It's all in the details...catching up
Hiya, how ya keepin’? After two weeks of intermittent access due to a total hard drive crash, back in business with most files recovered, including blog notes and an abundance of pictures waiting in the wings. YAY! (And WHEW!)
31oct-4nov
Continued progress at the Ballyfermot unit, with crews scheduled Wednesday and Saturday this week and 4 days a week for the remainder of my stay (sans next week, when I’ll be out exploring the SW of Ireland., and gathering another load of pictures to share!).
28-30 oct
One less staff person, as Regis made his way to Paris enroute to home this weekend. No work on site, as this is not only a three day weekend/bank holiday in Ireland, but Halloween weekend as well, complete with illegal fireworks (quite spectacular, actually) and unauthorized bonfires (HUGE!!!) everywhere.
As the Ballyfermot authorities where I work put it, it’s an “active” weekend in the neighborhood(s). We opted to defer work and observe the “activities” from afar
03-27oct06
Steady progress at Ballyfermot despite regular challenges with the local kids. Front and rear gardens “revealed”, unearthed from the throes of jungle like growth (some 4 feet high!) and monumental debris hidden within in the rear, and mowed and “debrided” in the front as well. Each took a full day’s work with multiple volunteers to complete!
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, we have a family assigned to this unit now, Joe and Yvonne and their two children Ross and Karla. Very cool, and delightful to work with.
Interior work is nearing “deconstruction completion”, with several walls relieved of their coverings, 50% all the way to bare block to allow for insulation and replastering, the remainder down to plasterboard after years of hiding under a plethora of wallpaper and paint layers. Volunteer concerns about not being able to play with power tools or “build” in the ways associated with new construction have been effectively waylaid during the process, so volunteer teams and this diminutive site supervisor are all happy with the tasks at hand, and the rapid results….many hands make light work, “fer sure”!
02-06oct06
Working Ballyfermot with two young semi-regular volunteers, so both sites now up and running. Big crew expected on each site Saturday, so things are beginning to move…goal is to be close to done before my time is up… extending my stay through November to support that plan. The second volunteer supervisor is leaving early, and car/apartment are available through then, so will continue to contribute here until then. Though it’s been suggested that I extend even longer, am looking forward to at least a temporary return to the states for a portion of the holidays, and then will see what God has in store for the New Year….lots of possibilities showing up…looking forward to continuing the adventure!
29sept-01oct06
A three day “Into the West” tour with Vagabond Tours, with just four of us and our guide in a Land Rover. A weekend filled with stories, Irish history, and “off the beaten path” exploring…
Day 1: Dublin to Killebogan and the Locke Distillery, on to Galway and the Irish whores (Small open dinghies used for fishing), Connemara, the Maumturk Mountains and St. Patrick’s Bed, Roundstone and Eldon’s Hotel with a visit to the only fulltime maker of the Bodrain or traditional Irish drum (perhaps most familiar to most as the drum sound experienced in Riverdance (Malachy’s drums were used for that production).
Day 2: Roundstone to Clifden…Letterfrack…Crough Patrick and riding on the beach….Westport…Castlebor…Inishcrone and a beachfront B&B….Ireland’s coats boast some beautiful white sand beaches whose waters rival warmer climes…who knew?...hiking a portion of the Famine Walk trail between Doolough and Louisburg (see
Day 3: Strandhill…Sligo…Queen Maeve’s Cairn…seaweed baths (a bit Neptunish, a bit slimy, and every bit as relaxing and therapeutic as a good massage…who knew)…and a missed opportunity to learn a bit of surfing Ireland style (though I know where they are for a future trip…wind, rain, sun, and a rainbow to cap the trip. Awesome!
27-28sept06
Reconnoitering at the office, finishing reorganization there, and planning possible volunteer days (at last…YAY) for the second of the two sites here. Quiet but productive.
25-26 sept06
Two spectacular days with HFH NI! Two 2-bedroom homes framed, sheathed, squared, shimmed, and blocked in two days by a team of 11…yee haw! Would have loved to have stayed for trusses….down with a boom and 350 scaffolding around the house, again, all by volunteers. Alas, had to return to Dublin, and took the coastal route around the ------------- mountains….misty, rainy, very otherworldly feeling. A beautiful close to my four day weekend away.
24sept06
Opened my 52nd year on Giant’s Causeway, a small but surprising geological oddity on the Coast. Hiking in for about 20 minutes, the sudden change from “normal” terrain to hexagon columns of varying heights and colors is truly amazing, and feels very much out of the blue when you come upon it.
The same is true of the terrain in general as you drive from east to west….the country opens up to rough and seemingly never ending, then to a bit of forest…then mountain “”remains” ….through Derry to Letter Kenney, out R251 to BulBon, a small fishing village with a very inviting little harbor…then up to Doulough and the Horn Head, a tiny peninsula with fabulous views and walking paths to entice any level of fitness….on my next trip to Ireland, would/will rent a van or camper and walk my way through the country…beautiful! Back in the day, the entire Ireland was forest…must have been awesome to see…all but a very small percentage has been logged away over the centuries…
Back through the center of Northern Ireland to Belfast to join a Global Village team from Atlanta, GA Monday and Tuesday as they begin a two week build in Downpatrick. Work for some, for me, a welcome infusion of hands on building from the ground (or in this case, slab) up!
23sept06
Rented a car (feeling very empowered
Overnight at the Bushfoot B&B in Portballintrae, quiet, lovely, and slept “under the stars” in a manner of speaking, nestled in a twin bed below a skylight. Restful….
18-22sept06
Monday through Wednesday working the office as a “work site” of sorts, asked to clear old equipment, organize contents/files etc. to give new executive director Kevin McGarry a head start at finding his way through the maze of information and kick start a new era for the local program here. A kind of “extreme makeover”, and fun to do. Still a work in progress and a solid use of time while volunteer schedules and family selection for the refurbs are in process.
Thursday….another productive on site day, with considerable clearing out and cleaning up done. Much to do here as well. Planning, tools and supplies in place….the ingredients yet to be added to create a successful recipe are plumbing/electrical contractors, as well as volunteers and a recipient family. Wheels move slowly, and give a sense of what a start up affiliate faces in getting the word out, establishing a presence, and keeping momentum going after a successful first push. Always and ever learning!
Also took in Dublin’s first cultural night, with several museums and other locales open until 2100 or later. Went to the “Bog Body” exhibit, literally bodies found in the bogs, most several hundred years old and in many cases perfectly preserved, including teeth, nails, and hair…think Egyptian mummies without the wrappings. Amazing, and each with a story to tell.
County Wicklow….Avondale…beaches on the east coast…Johnny Fox’s pub
Terms/languaging:
Bridging versus blocking (for mounting cabinets in home construction)
Skills-education versus counseling
Drink driving versus drunk driving….by law you may not drink anything here if you plan to drive
As regards….versus
Your man…
How ya keeping….terrible thank God
posted by Sheila | 2:41 PM
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