The Giant's Causeway, At Last!

After a couple of days trying to get adjusted to the time change, light change, and life in general, we were ready to go off on an adventure. When Bill asked me where I wanted to go first, there was only one answer, The Giant's Causeway! This is one of theose places I've wanted to see since reading about it in National Geographic when I was very young. Plus the story of Finn McCool is just too good of a tale!

You will notice the big grin on my face in all the pictures.....

We bought a membership in the National Trust, which will get us into of different places, some of which we would never pay individually to see, but with a membership, we will have to go to be sure and get our moneys worth.

After all the climbing around on the rocks, we headed to Old Bushmill Distillery for a tour and taste. This is the oldest licensed distillery in the United Kingdom, being in business since 1608. Now that's a lot of whiskey!

I've never cared much for whiskey, too harsh, but this Irish stuff is good.

Are We There Yet?

We were delayed in Chicago, even to the point of changing planes after we were boarded. We finally arrived in Dublin 4 hours late. Maria and Dennis were waiting holding little signs, "Bill and Mary", so we would be sure it was them. On the drive to Kilrea, Maria told us about the countryside, as well as comments about The Troubles when we crossed the border and drove into Belfast. Soldiers were billeted there, the helicopters took off from there, a lookout tower was there, all of this was bombed to the ground; now it is a bustling city with new construction.










Maria warned us the dogs might not be friendly when we first arrived, but to give them a chance to warm up to us. We took our bags to our room to freshen up. The dogs were immediately outside out closed door smelling. When we finished, we opened to the door to find Shiva looking at us from the end of the hall. She whirled and disappeared! By the time we walked to the entry area, she and Morgan were both there waiting for us with tails wagging, wanted to smell us and be rubbed and talked to, RIGHT NOW if you please! Guess we just smelled like the dogs lovers we are.


The house is very nice and comfortable. We sat around the kitchen table getting to know each other. First with coffee and biscuits (small cookies for you Americans), then later a bottle of wine. We met Maria's sister, Henry and friend, Ann, who came over to pick rhubarb. Dinner was take out pizza.

We were up late talking, not realizing the time, both from the jet lag and how very light it was outside at 11 pm, even though there was cloud cover!

Neolithic Stones

One of our passions when we are stayed in France and Cornwall was finding the neolithic standing rocks. Stonehenge is one that everyone has heard about. But, it's the lesser known ones we really enjoy searching out.

In France, quite by accident, we found La Roche au Feis. The Rock of Fairies. It felt like the fairies did indeed live there.

Cornwall's stones were harder to find. Some we finally put the coordinates into the GPS and followed BIB's* directions. They weren't very well marked, leading us to wonder if it was a subtle means of protecting them. We found The Hurlers on an outing with Molly the English black and white collie.

The Dancing Maids took a bit more sluething, but worth it.

* Bitch in the Box, our GPS.

Hillsborough, North Carolina

We have been fortunate to have two stays in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Chris and Jeff have a wonderful house set in the middle of the woods. Their house felt like home the first time we walked through the door; the colors, the wood ceilings, the bookcases overflowing, and the wonderful "treasures". They have two dogs, Maggie and Blue and two cats, Felix and Tasha.



The first time we stayed, we soon realized we would need to come again. The area around Hillsborough, Raleigh/Durham is chock a box full of things to do and see. Lots of history, parks, a whole valley full of potters, and did I mention the Barbeque? Well, Carolina claims to be the birthplace of bbq! Slow smoked until it falls off the bones, then add the sauce, traditionally one with lots of vinegar.
The history part is pretty cool, too. During our first visit we went to a Civil War battlefield where one of Bill's great Grandfathers had fought. During the second visit, it was a Revolutionary War battlefield. Looking through their records, we discovered a relative of a friend was in the same regiment as one of Bill's relatives. We like to think that the two of them not only knew each other, but were friends, just like their modern day counterparts.

Catherine's Americains, Part Duex

Have you ever felt like you were being watched, but couldn't quite put your finger on who or what? Most days during our stay in Tesse Froulay, we would grab the guide books and head out in the little Peugoet (50mpg!). There were only three ways to go when we reached the main road, so we traveled the same routes over and over. After a few weeks, especially when we were headed south into the Loire, we noticed folks looking up as we passed, then reaching in their pockets for a cell phone. Since we're not the paranoid types, we made up a tale for when we got home, or wrote a blog.

"Help us track Catherine's Americains!

Where will they go today?

When you see them, call us with the location, so we can plot their travels on our map!

Those Americains are certainly making the most of their visit and that little Peugeot (50mpg!)."

If you have ever watched French television you could easily imagine this going on.

Catherine's Americains

In November of 2007, we traveled to Normandy, France to house
sit for Catherine while she went to Australia to visit her children and
grandchildren. We shared the house with Pibe, the Chartreus Cat. Catherine also let us drive her little Peugeot. (50 mpg!!)

