A Spectacular First Day in Ireland

Louise Anson in the kitchen.

Today, I fell in love with two remarkable women in north central Ireland. They are Louise Anson and her best friend Sarah McCloy, a couple of 21st Century women with 19th century grit, independence, determination, creativity and style. They're also quite beautiful.

They are 50 years old and been best friends since Lou got here from New Zealand some years ago. Sarah lives near Louise's fairytale farm and makes furniture by hand. Louise is from a hardy family of writers and she farms,teaches and runs her B&B the way it should be run. Her aunt left her this fantasyland of a farm and she has been lovingly restoring it for the past number of years.

Sarah McCloy

I'm here with my buddy Sonya Chappelear touring a goodly portion of Europe over the next number of days and this is the first place we landed. It is north of Dublin about an hour and a half, closing in on Belfast.

Louise's farm was built in 1838 and Sonya found it online as an Airbandb where we might stay. She was attracted because if sounded like the place her historic novel--in the works--begins.

This has been a frustrating trip so far because I'm learning to use a new Mac computer (don't let anybody tell you that's easy), the car trip up here was more of an adventure than I was ready for (Sonya driving on the left from the right front seat), my camera isn't working as it should, I didn't sleep a wink on the plane ride over and I'm tired.

But tonight, we spent several hours in the warmth of the big kitchen, talking, listening, cooking locally food (including pork from Sarah's hog and Sarah's Lou's garden veggies) and connecting in a way I only hoped possible in a trip like this where people pass, try to speak in different languages and rarely make real contact.

Lou and Sarah are easy to know, open and frank, funny and intelligent. Lou is a sturdy woman with lovely soft eyes, a sudden smile, short, boyish hair and a manner that says "family." Sarah is taller, slender and almost supermodel shapely. Her face is chiseled and her eyes intense. Her hands are big and talk of working with wood and tools. Both listen with far more than their ears and they speak with a gentle authority. They KNOW and their maturity and open-faced stories pulled me in without hesitation. It was a comfortable and easy step.

They are the kinds of women who make guys like me swoon and I'll write much more about this and them when I get my head on for this new technology. I can't get into my blog, except to read it. No posting yet and I have a ton of photos I want to put up.

Tonight, I think, is a full moon and for a man newly in love with two extraordinary beauties, even at a distance, that's a special day.

Sarah and Louise at the kitchen table with their ever-present tea.