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| We stopped by the pier on the last sunny day we’ve had in a week or more. |
“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“The population of Ireland still has not bounced back from the famine it faced years
ago. During that time, the population was 8 million. Today, the population lingers
below 7 million.”
With our cruise from Southampton in October/November, after a transatlantic sailing ending in Fort Lauderdale, as mentioned, we’re planning to visit Minnesota first, then Nevada, and then on to visit Tom’s sisters at their winter homes in Apache Junction, Arizona.
In Nevada, we’ll be staying with son Richard at his home in Henderson for two to three weeks (yet to be determined). The US holiday, Thanksgiving, transpires during this period which we’ll celebrate at his home. He has the same diet as mine and thus, making Thanksgiving dinner, will be especially enjoyable.
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| “Fish cages are placed in lakes, bayous, ponds, rivers, or oceans to contain and protect fish until they can be harvested. The method is also called “off-shore cultivation” when the cages are placed in the sea.” |
Our plan is to head to Apache Junction, Arizona in early December and spend Christmas with three of his six sisters. Tom is the youngest in his family and every opportunity to spend with his siblings is precious and meaningful.
His elder brother Jerome (24 years older than Tom) lives in the Minneapolis area along with his sister Patty whom we’ll see in Minnesota. We hope to see his other sisters, but one, Rita, lives in Rapid City, South Dakota and his other sister, Sister Beth, is a nun living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
It will be a busy time in Minnesota for both of us. Most likely on several occasions, as we did last time we were there in May and June 2017, we’ll each go separate ways.
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| There are many types of fishing equipment located on the pier. |
I’ll be with my son Greg and his family, while Tom visits with his family. Of course, we’ll spend some time together with each other’s family members. Somehow, although time is shorter for this visit, we’ll work it all out.
But now, with Minnesota and Nevada arrangements set, we need only to figure out where we’ll stay in Apache Junction and for how long. We’re hoping to find a caravan rental where his sisters live to escape the cold winter months in Minnesota. We’ve inquired at the caravan park where his sisters are located and his sisters are also inquiring for us.
If we’re unable to find a caravan we can rent we’ll have to either find a holiday home for rent or a nearby hotel. We’ll see how it goes. We still have six months until we’ll be there.
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| An array of fishing equipment is situated on the Glinsce Pier. |
Slowly but surely we’re filling in the gaps in our itinerary. Each night, during our hour-long Happy Hour, we discuss our options as to where in the world we’d like to travel.
I feel confident I’ll be able to continue on. Tom, on the other hand, is feeling as if we should wait to book plans well into the future after our recent experiences with my open heart surgery and subsequent slow recovery.
I feel confident we’ll be able to make plans. Tom’s concern is associated with my ability to do a lot of walking on uneven surfaces, which seem to be a substantial part of world travels.
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| Old boat on the pier. I wonder what stories it could tell. |
Tom’s right, at this point…such walking is a challenge but it’s only been a little over two months since I had two surgeries on both of my legs. Surely, in time as they continue to heal, I’ll be able to tackle the often strenuous walking associated with sightseeing.
In the interim, I continue to walk up to 10,000 steps a day inside the house in an attempt to build up cardiac strength and endurance. But, my legs aren’t strong and stable yet. I get his point. We’ll wait to start booking more venues for 2020 until I can do a little more.
Currently, we have several cruises booked well into 2020. After this first cruise (since the surgery), sailing on August 11th, we’ll have a better idea of how I’ll do on tours and living aboard a ship.
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| The side wall of the boat launch. |
Today, another cool and cloudy day, we’re off to Clifden to shop The hustle and bustle of the small town (population 1,600), often packed with tourists, is entertaining and energizing.
Have a fabulous day doing exactly that which you love to do!
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| Check out the wear and tear on this old elephant’s right ear. For more photos, please click here. |