The Dingle Peninsula is the Ireland that everyone knows from photos on calendars with titles like “Magnificent Scenery of the Emerald Isle.” Stone walls surround vibrant green pastures where flocks of sheep idly graze. Picturesque cottages perch atop towering cliffs with waves crashing below. It’s almost too beautiful to be real. But a few weeks […]
Category: Travel
Sketchbook Journeys – Ireland: Day 7
The 7″ x 10″ Canson watercolor sketch book that I used for my travel journal contained 20 pages of 140 lb. watercolor paper. I used both sides of the paper, which gave me 40 pages to fill during my 2-week trip. The whole time I was in Ireland, I had a niggling worry in the […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Ireland: Days 4-6
Dunluce Castle was our last stop in Northern Ireland. The crumbling structure looks as if it might tumble down the cliffs into the churning waters of the Atlantic during a rough winter storm. When I did this little sketch of the castle, I framed it with a Celtic border, drawn after we were out of […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Ireland: Days 3-4
I wanted to stop and visit every cute little town we drove through in Ireland. They all looked so inviting, with their colorful buildings, interesting shops, pretty houses, and window boxes filled with cascading flowers. We did make a stop in Ballycastle, where I sat in the warm sunshine on a stone wall, balancing my […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Ireland: Days 1-3
The last line has been drawn, the last brushstroke painted. My Ireland sketchbook is complete! I still want to dress up the cover a bit when I get a chance, but I’m so anxious to share my sketches with you that I just couldn’t wait any longer! 7″ x 11″ watercolor sketchbook (In case you’re […]
Ireland 2011 – Chapter 7 – Heading Home
It was our last (*sniff*) day (*sniff*sniff*) with our friends, Mary and Bernadette, and our driver, Danny. Our 7-day tour was almost over, and my mom and I were sad to leave them and head out on our own once more. I was dreading having to get behind the wheel again, this time with a […]
Ireland 2011 – Chapter 6 – The Burren and Beaches
It would be impossible to choose a favorite out of all the wonderful places we visited in Ireland, but the Burren stands out in my mind as one of the best. Fields of limestone in the Burren, County Clare The rugged landscape of the Burren (Irish for “stony place”) is made up of layers of […]
Ireland 2011 – Chapter 5 – The Cliffs of Moher
We really enjoyed our stay in Dingle town. The pub at our hotel offered live music in the evening, so we finally had a chance to hear some wonderful, foot-stompin’ traditional Irish music. And my mom and I had our first Irish coffees! Mmmmm! We had a free morning in Dingle to wander around and […]
Ireland 2011 – Chapter 4 – Dingle Peninsula
After a hearty Irish breakfast, we set off on the fourth day of our tour. The morning was misty and overcast, but the views were still wonderful. Our guide, Danny, took us across from the mainland to Valentia Island, to start the morning off right with with a brisk morning walk. View from Valentia Island, […]
Ireland 2011 – Chapter 3 – Beara Peninsula & Ring of Kerry
Our Driftwood Tour of Ireland wasn’t like a typical tour at all – no big buses or crowds of people. It was more like having a friend show you some of his favorite places. We went off the beaten track often, and saw so much more than I could have on my own, places only […]
