Joe North

My old friend Joe Hand visited this week and, when Friday arrived, we headed north to Donegal. We unloaded the car at the house in Creeslough then went to Downings beach. On the way we stopped for a photo of Doe Castle, renamed Joe Castle this weekend. It is barely visible in the far distance behind us here.

Here is wee Paddy at the boardwalk entrance to Downings beach.

Paddy was raring to go. This is his happy place.

It was great to get caught up with Joe. He's a globe trotter and had interesting stories from his time in Honolulu, Sydney, Bangkok, Maputo, etc. He and Carlos have been together for 25 years--something I've never been able to hack. But I admire because I know it's hard work. The view from the house in Creeslough:

After the beach we went to the Glen Bar, tucked into a highland valley. It's a cozy wee place and Joe enjoyed a Guinness or two. Paddy was allowed in, so it was great to sit in a room with a fire and a lot of people chatting away. The next day we headed to Ards Forest Park. Joe hasn't had a dog for 8 years and really enjoyed hanging with Paddy.

One of Joe's final research papers, when in architecture school, was for a geology class. Although his degree is from Syracuse, he was in Honolulu when he finished this class--his final credits. He compared the geology and landscapes of two islands--Ireland and O'ahu. During our walk he enjoyed the different types of rocks and explained the volcanic origins of both islands.

What a great day. We were really lucky with the weather--mild and no rain. I had feared rain the whole weekend but we had none.

After our walk, we went to Ards Friary for tea and buns. Then on to Dunfanaghy, where there was a Christmas fair on at the old workhouse. There I encountered fomer Londonderry High School pupil Siobhan, whose brothers were in my year. She was looking fantastic, as always, and it was great to have a wee catch up with her.  

Donegal is such a small place that her husband was at the pub in the glen the night before. From the fair we went to an art gallery then headed to the northernmost part of the headland--Horn Head.

Then into Dunfanaghy for some veggies, then Joe made us a great dinner at the house. Sunday morning dawned thusly:

Above is the view from the back of the house at sunrise. After breakfast we headed out to Glenveagh National Forest. The weather continued in our favour, with the sun making an occasional appearance.

This photo is taken from the garden behind the castle, with the lake on the opposite side. The stone for the castle was quarried from this garden.

Joe toured the castle while I walked back to the car with Paddy--nealy 3 miles. Joe took the bus back to the car. On the way, I let Paddy swim in the lake.

Then we headed home. Friday, on the way to Donegal, we stopped in Derry for lunch. On the way home from Donegal, we stopped in Derry again, visiting the train station for tea and buns. The station has been refurbished and I thought Joe would enjoy seeing it.

Monday morning Joe hung a massive curtain across my front door to keep out the draft. He also took measurements of my conservatory, which he will be redesigning. So it was a very productive visit in many ways!

11-13 November