Packing for Ease of Travel

This piece of luggage is called The Ghost Cruiser from REI. It's the luggage I took to Ireland and Scotland last fall (those posts were interrupted on this blog, by me during a blogging lapse). It weighs only 5 pounds empty and is a 27 inch rolling...duffel of sorts.

Trying to show the two openings here.  It's main compartment and a smaller top zip compartment.  It has a good study handle, and stand which keeps it upright nicely.

Empty insides show you two side pockets that zip that are good for a pair of shoes, or misc under things.  I am able to put a sandal and a dress shoe(flats) in each pocket.  I find not putting the pair together is helpful.  The sandals obviously are smaller and compact better than a dress flat, so one of each works well.  I've also been able to put panties, and footies in each of those compartments along with the shoes.  Additionally a top flat pocket with zip works well for file folders, rain gear, or jacket you want to have quick access to; as well as a dress you might not want to scrunch.

All of that packed nicely in above suitcase for a recent 2 week trip to Park City, Utah.  Notice 4 packing cubes, Zip lock bag of coffee, zip lock bag of yarn, ditty bag (red), zip lock bag of cooking spices (which I don't take on tours like Ireland, but do when we go to a timeshare vacation).  A few misc items like a hat, umbrella, and rain coat folded in a zip lock bag, and a Martini shaker (also not something I take on tour, lol).

Please notice the green cube, 2nd from the right.  It's the largest of the 4 you see and it contained 2 flare skirts, 2 dresses with flare skirts, 7 sleeves dress tops, 1 t-shirt, 1 bra and a handful of panties and footies.

Now I can't recommend this luggage, because they no longer make it, but they do have some that are similar.  REI (an outdoor store with excellent equipment fully guaranteed).  We've belonged to the co-op for years.  So even though you might blink at the cost of their equipment, it's very high quality that they stand behind....and as a member, you get annual dividends.  

I like a suitcase I can lift.  It's not possible to worry about weight with this suitcase.  You can't put 50 pounds in it.  I'm sorry it's no longer made, because both hubby and I have been very pleased with our purchase.

I plan to to use this suitcase again later this year when we go touring again in Europe, this time Italy.

**I highly recommend using packing cubs.  Different colors is helpful too.  Perhaps I'll go into more detail on that in a different post.  

***I should also mention all the above weighted 39 pounds...well beneath the 50 pound limit, which includes several things I purchased while there, including an extra pair of shoes.

Ring of Kerry, Jaunty Car, Castles and The Blarney Stone

 Blarney Castle sits on over 60 acres of gorgeous parklands.  There are gardens, walk paths and more.  Plenty for those who may not be up to the physical task of climbing up and up in The Castle where the narrow circular steps are quite step and one way.  A bit of challenge also if you're claustrophobic.  I had to keep concentrating to move quickly up where there would be openness.  The view from the top is breathtaking.  You can look in all directions...even if you don't plan to kiss the stone.  This is hubby below.

 He wanted to kiss the stone.  That also is rather physical, and you're pressed for time, as the long to do so is quite LONG.  We did fairly well, as our tour guide got us there at an off time.  You lie on your back, bend your neck and head down to kiss the stone which is beneath you.  I wasn't keen with the position, as a person with some back issues.  Our friend who's pictures are in this post (her's were better than hubby's), wasn't keen on kissing a dirty stone where hundreds of thousands have put their lips.  I would guess about 1/3 of our tour group kissed the stone.  There were 39 of us.  I think about 2/3rd's climbed to see the sites.

 This is the estate house.  No longer lived in.  Beautiful flower gardens all around.

 Not a view you see often, or at least we didn't.  We do not have on rain coats, and I actually had removed my jacket and pushed up the sleeves.  We had a nice lunch outside and it was comfortable.  The ONLY meal we were able to do that.  This was after the kissing of the stone and walking the grounds.

 Another view of Castle, giving you an idea of it's height.

 One cool morning we left (optional excursion) our hotel early with about 2/3rds of our party for a Jaunty Car trip through gorgeous park lands.  The Killarney National Park is quite large and very pretty.  Martin was our driver.  A senior citizen who'd been doing this job a very long time.  He told us his Father had also been a Jaunty Car Driver.

 We were bundled up, but enjoying the ride.

 Later in the day we traveled throughout the Ring of Kerry.  Lots of pretty landscapes, sheep everywhere.  Stone walls everywhere.  And Green, Green, Green.

 Jane in the foreground, me right behind her in one of the narrow passages; but you can see here we weren't closed in.

