Back from my trips

 First I went to Ireland and was able to stay with my friend Fiona's parents on their farm. This is one of the old buildings that was along the coast on a drive we took.

 We climbed up to a old burial site and you could see how green and beautiful Ireland is.

 We took a trip into Dublin and spent a day touring the city. These are sculptures that are done to remind people of the times that Ireland went through starvation.

 Then I went to Edinburgh, Scotland for four days. Of course, I was quite delighted that I could find the local fabric shop.

 I was home for four days and then I flew to Minnesota to spend sometime with my family. I was a little early for the autumn leave, but saw a few.

 Then I joined my friend Fiona and her family who were mostly from Ireland and watch her run in the Twin Cities Marathon as a Global Hero. She won along with 24 other Global Heroes around the world that Medtronics flew in for the race. They all have devices that help them control some health issue and so it is quite a feet to be able to run a race. Their stories were so inspirational. It told us that you can do anything against many odds if you don't give up.

 Then in a week I attended a beach retreat. It was the perfect time to have this come in my life. I needed a little rest and time to get my energy back. All of my trips were so wonderful and I feel blessed to have been able to go on them.

 After that heavy schedule I have needed some down time. Beading seemed like a good relaxing creative adventure for me. I am so happy I have now completed my first project that was introduced to me in the bead retreat that I attended in July.

 These are the squash that I picked from my garden. It is the first time I have tried squash and it looks like it is a success. This should hold us for the winter.