It
occurred to me that our family's time in Ireland and our adventures had
not been posted for current bloggers to read.
It was an amazing few years
where our children attended Irish schools (scoil) and studied Gaelic,
where we lived on 20 acres of ancient forests, where we owned and
operated a hotel (built in 1769 as a hunting lodge for an English lord,
converted to a hotel in early 1960s). We moved to Vienna Woods Hotel in 1985, moved back to California in 1988.
Vienna Woods Hotel had many uses, and the previous owner held many wedding, parties, company meetings. When we bought it, we installed bathrooms in 19 of the rooms. Had to do some repairs and decor changes.
Here are a few photos. Top is one of the three wedding rooms. Johnny is in his wellies and cat Midnight. The black and white photo of the hotel was taken in mid-1980s.
Partial view of west side of hotel, 1985 It was built in 1769 by Lord Barrymore who used it for a summer hunting lodge for the elites of society.
Three milk stools found buried beneath refuse dating to mid-1700s
The photo below is of our town, Glanmire, in Co. Cork.
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Mary by one of the huge trees in the woods Later, Fitzgerald bulldozed and covered this part of the woods. Bungalows, instead, were built. Erin and John standing in front of the grotto, apparently built for deer for their food and water. The tree above is easily 200+ years old. An old oak tree on the property had to be removed, as its roots were threatening the hotel. I spent about 30 min. counting the rings, getting to 225.
There were about 12 inches left to count.
Children remember the adventures, as we do. But we parents also remember all the work that it took to get to these adventures. All parents know that work they had to do in one way or another. Good times!
There are some basic physics when it comes to mass and space. A certain amount of mass can fill only the same amount of space and no more.
At one of the many award ceremonies held by the world of entertainment, Dolly Parton’s ample chest burst through her snug dress. When her dress mishap was repaired, Dolly said something to the effect of “My daddy always told me that you can’t fit five gallons of mud into a one-gallon bucket.”
That is true in every situation, including the Eiffel Tower.
Tourists wander around on the lower level of the Tower before taking an elevator to the second level. There is one elevator that is specifically for people. The other four are for operations to maintain the Tower.
One would think that someone would think I’ll take the next one…no, you go on… No, all crammed into the elevator #5 with space seeming to decrease as mass increased.
In 1985, My husband and I were part of that mass which also included a tourist bus of tall Swedish men…no, tall and big Swedish men. My husband was pushed away with the flow of people, leaving me in the middle of the elevator without him.
As the elevator went up, the mass increased at each stop. It became obvious to this 5` 4” female, I would soon be crushed in a vice of handsome muscular tall Viking giants.
One giant peered down at my desperate face and placed his massive arm over my head to the shoulder of another towering giant, who looked down at miniscule female (me). He braced his hand on the other man's shoulder, chuckling while saying something in Viking language.
The elevator opened, spewing its occupants out onto the top level of the Eiffel Tower.
The Vikings deserted me to gaze at the city they had once conquered, when my 5` 9” husband found me. We held hands, viewing Paris from the heights of the Eiffel Tower.
The Eiffel Tower will always be special. Someday I hope to head to Sweden and greet my ancestors.
This is a repost from 2014. Apparently 1 in 33 English people have Viking DNA. My ancestors were from northern Scotland and northern Ireland where the Vikings raided early on. My family has 3-6 % Viking DNA. That totally makes sense. Although I am on the small side, my family predecessors were big people. Also, I am feisty and not quite combative. I don't take guff from any obnoxious person. Physically, I just give them my best glare of death.
There are some basic physics when it comes to mass
and space. A certain amount of mass can fill
only the same amount of space and no more.
At one of the many award ceremonies held by the
world of entertainment, Dolly Parton’s ample chest burst through her snug
dress. When her dress mishap was
repaired, Dolly said something to the effect of “My daddy always told me that
you can’t fit five gallons of mud into a one-gallon bucket.”
That is true in every situation, including the
Eiffel Tower.
Tourists wander around on the lower level of the
Tower before taking an elevator to the second level. There is one elevator that is specifically for people. The other four are for operations to maintain the Tower.
One would think that someone would think I’ll take the next one…no, you go on… No, all crammed in to the elevator #5 with the space decreases as the mass increased.
In 1985, My husband and I were part of that mass which also
included a tourist bus of tall Swedish men…no, tall and big Swedish men. My husband was pushed away with the flow of
people, leaving me in the middle of the elevator without him.
As the elevator shrank and the mass remained the
same, it became obvious to this 5` 4” female would soon be crushed in a vice
of handsome muscular tall Viking giants.
One giant peered down at my desperate face and
placed his massive arm over my head to the shoulder of another towering giant, who
looked down at miniscule female (me). He
braced his hand on the other man's shoulder, chuckling while saying something in Viking
language.
The elevator opened, spewing its occupants out
onto the top level of the Eiffel Tower.
The Vikings deserted me to gaze at the city they
had once conquered, when my 5` 9” husband found me. We held hands, viewing Paris from the heights
of the Eiffel Tower.
The Eiffel Tower will always hold a unique memory for me.
One would think that a girl living on a farm, surrounded with procreating animals followed later by animals giving birth would have a down-to-earth understanding of sex and how things work. I believe that is what normally should happen. However, on my father’s farm, my sister and I were kept away from all the “action”. Why, I don’t know. I think the whole sex thing embarrassed my dad, and he preferred that animals copulating remain a mystery.
Words fail me.
Even so, there are hormones that won’t be denied. While I didn’t comprehend the how and where of sex, I sure understood that I wanted to know. There was something that went beyond just smiling and gazing at the boys, but I just didn’t have a clue what that was. I knew that when Dr. Kildare was on TV, both my mother and I sat down and paid attention to every word he said. While I was in this beginning stage of yearning for that unspoken action, I watched “The Ten Commandments” on television.
No, it wasn’t Charleton Heston who pulled me in through the television screen. It was Yul Brynner.
I can not explain it to you, but something about the intensity of his eyes, the seductive prowling walk, the powerful exotic voice, and the commanding dominating presence…the way his hands reached for the woman, and how his mouth devoured…whew, is it hot in here or is it just me??
Yes, my King! Whatever you say!
Since those beginning yearning/lustful stirrings, I obsessed on all things-Yul Brynner. Any movie that had his name in the credits, any newspaper or magazine cutting, or even other bald headed men (except for Telly Savalas), I was hooked. This obsession continued throughout my life, I confess.
In 1975, when I was eight months pregnant with our first child, my husband and I went to see Yul Brynner (sigh) performing in “The Odyssey” in Los Angeles. All during the performance, while having Braxton-Hicks contractions, I kept my eyes glued on him.
Years later, in October 1984, we sat in orchestra row 5, seats D and E, where we watched a matinee performance of “The King and I” in Hollywood. We were sooo close to the stage; I could make out every detail of his face, the ripple of muscles in his arms, the…oh, my. Turn on the fan, somebody.
The Magnificent Seven
Even though Yul Brynner died on October 10, 1985, and I am a grandmother, I still watch his movies and sigh at the enigmatic sexual power he possessed. I wonder if all people have an iconic figure that is integral in the coming of age awareness which happens with hormones. Hmmm…I will ask around… Thanks to the A-Z Blogfest team, who have bravely taken on the month of April! Go to the link below to check out other blogs! http://tossingitout.blogspot.com
