bdodge: Another amazing night here. Ballykeeffe Amphitheater was built around a working quarry. Its high rock wall curves around the stage making the acoustics terrific. The concert was a fundraiser for cancer support and included the choir that cousin Margaret s
bdodge: Today was the first day of the Kilkenny Arts Festival (kilkennyarts.ie), ten days of exhibitions and performances. Who knew that there was such a thing as Irish opera? There is, and it was terrific! Amazing music, lighting and singing.
bdodge: What a fabulous day. There were four generations of Scadden descendants in one room watching the All Ireland hurling finals match, Clare vs Cork. Both teams hadn’t had a win in a long time. The game went into overtime and was almost a tie at the end. Ve
bdodge: On Wednesday we took a bus up to Dublin for some shopping and a visit to Howth, a seaside area of the city. There we found the Hurdy Gurdy Vintage Radio Museum. It’s a wonderfully quirky collection housed in a Martello Tower, one of 140 defensive forts bu
bdodge: Had a great time today on a history tour sponsored by the Kilkenny Library. The topic was the burning of witches in 1324 and particularly the trial of Alice Kyteler, a prominent local businesswoman. She was accused of heresy and the use of magic partly be
bdodge: Had our first US visitor yesterday! Darlene Devaney headed up a couple of projects I worked on for San Diego City Schools. We impacted hundreds of teachers and I learned a bunch in the process. Darlene was born in County Mayo and comes over here regularly
bdodge: Here we go again. Time to stock up on bleach.
bdodge: Watched an amazing one woman performance tonight capturing the life of Violet Gibson. The play was written by Alice Barry, the actress herself. The set was sparse and costume changes were done right out in the open as she transformed from a twenty-somethi
bdodge: They’re counting the ballots today for two separate elections: local representatives in Kilkenny and members of the European Parliament representing this part of Ireland. Just as we do at home, we received flyers in the mail before the election. What’s di
bdodge: I guess this is an old plane.
bdodge: Had a great two days at my fourth visit to Hamvention, the world’s largest gathering of radio amateurs. No official headcount yet, but it’s likely to be over 30,000. Lots of interesting talks, including one using game mechanics to motivate people gettin
bdodge: Getting ready for Madama Butterfly. First time back since COVID.
bdodge: Easter dinner: pineapple glazed chicken thighs, au gratin potatoes, string bean casserole, and dyed deviled eggs.
bdodge: Spectacular view of the SpaceX launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base just now. This never gets old.
bdodge: Dinner last night with Chuck and Silvia at the home of Donn and Barbara Ritchie. Beach walk, sunset, great food and conversation. It’s as good as it gets.
bdodge: After 11 day delay, June’s burnt almond birthday cake was ready to serve. Every year a little different.
bdodge: After the rains.
bdodge: From bottom to top: moon, passing plane, and Saturn.
bdodge: Just watched a SpaceX launch from the back yard. Always impressive! https://ift.tt/9r5L6AT I’m also impressed that my iPhone did such a good job capturing it handheld.
bdodge: Well, this is disappointing. Sixty potential jurors sat in a huge room waiting to be picked. After three hours they dismissed us all. Apparently we’d all been called in for a single trial, one that they anticipated a lot of jurors being rejected from. All
bdodge: This is what I’ll be doing tomorrow at 7:45am. I wonder how many innocent people went to prison because the jury of their peers was filled with not-morning people.
bdodge: Finally made it to the San Diego Peace Corps Association annual Christmas party. Interesting people around the table for a potluck and silent auction. The event raised money to help a current volunteer set up a health center in rural Zambia.
bdodge: Building on the public’s passion for plant-based milk, our Dublin hotel provides plant-based water. I guess they squeeze it out of lily pads.
bdodge: We left Rochester two days ago but before it recedes to far in the rear view mirror, I wanted to share a few more images.
bdodge: Here’s something amazingly great that we don’t have in California and probably won’t. Wegman’s is gigantic and and jammed with really high quality food. They’ve said that they won’t expand beyond the reach of their current distribution network which limit
bdodge: Here we go again. This time it’s June Dodge in isolation. Sore throat, cough, aches… I remember it well. Feels weird wearing a mask again.
bdodge: Flash flooding hits the Dodge back yard. No casualties reported. Film at 11.
bdodge: A few friends have asked about the volcano. It hasn’t affected our visit here as it’s 20 miles from the capital. From high places in town like the Perlan you can see the smoke plume clearly. We haven’t felt any earthquakes like the several thousand that o
bdodge: Just landed in Reykjavik. Hoping to glimpse the brand new volcanic eruption from the bus. Our timing is impeccable!
bdodge: Its 5am and already there arent two seats together. Plane to ORD full. The Uber driver spoke fluent Trump. Ive had better mornings.