Chauffeurdriven tours of Ireland West and South West with Dave Hogan

Like most Irish people, i have many relatives in the USA, but this was to be my first tour with a relative, my cousin Pat Homeyer, her husband Mike, and their friends Russ and Denise Bishop. Pat and Mike are from Houston Texas, while Russ and Denise are from Colorado. Our first day, Tuesday, was complicated, as Pat and Mike's flight from Houston was delayed ,which resulted in them missing their connection at Newark, which in turn led to a diversion to London, which in turn again led to another delay there and a very late afternoon arrival at Shannon. On top of that their luggage never arrived. Not the best of starts, but good sports that they are, they did not let in spoil anything.
The picture above of the Flesk river in Killarney, signaled the beginning of a far better day all around today.

How better to start day 2 than with a great breakfast at the Killarney Plaza Hotel. If you do get to stay there make sure you try their oatmeal, or as we correctly call it, porridge, the right name,of course.

Today was to be an adventure in the magnificent Gap of Dunloe, that wonderful mountain gorge in the Kerry mountains, just outside Killarney. In the picture above we have my impatient friends, waiting to take their bus to the entrance to the Gap.
From the left, Mike, Pat , my cousin, (you can tell from her good looks), Denise, and Russ.

All set and ready to go, after boarding their jaunting car at the entrance to the Gap. Don't they look happy.

 Under way,  as the horse begins the long journey up through the gorge on his way to Lord Brandon's cottage on the far side,where they will board their boats, which then takes them down through the lakes of Killarney, and back to the town itself.

 One of the quaint bridges which span the river linking the roadside lakes as you journey up to the gap at the top.

A view of the narrow road, winding its way up the mountainside.

The boat ride down through the lakes is a real treat, where you enjoy amazing views of the mountains surrounding you all the way.

There are narrow waterways which link the lakes before you finally enter Lough Laune, which is the largest lake, and where you disembark at the ancient Ross Castle.

There it is, Ross Castle, standing proudly on the mainland on the Ross peninsula.

Ashore, and all beaming, after a really wonderful trip. Please note the suntans. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people come to Ireland just to get a decent suntan. Well i suppose some of them come for the Guinness also. Traveling with me, of course, also allows them to have a few pints, but i do keep an eye on them as we are very critical of drinking here. I think it may have something to do with our calm serene nature.

Killarney is really beautiful, and make no mistake about that. I have seen nonsense comments by some who claim that it is too touristy. Well, if they think that they can have a place as lovely as Killarney to themselves, maybe they should try the moon, or maybe Mars or somewhere. 

In this picture above we have, from the left, Russ, Denise, Pat, and Mike, with the Killarney racecourse in the background. We went there, after leaving Ross castle, to reserve our seats for tonight's fantastic show, Celtic Steps, featuring the best of Irish dancing, song and music. The show takes place in the auditorium at the racecourse and is not to be missed.

This afternoon we visited Killarney's St Mary's cathedral, built on a site where many famine victims were buried in mass graves during the terrible famine in the mid eighteen hundreds.

 Mike and Pat, with Denise and Russ, inside this fabulous cathedral.

There is a new restaurant in Killarney called the Uptown restaurant. This really nice place is owned by Imhran Khan and his wife Faiza, and it will not do any harm if you mention my name to them.  If you choose to dine in Casita Mexicana, you can mention my name there also to the owners, Eve and husband John. Both of these restaurants will not disappoint. The Uptown offers a great selection of

Thai, Chinese, and Indian food, and it is really good. It is located just off New street, in the same location as my favourite Mexican restaurant, Casita Mexicana. Now.... there's two nights dining covered for you in one go. If you saw my tummy, you would know for sure that i appreciate my food.

 Three very happy and lovely ladies dining in the Uptown.

 Just a sample picture of my starter, a delicious type of prawn dish. Yummy. I also had a delicious Madras. Tempted?

Full up with great food, we were now off to the Celtic steps show, and what a night we had there.All of the ladies in this picture above, are champion dancers.

 This is Roisin Ryan, a lady born and reared on the Ring of Kerry, and a wonderful singer, with a real haunting, lilting Irish voice. Rosin also plays the violin and is a very talented musician.

