On Saturday, we drove through Connemara, a geographical region just northwest of Galway. (I had a more descriptive introduction, but some guy looking over my shoulder made fun of me for sounding like I was writing for Rick Steve's Europe...) So, if you'd like a little nicer explanation of Connemara, here's a link http://www.connemara.ie/ .
The last few drives we've gone on, Silas has complained of his belly hurting. Nothing had come of it until this day. He removed any doubt we had about whether he was seriously feeling sick versus trying to get out of his seat by making up his ailment (he's been known to do this). We were twenty minutes into our drive and the boys were enjoying the bumpy, winding roads, saying "weeeee" as if on a roller coaster. A few minutes later, though, Silas changed his mind and told us he didn't like the bumpy road and could Dad stop it. A few minutes later, up came breakfast. The first picture is of the town of Oughterard, the "Gateway to Connemara," significant to us because we bought Silas a t-shirt at a lovely little tourist shop. Silas liked it - said it was "cool" - it has a sheep on it.
I'll finish the story of Silas' day right here, so you can enjoy the beautiful scenic pictures without much more mention of car-sickness. The poor kid threw up a total of five times over the next five hours. He was a trooper through it all. Each time after puking, he said, "My belly feels good now" and was fine again for the next hour. We'll find some Dramamine before the next trip!
Oughterard...
...and into Connemara...
Connemara's landscape includes lakes, rivers, peat bogs, mountains, rugged Atlantic coastline, wild flowers, ponies, sheep, cows, villages, and the ruins of former stone cottages and stables. It was beautiful - my pictures don't do it justice - and this is winter. I'm anxious to see it in full-bloom and many shades of green.
This is the "cool" sheep shirt and crackers that I thought would be safe...
Much of the area is peat bog. This is a pile of peat, scooped out of the ground with a special tool that cuts the rectalgular shape. Many homes in Ireland burn peat for heat.
Low tide. Maybe gathering what the tide brought in - clams, cockles, mussels, razorfish, sea urchin, shrimp, scallops, and the occasional lobster can be found on the beaches in the area.
Seaweed is a major industry on the West Coast of Ireland.
The ocean would be their backyard in high tide!
The village of Roundstone. A person gathering on the beach.
View from the village.
Further on, near the village of Ballyconneely.
The Connemara Pony is a distinct breed of horse. Some still live semi-wild here in their native area. They are bred as show ponies all over the world.
Playing with my camera - pony in focus...
...flowers in focus.
We asked a couple of our friends what the spray paint is all about. It's a way of "branding" - doesn't make the sheep very photogenic...
"The Twelve Pins" mountains
All the scenery pictures make it look like the area is only inhabited in the villages, so I took this one to show that the area was dotted with cottages all along our drive.
Clifden or D'Arcy Castle outside of the town of Clifden, the "capital" of Connemara. The town was founded in 1812 by John D'Arcy, a local landowner and High Sheriff of Galway, to create a pocket of respectability within the lawlessness of Connemara. The family eventually went bankrupt trying to bring prosperity and order to the town. 
This is the view just starting out on Sky Road - a 7 km drive around the peninsula on a narrow road on the cliff's edge. The following pictures are some of the views.
Early in the day, Aaron noticed Daddy's binoculars in the car and asked if he could see them. He began a game of "I spy" with Silas that kept them both entertained for most of the trip. We were pretty proud of Aaron for coming up with his own way to enjoy the car ride. We wonder if Aaron could see anything in focus, and are pretty sure Silas couldn't, but either way, they were happy!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di-oy3Ly3x0
A close shave - almost literally!! The little flock of sheep darted out across the road in front of us. We said something to the effect that those naughty sheep didn't look both ways and were promptly informed from the backseat that sheep did not, in fact, know how to look both ways before they crossed the street. Thank you, boys, for enlightening us.
We drove into Connemara National Park to take a walk and let Aaron burn some energy!
There were a few different trails to choose from as we started out from the visitors' center. We picked the modest 1.5km. Sometime it will be fun to come back with more time for a longer walk. Aaron loved all the hills - we didn't let Silas run down the steep ones since he hadn't been able to keep any nourishment in his little body all day. He was happy enough to walk for a while between rides on Dad's shoulders.
Even with the runny nose, I think this is my favorite "view" ;)
Holly
Ivy
There's a playground outside the visitors' center - their happiness is complete.
On the road home we passed Kylemore Abbey. I've been planning to visit in the summer when the walled garden is in bloom - more about it then.
Kylemore Lough (lake) and the Maumturk Mountains.
We're not exagerating when we say that, in Ireland, all modes of transportation share the road!
Back home, Daniel took this picture showing the tide rising in front of our house. He had guessed a while ago that high tide would come right up to the fence - I had doubted him. So, I'll go on record saying, "You were right, Daniel." First time for everything...jk
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