My parents had a firm rule for me whenever we visited Cantigny: touch…nothing. Actually, in my case, this rule was generally applied to all situations (in stores, people’s houses, petting zoos, etc.), but here at the park it was reinforced, especially when it came…to the fountain.
In 2016, I made my first visit to Salt Lake City and to Temple Square. It was a beautiful complex with its architecture and gardens, though I never did mount up the courage to enter any of the buildings there. You could say that I was a little gun shy about Mormonic places of worship, … Continue reading Latter-Day Saints (and Sinners)
“They want us to do what?” I was stunned. Kay consulted her notes again. “They don’t have any counselors for this camp, and the director wants each of us to lead a small group for the next two weeks. “ “We…each get a group?” I could almost feel the blood draining from my face. This … Continue reading A Fish Out of Water
After 15 years of employment, the library continues to provide me with little jewels of humor and insight...Part One was getting pretty lengthy, and so, onto Part Two! A young boy came up to one of my co-workers and requested "The Life of Pi," pronouncing Pi as "Pee." When she tried to correct him, … Continue reading Tales of a Library Wonk, Part Two
Day Fifteen (9/28/18): Home, or, Steve Can't Hold His Liquor I awoke this morning to a spectacular sunrise and accompanying ocean view from my bedroom windows. While Tim decided to go out for an early morning run (clearly the adventure run of a few days ago did not dampen his desire for self-torture), I sat … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Fifteen
Day Fourteen (9/27/18): Howth Your Shepherd's Pie? After a delightful continental breakfast served in our B&B’s dining room, Tim and I took our leave and set out to explore Edinburgh in the daylight. The weather proved to be overcast and windy for much of the day. In addition, our time was limited because of our … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Fourteen
Day Thirteen (9/26/18): Nessie Searching, the Fate of Castle Urquhart, and Traveling “Diagon Alley” Through Edinburgh We left Inverness and headed southward toward the legendary Loch Ness. The morning weather proved to be dreary and wet, with a low-hanging mist hovering over the choppy water, giving the surrounding area a sense of ancient mystery. Although … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Thirteen
Day Twelve (9/25/18): Inverness As had become the custom with us, we got a late start to the day. We had a long lunch at the Hinterland restaurant in Perth’s city center while Tim and I began to tally up our trip expenditures, and just how much we had left in our budget. All the … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Twelve
Day Eleven (9/24/18): Cheers, Ireland! Hi-ya, Scotland! Now that the weekend had ended, it was time to decide what we would do with the remaining days of our vacation. In our pre-trip planning, Tim and I deliberately left our final few days open. However, before we could address our itinerary, there was the matter of … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Eleven
Day Ten (9/23/18): An Ulster Fried Day In the end, no one came to throw us out of our room, and Tim and I passed a comfortable night. We stopped for breakfast at a little Irish restau…okay fine, it was McDonald’s again. Down the street from said restaurant was a church that Tim had previously … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Ten
Day Nine (9/22/18): Children and Idiots Mark Twain once wrote that “Providence protects children and idiots. This is really true. I know because I have tested it.” Not merely content to heed these words, on this particular day, I put them to the test, and I came to the same conclusion: God loves stupid people … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Nine
Day Eight (9/21/18): Homecoming You know it’s going to be an amazing day when you throw back the curtains in the morning and find yourself staring at a rainbow outside your bedroom window. This would prove to be the first of many rainbows that my brother and I came across during our day’s journey. We … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Eight
Day Seven (9/20/18): John Wayne Drank Here We got an early start to our day. We packed up and were on the road to Galway by 9 a.m. Once we got into the city, we stopped for breakfast at a little Irish place called…McDonald’s. Yes, that McDonald’s (they have ‘em in Ireland too). The big … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Seven
Day Six (9/19/18): "Ruin"ing a Vacation We made our departure from the Dunaway farm around lunchtime, and headed northwest until we reached Limerick where we had lunch. Despite being surrounded by ancient buildings, Limerick proved to be a very trendy, hipster-friendly city. At times, I felt a little out of place there, having no tattoos, … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Six
Day Five (9/18/18): Irish Roads are Mad! After a late start and a long breakfast with Dorothy, Tim and I set out to explore County Cork. Our first stop was at the bayside town of Bantry. The weather was beautiful as we strolled around the bay and the city centre. Blue skies and pleasant temperatures … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Five
Day Four (9/17/18): You Can Take the Yank Out of America... So…we don’t tip? I got to put my American naivety on display in the morning, following a good Irish breakfast at the hotel café. I realized that I hadn’t put a tip in our hotel room for housekeeping. I pulled out €20 and headed … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Four
Day Three (9/16/18): Welcome to Dooblin With the weather being what it was in Iceland, we were more than happy to get up at 4 am to catch our flight to Dublin. We flew with WOW Air again, and although it was just as uncomfortable as the first trip, we only had to endure it … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Three
Day Two (9/15/18): Iceland, or, Never Bring an Umbrella to a Wind Fight It was 11 am local time when we landed in Keflavik, Iceland. We disembarked into overcast, 40-degree (Fahrenheit) weather, although I didn’t notice it initially because I was overjoyed by the return of blood flow to my legs. Once inside the terminal, … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day Two
Friday, September 14, 2018: Marching Bands, Flying Guinea Pigs, and WOW Moments There’s nothing like having a parade to send you off on your journey in style. Okay, so maybe the parade wasn’t exactly on my account. Truthfully, it was the local high school’s homecoming parade. However, they were marching right by my house…so I … Continue reading Roundabout: Circling the Emerald Isle, Day One
Mock me if you will, but for several summers during my college years, I was a Civil War reenactor, proudly serving with the 64th Illinois Infantry. I spent a number of weekends dressing up as a soldier, camping out, having mock gun fights to the delight of audiences, and generally geeking out on all things … Continue reading Private Dexheimer: Civil Warrior…Sort Of
Dexy's Midnight Ramblings 