 Now the guys are in the picture, these two having 12 world championship titles between them. They  are just fantastic dancers, and have to be seen to be believed.

 Russ and Mike with one of the champs between them.

 My full party with a couple of the dancers.

 Pat, on the left, with dancer, Darragh O'Donnell,  accordion player Sharon Langston, and Denise pictured after the show. Sharon is another truly wonderful musician, who has traveled extensively with her music. I could sit listening to her all night. I think my pals could also.

And finally, the ladies just had to get to meet the musical director, and producer of Celtic Steps, Sean Murphy. Well they did, and here he is, smiling happily with the ladies,and bringing their evening to the perfect conclusion.

Our July so far! (including a July 4th recap)

July is usually a pretty great month for us. We're not exactly fans of hot weather, but we were lucky enough to have some mild days at the beginning of the month. We got out and did some summery stuff, celebrated the 4th with my family, and got a lot of work done. Aaron loves setting up the saw on the sunny deck and cutting out as many plaques as possible in anticipation of the sweltering days ahead. And it isn't so bad that the latter part of the month is crazy hot, since we have all of the detail work to finish in the studio. And as far as our orders go it feels a little different this year. We usually are working on lots and lots of whatever the most popular piece of the moment is. But this year there doesn't seem to be an overall favorite. Our worktable constantly looks like the pic above. And even though there are some advantages to repetition, like never having to change color palettes, we're very happy to have the variety we've been having lately.

Another great thing about July is that on 4th of July weekend we adopted our dearly missed Jack, and a few years later, also on the weekend of the 4th, we brought home Lieutenant Dan! It's our two year anniversary with this little guy! And we're constantly reminded of that fact by our Facebook Memories. Apparently we posted a pic of Dan every single day for two weeks straight in July 2014. 

This is how Lt. Dan spends the majority of his day. I mean, he does like to go out on the deck and lay directly in the hot sun a couple times a day. And he looks amazing when he does it! Aaron says he looks like a "village dog". Like he's lying in the heat on some rural dirt road town in Central America.

 But after a few minutes in the heat he wants to come back inside and go back to being a crank-the-AC-and-swaddle-me-in-blankets kind of guy. 

You know, I had already loaded this pic onto the blog and then realized that I'm posting this on National Ice Cream Day. But it's sorta National Ice Cream Day every day over here. This is the latest addition to my vintage ice cream carton collection. I looked up Moore's Ice Cream, and they still exist in Marlette, Michigan, just like it says on the box. And the place looks like it hasn't changed in many years. I love that!

 As you can see in the background of this pic, my shelf is overflowing. I've got cartons displayed all around the kitchen, but I'm on the hunt for another perfect display shelf or case that I can quickly fill to capacity.

I feel like I can rave about our Fave Craves mugs without feeling self conscious. Mainly because they're pretty much the one thing in our shop that we don't make from scratch. I'm just super happy with how great our paintings reproduced, and the quality of the mugs overall. We use ours every day and every time they come out of the dishwasher they looks absolutely brand new. Again, I'm not saying any of this in an "advertise-y" way. I just really love these things! 

If you follow me on Instagram, @jennyeveryday, or on Facebook, you might have seen that we're doing Friday Specials every Friday for the rest of the summer. The mugs were our first Friday Special item, and I'm thrilled to say that we had to quickly order more to restock the shop! 

We've got a growing list of things that we simply MUST PAINT. Salt Water Taffy and Hard Candy have both been on the list forever. Initially we actually had a couple of other ideas for exactly how we wanted to paint them. But then all of the sudden we thought of these candy jar designs, and that was it! 

The real trick was finding time to paint them. Well that's our main challenge every single time we do a new painting, but with these we happened to be extra busy at the time, and they're also the types of paintings that require a lot of focus...all those individual candies, all piled up in a realistic looking way, and then making them appear like they're behind glass. 

If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm totally not. Figuring out the little details is pretty much what every artist lives to do. It really isn't the achievement of a finished painting, or the positive public response of a painting that the artist is working toward. It's more about having an idea, and then throwing down your own personal artistic gauntlet, and then winning the little creative battles with yourself along the way. 