King Puck and Oliver Cromwell in Killarney

 The British are Coming!  Does this look Paul Revere?  This statue is King Puck with his crown, but every year in County Kerry a goat is honored.  Don't scratch your head, I shall explain..  An old festival, in fact the oldest in all of Ireland honors a goat.  Once a year a male goat (a puck) is captured and honored for 3 days in town squares.  The goat is well fed, and put high on a scaffolding to survey his territory.

 The goat is crowned King by The Queen Puck, who is not another goat, but an honored school girl chosen.  Once she crowns the King, the festivities begin.  There is music, food, and of course drink.  There is dancing.  The local pubs stay open later than normal.  At the end of the 3 days, King Puck is returned to the wilds to resume his normal life.

It is not known how long this festival has been in existence or perhaps how it all began, but......it is believed to be a result of The attempt of England's Oliver Cromwell's Raiders to over take Killarney, (Killorglin).  The goats were in the fields as Cromwell's Raiders tried to make they way to town, they spooked the herd of goats.  One said goat made it to town, tired and bedraggled.  Towns people immediately knew something was afoot.  They were able to fortify the town and ward off The English Invaders.  The Paul Revere Goat, certainly something to be celebrated.  The 3 day festival starts every year on August 10th.

*the 2nd and 3rd picture are a small town square where our tour bus stopped briefly.  No scaffolding there, and it wasn't the time of the festival, but apparently some towns/villages honor goats throughout the year.

Cork, Lusitania and The Easter Rising/Rebullion

Memorial to all who perished in The Lusitania.  This is Cork.  This is located in the town square.

 A very pretty little seaside town, lots of pretty flowers, and lots of little pubs.

 A sidewalk memorial to those executed in The Easter Rising/Rebellion.  Their names are Capt Mick Leahy, Seamus Fitzgerald, Paddy Wheldon, Jack Stack, Joe Reid, Ernie Fowler, James O'Connell, William O Regan, Donald Healy, William Ralph, Bunny Reid, Liam Ahern, Jack O'Connell, also Pat Curran IRB, John Dowling ICA, Liam O'Brien IRB

The back of the stone.  If you look directly across the street, you'll see the ticket office which is directly in front of the long locked harbor where the Titanic departed from.

The Easter Rising, also called The Easter Rebellion started on Easter Monday, April 24th 1916, and ended on April 29, 1916.  It took place primarily in Dublin, but also in Meath, Galway, Louth, Wexford and Cork.

The Rebellion was against The British.  The leaders of the rebellion hoped for help from Germany since Germany was against The British in WWI.  They did obtain one shipment of firearms from Germany.  They also expected their fellow Irishmen to join them once the fighting started and they declared a free Irish State.  Most Irish did not support them.  There were approximately 1600 followers of the cause.  A small number easily handled by The British is a handful of days.

Somewhere around 2,000 were killed or injured during the standoff.  The leaders were than executed.  Once the leaders were executed The British continued with martial law, and arrest some 3,000 citizens they believe had been involved, or supported the rebellion in anyway.  Those arrested did not have any trials to determine their guilt or innocence.  The British sent about 1800 of those 3,000 to England where they remained prisoners, never having a trial.  The quick executions, mass arrests, and imprisonment turned many Irish against England.  This made those executed Martyrs of the Cause.

**These aren't my pictures, but my friends Jane's.  Her's were better than mine.

County Cork, St Colmans and Kinsale

 Inside a beautiful old Gothic Style Church, St. Colman's in The Port of Cobh. (Kinsale)  It's also known as Cobh Cathedral.  Construction of the church took 47 years.  I've found conflicting information about when it began, 1867 or 1879; however...I've found the 1867 date to be more universally used.  It's truly breathtaking with such detail in the carvings, and the colors in the stain glass windows.

 It's a Roman Catholic Church.  Again dates vary when it was completed, 1911 or 1915.  The spire is 100 meters and is hard to capture in a photo; as you can see.........we tried but failed.

 The tower houses either 42 or 49 Bell Carillon.  In one article, it said 42, making it the largest in Ireland; in another article it said 49, making it the largest in Europe.  In either case, it is beyond impressive.  Perhaps it once was 42 and is now 49?

Our selfie with the Church and the sea behind us.  Myself, my husband, and our very good friend, Jane.  The church sits on a very busy corner and narrow road leading up a very steep hill.  Beside the road is a dramatic drop off to the sea.

