In the Mix: DC Area Abstract Artists

I felt like taking a nap while all these pictures were uploading. Very long day! We started at 9 and didn’t get home until 7. I think I can still see well enough to blog…

The day began with a drive from Sneem through Kenmare toward Cork for our first stop at Blarney Castle.This is taken from the bridge over the small river that runs through the castle grounds.

The weather was chilly and rainy, which suited the castle very well. It looks like there’s all kinds of stuff inside, but the floors are mostly gone, leaving only the spiral staircases to climb up to the top and the outer walls.

I thought this one of the guard tower turned out rather well–possibly because for once, I actually took the time to frame the shot.

But then, like everything else in Ireland, it’s very difficult to take a bad picture of it.

Instead of writing a synopsis of what this says, I’m posting a picture of the sign. You KNOW how writers hate writing synopses. If you click on the picture, you should be able to read it.

The guard tower.

The view from the top.

The view of the poison garden. Believe it or not, they actually had some marijuana growing in a cage there–along with several other plants that I’ve grown in my garden, like foxglove, wormwood, and lupines.

And yes, I did kiss the Blarney Stone. I even have a picture and a certificate to prove it. Mike and I both kissed the stone, but Budley and Sam opted out. You have to lie down on your back and pull yourself out with the bars, kiss the stone, and then they drag you back out. The line to kiss the stone backs up all the way down the staircase to the entrance. If you weren’t kissing the stone, the tour would’ve been a lot faster.

This is the kind of staircase you have to climb up to get to the top. Very steep, very narrow, and definitely not for those with bad knees or claustrophobia!

After touring the castle, we strolled around the grounds. This is a red cedar from America, about 100 years old.

Bluebells on the grounds of Blarney Castle.

Blarney House, which was clearly built in a later era than the castle. We were too late for a tour and didn’t feel like waiting around in the rain for the next one, so we went to the Stable Yard Cafe for some hot tea and Irish coffee instead.

A trip to the restroom revealed the stable area, which only proved that horses of the 18th century were better housed than a lot of people!

After leaving the castled, we went down the street to the Blarney Castle Hotel Bar for lunch.

Then we took a drive to Midleton to the Jameson distillery. Budley is a Jameson fan, and this was the one place he wanted to be sure to visit.

This is the aqueduct and waterwheel system that provided power to the gristmill until 1975.

And this is the distilling tank, which is the largest in the world.

After the tour, they asked for volunteers. I volunteered, and we did a taste test between Johnny Walker Red, Jack Daniels, and Jameson. We all pretty much agreed that the Jameson was smoother. For volunteering, I received a certificate making me an official whiskey taster!

Not sure I’m truly qualified, particularly since I prefer Quervo Gold Tequila!

Okay, ladies. I’m sure you ALL qualify as official YD tasters. Here’s one to test your palate. Is he Irish, or is he not?

Оригинал взят у ddgirls в Black and White – 47

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Оригинал взят у vrotmnen0gi в Klaudia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Gigapeta: http://goo.gl/37l26

Ce qu’il y a de scandaleux avec le scandale,
c’est qu’on s’y habitue.

Simone de Beauvoir

Reprenons tout depuis le temps, le printemps c’est quoi?

Un bouquet de fleurs fraîchement cueillies dans le jardin ou les prés environnant, de la verdure bien fraîche, de la rosée pour hydrater le tout. Bon comme Dame Nature en ce moment très occupée à préparer son automne, j’ai imaginé une tenue qui pourrait représenter ce que nous avons manqué.

L’occasion de vous présenter une nouvelle marque, enfin pas si nouvelle, cette enseigne anglaise existe depuis 1991 et propose de jolis vêtements hyper soignés et bien finis de la taille 34 au 50!

Cette marque s’appelle Boden.

Ce qui m’a frappé d’office quand j’ai reçu ma première commande se sont les finitions, les doublures originales, entièrement gansées. Nous sommes dans du moyen haut de gamme et les matières utilisées sont vraiment agréables.

