Travels With Picasso

Today we arose early (8:00 am) and drove to Dunquin to get the Blasket Island ferry. If you’ve seen Ryan’s Daughter, you’ve seen Dunquin. We finally got to the island at about 11 after a few wrong turns to find the “terminal.” (‘ll have to post sometime later about Irish sense of time and customer service.)

The Blasket Island residents were evacuated to the main island (Ireland) in the late 50’s due to the low numbers and the cost of maintaining their living on the island. The entire story is told at the Blasket Island Centre, which we visited last week with Norman and Janet. The Blasket islanders lived in isolation, raising sheep, eating rabbits and fish, and enjoying the solace of monks. They were relatively untouched by the potato famine because they didn’t rely on potatoes as much as the rest of the country. However, young people tended to leave the island when they had a chance and by the end the population was all old and mostly male…not a sustainable model.

Today the weather was mixed, as usual. We began under clouds and had some beautiful sunshine as well. In the afternoon we experienced a shower. The return on the “ferry” (think small open 25 foot fishing boat.) was quite adventurous with about 10 foot swells and a vigorous wind. The crewman admitted that we were at about the limit for the boat. An exciting day all together. Pictures to follow on another post when we have had time to download and edit them.

One thing to note is that all of Ireland looks similar – vast green fields with stone fences. It is astonishing to realize that before human settlement 90% of this island was mature forest. Even after humans arrived the forest stood for millenia until agriculture took over. Sheep and potato farming require open land. Humans require heat. Therefore, the forests were cut. Now the island as about 10% forestland. There is a lesson here for humanity.

Yep, here we are spending another sunny, cloudy, rainy, warm, cold day in Dingle. I’m sure some of our friends will make more jokes about the name of this peninsula (you know who you are). The weather changes drastically every few minutes. It keeps us alert.

Yesterday we lounged, painted, I did some sketching, and we took a walk to a nearby castle in the evening. Yep, we have our own private castle about 1 km away. It is a small tower castle from the middle ages, reputedly the only one in Ireland that the English didn’t destroy. Time has damaged a good deal of it and it was rebuilt in recent years. It made a nice evening stroll up a one lane road (aren’t they all in Ireland?) past some lovely bovines, flowers, and mountain views. Yes, the Irish call them mountains although they don’t attain much more than 1500 feet. Along the way I took a picture of the Belle of Dingle.

The Belle of Dingle

I also completed another version of Dingle Dusk. This one is watercolor. Compare it to the previous acrylic I posted. I’m not entirely satisfied with either one, but that’s what on the spot studies are for. It’s a process of trying out compositions, colors, etc. to find a combination that pleases.

Dingle Dusk (Watercolor)

Today we worked on blog posts and painting. I’m doing an acrylic and a watercolor of the Gallarus Oratory. Yesterday afternoon I walked up there with my sketch pad and camera and spent a couple of hours sketching. Today I’m converting those sketches to outlines on paper and canvas. I’ve started blocking in colors and shapes on the acrylic, but you will have to wait for the finished piece.

Now we’re at our favorite pub Tigh TP’s in Baile nGall, about 2 km from our house. Jean will be posting some pictures of this pub. (Doug, watch for them!) The pork chops and sauerkraut are in the oven while we send you this news.

Life is good!

We are lying low in our stone house today. (Except for this trip to the local pub to make this post.) The winds have returned to about 35 mph. It is cloudy, but so far no rain. The wind is coming from the south, which has not been the case most of the time we’ve been here. That doesn’t make it warmer. Is the summer sulstice really coming?

It is a hardy people who survive on this island in the north Atlantic. Near our house we can walk to a ring fort from 1000 BC and numerous other ruins indicating human presence since then. (Pictures another time.) Many of these people lived in small stone huts without heat other than an open fire. Even in this summer time when there is light about 18 hours a day it is a wind blown, wet existence, with temps barely reaching 60 F on a warm day. It is difficult to imagine what this country is like in the winter with 18 hours of darkness, stronger winds, and colder temps. One positive feature is that it seldom freezes here in winter.

Once Ireland was 90% covered with forests. Once cut down for human use, these forests failed to regrow. Therefore, the vast open stretches of land allows the wind to sweep through the mountains and across the flat land.

No food at the pub on Tuesdays (not enough business) so this is a brief post without pictures. I need nourishment to engage in such strenuous activity. Well, back home to enjoy the light of day until 11:00 pm.