Sunday, 19-October-2025
I broke one of my favorite mugs; a gift from my sister, from when I first moved from Portland down to Wilsonville.
Andrea broke one of her favorite mugs; An equally unacceptable situation.
So I got a kinsugi kit, and we fixed them up!
Tuesday, 09-Sept-2025
After our legendary trip to Bulgaria, Andrea and I kept up the pace with a bit of a more relaxed and home-focused adventure – getting all our new neighbors together for a dinner party!
Everyone cooked up their own specialties – I made pulled pork, Andrea made banitsa, our Argentine neighbors made arepas, and tons of other amazing bits. I adored it – one of the things I love about our floor is that it smells amazing, all the time. There’s always someone cooking something glorious, and now we got to taste little bits of everything!
Wednesday and Thursday, 15-October-2025 and 16-October-2025
I do believe this is my first backpacking trip in Ireland!
I’d hiked up to Crotty’s lake a while back, and had taken the chance to meet (and chat with) the owner of the mountain. We’d had a good rapport, and so I’d asked him if it’d be okay for me to camp out at the lake for a quick escape from the city.
…
Yeah. Private ownership of everything. Crotty’s lake, the mountain it’s on, the trails… all privately held.
But you know what? In a place where I haven’t found anywhere that allows backpacking? Well. I’ll absolutely take it, and I’ll enjoy every minute of the outdoors that I can.
**Updated info: Crotty’s Lake is currently closed for improvements, so be aware. Hiking is permitted, but any overnight camping is not**
And enjoy it I absolutely did – Parking was easy, and the walk up to the campsite was beautifully simple and quick. Short and easy, and a nice stretch to the legs before I started the adventure of hunting for a good spot to set up camp.
Took a bit longer than I’d expect, truth be told, but I finally settled in for a spot right by the lake – One of the dangers of Ireland is the sheer amount of sheep, and so the real challenge I ran into was not running into said sheep… or, more accurately, setting up camp on their, ahh, “leavings”. But thankfully the spot I found was beautifully pristine, and camp went up quickly.
Night fell, I snacked on my dinner, and I enjoyed the quiet.
The next day dawned, and I was awoken by a couple walking around nearby. They were a bit astounded that someone had set up camp, but they headed onward pretty quickly after I assured them that the owner had given permission.
Breakfast, a quiet morning, and a bit of wandering around the lake kept me warm and stretched out.
Then a drive home, a stop for a snack, and a glorious collection of notes awaiting me back home!