Across the street from the Church you see this dramatic site of little houses.  These houses are all built into a very step hill that falls away to the sea.  This site is quite unique for several reason.  It's steepness, the fact that the houses are all attached; and from what we were told...they hold each other up due to the construction of the chimney.  They're small, quite old, and very narrow.  The upper window also plays an importance structurally.

This photo is not one of mine, but one I found on the net, taken by Bjorn Christian Tiorrissen in 2012.  The site says the photo can be used, but to please give credit.  This professional obviously was able to capture the dramatic site far better than we could with our cell phones.

My picture shoes the back of the houses from the walkway across the street from St. Colman's.  This photo shows the front of the wee little houses with the church behind.  We didn't manage to get to the spot where this might have been taken.  But, isn't it gorgeous!

Port of Cobh, Cork Ireland

 The Port of Cobh (pronounced Cove) was an added excursion we took one morning when about half those in our tour group had a relaxed start to their day at the hotel.  This town is famous for it's the port That both The Titanic and The Lusitania departed from.  It's a quint very picturesque village. This is right on the water front, a pretty park across from hotels and restaurants.  There's a gazebo that is used for outdoor events in the summer months.  It was a bit over cast the day we were there in September.  This park is right next to the ticket office and the port departure area for many ships departing with deportees, and immigrants, as well as The Titanic .

 This white building is the ticket office where one purchased their tickets for departure.

 This is what is left of dock that The Titanic departed from.  When the horribly sad news came of the sinking and loss of life, the gate to the dock was locked; NEVER to used again.  The Titanic records aren't clear as to the number on board who died, but the number is believed to be between 1490-1635.  Apparently there was mass confusion.  The ship had been given 6 warnings of ice bergs, but they were unable to see to avoid the trouble.  There weren't enough life boats for the number of passengers, and too many life boats left with too few passengers.  Records show the first life boat to leave held less than half the number it was meant to carry.  Sadly, that was repeated.  The ship was only 5 days into it's voyage when it was hit by the iceberg on April 14-15th, 1912.  Once hit, it only took 2 hours and 40 minutes to sink.

 A wonderful museum with information about the many ships that left this harbor loaded with immigrants.  Some by choice, others forced to flee Ireland.  As you purchased your ticket, you're given a ticket with the name of a real passenger and the ship they sailed on.  As you tour, you're to determine if your person lived, as so many didn't.  And, where they went; as well as something about their lives.

I was Annie Moore who sailed from the port on The Nevada in 1892.  She is depicted here with her two younger brothers.  She was the first person to be processed at Ellis Island.  Annie was born here in Cork on May 24th, 1874 and died in New York on Dec 6th 1924.  She is buried in Calvary Cemetery.  She died of heart failure after a very hard life of poverty.  For many years there was a mistake with her name  and it was thought a woman who lived in Texas was her; her story was more successful.  The real Annie had 11 children and never led a life of ease.  When she departed Cobh, she was one of 148 passengers.  She and her brothers were in steerage.  The trip must have been very hard.  Some records indicate she 15, while others say 17 at the time.

Hubby's ticket indicated he was Jack Roper who left Port on The Lusitania in 1915.  Jack was born April 7th, 1888 in Liverpool and died May 14th, 1952 in Liverpool at the age of 64.  He was one of the few survivors.  When the ship went down, he managed to save several passengers, most notably The Captain.  The met up once a year for a drink in Liverpool thereafter.  The Lusitania and so many of it's passengers perished on May 7th, 1915.  He was a very interesting person, left school at the of 13 to hit the high seas, as a cook.  After The Lusitania he spent some time on land before returning to the sea as a cook.  Interesting, for this voyage on The Lusitania he is listed not as a cook, but as an able bodied seaman.  Researches seem to feel that is indeed accurate, else he would not have been on deck and and able to save people.  No one seems to know why he wasn't a cook on this voyage.

There is a fair amount of speculation and research that indicates The Lusitania may have been sabotaged by Winston Churchill telling The Germans of it's departure and location.  The feeling is, by doing so, Americans would be outraged and would thus enter The War.  There's some food for thought.  I'm not sure he was known to be a "nice" man, so who knows.

By learning about the lives of the person on your ticket, you really make the visit to the museum quite personal.

