Wedding Rings

McDowell's in Dublin came highly recommended to us as the place to purchase our wedding bands. Let me explain how I lost my first wedding band....I took it off while making bread in the kitchen laying it on top of the old refrigerator. The vibrations from the refrigerator had my band falling inside on the back. There was not a way we could take the back apart to retrieve the band. The second band was lost to a foe and not a friend. I had taken it off as my hand was swollen and there it was on my dresser for a dishonest foe. So a few years later at the local flea market, I found a silver band for $6 that had the Runes symbols inscribed. This band I wore for over 15 years.

My husband lost two bands as he is in construction. It is strongly advised that when doing electrical work, you take your bands off and place them in your pockets. And this is how he lost his. He never replaced his last lost band.

One of the dreams we both have had was to replace our lost bands with matching bands from Ireland. The store manager was super. We must have viewed a hundred bands. The store sized our rings and they would be shipped to us. We had our choices of how we wanted our rings, whether white gold, yellow gold, combination, etc., etc.

Then my husband spotted this particular band and wouldn't you know it....his fit perfectly and mine fit me perfectly. The only two of all the hundred bands we tried. Guess it was meant to be!





Thirty-seven years of marriage and we finally have matching wedding bands. Wow...I really feel committed now. I hope our marriage works out!

And NO....WE'RE NEVER TAKING THEM OFF!!!!

Sights and Sounds of Dublin






















This is the front of Trinity College. I took gobs of photos as this place was so magical. We had tickets to see the Book of Kells which was amazing. But the breathtaking experience for me was the Library itself at Trinity. The arched beam ceilings rise to an astonding height. Then there are the book shelves soaring at great heights, too. So many ancient volumes so beautifully maintained!






We ate at this restaurant before we went to the theatre. This was one of Kimberly's favorite places when she studied in Dublin. Oh my, they have the best crepes ever in this whole wide world. Yummy!




Bill is inside Lemon where we picked up their menu just in case I want to place an order "to go"!


Click on the photo to see the Heineken sign. It was very cool walking Dublin at night!



You will need to click on this photo to see the amazing casts of shadows on the building and landscaping. There were so many eye-catching photos!









































































































Look at all the cranes! They were everywhere in Dublin.....the city is definitely filled with vitality. (Tulsa is definitely dead...poor Tulsans!)













This clock is very cool. On the hour, the dancers on the clock perform....just like the wall clocks from Germany.

Clontarf Castle

This was at the end of our awesome journey in Ireland. We started out staying at a "castle" in Shannon when we arrived. But this was the real deal...Clontarf Castle! It has been completely refurbished into a luxury hotel. What a great place to end our stay!!!

You are looking at a menu screen on our telephone. First I read the welcome message which included our names. A very nice touch!

This was an ultra modern bathroom - it was huge with wonderful LARGE fluffy towels and the best shower I have ever experienced. It was one of those adjustable large rain shower heads and you selected the temperature you desired!

The lit glass wall was really art. You could also adjust all the different lighting in the room with controls located by each bed. WOW! Can I stay here again? and again??!

Last Trip to Kilkenny


I loved the advertising that the merchants had for their store fronts.




I also loved the colorful buildings! The Irish are not afraid of color!




When I wrote about the narrow streets in Kilkenny....this is a very good example.


We enjoyed a great lunch at Matt the Miller's. The window by the door with the flower box is where we sat...and Kimberly's seat was actually a window seat.











Kilkenny has their own castle. There are castles everywhere!





Oh, the Guinness in Ireland is different then American. (We toured the factory in Dublin and had a pint) Guinness in Ireland is so smooth and yummy!






There are colorful doors everywhere...and don't you appreciate the artful hardware!