How to Not Look Like a Tourist, but Still Get the Picture

One of my big things when I travel is that I don’t want to look like the typical “tourist”…different clothes, awestruck look on my face everytime I see a new thing, inevitable camera firing away at everything.  Yet, the more I think I about this, how can you avoid it?  I mean, you can try your best to dress similarly to the native population, and adopt similar cultural mannerisms, but you NEED the pictures.  When I get home, I get so much pleasure from looking at all the pictures again.  They capture the moments; moments that you might forget otherwise.  So the camera stays…they’ll just have to know I’m a happy tourist.  Here’s Amy with her Princess camera….she started young.  🙂

Slainte, Lisa

Leaky Shoes with a Good Umbrella

There is an Irish proverb which states:

“It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.”

My dog Fritz and I are here to say that this is a very true statement.  I just attempted to take him outside for his morning walk in a steady rain that shows no signs of letting up for the next few days, according to the weatherman.  He looked at me at the doorway with the big sad eyes you see here.  He is part poodle, and has a distinct dislike of getting his feet wet.  I carried a big umbrella, and he pushed that little doggie body as close to my legs as he could.  But it was no use.  We both got our feet wet, very wet, and the umbrella just seemed silly after awhile.  Now that we are both drying off and gearing up for our next foray into the wild, I thought about other stuff, like how I try to make everything in my life seem good and dry and perfect on the outside, while sometimes my shoes, my foundation, my base is leaking.  When I lose track of the things that are really important in my life, like God, and my family, and my friends, and start just focusing on my umbrella of how the house looks, how many things I have to get done, my shoes are leaking, and the umbrella is rather silly and useless.

May you have sturdy shoes and no need for an umbrella!  🙂  Slainte, Lisa

Right Place, Right Time, Right People

In life, in photography, in just about everything, timing is important.  It can mean the difference between good and bad outcomes, between the right word or an insensitive one, or an average versus a special picture.  My husband and I are only amateur photographers, but I think he captured one of the special kind of photos on this day.  Amy and I are chilling out in the field after exploring a church ruin, and Nina is curious as to what her Dad is doing crouching down low in the weeds and wildflowers.  Right place, right time, right people.  Have a beautiful weekend, with wonderful timing and just the perfect people.

Slainte, Lisa

Waiting, Seeing, Sweetness

To save money, we decided to split up.  My daughters and I would ride in the horse-drawn buggy through the Gap of Dunloe, and my husband and 15 year old son would run/walk and meet us at the boats.  We joked about who would arrive first…the trusty horse and its passengers, or the hearty he-men who would conquer the mountainous terrain.  Amazingly, the hearty he-men kept catching up with us at various points along the way, as seen in the below picture.

Joshua, catching up with our jaunting car.

We did reach the bridge leading to Lord Brandon’s Cottage only 10 minutes before our guys, and we waited anxiously and excitedly for their arrival.  That’s us in the first picture…you can just see the top of little Amy’s head.  My husband is taking the picture, and I can remember how happy we were to see them coming.  Absence had indeed made our hearts grow fonder in this case, and the reunion as a family was sweet.  And of course, our guys had conquered, overcame, and reveled in the experience.  Many good stories were off and running.

Slainte, Lisa

Three Folds in my Garment

Three folds in  my garment

Yet only one garment I bear

Three joints in a finger

Yet only one finger is there

Three leaves in a shamrock

Yet only one shamrock I wear

Frost, ice and snow

Yet these three are nothing but water

Three persons in God

Yet only one God is there

-Irish blessing-

Thank you, God, for being an amazing, mind-blowing, beyond-my-imagination God.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Forever and ever.

Slainte, Lisa