Sep19

Mother’s Day in New England – Part 1 in Medway

Posted on by
Standard
Mother’s Day in New England – Part 1 in Medway

Friday, 08-May-2026 through Wednesday, 13-May-2026

It’s been a bit since I’ve been out to New England – and what better reason to go back than to celebrate Mother’s Day? I’d been meaning to go back to visit my Mom and Grandma, and this was the perfect opportunity for not only a good family visit, but also for a bit of an escape from Ireland – a road trip, and catching up with friends…

It started in the dirt.

For years, when I lived in New England, I’d spend Mother’s Day arm deep in soil. I’d drive out to Medway, and I’d spend a day with my Mom caring for the garden – carving spreading lilies out, clearing space, or any other task that just felt a bit too big or annoying for her to tackle solo.

It’s been years since I’ve been able to do that. But now, with the tumult and chaos of Ireland in full swing, I found myself able to wrestle myself away from projects in Dublin, hop on a plane, and come out for some relaxation and good old manual labor.

I can’t quite express just how perfect it was.

I’ve missed gardening, so very much. I’ve missed digging in the dirt, I’ve missed growing things, and none of our houseplants have quite slacked that thirst. I adore the avocado trees, don’t get me wrong! But… they’re small and contained. They don’t quite give the same visceral, primal feel that wrenching infinitely-spreading plants from an outdoor garden gives.

…

Anyways. Yeah. We pulled some of those infinite lilies out, and repotted them for a garden club sale. We ate Chinese, had lovely breakfasts, and had a singularly lovely time.

Sep17

A wee day out to Galway

Posted on by
Standard

Wednesday, 06-May-2026


The drive out to Galway was lovely. Long, quiet, and a great chance for me to embrace the highway hypnosis while listening to some good music.

I’d scheduled a few meetings with various musicians and music shops, so this wasn’t just a pleasure trip… but I’d ensured there was adequate time between each meeting in case they ran over – so I was fully expecting a bit of time to relax, grab some food, and enjoy my time in a town I’d heard so much about.

Now… This may just be my general frustration shining through, but… Frankly, I wasn’t particularly enthralled by Galway, I’m sorry to say.

It was neat! It was pretty! I took some cool photos, and enjoyed the time outside and out of Dublin!

But… It was touristy.

If I’m being fully candid, Galway felt like every small tourist town I’d been to in the US – the little Cape Cod towns, or the Oregon beach towns, where you visit for a few days and enjoy the tourist shops on the main drag… because the main drag is all there really is.

Now, I’m sure I was missing something, and that I was in a more negative headspace than normal… my meetings didn’t go particularly well, so I wasn’t the most positive person you’ve ever met. But the lunch I got was mediocre, and I walked out of the first coffee shop I stopped in to after they wouldn’t let me sit at a table unless I ordered a full sit-down meal (at a coffee shop. Not a restaurant, a coffee shop. With a walk-up counter like every other coffee shop)

So… yeah. Galway. Kinda pretty. A bit disappointing.

I visited, I got through my meetings, and I drove home. Got Burger King on the way home, which was the best meal of the day.

C’est la vie.


But upon my return, there were adorable love notes waiting for me… so you know what? I’ll take the whole annoying visit as a reminder that I have the best I could ask for already waiting at home for me.

Sep15

Another spice rack

Posted on by
Standard

May, 2026


I adore being an engineer.

I can’t express how much I appreciate it when a friend brings me a challenge, and then I get to drive ahead and build something beautiful to solve that challenge.

In this case, it was a spice rack – but a new design, this time to optimize space unique to the format of apartment that he (and I) have. In short, there’s a really cool slatted wall in the kitchen – I use it to store plants and little memorabilia, but our friend had the good idea that this could, instead, be leveraged into a bit of a space to store spices.

Utilizing otherwise lost space… Now that sounds like an engineer’s dream, doesn’t it?

Well. I measured, I designed, and I tested. I overengineered at first, then simplified and optimized.

I printed, then I iterated and printed again. Have I mentioned that I adore having my own 3D printer? I do – it doesn’t run 24/7, not even remotely, but it does run when it’s needed, and it helps immeasurably when it does.

How’d the new rack come out?

WELL. It fit BEAUTIFULLY, so much so that I took some of the prototypes and re-formed them into one for Andrea and I, to hold our coffee and teas.