Early Sunday Morning May 25

Early Sunday Morning

May 25

So here I find myself sitting in the quiet of Bebe's kitchen this morning catching up on my blog. I'm not a late sleeper, never have been. This is about my regular wake up time even when I've gone to bed on the late side, like last night after a few “jars”.

First, there is the business of what we did earlier in the day yesterday. After departing our B&B we headed out to do a portion of the Inishowen 100. It's a wonderful scenic drive all around the Inishowen Penninsula. Three years ago we did the entire drive all the way to Malin Head, so this was just a partial refresher. We did find a few new sights to explore, Inch Island, and Fort Dunree, on Lough Swilly. The fort was the biggest surprise. It was built in 1798 to guard against a French invasion and later used in WWI and WWI to guard against other invasions. It's always amazing when you build a fort into a rock outcropping. The day was clear and sunny and had some wonderful views. (I'm really frustrated that I cant post pictures of this but will do some as soon as I can.) This was just north of Buncrana and as far as we went for the day. We were already running late.

I met Bebe 3 years ago when I was in Ireland and attended a concert that she put together to support suicide prevention. The concert at the Millenium Forum was the third time she had organized this and was a real treat to be able to attend. There were many local talents and Damian McGinty was home from working on the Glee Project for this and also performed a song that Mickey Coleman had written for Bebe called “Miss You More Than Words Can Say.”

That chance meeting lead us to become Facebook friends and we've kept in touch ever since, and now Bebe has been kind enough to invite us to spend a night with her in the Bogside area of Derry. Just for a reference for those who have been here or know of the “Free Derry” sign. We are less than a block away and across a small side street from the memorial to those who lost their lives here during the troubles.

Now I'm not just saying this to impress her, but Bebe made us a wonderful Irish stew for dinner. And we also had some seafood chowder. While some of the local places we have eaten have had great food, there is nothing like a home cooked meal that comes from the heart. Add lots of great conversation and it made for a wonderful meal.

After dinner the chat continued as we moved to the front room and were soon joined by wee Jenny and a some other friends of Bebe's for some music and more drinks! Jenny, at 11, has a beautiful voice and has been taking guitar lessons every week. It was a joy to hear her sing and play. And Gareth, at 18, is an amazing talent vocally. He's had his guitar for less than 2 years and has taught himself to play. I'm sure at some point in the not so distant future we will be hearing more about him. Later in the evening even Gareth's father sang us a wee Elvis tune. Before the evening was over we were all singing along. :) It was definitely a night to remember.

As I stumbled up the stairs to bed, I have to say this Saturday was a memorable day. Now Sunday has arrived and at some point, we will be moving on.