I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time here in Cobh, there was much to see.  Stop in next time for part II of The Port of Cobh

No, It's not Klan Country

On a recent girls trip to Hilton Head, we passed several areas along the side of the road with 3 crosses grouped together.  I've seen them many times on various road trips, as had one of my friends.  Our third friend said..."oh, Klan country."  We were puzzled what she meant and asked.  She said she had been told years ago by a man who owned land where 3 crosses were in fact placed, that it was a sign of Klan Country.  A place where the Klan was strong and that it was used as a way to communicate that The Klan was there.  The two of us not driving started googling to see if we could verify that fact.  We could not.  We found on forums people had posted the questions, and some in fact gave that answer to the question, but on further research, after arriving home...one of my friends found the following.  I am posting the article in it's entirety vs doing a brief report of it myself.  I've listed the link to the article at the bottom should you want to look further.

It seems important to do this, given all the "fake news" out there these days.  How does fake news spread, a person reads something and passes it on, or a person hears something and passes it on.  If the person telling it, passing it on is a reasonable person, it's easy to take the story as factual.  Person one tells two, who tells 2 others and on it goes.  The story told to my one friend by the land owner seemed reliable, after all he owned the land where the 3 crosses were..........however, perhaps he wasn't the original owner and therefore really didn't know and passed on erroneous things he had heard.

We hear in politics constantly it seems that I'm just saying what I was told, without checking it before stating it again in public.  So, please take time to read this article and question what you see, and hear.  This was a good lesson to my friends and I.  I'll resume with posting about Ireland and Scotland in the next few days.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Crosses Across America, Inc.
(formerly Crosses of Mercy - Cast Thy Bread, Inc.)Text and photographs © Crosses Across America, Inc.  Used by permission.

"The Holy Spirit instructed, blessed, dealt with me and told me how to go about installing these Crosses.  It was an experience you have once in a lifetime."   - Bernard Coffindaffer

Rev. Bernard Coffindaffer

Three Crosses, Planted by Rev. Coffindaffer

On January 27, 1935, in Craigsville, West Virginia, approximately 100 miles southeast of Charleston, a child of West German ancestry was born.  His father died early on and his mother died with cancer when he was ten years old, leaving him an orphan.  Despite his very difficult circumstances, he graduated from high school at the age of fourteen and served six years in the U. S. Marines with duty in the Pacific, Iwo Jima, and Nagasaki, Japan.  He graduated from the University of Charleston with a degree in Business.  The name of this remarkable man was Bernard Coffindaffer, the founder of the nonprofit Crosses of Mercy - Cast Thy Bread, Inc., now called Crosses Across America, Inc. Coffindaffer worked in the oil industry and later founded his own business, a-coal-washing business in the mountains of West Virginia, a somewhat deprived location.  However, he creatively was able to carve a small fortune from this venture. Coffindaffer became a Christian at the age of forty-two.  He eventually became a self-proclaimed Methodist minister and served seven small churches in Pochahontas County, West Virginia.  He was distinguished with an honorary doctorate degree in Florida. After two heart by-pass operations, he liquidated his business and two years later had a vision.  "A genuine, marvelous, glorious vision," he said, "The Holy Spirit instructed, blessed, dealt with me and told me how to go about installing these Crosses.  It was an experience you have once in a lifetime."  He was told what to do: Get manpower, materials, and plant crosses.  "I worked like a dog for the money, eighteen hours a day for thirty-five years," he said.  "The Holy Spirit knew I had the money and was willing to spend it, and I'm not going to back down."  For the nine final years of his life, he obediently spent approximately $3,000,000 planting the clusters of three Crosses in 29 states, District of Columbia, Zambia and The Philippines.  Site owners donated the land's use for the Crosses and Coffindaffer paid all the bills.  A total of 1864 clusters of crosses were erected. Coffindaffer started the project on September 28, 1984, stating, "Not for saints or sinners.  For everybody.  They're up for only one sole reason, and that's this: to remind people that Jesus was crucified on a Cross at Calvary for our sins and that He Is soon coming again.  That's what jars, but that's the truth.  When you say, For our sins¹, half the people run.  When you say, "He's coming again", everybody runs."  "And, maybe," he said, "the Crosses will make one person stop and think." At the height of his work, Coffindaffer had an office in the basement of his home with a full-time secretary, Sharon Clendenin.  He also, had seven full-time work crews across America, erecting these silent witnesses for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  The Crosses were all built from California Douglas Fir.  The center Cross was painted gold and the two flanking Crosses were painted a pale blue.  The gold paint on the center Cross represented royalty while the two Crosses' pale blue paint signified the earth.  At the erection of each cluster of Crosses, a solemn Consecration Service was held.  Scriptures such as Mark 8:34, "if any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" were read.  Prayers for repentance and forgiveness of sins were offered.  At each site, the same identical service was held. Coffindaffer once said, "The Crosses speak peace within as we struggle without." The three Crosses symbolize Christ on the Cross flanked by the two thieves that were crucified with Him.  Coffindaffer, the colorful businessman turned evangelist, was the subject of a PBS documentary on his life entitled, "Point Man For God," and was shown on the award-winning series "Different Drummer."  CBS News did a segment on him for "CBS Sunday Morning.' The Nicholas County, West Virginia, gentleman who gained national attention for making clusters of Crosses a common sight throughout the United States and two foreign countries, sadly died on Friday, October 6, 1993, of a heart attack at his home in Craigsville.  Services were held Monday, October 11, 1993, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Craigsville.  Interment followed at West Virginia MemorialGardens in Calvin, West Virginia, three miles south of Craigsville.  He was survived by his widow, June of Craigsville; two daughters, Michele Coffindaffer, Craigsville, and Sheila Trapp, Orlando, Florida; sister, Ruth Dorsey of Orlando, Florida; brother, Cecil Coffindaffer, Cottie, West Virginia (who is also now deceased): and four grandchildren. Men from Wyndale Baptist Church, Terry, MS repairing cross sites in Mississippi. Sara Stevenson Abraham answered the Lord's call to continue the Ministry in 1999.  She formed a new non-profit (501-C-3) organization entitled Crosses Across America, Inc.  The National Headquarters of Crosses Across America, is located at Suite C, 3300 Indiana Avenue, Vicksburg, MS 39180.  As Executive Director she is locating the standing clusters of Crosses and getting them straightened, repaired andrestored.  Abraham presents the story of the Crosses for churches, civic organizations, television, and radio programs. In addition to the restoration, Mrs. Abraham does publicity, fund-raising, and manages the International Headquarters with the help of a staff of volunteers ­ engineers, scientists, businessmen, and people with computer, clerical and secretarial skills.