Well, needless to say...candy paintings have been a long time in the making. Besides salt water taffy being our signature little extra goodie in the packages we ship out...vintage salt water taffy boxes, and holiday hard candy tins are some of our favorite collectibles. And if you saw our previous post, you might have read about how much I die for anything having to do with old time candy making! 

Jeez! I'm telling you, I really tried to blog about 4th of July last week, or more like a week and a half ago at this point. I figured Tuesday the 5th I could post, or Wednesday at the latest. But boy oh boy, there was a whole lotta work waiting for us after the three day weekend. And for once we actually kept those three days completely work-free. Well, we did some work around the house, but that's different.

As far as holidays go, 4th of July is always super laid back. There's no pressure to find the right gifts, the food is fairly easy, and I don't know...I guess it's a day that really works for my family. My family can get pretty loud, and being that there are big explosions in the sky all night, it's the one time that we don't seem like the loudest bunch in the neighborhood. ha!

We actually had our 4th of July on the 3rd. The Fam was gathering at my brother Richard's house, and since he had to be at work super early on the 5th, it was way better for everyone if we moved the party up a day.

Here's Aaron with our niece who happens to hold the world record for quantity of cupcake frosting ingested in a 15 minute period. Well, even if she doesn't hold the actual record, I bet she's close.

But she's also pretty good with sharing. I think right here she was actually trying to share with uncle Aaron's beard.

Any of you guys play Cornhole? Here's my dad most likely showing off for the camera. You know...throwing the bean bag with a bit more gusto than necessary. And jeez Louise, do you see the miniature person peeking out from behind his leg?! She manages to be involved in everything going on all at once. It's kinda impressive.

That's my sis' Missy, and future sis' in-law Val.

Seriously, by the time I really starting taking pics of everyone it was very late, and very dark in the backyard. So pretty much every shot is of our bright faces against a completely black background. 

And oh boy...I just remembered that there were some motion capture attempts that were a disaster and completely hilarious. And you'd see them here if hadn't already deleted them. It was three family members, each holding a sparkler, each one squiggling their sparkler in the dark to make the shape of either U, S, or A. Not a single shot came even close to working out. But that was probably way more fun than if it had worked perfectly!

Ok, I guess that's a brief summary of our July so far. But before I go, two more things...First, I'm posting this on Sunday, which means tonight is episode 2 of "The Night Of" on HBO. Episode 1 was so so good! It's one of those story lines where the web gets more and more tangled each second. So get caught up if you're not watching already.



Second thing...it's another show. This one is one Netflix, so that means you can binge the entire season in one sitting if you feel like it! We LOVE this show. It is like one giant tribute to the very best films from the 1980s. It feels like ET, Goonies, and Stand By Me all in one, and with the amazing music and dark overtones of John Carpenter movies.
We rate this one: A+

Ok, now I'll sign off. Thanks so much again for reading! We hope to be back very soon, and we hope your summer has been awesome so far.

Love from the Jersey Shore! xoxo
Jenny...& Aaron

Chauffeurdriven tour of Gap of Dunloe with Dove and Dave Hogan.

Delia, looking really well and happy at breakfast ,after a good nights sleep in the Killarney Plaza Hotel last night.

Martin, looking happy also, after a hearty breakfast in preparation for their trip today to the Gap of Dunloe. This is a journey, best undertaken in the horse drawn jaunting cars, which take you up through this old mountain road, through the gorge, forged through the mountains by a giant glacier in the ice age.You are then treated to a wonderful boat ride, down through the lakes of Killarney and back to the town of Killarney, where you disembark at the magical Ross Castle on the shores of Lough Laune. It is far from advisable to try to drive through this gap road, as you become a hazard to the safety of the horses and their passengers. You also miss the wonderful boat journey.

One of the many lakes you encounter as you make your way up to the pass. Martin was my photographer today, and i am sure that you will agree that he took some great photos.

Maybe you can see now why it is not advisable to drive this road.

Look back down at another of the lovely lakes.

I think the horse sees the lakes in the distance, and knows that a well earned drink is not too far off.

A signpost for Brandon's Cottage, the final stop off point before boarding the boats.

One of the many lovely sights as the boat journeys down through the lakes on the way to Ross Castle.

