THE ASPIRATIONS OF A TRAVEL BLOGGER

A series of essays....

THE MISTY CLIFFS OF MOHER SHOT ON A WILD AND
WINDY DAY FROM DOOLIN PIER

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

The scorched earth smell of peat fires burning seems to linger on, reluctant to leave, even after having returned from Ireland weeks ago. The raw, pungent perfume of gasoline fumes  remains a pleasant memory as I picture my dad filling-up the tank of our powder-blue Chevrolet before leaving on a family excursion to grandma and grandpa’s farm on a Saturday morning or, to Chicago to spend the day at the Museum of Science and Industry. 

Indelible marks leaving lasting impressions incapable of being removed through time, space, or memory.

Choosing these two examples, our most recent trip to Ireland and an example of other trips enjoyably recalled from my childhood, it’s easy to understand how these lingering memories represent many of the major reasons why we love to travel in the first place. As travelers, we bring home certain triggers that will serve to arouse feelings associated with a particular travel experience we, subconsciously, wish to remember. And, certain smells, sounds, and visuals can prompt happy times spent traveling with family and friends throughout the years.

DAN AND I ENJOYING DINNER WITH OUR FRIENDS,

MICHAEL AND MARSHA AT THE LIME TREE 
IN THE TOWN OF KENMARE, IRELAND.

Taking photos during a trip remains one of the most popular means of capturing digital highlights that will become my visual chronicle of events, a detailed recollection of a particular place or travel memory. Organizing these pictures in a Snapfish or Vistaprint photo book or, organizing them on an IOS Flash Drive will help preserve your visual memories for a very long time. 

Sadly, I am one of those people who tends to leave my photos on my smartphone even when I see this unimaginable number steadily grow throughout the duration of many trips, special occasions, and ‘save photo’ options that often revolve around my grandchildren. And, I can totally justify my behavior! You see, I am constantly going back through them as I gather, sort, and select a few for each Blog post I write and, eventually, publish. They serve as my lifeline to Blog ideas, as well as illustrations for each post. I know, carrying my IOS Flash Drive would be as convenient and far more flexible. Baby steps...

A LANE POSSESSING
 INFINITE POSSIBILITIES!

A COZY HAVEN FORSAKEN
BY WEATHER AND TIME...

I like to think of my stories as little vignettes representing my travels along with all of the entertaining and beautiful people and, happenstance that touch my life while moving about from one place to another. Naturally, the main goal of every travel blogger, I believe, is to capture a file folder of these brief evocative accounts or episodes that represent our time discovering other places and share all of these first-hand revelations with as many people as possible after returning home. So, traveling for me becomes deeper and much more multi-layered.

My photographs are my friends. Each one represents a child I have nurtured from its initial conception; set-up, arranged, brought forth from the light surrounding it, and positioned with care right before hitting the small, round button that pushes it out into the world for my perusal and final approval. This process brings me so much joy and delight and keeps me trying harder and harder to make the next photo that much better.

Taking some amazing shots of such beautiful places as the Wild Atlantic Way along Ireland’s hauntingly beautiful and rugged west coast, is easier to do than you might think. The light, colors, textures, and sheer beauty of this particular portion of Ireland astounds me more and more with every visit we make. I might be looking one way, taking a picture of a moss-covered stone wall, turn my head slightly and be able to capture a completely different shot filled with all of the glory that the first picture possessed but set in a new and unique composition. 

I will forever attribute my love of Connemara, Galway, the Aran Islands, the village of Doolin, and the limestone moonscapes of the Burren to the magical feeling I feel inside whenever I am there.

OUR LOCAL PUB ACQUAINTANCES AT
LEONARD'S GROCERY AND BAR---
LAHARDANE, COUNTY MAYO 

MARY, THE OWNER'S DAUGHTER,
MADE THE BEST GIN & TONICS...!

GROCERIES, BOOTS, AND SHOES ON ONE SIDE
AND THE BAR ON THE OTHER....

....WHO COULD WANT ANYTHING MORE?

