sleep, but I did have a glass of Bailey's. Then Micheal bought another round for the 4 of us, and I had another glass of Bailey's! I was ready for bed after that!

Next morning Mike went down for a swim and tried out the hot tub. Then we went down for the breakfast buffet, and Joan and Monica came down after packing. Micheal was driving them to the Limerick bus station for the Killarney bus. They would catch the Kenmare bus in Killarney.

Mike and I went upstairs to get ready for our day trip to Cong in County Mayo. We went down to say goodbye to Joan and Monica, but they had just left thinking that we had already left!

My whole extended family loves The Quiet Man movie. Mike was willing to drive to Cong to the Quiet Man Museum so we headed off. It was a beautiful warm day - like summer. 

The Quiet Man was filmed in 1951 in parts of Connemara. The crew stayed at Ashford Castle in Cong - some scenes were filmed on the hotel's grounds. Cong is a cute little town except for the big buses and trucks traveling through on its narrow roads! We found a parking space about 11 am and walked to the museum for a 11:30 walking tour. We passed the Dying Man's House - where the old man is being visited by a priest and jumps up when he hears that Sean Thornton and Squire Danagher are fighting. I think John Ford's brother played the dying man.

We continued down the hill to the museum which is a replica of the original cottage which is now in ruins in Maam. It is across the street from the river where part of the fight scene was filmed.

Quiet Man Museum in Cong

The sign on the half door said "Back in 10 minutes" so we walked over to the river which is on the border of Mayo and Galway. At 11:30 no one had removed the sign on the half door. Mike tried the door, and it opened - so, of course, we walked right up the stairs. There was a woman inside the gift shop all the time - she had forgotten to remove the sign. She told us the 11:30 walking tour was canceled because the leader was sick. We weren't sure we wanted to stay till 12:30 pm. We paid the admission fee to the museum downstairs, and the woman came down and unlocked the door - she asked us to use the side door to leave, and then locked us in!

They have done a good job with the museum.

 

Posters and chairs that belonged to the main players!

Bed from the famous bedroom scene, and the original dress Maureen O'Hara wore.

The bike Sean Thornton and Mary Kate Danagher rode.

I hadn't realized that The Quiet Man was based on a short story by Kerry man Maurice Walsh - the Green Rushes - I have to go home and look to see if I have that story in a book of Maurice Walshes' stories.

A few of Maurice Walsh's books in the museum.

There were all kinds of old newspaper clippings about the filming and the premier. Apparently many Cong villagers were paid as part of the crowd scene during the fight. 
We let ourselves out the side door and went around the corner to see the statue of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. A car pulled up and yelled at Mike when they saw his Bruins shirt - they were from Charlestown.

I stopped outside Danagher's Hotel to take a couple of pix.

Mike was talking to a guy on the corner - turned out he was the bartender in Pat Cohen's Pub so we went in for a cold drink. The bartender was very friendly - his 86 year old Grannie was outside walking her dog. Some of the bar scenes in the movie were filmed here.

The bartender was expecting a busload of tourists for lunch.

We decided to skip the walking tour and instead look for the train station used in the movie. So we headed east toward Tuam to Ballyglunin.

This railway station was in several scenes in the Quiet Man - when Sean Thornton first arrived home and then when Mary Kate was leaving Sean Thornton - he pulled her out of the train and started the great walking/dragging scene with Thornton dragging Mary Kate through the fields to her brother.

I started talking with one of the Fas workers - he was telling me that restoration was going slowly but was moving along. They have restored the outside of the waiting room - they plan to restore part of the interior to the way it was in the movie - they are also going to develop a museum and a community center in there. The signal cabin was also restored, and they landscaped the ground across the tracks this year. 

Mike with signal cabin on left.

We met some women who came to look at the station - they were NOT there because they were Quiet Man fans - the older woman had left for London from this station as a young girl as had many others. I guess this history of hundreds who probably headed toward emigration from this station will be part of the history for the museum.
Also part of its history will be the raids during the War of Independence - look below for the items that were raided.

From the railway station, we headed west again to Oughterard where Sean Thornton and Micheleen stopped on the bridge to look at Sean's old homestead. The bridge is about 5 miles west of Oughterard. After we passed through the town, we came across farmers protesting the price of beef - I guess protests have been going on across the country.
The little bridge was off to the left as we headed toward Clifden - then at a bend in the road. 

Sunday we couldn't see any mountains - Monday was a beautiful day.

View west from the bridge.

Mike walked over the bridge to read the plaque.

This was on that plaque.

The following plaque is along the river before you get to the bridge.

So we ended our Quiet Man quest and drove to Peacocke's Hotel at Maam's Cross. We hadn't eaten since breakfast so I had soup and brown bread - Mike had chicken wings. We did check out the old cottage beside the hotel - I had been there with my kids years ago - and with Jody and Beth a couple of years ago. The cottage is well preserved, but the inside does not compare with the Quiet Man museum rig out.

We headed back to the Connemara Coast Hotel - as we were driving along, we were listening to the news. Several years ago, my sisters Patty and Jody and myself were in Oxford, England and wanted to stop at Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born - I am a big Churchill fan. We drove up to the palace, but there was an event going on, and we couldn't even get onto the grounds. I was thinking of that trip when the news about the big burglary came on the radio. An Italian artist had loaned an 18 carat gold toilet worth 4 million euro to an exhibit at Blenheim Palace - it was plumbed into the building and was a working toilet. The thieves pulled it out of the wall, and there was massive flood damage. Mike and I were screaming laughing. Then came the clincher - the radio reported that the artist begged that the toilet not be melted down and that all he asked was that whoever stole the golden toilet use it, and then let him know what it was like to use a golden toilet!! The reporter said a 60+ year old man was in custody and that the police expected to flush out more clues!

We were still laughing as we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. We watched some TV before we met Micheal for dinner at 6. 

View out our room window.

Danno and Amanda had raved about Padraicins restaurant just west of the hotel so that is where we went. Unfortunately, we parked along the river, and the midges ate us as we walked the short distance to the restaurant. When we had passed by Padraicins last night coming from Roundstone, the place was mobbed, but tonight it was quiet. I had a delicious roast chicken with fabulous green beans and mash. Mike and Micheal had pasta dishes that they said were good. Micheal is a great guy - he and Mike were close growing up - he came to Boston and stayed with us for a short while. It's always good to see him.

Padraicins is right on Galway Bay - must be lovely sitting outside on a nice day.

Micheal had to work at 7 am so we cut it short. Mike went down to the bar for a while. I started this blog. Tomorrow we pack up and head home to Gortdromagh - the weather is supposed to be good - if so, we may take the coast road. Both of us are down as drivers, but Mike has done all the driving so far.