Powerscourt Estate and Garden- Ireland

Our next stop was Dublin, Ireland. This is Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry, about an hour's drive from Dublin. Not super impressive from the front...

But this is what it looks like from the back! 

We were told to go through the side garden first. I think the guide was just trying to manage crowd control. 

Every good estate needs a turret tower. 

Bud occasionally waits while I scurry about taking photos. He's very patient. 

The inside of the estate was gutted by fire and never really restored. 

This used to be the ballroom. 

The ringlets are fascinating! 

Back outside, now that the rain has momentarily stopped

I waited a long time to get the steps without people. It was impossible. 

Another good excursion! 

Bodnant Garden, Wales

While waiting for our flight to leave SLC, I got to thinking about the shoes I may or may not have packed for the trip. I called Karen and asked if she could see my "regular" shoes lying around. She couldn't, so I was hopeful I'd packed them. I was wearing sandals at the time as I normally do to the airport. That whole "take off your shoes" thing, you know. When I got to England, my shoe fear was realized. I only had the sandals I was wearing, and some black casual heels. I knew I was going to need something sturdier for this trip, so at the first opportunity I bought some shoes that cost me £65 (that's $105, thank you very much). For-a-pair-of-tennis-shoes!

As I left the ship for my adventure I saw this awesome bridge.

And this bridge.

This is a little house that gets flooded by the river every so often. I'm told the house is always on the market (for the next unsuspecting bloke).

This is shale that is mined and used for roofing house. If you look SUPER close, you'll see people climbing the mountain (look for a speck of red right in the middle).

This is where I was traipsing around in my heels. 

Not too far off, I found a mountaineering store where I bought my new shoes. 

 Bodnant Garden covers 80 acres. We did not get to go inside the house shown here.

Did I take the easy way up? Of course not! 

A BBC film crew was there with our group, but I stayed out of reach of the cameras and crew. 

The sign just above the opening is the name of the town. Go ahead, try to say it. 

While Bud went to see the Caernarfon Castle, I visited Bodnant Garden. I think I got the better deal.

Caernarfon Castle, Wales

The first port we were scheduled to visit was Guernsey Island. It didn't happen. We were told the water was too rough for us to tender to shore, so they dropped it from the itinerary and went straight to the next port which was Holyhead, Wales. I was disappointed we didn't get to go to St. Peters Port, but I was grateful for a day at sea to start the trip because we were so tired from the flight and time change.

Bud and I had to take separate excursions when we got to Wales because they said the excursion I wanted to go on only had one ticket left. Bud bought me the ticket and then picked this castle for him to go see. When I told him there were three empty seats on my bus, he was a little irritated. These are pictures he took with my purse camera. I think he did a pretty good job! This castle was built for King Edward I during England's 13th century conquest of Wales.

Such artistic photography. Maybe I should give him the camera more often! 

This is the courtyard where Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969.

...and a random harbor. Next you'll see where I went while Bud was at this castle.

My Mom!

Today is my mother's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! I love you so so so so so much. There's no way she looks her age, so that's why I'm going to tell you that she is 81 today! My mother is a remarkable woman with a solid testimony and the ability to give so much love and service to all those who are fortunate to know her.
Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day! I love you!

Caleb's Privileges

 Caleb took too long to get ready for bed last night, so his mom took away his movie and video game privileges for today. He wanted a chance to earn them back, so he asked if he could earn them back by making cookie dough. His mom said that if he made chocolate chip cookie dough for her without anyone helping him, he would earn them back. She said that because she didn't think he would accept the challenge. She was wrong. He made the cookie dough, but he also made a mess when he measured the flour, so here he is cleaning it up. I understand if only his mom and his nana think this is video-worthy.

He hates getting "stuff" on him which is why he wigged out when the flour hit his foot.

Say that three times fast!