An Irish Adventure

I left the country the last week of June to spend a week in Ireland with Chris and his family. It was a trip his mother had been wanting to take, having previously visited the country on business. Chris too had been to Ireland when he was very young and, with his family's strong Irish heritage, it's been a place he's wanted to visit again. Having no Irish ancestry myself (my family has its roots mainly in Eastern Europe), and very minimal knowledge of the country and its history, Ireland was not a place I had imagined visiting. When invited along, however, I was ecstatic. I have relished my previous trips to Europe - England and France - and was eager to see yet another side of it. I also looked forward to the experience of traveling with Chris and his family.

Part I: Pubs & Pints

We flew into Dublin, and spent the first 3 days of our trip exploring the city. Our first stop was O'Neill's Pub on Suffolk St, where we grabbed a pint (which served as my breakfast). I really enjoy the pub atmosphere, the dim light and dark wood. It feels friendly and relaxed.


Bartender taking a break


Sitting at the bar in O'Neill's


On tap at O'Neill's - I had Paulaner, a German wheat beer.



The classic, Guinness

A weekend on water

I ventured out of my usual environment last week when Chris and I drove to Battery Park Marina in Sandusky Ohio to spend the weekend with a friend, Krazno, and his family (and their fantastic dog) on their sailboat. Chris, who is working for the family this summer, has spent many weekends at The Boat, but this was my first time aboard and the first time in years that I had been on any manner of watercraft. In addition to the 4o-some-footer used as living quarters, the family also owns a few smaller boats, including a Boston Whaler and a Hobie Cat (catamaran).

I was a bit nervous when Krazno asked if I wanted to go for a ride on the Hobie Cat, but the weather was nice and the wind not very strong, so I decided to go for it. The ride was great - probably a bit tame for Krazno's taste, but perfect for my first time out. The best part was using the trapeze, which allows you to literally hang off the side of the boat. A wire comes out from a high point on the mast and hooks onto a harness that you wear. You then lean back off the side of the hull keeping your feet planted on the side. This technique is used practically to balance the force of the wind in the sails, keeping the boat level. It felt amazing to just hang out there with the wind and water in my face.

At night we took the big sailboat across the lake to Put-in-Bay. The ride took about two hours and we all sat on deck and watched the sun set and the stars come out.

Below are some of the shots from the weekend.

Below deck on the sailboat


Sun setting on the ride to Put-in-Bay


Main sail


Chris doing something on the boat - a lot of my weekend was spent trying not to be in the way.




People parasailing on the lake


Lounging on the boat


Spinnaker (aka Spinny) taking a nap on the boat

Back Home

I've been living at home for two weeks and have been enjoying many comforts I was without while in Chicago - free laundry, closet space, counter space, just space in general, a stocked fridge, a bathtub, television (yup, never had TV in Chicago), and ice cubes (no ice trays either). But the nicest part about being at home is having other people around. After living at home and in college dorms, it was weird coming home to an empty apartment and I never grew accustomed to it. So it's nice to be able to hear signs of life in the house - my dad whistling, catching bits of conversation as my mom walks around the house while she talks loudly on the phone, the eclectic selection of music blasting from my brother's room.

I'm also really appreciating the aesthetics of the house and the surrounding neighborhood. I'm realizing how much I missed all the green - the wooded backyard and all the grass. There's been quite a lot of rain this past week and so everything is very lush and damp. One day while sitting around the house I decided to get out my camera and take some shots around our yard.

Back of the house

Remnants of an old swing set


Tree house - The tree on which the structure was built is a few hundred years old and its branches were cut when it began to die just a few years ago. Obscuring the view of the tree is bamboo, which was planted by the previous owners who donated it to the Columbus Zoo when it used to house pandas. Now it just takes over the yard.


Rock bed - runs across the backyard and catches rain water from the drainpipes


Trees in the backyard

Escape From Chicago

My move to Columbus from Chicago was a pretty slapdash operation - more like an escape than a move. It certainly felt that way. In one day my father rented a van, which he drove the 500 and some miles to my Chicago apartment, arriving late in the afternoon (preevening) ; With the help of my cousin who lives in the area, we loaded the van with all of my junk (some of which I was still frantically shoving into boxes) in a sort of real-life game of Tetris; I gave the apartment a good once-over with the vacuum cleaner and we hopped in the van, dropped the keys in my management's mailbox and hit the interstate. We pulled into the driveway at around 2:30 in the morning and had to unload everything right there so that we could return the van at 9 that morning and only pay for one day's use. I have to give props to my dad for his perseverance and ingenious packing skills.

Blue. Because I said so.

Washed Up

While in North Carolina, I spent a good few solid hours combing the beach for objects that would lend some interesting shapes and texture. The Pamlico Sound washes up a good deal of drift wood from the surrounding trees and the grooves and polished edges left by the water create really beautiful lines and shadows. Some other objects that struck my fancy were a large snail shell that had been cracked and chipped an old weathered log with tiny holes most likely bored by insects. Unremarkable at first glance, but upon close inspection these distressed natural materials reveal fantastic colors and textures.

Click here to see them.

On the Sound

This has been my third yearly trip to North Carolina with Chris. For one week in March we hole up with food and drink in a beach condo on the coast of the Pamlico Sound, a large lagoon miles from the nearest town.


The days are spent lounging, beach combing, grilling, mixing cocktails (our first breakfast began with mimosas) and enjoying the seclusion. I particularly appreciate the relief from the traffic and crowds of Chicago. It is also the only time I get to see the stars, as there is almost no light pollution.





This year we were accompanied by friends Rich, Leah, Rob and Christina.


This trip was also my first real opportunity to play with my new Nikon D90 and by the end of the week I'm pretty sure everyone wanted me to get my lens out their faces.
Here are the shots I captured of some of the week's shenanigans...