J’étais impatiente de tester leur fitting et quelle bonne surprise j’ai eu à l’essayage. Je sais comme il est difficile de proposer une gamme de taille aussi étendue sur le même modèle, du 34 au 50 les morphologies ne sont pas pareil surtout à partir du 46 environ le patronage est différent, il faut penser en 3D. Les anglais sont particulièrement doués pour ça, j’ai testé plusieurs pièces de cette marque et tout est parfait je n’ai rien à redire point de vue taille. J’ai pris la plus grande taille soit le 50. Il existe également pour certaines pièces des versions longues ou courtes pour les grandes et les petites, encore une super particularité bien anglo-saxonne.

Le petit manteau persil que je porte est l’un des mieux taillé que j’ai dans ma garde-robe, entièrement en coton il m’a permis d’agrandir mes pièces favorites du moment, les petits manteaux d’été. Je le trouve vraiment élégant avec ses détails, le col, les boutons, la doublure.

La robe en soie, je sais qu’elle ne sera pas au goût de toutes, mais vous connaissez bien mon amour pour ces petites robes d’esprit vintage, et quel plaisir de se glisser dans une robe en soie sans que cela ne tire. Le drapé sur le devant ainsi que le décolleté cache-coeur sont très bien pensés, y compris pour les poitrines plus généreuses.

Voilà une nouvelle marque a ajouter à nos e-shops favoris, c’est toujours plaisant de voir le paysage de la mode s’agrandir. Je vous invite à aller faire un tour Boden.fr d’ailleurs en ce moment il y a -20% sur quelques pièces estivales.

Un mot avant de vous quitter sur les sautoirs que je porte à mon cou, il s’agit d’une créatrice qui vient de se lancer et dont j’aime déjà beaucoup les créations. Archibald, retenez bien ce nom, je vous en reparle très vite dans un billet dédié à cette créatrice.

PS: la gagnante du concours DUO est Stephanie, bravo à elle et merci à toutes pour votre participation.

+ Robe Coquette en soie Boden +

+ Manteau Audrey persil Boden +

+ Sautoirs semi-précieux Archibald +

+ Access: escarpins Steve Madden – collier chien Adeline Affre +

+ vernis Extra-Va-Vaganza OPI +

Gil Elvgren: “A New Wrinkle”. 1961

Seems like every day in Ireland is filled with one spectacular view after the other. Around every bend in the road is something worthy of a photograph.

Our day began with a walk into Sneem, during which Red, the hotel’s Irish setter, led the way. 

We walked past the church…

and over the bridge to have breakfast at The Riverside Cafe and Bistro…

…where we had the full Irish breakfast, which includes all this, plus toast  or brown bread, and tea or coffee. That’s black pudding on the right, which is a type of blood sausage. It’s not bad, actually.

…and an extra ring of stones in the center.

Then we stopped to see the ruins of  Ballycarberry Castle, which was built in the 1500′s.  It was fenced off, so you couldn’t go inside, but the view from the gate was spooky enough!

After driving through Watertown, (this is a church there)…

…we crossed the bridge to Valentia Island, which is where the first transatlantic cable  landed. There is a weather station up on top of the highest point (this is the view from up there)

And from another vantage point, you can see the Roher Cliffs. 

Roher Cliffs from the other side. I took a video, but it didn’t turn out very well.

 Gerrit took us to the slate quarry, which was a bit like entering the gates of Mordor.

We paid a brief visit to the Skelligs Chocolate Company, ate a few free samples, and bought a little candy before heading back toward Sneem.

Along the way, we stopped at the ruins of Ballinskelligs Priory, which dates from the 15th century. There were some gravestones that were as recent as 2000, but most were so old and weathered, there were no inscriptions left on them.

We got our picture taken with Charlie Chaplin in Watertown, where he was apparently a frequent visitor. Sam was getting pretty tired by then and opted to stay in the car.

Our last stop before Sneem was a lookout point of the bay.

We got back to the hotel at 5:30, and everyone took a nap before going over to the hotel bar for dinner at 8:00. Red was waiting for us, and then walked with us part of the way after dinner.

I was totally stuffed after a bowl of seafood chowder that I couldn’t finish. I’m beginning to think that two meals a day in Ireland are enough. Seems like I can go longer here without food than I can at home. Might be the quantities, or the ingredients, but even when I only eat as much for breakfast as I do at home, I didn’t get hungry. Very strange!

Must try to get some sleep now. Long day ahead, but, as I said before, Ireland is just one spectacular view after another!