Old Haunts

   On Friday we woke after a long nights sleep and had a huge breakfast. We aimed the car up the Atlantic Drive in search of old McBride homes in the very small village of Arbane. Mary O'Neill spotted her grandfather's home first; it was far up the hill from the road, all alone with no visible way of getting up close. Luckily I was able to get a shot with my camera zoom. 

   We wandered on another mile or two and found Mary Ellen's grandfather's home too. It was close to a side road used by people who lived nearby, but the house was on a hill surrounded by thick brush and blackberry bushes. I managed to climb over a large rock and some fallen stone walls to get a picture. I couldn't get closer than about 50 yards, but comparing my picture to an old one with James and Vera McBride in it, it confirmed that we found the right place. The blackberries were really sweet but I was picking stickers out of my pants and socks all day.

   We stopped to visit and have tea with Vera McBride and had a great chat about the family tree and how close the three ladies are as cousins. I almost understood it for a little while.

   Later that evening for dinner it was back up the Atlantic Drive for dinner at a place called the Singing Pub. Happily no singing was required for seafood chowder or fish & chips.

   I was monitoring possible northern lights on the internet so we headed up the Atlantic Drive and parked at a scenic overlook near the village of Dohee. We were there with about a dozen other cars full of stargazers, but the sky was too misty coming off the ocean and we didn't have any luck with sightings. We drove back around 1:00 and had a nightcap at the bar at Downings Bay Hotel. The Atlantic Drive in the dead of night was a memorable experience.