The house didn't have a street address. It was simply, La Branchoire, in Tesse Froulay. Catherine's section of the building is the area with the darker tile roof. The neighbors next door, while waving to you friendly, spoke no English, and did not respond to our attempts to communicate in French. Across the yard was a large barn with another house attached. The house was owned by an English couple, who came twice during our stay. The barn was owned by Marcel, a tiny, elderly gentleman, who produced apple cider, pommeau, and Calvados, an apple brandy. Marcel did not speak English, but was always willing to "communicate" with us. He lived in a house which was behind the barn on another lane through our little commune.

We enjoyed our stay in Tesse Froulay. It afforded us the opportunity to experience living in another country, not just as a visiting tourist. And with the little Peugeot (50mpg!) we traveled over most of Normandy, eastern Brittany and the northern Loire.

Looking For Misty and Stormy of Chincoteague

One of the more interesting places we visited while in Virginia was Chincoteague. Some of you may have read the Misty and Stormy of Chincateague books. I'd read the books, but never thought about it until our friends Mitch and Lillie came to visit. Guess where Lillie wanted to go? So we got out the map, plotted our route and away we went. Now if you ever want to go on an adventure to find some obscure place, item or even a stuffed horse, Mitch and Lillie are the folks to go with. They are tenacious, in a good way.

Chincoteague is on the little spit of land that is part of Virginia, but on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay. It is famous for it's ponies, whose ancestors escaped from a Spanish shipwreck many, many years ago. Every year, the ponies are rounded up, and made to swim across a small inlet, then the excess are sold. The rest are returned to the wild until the next year. Lillie had thought she might be interesting in buying one, until she found our how many thousands of dollars they sell for.

Arriving in the town, Misty and Stormy were everywhere. Books, movies, stuffed toys, jewelry, but we weren't looking for the imitations, we wanted the real thing! We were finally directed to a small house that had a sign, Museum. Mitch got out of the car to see if it was the real thing before we paid our entrance fees. He came back with a grin on his face!

The house was where the owners of Misty and Stormy had lived. The current owners had turned it into a museum and gift shop, complete with the stuffed Misty and Stormy. In the lot out back, was Misty's great, great grand son, still alive and unstuffed.

Hampton Roads Virginia

One of the main concerns when we are looking for a house sit is location. We always want to be near places that are interesting to visit. We were in the Hampton Roads area for nearly six months and still didn't see everything! Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, the NASA museum, the Chrysler Art Museum and a bit further away, the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. Plus, all the many beautiful plantation homes, assorted forts and battlegrounds, and miscellaneous museums we just happened upon. Which ever way we went, there was something new to see and explore. If you have never been to this part of the US, you should go!

Hamptom Roads; Our First Housesit

As the time to leave for Northern Ireland comes closer, we find ourselves remembering past house sits, which I will share over the next few posts.

The first position we found through Housecarers.com, was for Janice and Erik, in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. We stayed in their beautiful house with their three cats, Mayday, Tasha, and Guinness, while J & E wandered the globe for nearly six months.

Pulling up in front of their house, Bill and I heaved a sigh of relief; it looked just like the pictures.




Janice and Erik must have been standing in the hallway, for when we rang the doorbell, it immediately opened. For a brief moment, we stared at one another, then we all seemed to speak at once. A Big Case of Nerves. This was the first time they had used a house sitter, as well as our first time house sitting for complete strangers. We had arrived two days before they were scheduled to leave. By then we had all calmed a bit. One thing which helped was discovering Bill and I knew Erik's aunt and uncle in Shingletown, CA! It really is a small world!



We dropped them off at the airport, ready for their big adventure. Then back to the house, to start ours! Time to get aquainted with the cats!
Mayday was the social kitty. She was getting on in years, loved to eat, both her own food as well any that Tasha and Guinness might leave, something we had to watch out for. Mayday was also, absolutely positive that everyone wanted he in their lap anytime one was seated. She was a Sweetheart! I haven't been able to find our pictures of Mayday, so will keep looking.
Tasha aka Zoomer, for her speed of light runs through the entire house, was the BOSS. If she wanted the sunny spot, she got the sunny spot. Back of the sofa? Hers! Top of the cat tree? Hers! Top of the computer monitor? Hers! Guess when you are gorgeous, with big blue eyes, the world is Yours!


Guinness was the lone male. He was shy, a picky eater, and at times didn't seem to know what to do with the two gals in his life. He made up for any problems by being loving, and almost apologetic when he had an accident. He was always happy to see us first thing in the morning, even if he wasn't interested in his food. Guinness also had the most beautiful markings we had ever seen. He was the color of a pint of Guinness with the most beautiful green eyes.

Desert Blooms

Spring flowers in the Sonoran Desert.

Gila Monster!

We knew he was in the neighborhood. We had to wait until he was ready for us to meet him. Finally, today was the day! Our new neighbor, Mr. Gila Monster.