The crows on Tara

Our trip to Tara was also blustery and cold, even though it had been fairly warm earlier in the day when we went to Newgrange. By the time we got to Tara, although it wasn't raining, it was very windy, and overcast. The creaking hinges on the stiles to go into the site were enhanced considerably by the blowing wind. The crows in the trees over the old churchyard were haunting in their warnings to each other. You would think they would be used to people all around them by now.

But it wasn't just the cries of the crows that were haunting. The trees they live in were bare of leaves, and formed amazing shapes against the overcast sky.

This little video clip will give you a good sense of the atmosphere. The static is the wind whistling past continuously.

The rest of the hilltop is quite open and while there are many markers of various kinds, it feels completely unrestricted. By contrast, the stone fence-enclosed churchyard feels slightly claustrophobic, and the crows clearly do not appreciate the intrusion.

Matt's first trip to Stonehenge

We made the pilgrimage to Stonehenge on a blustery day in late March-- hour or so to Salisbury from Waterloo Station, a wait for the bus, then about 35 minutes from Salisbury to the site. Very cold in the wind.

ypsi house

There are some magnificent trees in the world. This is one, in the backyard of our new house in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

More Botswana pictures

The rhinos in the playground: we arrived at Mokolodi Game Preserve, about 20 km south of Gaborone, for a few nights of oneness with nature (punctuated by good food and drink at the restaurant) to find the playground inhabited... more about rhinos at Mokolodi in future posts

Africa Photos

We visited Brian and Elly Bailey in late June 2009, after our trip to Wales. Cate, Steve, Elly, and Lizzie Hilton were there, and surprisingly, John was in from Singapore. Elly died in August 2010. We were very fortunate to spend some time with her last year.

The popularity of rainbow socks

Rainbow socks were the hit of the day at the Waiters show at Casa de Mancha!

This is from our most recent trip to Sao Paulo-- and is from the night of the Waiters show at Casa de Mancha. Actually, I'm not sure the venue is called Casa de Mancha, but it's Mancha's home, where he hosts shows almost every week, mostly sponsored by Folk this Town, a great group that's very supportive of the Waiters.

The Waiters show the night of September 19th was great! Video will be going up on YouTube any day now. Check back for the web links.