Seeing the Tower or Seeing the Story

Posted on March 13, 2014 by lyonsroarforgod

It’s far too easy when I’m traveling to just focus on the structure, and not really think about the story behind why that structure was built. The real details of what life was like at that time, in and around that building. This is Eask Tower outside of Dingle, Ireland. The 1 mile hike up Carhoo Hill is gentle but persistent. At the top you are rewarded with amazing views of Dingle Harbour and Connor Pass.

This tower was built in 1847 as a famine relief project, headed up by Rev. Charles Gayer. The workers produced an amazing and strong structure…16 feet thick walls, rising 39 feet into the air. The wooden arrow points into the mouth of the blind harbor to help early sailors navigate. It also served as a lookout tower during WWII.

Imagine living during those days….not enough food for your family, for yourself, months and months of weakness, desperation. Yet those workers somehow managed to rally the strength to make this. Things like that always amaze me.

Enjoy your day, and look for the stories. They’re everywhere. 🙂 Slainte, Lisa

*If you are interested in a really good book to give you a small glimpse into what the Irish Famine might have been like, read “Galway Bay” by Mary Pat Kelly. It stays with you long after you’ve finished it.

Sitting By the Riverbank

Posted on March 12, 2014 by lyonsroarforgod

Sometimes I want to take on the world, walking vigorously, exploring all there is to see. But other days I just want to sit by the riverbank and watch it flow. Listen to the waters flowing over the rocks, watch the birds overhead in flight, rest my body in the soft green grass. Both ways have merit and worth, just differently. Action and thought. Both integral parts of this thing that God has given us….life. “He leads me beside the still waters; He restores my soul.” ~Psalm 23:2b-3a

Blessings for your day, Lisa

Wishful Thinking

Posted on March 11, 2014 by lyonsroarforgod

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching on Monday, and stores everywhere filled to the brink with green tacky leprechaun-y things, my mind naturally turns to……..Ireland! I bet you never would have guessed that from me, huh?! 🙂 Which of course leads me to the time-consuming YouTube, which of course led me to this driving in Ireland video. It’s supposed to be humorous tutorial, but it just succeeds in making me long to be driving over there. We spend so much of our trips in cars, squeezing down the narrow roads, always amazed at some of the roads we travel upon, and even more amazed at the places they lead us to. Enjoy indulging in a little wishful thinking with me. Slainte, Lisa

Down the Path

Posted on March 10, 2014 by lyonsroarforgod

Here are two pathway pictures taken in the Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo, NC. Do you prefer the winding path where you can’t see the end, or the straight path, where the end is clearly visible? I have to say that I prefer the winding one, although in life, I always feel that I want to know what’s going to happen. But maybe I really don’t…life is so much the better for the surprises, the “wow, I didn’t expect that”, the bends and turns and beauty discovered after time. And so this is what my brain is thinking about on a Monday morning….I think another cup of coffee is in order. 😉 Slainte, Lisa

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” ~Psalm 25:4

Cameras

Posted on March 4, 2014 by lyonsroarforgod

What started out to be a picture of some cool rocks turned out to be a picture of people taking pictures. 🙂 Cameras, touring, snapping pictures that later will be memories….all a very big part of traveling for most people. It’s always interesting to see if the cameras reflect the people’s personalities: the little pink one for the young girl, the ultra compact for the European traveler, the larger one for the more “serious” photographer. Sometimes the camera choice just means that that’s the camera you have, or the one you can afford. All I know is that as much as I like my bigger camera, sometimes when I’m traveling it gets to be a pain. And I long for a little small pocket 35mm that I used to have back in college that long ago went to camera heaven. What’s your camera preference when traveling? Slainte, Lisa

Think About These Things

Lisa Lyons

Category Archives: Travel