The ultimate goal of a travel blogger, what we mainly aspire to achieve, is to accurately record and present, to the best of our ability, a written account of what we have witnessed, discovered, enjoyed (sometimes, not enjoyed), and photographed. We do this for those who want to read about where we have traveled and for those who may desire to travel to these places themselves in the future. Keeping our story as honest, quirky, informative, and generally entertaining as possible is the goal we set out to achieve and is the main responsibility of every travel blogger.

I will mentally walk through each vignette, eyes closed, as I plan which story I will pull-out of my ‘travel file’ before committing it to words. Becoming familiar, once again, with the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and actions of each segment encourages me to carry-on and produce my opening sentence. Often, I base my choice of story on a particular picture I’ve taken and this offers me the opportunity to add more pictures, before publishing, that will coincide with and offer more visual awareness and credence to my words.

MET THIS SWEETHEART
IN THE BURREN PERFUMERY
TEA ROOM 

BURREN PERFUMERY
HERB GARDEN

I love my job! I enjoy making choices (almost never in chronological order), and by the time I walk away from my PC, several hours after publishing my story via social media, I feel proud of what I’ve done. 

My Website (Moving On...2018), includes this note which sums-up how I approach sharing a variety of life’s stories with my readers: 

“I am so happy to welcome in the new year, 2018!!! My Blog is changing-up a bit....mainly because I am evolving. Travel will always take precedence in my life and, my journeys will be shared with you. This 2018 version will offer a variety of new stories and personal ideas, as well. This is all about having fun and enjoying this Beautiful Journey called......Life!!!”

Call the story I am sending out into the ethos today self-promotion or a guide to travel blogging or both but, it is precisely because I enjoy what I do so much, that it would be impossible for me to not write about ‘life’s little vignettes’ that I live through and then, happily, share.

WALKING UP THE HILL IN OUR BACKYARD
TO CATCH THE LIGHT OF THE SETTING SUN

A GREY DAY IN GALWAY CITY...
REFLECTING ON LIFE AS I SAT
ON THE SHORES OF GALWAY BAY!

Travel is a feeling we have in our hearts. It may be a two-week stay in Ireland or France, or, simply, a shopping excursion to the local grocery store. Each moment of our life draws from the next moment and creates our journey along the way. Please remember to fill your journey with Love and Respect for the places and people you meet along each winding road and I promise you will learn from and appreciate the true meaning of travel.     

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

Photo Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

AMERICA'S ELEGY?

A series of essays....

"THE SCREAM" BY EDVARD MUNCH

                   Courtesy of www.EdvardMunch.org

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

AMERICA’S ELEGY?

For: The Administration of Donald John Trump

This is where the underlying sound builds into

a familiar cadence, grows slowly, gently pulsing,

and millions sway in union, in dignity and truth,

to celebrate a death, a new life, or both along their path.

This is where we hear the subtle sound vibrating in our ears

as the sunset bursts with shades of orange and red

and the air has turned to blood pulsing, pulsing,

indicative of a roiling wave of light that changes colors.

This is where the haunting beat picks up the pace

and the people begin to march to a different drummer.

This is where the skies return to a distinct shade of blue,

hearts shift their heavy loads and become softer, lighter.

This is where the people decide to honor life once again,

bring in hope and sunlight instead of fear and hate

and say ‘rest in peace’ to a situation meant to harm us—

living the way our forefathers called on us to understand life.

CAPTAIN AMERICA WANTS YOU TO VOTE!

                                     Courtesy of brodiehbrockie

The rain has dissipated. Listening to the occasional ‘ping’ of the droplets that fall on the roof from the variety of golden leaves hovering over our ‘Little Cottage’ is all that remains of the recent deluge. Waking-up to the heavy sounds of rainfall an hour ago, in the dark, chilly, early morning shadows, required me to snuggle into my makeshift robe (an oversized, gray, cotton shirt), collect my i-Pad, and move to my favorite writing spot. The clock above the fireplace has recently ‘bonged’ its five-thirty alarm.

Many of us have been giving some serious thought about the current world we live in and reflecting on what has been, is, and what could be in store for our future, depending upon which shade of wave might be hitting us next Tuesday.

