The Warmth of Friendship and Scones

My first guests of 2011, Mary, Patty and Rod, arrived in Ireland last Tuesday.  I found it so much easier to leave Michigan knowing that a few days later my dear friends would join me.  I was very excited to share my home away from home with them.

Patty, Rod and Mary at Ross Errily Friary

We have had a week of excellent tours, views, talk, shopping and food.  The weather has been extraordinarily cooperative, including yesterday during our trip to Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands. 

Though I have visited Inishmore two times before with Kevin and Erin, I have never taken a mini-bus tour of the island.  The bus brought us to several sights I had not yet seen, including the ruins of seven churches.  We also saw a number of seals relaxing on the rocks just off the shoreline.  We ate in a wonderful café in front of a roaring fire where I had the best Irish beef stew yet.  We walked up to Dun Aengus.  The sun shone brightly and we had the cliff to ourselves.  

Rachel, Mary and Rod in the Ruins of the Seven Churches

The ruins of the seven churches

Guinness Beef Stew

Seals

After our tour and sweater shopping, we had about an hour before we needed to catch our Ferry, so we went to the one open food establishment during the off-season.  We sat in the only open chairs which were located at the bar.  A male resident of Inishmore sat next to us working his way through pints of Guinness.  He enjoyed gently teasing us for our choice of beverages (hot tea for the women and Coke for Rod).  The man encouraged us to take a picture of me holding his Guinness; he is in the background.

I am convinced that the connotative meaning of curse words is quite different for many Irish folks as we were also treated to a number of words that are generally not uttered in polite company in the U.S. 

After multiple busy days, we are having a quiet day today.  Patty decided, with Kevin’s help, that I needed to confront my fear of my oven.  You may recall that the two times I have used my oven (to bake salmon), it smoked and set off the smoke alarm.  Patty arrived tempting me with promise of baked goods. 

This morning I was engulfed in the smell of baking scones.  Patty drizzled them with icing and served them with lemon curd.  Right now a lemon cake is baking. 

Patty's Scones

To ensure that I will confront my fear of my oven, Patty has left three unbaked scones in my freezer along with directions on how to bake them.  Evil?  Yes.  Effective?  Oh, yes.  

Patty and Rod on Galway Bay

Mary and Rachel in the King's Head Pub eating West Coast Seafood Chowder