http://www.thecross-photo.com/Crosses_Across_America_Inc.htm

Waterford Crystal

 A memorial to Irish born, Father Mychal Judge, who worked hard with rescue workers during 911.  The NYFD was presented with a memorial, and a 2nd one is on display at the factory in Waterford. 

 During the economic downturn, Waterford Crystal changed.  It moved it's long time factory, and scaled back in size and number of employees.  Even so, everything is still hand made.

 As you tour the factory with your guide you're to watch the craftsmen as they work.

Our golf tournament, here in Columbus has a connection to Waterford Crystal.  We were surprised to see that.  You can tour the factory, and shop (if price is no object) in the show room.  We didn't get enough time to tour the town of Waterford at all, which was disappointing to me.  It's quite an historic town dating back to The Vikings.  A quick bite to eat and time to board our Insight Tour Coach again for another adventure.

County Kildare, The Irish National STUD Gardens

 Colonel William Hall Walker established The National Stud Gardens in the 1900's.  He believe you could tell how successful a horse could become on the racetrack by knowing their birthdate.  The grounds are quite pretty with flower gardens, water falls, serene bridges and lots of places to just sit and enjoy the countryside.

 Our tour explained how important breeding (covering) was throughout Irish history.  Currently their top stallion is Invincible Spirit.  Invincible Spirit was seeking protection from the rain so not in the picture.  He has fathered many champion racehorses around the globe.  At auction his offsprings can sell for millions!

 I'm sure the gardens would be prettier if you were lucky enough to visit on a day when it wasn't windy and rainy...though that's quite a trick in Ireland.  Though I did see a fairly sunny day in pictures when Queen Elizabeth was visiting.  She's a lover of horses, has been her whole life and has been here multiple times.

There's a nice gift shop and tea house to enjoy after your tour.  The hot pot of tea was just the ticket in an effort to dry off and warm up before heading back to our Insight Tour Coach.

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Ireland

 Eli Dillion

 George Bernard Shaw, known for many things, but I especially like several of his quotes:
"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself."
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds can't change anything."

 James Clarence Mangan

 Jonathan Swift

 And more

 Honored in St. Patrick's Park (Cathedral).  So many gorgeous old cathedrals throughout the country.

 Oscar Wilde

 Yates........so many influential people.  What a lovely way to honor and remember them in this pretty park.

A bit dark, chilly and windy as you can see how wind blown I am in the foreground.  Some of my travel companions walking about behind me.  We managed a few minutes here between the rain drops.  Would have been nice to spend a bit more time and read all the memorials, and enjoy the flowers on a prettier day.

Map of Travels, Dublin post I
Trinity College, Dublin and The Book of Kells