Need I wonder at all why shivers run down my arms as I sit here in my repurposed space, stacked stone fireplace a gaping black hole across the room, screaming at me in the early morning hours? Entering the mind of Edvard Munch, the Norwegian Expressionist artist, born in 1863 and died in 1944, this early in the day can be very frightening. It might set a less desired tone for the coming weekend. I don’t want that to happen. Sunday marks my day of birth...so many years ago now that time seems to be overlapping itself, like the curtains at the center when closed; like the grandchild’s eyes that resemble my own and hold the secrets of the universe in their bottomless depths.

I recall researching Munch and the multiple versions of his popular work, The Scream, for a story I wrote several years ago. The death of his Mother when he was five, the death of his sister when Munch was thirteen, and the emotional loss and support by his Father who fell into a deep depression following his own great losses, Munch defined in his most iconic work how we see ourselves today, wracked with anxiety and uncertainty, often plagued by our own internal fear and doubt.

"My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness," he once wrote. "Without anxiety and illness, I am a ship without a rudder....My sufferings are part of my self and my art. They are indistinguishable from me, and their destruction would destroy my art."

Why is it impossible for me to relinquish the hold that this sad yet extremely brilliant man has on me? So often tragic circumstances that happen at the most vulnerable moments of our lives can set the precedent that shapes our future and makes us who we are as adults. Munch seemed to think so. If fear of life is necessary for some people to feel alive and productive, so be it. Do not drag me down into the blackish depths of despair along with you. I have much better things to accomplish during my few, short years here on earth and there is, quite simply, no time for nonsense! Celebrating yet another year of life makes one more aware of the truth.

WHAT IS A 'SPECIAL DAY'
WITHOUT IRISH FLOWERS?

I recall a time as a young writer when I believed that my best work was written under the dark cloud of sorrow and pain. Happiness was a stumbling block when it came to being a creative person. Really? Was a wayward college professor of mine going through a bad divorce or something? Soon after college I discovered that, in a sense, this philosophy would become truth as I happily married at twenty-two and we began our family soon afterward. My writing became fifth or sixth in line of importance. Fortunately, I wrote in my daily journals and kept-up with my travel notes, all of which have become so important to me today!

Within the past two years many people have discovered or, at least, become much more aware of the hatred, intolerance, and racist attitudes thrust upon us by others; even among the people we work with or live nearby and thought we knew so well. That’s quite disturbing when you think about it. All of the anger, hate, fear, and raw emotions have surfaced because there is no longer a governor on these human machines, holding them back or keeping them reined-in within this current political climate.

Then again, just maybe...we need to know where we stand, where others stand, especially when it comes down to how we treat and respect other human beings! 

I do hear the sounds of the people today! I hear a low, underlying sound that continues to build into a familiar cadence, growing slowly, gently pulsating, yet rising, rising to the surface with each breath that is taken and every speech that is spoken and every march that is stepped in order to unify us and retain our basic rights. It was brought to life as a small-scale dirge, a mournful song honoring the death of ‘stupidity and greediness’ and has grown into a movement carried along by the flow of peace and the rhythms of a giant wave crashing headlong into a crimson wall of hatred and separation.

My hope and belief is that Munch’s painting of a sexless, twisted, fetal-faced creature, with mouth and eyes opened wide in a shriek of horror will not haunt me any longer. My dreams will become softer, lighter, and less wracked with anxiety and uncertainty. Such Joy! Such Peace!

And, if I am good, if I am very, very fortunate, and if all Americans eighteen and older take advantage of their precious obligation to vote on Tuesday, November 6....then, I will receive two of the most precious gifts possible this year,  for my Special Day....the gift of Common Sense and the gift of Love. Who could ask for anything more? 

Vote on Tuesday if you haven’t already via early voting or absentee ballot. Vote as if your life depended upon it.....and, it does! VOTE...!

I want to wake-up on Wednesday morning smiling, observe older couples holding hands in the park, watch people laugh with one another in the local market, and...see all of us giving someone else a helping hand when needed. Together we can make all of this happen again!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

BEN....BREAKFAST....AND, BOYISH CHARM

A series of essays....

