It's been a long haitus, but I'm back to the blog. I left off midsummer just after the Willie Clancy Festival of set dancing and our 37th anniversary on July 2. As I expected we have stayed pretty close to home in Dublin most of the time since then, although we took a quick trip to Wales this week from Tuesday to Thursday.

I've spent a lot of time in preparation for walking The Camino, with two long walks of about 16 km each with the group of people that will make the trip this year. Both were in the area north of Dublin called Howth. Dublin is situated in about the center of Dublin Bay sheltered on both sides by two headlands, Bray to the sourth and Howth to the north. There are good, scenic walks on both heads, although the Howth head is higher and the walking route is longer. I've done both walks and while I like the Bray walk, it's mostly coastline, just 8 km and fairly flat so there's not a lot of challenge. Howth is quite different, with a lot of climbing, higher elevation and twice the distance to get around the promontory. I organized the first walk there on July 27th and the group was so pleased with it that we decided to do the same walk in the other direction on August 17th. The second was equally successful, although we did have a little rain and the summit was quite blustery. The group is a very nice one and we've gotten to know one another better during these delightful rambles. I'm looking forward to the trip, which starts in two weeks, on September 2. Seven days of walking and 125 km on the Portuguese Way, which approaches Santiago de Compostella from the south.  Last year we did the same distance approaching from the west. I'm still a little concerned about the two days we have to walk over 25 km, particularly the first day, which also looks like there's a pretty significant elevation from the start to the finish. At least this year I'm sure of my shoes and don't expect a repeat of blistering under my toenails (which I didn't even know could happen) and ultimately losing one of the nails months later in while Aruba in February.

Alan won't make that trip. Aside from his lack of interest in walking for days on end, he's had an MRI on his knee and there's a complex tear of the medial meniscus. That's doc talk for you need knee surgery. He's going to wait on that until we get back to the USA and our health insurance.

We've also made quite a lot of arrangements for our move. The moving company will come next Monday or Tuesday to take 150 kilos of our stuff. Except for what we take on the plane that is all we will take from Ireland. It was hard deciding what to take and what to leave behind and these last two months are a little sparse. I save odd shaped jars and bottles but Alan has been vigilant and none of them made the cut. I have been able to take a few of the great bowls I bought in charity shops here. The shipment will go by boat and they tell us it will be 60-90 days in getting there. I hope it's the shorter, but it all depends on how long it takes to fill the container in which our small shipment will be included. I've also bought a few things that have been shipped direct from the stores. We know, for example, that our new everyday silverware from Newbridge has already arrived and a set of porcelain dishware is also on the way. I want to be ready to set up housekeeping -- and welcome guests -- as quickly as possible once we arrive in Bloomington. I suspect we won't have as many out-of-town guests in Bloomington as we've had in Dublin, but hope springs eternal. That sure has been one of the many highlights of our stay here.

We've already found a place to live temporarily while we look for a house to buy. It's good to have friends! Once I put the word out that we had a return date, a friend at Indiana University sent an email to her colleagues and we found a small house within hours. There is even some basic furniture so we won't have to sit on hastily bought lawn furniture and a matress on the floor while we await the rest of our stuff from storage in Virginia. The best thing about this place is that the owner is very flexible about timing and we don't have to sign a lease, so we have some time to find the right place. Another friend in Bloomington has put us in touch with a great realtor who has already sent us several listings in the neighborhood in which we are hoping to buy. I have to say, we are both looking forward to reuniting with our stuff, I'm particularly anxious to get my piano back. Still, I'd rather we stayed in Dublin and would happily sacrifice the piano if that were a possibility. It's not and I've adjusted to it.

We had a nice trip to Wales earlier this week after a harrowing first few hours. We took the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead with our bikes in tow. It never ceases to amaze me how optimistic I am about biking. We initially decided that we could get off in Holyhead and bike the 55 km to Caernarfon [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caernarfon] where Alan booked a hotel. Ha, ha. We got about 5 miles on a "dual carriageway," which means highway where you can (legally) ride your bike if you are completely crazy. Unfortunately, one aspect of these roads is that there aren't many exits. We got off at the first opportunity and took the train to Bangor, just 9 km away from our destination. When we got off the train in Bangor we missed the tiny, tiny sign for the bikeway and wound up on another dual carriageway. We didn't realize it until it was too late and we couldn't get off, so when the 18 inch paved siding ended abruptly walking on the grass was the only option for me. Alan continued riding and would wait ahead periodically. He is able to ride on a white line, a talent I don't have at all. It was quite terrifying seeing him up ahead with no margin for error. But, we made it safely, although completly drained and exhausted. The following day was a beautiful, sunny one and we had a lot of fun seeing the sights of Caenarfon, including one of the oldest castles in Europe. It was quite interesting learing a little about the history of Wales and the fierce independence of the people. Fortunately our return ride to Bangor was on the bikeway, a beautiful coastline ride, I was so sorry to have missed it coming out.

Today we are going to see a play by Enda Walsh, one of Ireland's leading contemporary playwrites. It's been characterized is "Waiting for Godot" where Godot arrives. We've seen that play, penned by another of Ireland's great playwrites, Samuel Beckett. I'm hoping this one is better because I just couldn't get it. I was convinced to buy the tickets because it has Stephen Rea and Cilian Murphy [http://ballyturk.com/gallery/] two actors I like very much. (I've provided the link because most of you will know them once you see a picture.) The third guy, who I'm guessing is the arriving Godot is unknown to me yet. I'm hoping I've either matured or the play is more accessible than "Godot," otherwise an afternoon snooze in in my future.

Finally, we are eagerly awaiting our final visitors. Linda and Bob, longtime friends from Washington are coming on September 17. After a few days in Dublin, we have taken a house is Ballyvaughn, County Clare for a week. This is an area in the west of Ireland near The Burren. We spent a nice week with them last year in Clifden in Galway and are looking forward to seeing them again.

I'll likely post more regularly now, until the end of our stay.