Goodbye Ireland!

One thing I'm ready to do is to stop saying goodbye all the time. We've done it over and over on this trip, but it just doesn't get any easier. It's one thing when you know you'll see someone again in the near future, but saying goodbye (most likely) for good, is so much harder. When you spend five weeks living and working with a family every day, it's not easy to just leave when it's time to go. Mona, Harrie and all their kids were so great to us; we learned a ton and had such a wonderful time getting to know them and enjoying the Irish countryside.

 Evi and Evan made each other gifts to say goodbye...they couldn't wait for each other to open them.

 Evi took a white dress and sewed flowers, hearts and a sash on it for Evan.

And Evan made Evi and flower shaped hair pin out of felt.

On our last day, we mostly packed and got ready to go, but there was one job that still needed done: the grain needed to make it up to the loft in the barn. Their barn has 3 stories (Carter helped finish the top floor while we were there) and the grain needed to go all the way to the top. So as we pulled any grass from the bundles of grain we stacked them onto a big pallet to be lifted up to the top by giant forklift. This "job" turned into great fun for the kids because Harrie let them ride the pallets on the way down.

There were things I kept meaning to get photos of and never got around to it til the last day...like the chickens...

 Alanna showing Elliot the new chicks

 Inside the chicks' house

 Where the hens "sit"

 The chicken house

 Inside the chicken house

Free range chickens!

I also had to take the time to say goodbye to my buddies...the goats.

 One of the girl kids

Chocolate's boy who Evi named "Chockie"

Chockie

And here is my real buddy - Flop. The goat I milked more than any of the others.

 She was very interested in my camera.

 Elliot saying goodbye to Flop

 One of the female kids put up for the night.

"Spotless"

Then there were sheep to say goodbye to...well, at least the rams.

 Elliot saying goodbye to "Mickey" the ram whose wool wasn't great, horns grew funny, wasn't really good for much...but he was really sweet.

 Elliot taking "his" bike for one last spin. He probably spent more time on it than doing anything else while we were there.

Evan saying goodbye to "Pitch" their new kitty that came all the way from Dublin to find a home.

And I finally got around to shooting an "after shot" of our house from where we had finished painting it.

 when we got there

when we left

 Harrie and Evan

We'll never forget our time in Ireland and the family that welcomed us there.