DRUID COTTAGE, A TRADITIONAL IRISH COTTAGE LOCATED
ON THE RING OF KERRY AND OUR HOME FOR THREE DAYS!

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Every journey tells a story and if we look inside each one of those stories, we can find a hundred more. Each story comes with a different narrator and each story contains the personal charm that each narrator provides, “....as seen through my eyes!”

How I perceive our stay at Druid Cottage in Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland, for three nights may be similar to my fellow travelers, but with just enough of a personal twist as to change how the light plays off of the whitewashed, sunroom walls or, favor my own version of how the voices, layered in happy tones and seasoned with the spirited sounds of laughter, were summoned like magical echos of instant camaraderie flowing smoothly between the guests! 

This particular story is prompted by that voice....those deep, throaty tones and a laugh, bright, deep, and resonant between sips of coffee and snippets of his own stories, that initially attracted my attention....

We’d arrived shortly after dark to meet Phil, our delightful host, at the front doorway of his quaint Bed and Breakfast, Druid Cottage, located on the Ring of Kerry itself, right outside the village of Kenmare. Dan and I fell in love with this small town located on the Wild Atlantic Way over twelve years ago when we discovered that it meant ‘little nest’ in the  traditional Gaelic language of Ireland. We tend to return to it with each visit to Ireland. Its kindness and charm, smiling faces, stone circle, whitewashed buildings, and energetic soul live within us....drawing us back into the fold each time.

WE PARKED OUR RENTAL CAR
IN THIS COZY SPOT

After Phil had shown us to our rooms at the top of the steep, winding staircase, we were exhausted. Even so, hunger won out in the end, along with our continuous quest for a pint of Guinness, and we found warmth and solace in Davitt's Bar and Restaurant, right in the heart of the town. 

If one can truly find deep, soul quenching sleep in a strange bed...we did! In the morning, after the hustle and bustle of showering and dressing for breakfast, I began to slowly descend the narrow staircase amid the inaudible conversations that preceded the booming laughter emanating from the sunroom to the right of the petite foyer. 

DRIVING INTO KENMARE CITY
WITH DAVITT'S BAR ON THE LEFT

Being quite interested in placing a face with the laughter, I tried to imagine it before turning the corner and entering the breakfast room. 

I pictured an older, white-haired man in need of a shave (with a mad scientist’s profile) who hails from Dublin City. I saw a slightly pudgy American from Miami wearing an Hawaiian shirt with bluejeans and heartily laughing at his own jokes. And, I visualized a mild, timid looking gentleman in khakis and a Polo shirt whose voice far outweighed his physical stature. My imagination failed to discern his particular  nationality.

Finally, I entered the bright sunroom and discovered....Ben!

BEN SORENSEN AND OUR FIRST
MORNING AT DRUID COTTAGE

Well, I quickly learned that his name was Ben, Ben Sorensen (with an ‘e’), because he instinctively stood up as I turned into the sunlit annex and thrust forward his hand to shake my own and to let me know that his name was Ben. If we hadn’t met Phil, owner of our comfortable accommodations, last evening, I would surly believe our host would be this tall, bearded, bubbly, young man standing opposite of me on the other side of the breakfast table!

Ben had been seated near a couple hailing from Alabama and celebrating their wedding anniversary. Apparently, their conversations with Ben had been quite jovial and produced the cheerful and friendly atmosphere that enveloped this small, glass-walled room.

By the time Dan, Michael, and Marsha joined the breakfast revelry, shortly behind me, it was clear to all of us that Ben’s engaging personality had infiltrated our lives, bringing with it a certain civility within an Australian accent and a lumberjack persona. Who could resist a full salt-n-pepper mustache and beard engulfing a charming smile and eyes that sparkled when his smile conjured ‘wisdom creases’ surrounding their dark, penetrating gaze? Not to mention his captivating accent that invoked images of a sweet joey snuggled in his mother’s pouch and a fuzzy, adorable koala bear munching on eucalyptus leaves.

DAN, BEN, MICHAEL, AND MARSHA....
WE WERE A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE!

