Portugese Sunrise

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

So… Portugal. I didn't tell anyone we were even going until the trip week was upon us. We planned to take this trip two years ago. I spent it in the hospital instead. Though we have gone many places since, somehow this trip just struck a little fear in my heart, remembering. It felt a little jinxy to mention it as certainly as I had then. My body did fight back some on this trip but we made it and we saw so many beautiful things. The best moments traveling together are these though – the together part. While we love the big family trips, these shorter adventures with just a few of the kids make for a gift of one on one time with them.

I am really grateful my guys were game for getting up in the wee hours to walk to the marina with me to watch the sun come up over the water. I have spent so many years stealing every moment of sleep possible – since they are always elusive in our family. It's sort of counterintuitive for me to set the clock on vacation, but it was so very worth it. We were alone on the boardwalk, save for a few early morning runners, and it was magically still.

Well, it was magically still until Kieran was completely awake and feeling his oats. ; )

The other awesome part about traveling with my guys? They carry my stuff. I owe you one, Aidan!

through a window in Wales

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

I keep coming back to this image, one of my favorites of our recent travels. The landscapes are breathtaking, but I'm always drawn to the faces.

Coastal Hike – pt 2

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Our hike led us to the Irish Sea one windy evening. The children combed through the sand for shells and spotted beached jelly fish. You can have the Caribbean. I will take the salty air and rocky coast any day.

Coastal Hike – pt 1

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Images from a cool evening hike to the Irish Sea. The rest of the hike to follow tomorrow. : )

High Country Adventure, Considered

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

One of the very best days last month was spent hiking in the Lake District, even if it didn't go quite as planned. Maybe, because it didn't go quite as planned. Our best trips usually deviate pretty widely from the intended course. We walk our way through the different parts of the world to which we travel. Usually, when we read the guides, we choose the longer more challenging more scenic routes listed. This day was no exception. The first portion of the hike was very easy and well marked, a typical sight-seeing pedestrian path. We found the extension trail connecting to this one and began our climb. Up. And upandupandup.

We've done this before and fortunately our kids are part mountain goat and never complain. At some point the well marked trail became less well marked. The guide mentioned that might happen so we pressed on. And up. The view from the top was incredible which was good because there were moments I thought it might be the last thing I saw before I died. ; )

We ate lunch at the top. At that point we just gave up the trail and followed the creek back down. We saw a meadow of cotton grass though we didn't realize what it was until we could check the internet. We met a lone sheep. We watched a helicopter rise from the valley below and eventually fly right past us.

We were so proud of those littles for their gusto and good humor we stopped at a cafe and got ice cream after.

It was a phenomenal day. I was thinking about that after we got back home. It was simply a PHENOMENAL day. But, I realize some people wouldn't have seen it that way. I guess another way of looking at it was we got lost, we had a killer climb, the creekbed turned out to be a bog – which we also didn't figure out til we got to the internet ; D We tied the little dogs to the outdoor tables while we sat and had ice cream. Littlest dog's lead loosened up and he happily jogged through the restaurant with my husband chasing after. We are still laughing over that one, but I realize not everyone would be laughing.

So, you can decide if this is a charmed life. Maybe the point is that you can decide if your life is charmed or not. My dear friend's signature box says it this way:

"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is
an inconvenience rightly considered."

– G.K. Chesterton

The choice is yours. It is a happy woman who takes that counsel to heart and discovers that, instead of one trial after another, her life is never boring. No two days are quite the same. No, instead of the monotony of complete control and predictability she is blessed with a life full of adventure.

If you want to see the world from that vantage point, you have to push through the climb.

The holiday hire

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Our holiday hire in the Lake District was an old converted brewery. What it lacked in interior design – it was a mish mash of 70's era patterned carpeting, ultra plush velour upholstery, and lots and lots of wallpaper which happened a good decade later – it more than made up for in location. There was us and the owners who lived in the tower side of the building. And the sheep. Perfect. : )

We had full days of sightseeing and hiking but evenings were spent on the farm, eating the food we brought from town out on the lawn while the littles put on impromptu shows on the low garden wall. When it got too dark to play outside and the cool ocean breezes blew in, we started a fire inside. The children fell asleep there and were carried up to bed. Early mornings I scoured the shelf of old Reader's Digest Condensed books, reading in the kitchen til they stumbled down one by one.

The guest book yielded some really funny entries. I copied down this one:

"5 hrs from the City of Smoke

is a wonderful place full of very nice folk

As we weaved down the lanes, surrounded by sheep,

The hills on both sides were snow capped and steep.

We stopped off in Tesco to stock up on wine,

And what joy! The chablis was £5.99!

To the brewery we headed, our holiday hire,

With horses and donkey, and a nice roaring fire.

We climbed hills and waterfalls, we were living the dream

'till the kids slipped while jumping and fell in the stream.

3 loads of washing was just the thing.

So we headed to Piel Island to meet the King.

The wind was too strong. There were no ferries at the pier.

So we tried plan B and went to Lake Windemere.

We were hoping to get there in time for lunch.

But the car hit a pothole and the wheel went crunch.

4 hrs were spent at the side of the lake

with the car jacked up oh for goodness sake!

The man at the garage said the bill would be whopping.

There was only one thing to do, go souvenir shopping.

We stocked up on mint cake 'til the hire car was ready

then to Millom we drove, but taking it steady.

Our last night was quiet compared to the rest.

But as holidays go, this was one of the best."

Our stay was mercifully free of mishaps, but I totally concur with the last sentiment. As holidays go, this was one of the best.

The Charlecote Deer

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

They surprised us to say the least, those deer. Moira finished her dance competition early in the day and since we were already a couple hours from home we hoped to see something of the area before we left it. We chose the Charlecote estate, home to the Lucy family since the 12th century the brochure said.

It was late in the day by then so the manor house was closing to the public but the grounds were open. We read there were deer on the property but it can be hit and miss with brochures and sightings we have learned. Yet, there they were. Down, down the trail, across the pasture, through the gate, up the hill and there.they.were.

I was in a skirt and full of scratches from trudging through brush to get right up close. It was very cool to walk amongst the herd instead of peering through fences. That made it well worth the battle scars on my part. They were not tagged and, though cautious, did not startle easily. This was great for me since I didn't have a zoom lens along. What you see is how close we were.

The world is a beautiful place. : )