Now within sight of their destination as they approach Ross Castle.

No, it's not a sheep, it's a lovely little lady who was waiting when the boats docked. Looks like she spotted someone she knows.

At last, my happy couple, Martin and Delia, back on firm ground, after their wonderful journey through the magical Gap of Dunloe.

Safely back at the Plaza Hotel once again. Well of course i did have to get in on the act at some stage, and here i am, pictured with Martin outside the hotel. I am the tall one on the left.

What a great day this has been, with a journey through some of Ireland's most remote and magical regions.
I think that Martin and Delia will have to come back again. There is so much more to see, but unfortunately their time in this area is limited, as tomorrow they join up with the Martin's football party, and we come to the end of our time together.
For me, this tour has been a pleasure , and i hope for them also.
We are not fully finished yet though as we have to attend the superb "Celtic Steps" show in Killarney tonight. This is a wonderful show, and put it on your "to do" list.
If you want to learn more about my tours, then just send me a message.

Wild Atlantic Way tour with Dovechauffeurdrive and Dave Hogan

 My latest tour sees me once again in Killarney with Delia Rheinhart, and her son Martin, pictured here in the lovely Killarney Plaza Hotel. They had arrived at Shannon airport early this morning from Chicago, and were ready for  rest. They were in great form though, and did survive the journey to Killarney, which gave us time to get to know one another a little better. They will only be with me for the next three days, as Martin is here to support a group of young footballers from the USA, who are here to play a few friendly games with some young Irish teams. Martin is normally a part of the playing group, but is carrying a leg injury which rules him out for the moment.

We did get time however to visit the beautiful Cathedral in Killarney, and here we have Delia, pictured in front of the altar.
This was a very nice beginning to our time together and i am looking forward to my time with them.

If you need me for anything, please let me know.

Chauffeurdriven tours at Galway Garden Festival with Dave HOgan and Dovechauffeurdrive

This past weekend i had the privilege of attending the wonderful Galway Garden Festival at the beautifully restored Claregalway Castle, on the outskirts of Galway City. I was there on Saturday with my wife, and my lovely grandaughter, Jessica, and we had a most enjoyable time together. There was food, there was music, and there was a wide variety of entertainment,from Medieval armed combat, to circus, to puppets, and street acts. One of the main things for me, as usual, was the variety of locally produced, and prepared, foods available, and i did partake.

The man behind the restoration of this wonderful, and historic castle, is Eamon O'Donoghue, pictured above with one of his many helpers, Crystal, obviously enjoying the lovely day we were blessed to have. This was my first time at this event, and eventhough i knew it was likely to be well attended, i was really surprised at the huge numbers of people who turned out. The parking facilities available were superb and, amazingly, free of charge.This event is hosted annually by Eamon, and is a charitable event with the main beneficiary being CBM, the organization whose aim it is to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities. Other charities also benefit from these events at Claregalway Castle, but i believe that all of us benefit from a visit to this very special place, thanks to the dedication of Eamon O'Donoghue, who has followed through with a life long passion to restore this historic place.

Claregalway Castle is now the home of  Medieval Armed Combat, MACI, and i really enjoyed the real life battles that took place here this weekend. In the picture above you can see two sturdy Knights, wielding their great swords, and kitted out in full armour, doing their best to overcome one another. Happily they both survived, but of course there had to be a winner. As i was in a good mood, and quiet happy about things in general, i did not take part in any of this activity.(You really do need to be in the mood, you know what i mean)

I would highly recommend that you mark October in your diary for the the International Medieval Armed Combat Festival, which will be taking place at Claregalway Castle. I certainly will be making my way there.( I might get a little practice in, in the meantime.)

The St Patrick's brass band provided some rousing music for us.

The Juke Box circus, pictured above, entertained us with a variety of comic, and gymnastic performances.

Crystal, my wife Sue, and my grandaughter Jessica, really enjoying the sunshine.

Jessica, with her tray of chips, what some people mistakenly call French Fries. (Call them what you like, they were delicious.

I would recommend that you look out for future events at Claregalway Castle as there are ongoing plans for many more in the days ahead.

To learn more about Claregalway castle, just Google

www.claregalwaycastle.com

And enjoy