NOVEMBER 16-19 Touring with Friends

Can you believe that I have not seen a rainbow since last I wrote on November 15? I see it as “the luck of the Irish” since we have not had rain for over a week. My friend, Virginia went to Mass so she thinks she had some influence too.

Wanted to give you a few highlights of the week with friends. Took in Ben Wee Head, Down Patrick Head and then off to find fossils at Easkey Beach - on the other side of Killala Bay. the sun was dropping too fast to look for fossils but we did meet a nice retired gentleman from England, touring with his wife and dog, Sophie in their RV. Wherever he travels, he builds stacks of stones on the shore. ( see below)

We had a delightful visit, trying our hand at building towers as well. It was pointed out by my artist friend, Ann that this encounter might not be a coincidence - since stacking rocks has been on my mind.

Next stop was seaweed baths in Enniscrone. According to the brochure, In 1912, ( the year of the “Titanic”) the doors of Kilcullen’s Bath House opened for business.  The Edwardian building at the time was known as ‘Kilcullen’s Modern Bath House’, an attempt to set it apart from a much older establishment dating from the middle of the 19th century. It is today as it was then.  Ironically it is that ‘modern’ building which now gives the Bath House its quaint Edwardian charm.

The therapeutic power of the Seaweed Bath is attributed to the high concentration of Iodine that occurs naturally in sea water and in seaweed. Ann, my other tub companion and I felt like we were caught in a moment between the movies Splash and The Shape of Water.

I have to admit it was a little creepy at first, but once you get in your head that it’s OK to sit in a hot bowl of vegetable broth with spinach, you can relax.

Other highlights included Friday night at Healy’s Bar, dancing to Irish music til 2am. Irish men are a special breed. They tell you how lovely you are, buy you a pint of Guinness and then in the next moment, they are telling another lady how beautiful she is - and buying her a pint. Good hearted flirts! The evening was a great send off for friends. And the next few days, two more arrived.

During some down time, I did get a chance to work. Had a fun session with Joanna ( Irish artist) working on monoprints. Completed more transfer drawings and a few paintings at the Bay. I am definitely falling for stacking stones.

Here is the monoprint.

Did a series of transfer drawings

Sunny warm day found me sitting on top of cliff