Ben became our own guru of sorts that sunny morning in Kenmare. An influential teacher and popular expert, he turned out to be a life management guru with an answer or, at least, a story and opinion on almost everything we talked about, questioned, and attempted to make sense out of. Certainly, we offered our own ideas and blended in with the conversation as we ate Bernadette’s (Phil’s better half) delicious rashers, eggs, and toast with homemade jam. And, after several cups of robust French-pressed coffee under our belts, it was becoming increasingly difficult to even think about leaving this comfortable cocoon of newfound friendship we’d willingly established ourselves in.

It turned out that Ben had just arrived in Kenmare from his hometown, Melbourne, Australia, to host the wedding of two good friends who would be getting married the next day. As information was shared (this is when social media is at its very best!), Instagram accounts connected to, and promises made to ‘keep in touch,’ we learned so much more about Ben Sorensen.

Ben is a well known public figure Down Under who travels world-wide seeking business ventures and opportunities for himself and others. He emcees large social occasions including music concerts, conventions, and exhibitions, and has his own popular Ben’s Trivia Question of the Week  program in Australia where he promotes local businesses and encourages your participation with the incentive of prizes to be won if answered correctly.

Yes, that charming face does get around! Ben describes himself as, “Quirky, eccentric, bearded, media personality, voiceover guy, writer, music lover, presenter of stuff, and unable to leap tall buildings....” He came to Ireland at the request of his friends on their ‘Special Day’ and was leaving for Dublin and then off to Germany for several weeks before returning to Melbourne.

We ended up spending three breakfasts together with Ben. Although, Michael and Marsha had run into him at the local library in town as he was ‘discovering’ what made Kenmare tick and successfully enamoring the population of the town by enchanting them with his appealing personality.

PHIL, OUR GRACIOUS HOST, GIVING
DAN DIRECTIONS TO LOCAL SITES.

Saturday, the final morning of our stay with Phil and Bernadette (much more about them in another story), we met two amazing ladies from Germany, Christiane and Juliane, who were spending one night at the cottage before continuing their travels throughout Ireland. Ben was more subdued around them. However, his boyish charm was evident and certainly not lost on them as witnessed by their side glances and coquettish smiles. Ironically, we met up with Christiane and Juliane four days later while touring Kylemore Abbey located just north of Connemara National Park and a little over an hours drive from Galway City. Once again, information exchanged and new friends tucked into our hearts forever!

Seeing Ben on Instagram and following his generous activities on his Facebook Page (including videos) helps to keep his legacy alive for me. At least I get to hear his voice, accent and all, and see his magnetic smile whenever I wish. Thank you, social media. 

VIEW OF THE BACK COURTYARD

This story is all about the benefits of travel; the new friendships, happenstance encounters, sharing of ideas and beliefs, and the better understanding of people from all corners of this magnificent world we share with so many others. Years ago you may have become (pen pals) in order to continue a relationship with someone beyond your travels. Today we have social media to thank. Yes, life has become less complicated in this regard and much more open to instant responses from those we meet along the long, winding road of discovery!

Aussie accent and charm, a plethora of knowledge and advice, a propensity for laughter...these will always remind me of Ben. Nevertheless, it will be his kindness and deep love of coffee that will set him apart from everyone else for me. Ben, I sincerely hope we really do get to meet in person again....one day!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved 

Photo Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

FROM CARDBOARD FORTS TO LOCKED DOORS AND FEAR....THE NEW GENERATION!

A series of essays....

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE,  A CHARACTER STUDY BY THE ENGLISHMAN,
JOSHUA REYNOLDS, WAS COMPLETED AROUND 1786

 Courtesy of: en.m.wikipedia.org

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

The Age of Innocence, as my generation perceived it growing up in the 1950’s, is rapidly changing! The simplicity of being a child, free to roam and discover the small world around them, is being exchanged for real fears that stifle the purity of their daily lives.  I believe that The Age of Innocence is the struggle to reconcile the old with the new.... But, at what cost to all of the innocent children?

Can we any longer.....

Leave the doors to our house and automobile unlocked just because we live in a small town or community?

