Strawberry Fields

Summer Lovin'

There is nothing like spending a summer swimming, biking and letting the sticky sweetness of a popsicle bring two close pals together. Thanks for a great summer Helen!

Fair Game

The Duck Game


Tooting on his duck game prize


Who doesn't love a ride on the Merry Go Round....


There's that darn sheep popping up again - even in the kiddie barn play area!



Soren loves the inflatable climbing/adventure structures popular at fairs and kid events.

We may not get to the Great Minnesota State Fair this year, but we did hit a couple of small town fairs. Personally I prefer the small ones anyway, more intimate, less expensive and far more interesting characters. It was 10 years ago this year that Randy and I had our first date at the MN State Fair - so the fair culture is in the entire Randrea clan blood.

"Me Drive That"

Since Sorens exposure to driving a plane - he has been obsessed with driving any form of a BIG moving vehicle. "Me drive that" is a phrase we hear almost daily. Fortunately we have had lots of opportunities this summer to put him in the driver's seat.

Soren's Irish Music Gig

A Dublin highlight for Soren was staying up way past his bedtime to hit the pubs. We went to one known for it's trad music and Irish dancers. Soren hung out in front of the stage and the guitarist came to him, gave him his pick and asked him to join in with the band. The packed pub gave a round of applause to Soren after his debut and he clutched onto that guitar pick for days.

Ireland Wrap Up

It has been 3 months since our return to the states and the only excuse I have for slacking on the blog is the complexity of dealing with post-trip drama/traumas, which by now most of you know about anyway. Let's escape back though to our final week in Ireland. After Randy's hospital discharge, we loaded up the rental car and headed to Wesport for a night, then on to Dublin and our return home. Originally it was supposed to be a grand wrap up to our time in Ireland, but with the stress of dealing with a fiesty toddler, a drugged up, out of commission husband needing more naps then the fiesty toddler, a 13 week hormonal pregnant mama (yes folks, that would be me), a grandma ready for the insanity of it all to be over, and a return flight home from hell, we are lucky we all survived. But we did our best and took in some great city highlights as all tourists should do.

No matter where we went, we just couldn't escape those darn sheep! (A sheep shearing demo in the streets of Wesport.)






The Dublin City Bus Tour atop the double decker bus.


While stuck on the Chicago runway for over two hours, Soren was allowed to play the role of Pilot, which calmed him for about five minutes.

Papa vs. Baa, Baa Black Sheep

"Papa hit a Sheep. Boom. Now Papa has a boo-boo elbow"
That is the toddler version of Randy's bike accident last Thursday. Travel about two miles from our house out west and you get into Ireland's wild country where the sheep and the cows run free. The pastures are filled with baby lambs this time of year and they are very skittery on the open road. One decided to jump in front of Randy last minute, causing him to "yard-sale" over the handle bars landing him in the county hosipital for 4 days with a broken elbow and collar bone, not to mention road rashes. Thanks to Ireland's social medical system, he is walking away from major surgery (plates and srews were involved) paying only a 17 Euro pharmacy fee. After traveling and hour each way to visit him, we are happy to have him home safe and in recovery.



Randy on the Orthopedic medical ward at County Mayo General Hospital.

Brian Polke's Best Boy

Brian Polk owns the store/pub across the street from the Art Center. His family has owned Polkes since the mid 1850's. I have yet to meet such a kind hearted soul as I have in Brian. He has taken a shining to Soren and calls him his "Best Boy" offering him a banana with every visit. On our rare night's out Randy and I will walk through the store to the pub in the back, order our drinks to be added to our tab. We just paid off our tab with sadness to be leaving behind such a gem in our little town.

The Fabulous Baker Boys and Super Cool Sarah

One of our many blessing's here has been a fellow artist and his family, the Bakers. They arrived about 2 weeks after us, coming from Maine. The kicker is that they have two boys, Finn who is 5 and Corin who is the same age as Soren. Yes - we laugh all the time about how similar their names are. Soren and Corin are in the play school together and have weekly playdates. They have been wonderful to us, looking after Soren at times that Randy and I have gotten stuck in the muck on some rural road, picking up Soren from school, etc. Sarah has been my date a couple of nights at the Parish Hall on Monday night's for Bingo and just a dear soul. David is an amazing painter and he has been doing some paintings of Soren and I. Here he is working in his studio on one such painting. We will miss them dearly.

















One of the

A visit from Wendy

A friend of mine, Wendy, whom I have known since I was 5 years old came to visit. Soren loved having her here, as she has a very infectious laugh that had him in stitches all day long. As sad as we were to see her leave, Soren was thrilled that he got to send her off on the train from Ballina. The train conductor himself even gave Soren a private tour of the engine while Soren directed.

Soren practicing his right (wrong) side of the car driving skills....... "Left papa, left" is a phrase Soren picked up from no doubt me having to remind Randy to stick to the left side of the road. Those darn roundabouts get us everytime.

href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TSOlKH7BKGQ/SfXGDW-IhCI/AAAAAAAAA9o/CtUL9koH8bc/s1600-h/walk.jpg">
On a walk in the hills behind our house.


Sitting on a stone wall next to Doonfenny cemetary. Behind Soren is a stone pillar dating back to the Neolithic Period.

Gaelic Football

We came across a Gaelic Football game the other night in a town near Ballycastle. Gaelic Football is a cross between rugby and soccer and is very popular in County Mayo. This game in particular was with teenager's and one of the boy's was a student I had taught that day during a photo workshop I offered through the Foundation.


Soren on the sidelines.


With Earon, the student, demonstrating a few gaelic kicks.

href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TSOlKH7BKGQ/SfXC0IsTIWI/AAAAAAAAA9I/00ohrbN2Zog/s1600-h/GF3.jpg">
Helping a player with a stray ball.


Soren looking "brilliant" - a term often used to describe him by the locals.

Dublin City vs. Baa, Baa Black Sheep

Last weekend we hit the big city of Dublin, a four hour drive away to pick up Grannie Annie who has come to join us for the last month. It felt good to be back in a roaring metropolis. We love the country life, but deep down we have come to realize we really are city folk. Soren was mesmorized by the double decker buses in Dublin as opposed to the tractors on the road that frequent Ballycastle.


Traversing the courtyard at Trinity College on the way to the Book of Kells.


This is for the Lewandowski family - as Soren has fallen in love with the concertina.


Driving back to Ballycastle after a big day in the city.


This is our neighbor John showing Soren the 3 day old twin lambs.

Touring Ballycastle

We found the perfect walking stick for Soren on the beach last week and he won't leave the house without it now. It came in handy while we hiked up to Downpatrick Head. In the background is the statue of St. Patrick and beyond that sheer cliff walls.


Soren giving an offering to St. Patrick.


Legend has it that St. Patrick personally struck the land with his staff to exile and kill a pagan cheif. What is left is the stunning Dun Briste sea stack, which seperated from the mainland in 1393. We kept a tight grip on Soren the whole time, but once you removed the toddler and shimmied to the edge, you can view the whole stack.


Hanging out with tea and scones at the local farmers market.


Soren's new buddy - Oisin.


This is dedicated to Molly - Randy and Soren went to the local Church Of Ireland's bric-a-brac sale and scored this great train set alog with numerous home baked goods. You would have loved it Mol!

Kiddie Korner Playschool

Soren now spends his mornings in the local playschool. He is the youngest child there, as the others are 3-5 years of age, but he really enjoys it. The girl in the pink dress on the right, Eron - keeps a watchful eye on him for us. The other images are all within a 1/4 mile from our house, the river and the sea - both great play areas.