Corned beef, potatoes, cabbage and carrots...Irish soda bread and pistachio cheesecake...St. Brendan's-spiked coffee...a deck hugged by green treetops at sunset...friends, new and old, all ages...Irish music drifting through the air...softly...magically.
That's St. Patrick's Day at the Monahan's. In my Heinz 57 genetic make-up, there must be some Irish, because I sure feel lucky to be their friend and be included in the celebration every year.
And if that wasn't enough, this year there was an extra pot of gold to make this St. Paddy's day extra memorable...Joe set up his powerful telescope and introduced us to the Horsehead Nebula. Without the telescope, it was just another star in the sky. It pays to take a closer look at times.
Tom and Daniel staggered in from Big Bend too dirty, too tired, and too late to hit the Monahan's. Tom is sick - he coughed all night, keeping us both awake. But he was sick when he left, so I'm just glad he didn't get worse. He said it was still fun. They covered about thirty-five miles in four days. I can't wait to see Daniel's pictures.
No more word from Kendall. Looking at the itinerary, I'm not surprised she hasn't had time to send an email. Yesterday morning they rolled into Barcelona by train and spent the day sightseeing - Las Ramblas, Gothic Cathedral, Picasso Museum, Palau de la Musica. Today they'll be moving on to a new adventure. Soon it will just a memory and a collection of photographs. I want her to take advantage of every minute she's there.