Knock on a stranger’s door to ask for directions or help and not expect to have someone accost us with a firearm?

Pack school lunches for our children without wondering if something bad could happen to them during the day at school; when they come home from school?

Watch our teenage daughter go out for a run with earbuds on, innocently listening to her favorite tunes, and not be concerned about her safety....even in broad daylight?

Not worry about our elementary school child walking home a block or two alone after being let off from the bus?

Be a child of African American decent and not require to learn specific rules and regulations in order to coexist among White children and adults?

Leave for our place of employment and not have to wonder if a disgruntled employee (current or past) will be stalking the premises with the intent to cause harm to those who work there?

I am old enough to know that many to all of the above examples could have and, most likely, did occur years ago, as well. The consistency by which they occur today is what concerns most of us.....especially regarding the mass school shootings that have taken so many young, innocent lives! They have robbed us of so much intelligence and potential towards making our world a better, more productive place to live and have inflicted incredible, lasting pain among the families and friends that survive after such an egregious event.

And, yes, having the broad spectrum of the media today reach out to us in so many different ways has a lot to do with allowing us to instantly feel the impact of such horrific acts of hatred and disregard for human life itself. What glory such a deranged mind seeks and is gifted with when they know that their ‘dirty’ deed reaches such notoriety so quickly and in real time. Lives touting such obscene ‘legends’ have become prolific in this time of instant media coverage.

Am I kidding myself here? Was there ever such a thing as living in jubilant innocence in the first place? Or, did we convince ourselves that living in a small town guaranteed that you knew all of your neighbors well enough and offered a comfort that stemmed from your parents and grandparents who lived there before you? Generations ago it was more likely that you remained in the same town that you grew-up in rather than fly-off into the great unknown following your dreams. We would be safer if we just stayed put. Or, so we believed.

With changing times, we have become travelers of the entire world and often decide to visit and live in places that our grandparents had never even heard of or read about. The earth has become a smaller place in this regard, however, our knowledge of different people, their culture and traditions, has grown immensely and we are learning how to comfortably commingle with all the people of the world. 

Sadly, continuing to follow along our current path, the legacy we pass down to our children and grandchildren will be of students crouching down beneath their desks as they are drilled to react to a shooter within their school. Or, to fear the color of someone’s skin for they may want to cause you physical harm. Understanding that if you speak-up and say what you feel deep inside, you could be taken away and locked-up. And, to love freely the person of your choice could be against the law of the land. 

Unfortunately, the legacy we pass down to the children would be their lack of freedom; the same freedoms we knew and cherished as a child growing-up in America! The innocence we luxuriated in and may have taken for granted, has disintegrated into the dust particles of fear, hatred, and isolation which has contributed to anxiety about future uncertainties or how we stack-up among the different levels of society as we know it.

Can we turn the tables? I will always believe that we can. Eliminating the source of such fear and hatred by those who exasperate us by promoting negativity and friction between various groups would be a huge start! If you are eighteen or older, making your vote count this November would be a giant step towards turning our topsy-turvy world in a slightly more upright position. 

Ultimately, we need the United States government to be on our side again, we the people, and fighting for the ‘little person’ who happens to make-up the vast majority of this great nation; the people who work hard for a living and strive every day to make this country stronger and better from the bottom....up. Not the other way around! Our neighbors whom we trusted with our unlocked homes and vehicles are, once again, those we would do anything for as we assume they would do for us.

All children deserve the right to feel free of guilt through lack of knowledge of evil. He or she should be protected from cunning or deceit for as long as humanly possible. Childhood is living in a fairytale world without structure or worldliness and where the imagination can run rampant. Our children are entitled to enjoy this inherent freedom, this privilege of living, even for a little while, within a world that is charmed and innocent....

Every child deserves the right to have time to explore and time to waste. These are the little things that help to make this country the best it can be right now; the best it can be in the future! 

Please exercise your right to vote on November 6! Allow the innocent children of America to enjoy the freedom and joy of living a childhood that enriches their imaginations instead of harboring their fears. I thank all of you in advance. Vote!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved