Got to the airport at 10.30am, dropped off the car, had a ciggie, met my friend Eamon L. who dropped out to see me off and had a nice big (expensive) breakfast before going through security. Had 3 jumbo sausages, 2 rashers, 2 slices of thick toast, 1 egg, 1 hash brown, 1/2 a fried tomato, and numerous backed beans.:) A good end to a long drive, and a nice fill-up before a long flight.

On the plane I got 2 seats to meself and dosed off for about 2 hours or more after they served “dinner”. Woke up somewhere over the Canadian north and got to watch the lame ending to the last Harry Blouter film.

At Logan (Boston’s airport), I got through everything quickly, and didn’t have to wait too long for a shuttle bus to the blue line on the subway. And it wasn’t too busy considering it was rush hour. I guess most of the commuters were heading the other way. I changed Gov Center for the Green Line that goes near the house, and lucky enough I got a local train going to Kenmore (never seen one of those before) which was nice and quiet and not full of rush-hour nasties. And got home in time to see the sunset.

So now I’m pooped, as it’s 11:45pm Irish Time, and I need dinner … pics will appear on Flickr at some point.

Update: Here’s one!
More via this Flickr search.

The last time I watched the fireworks from the bridge was in 2007, and I was near the middle at the 200 smoot mark:

The views of the fireworks was quite good, not as good as being on the river banks. Considering you could show up 5 minutes before the start of the display instead of 12 hours before is a good tradeoff in viewing quality.

And the finale:

This year, like last year, I’ll be up in the Adirondacks where the fireworks aren’t quite as spectacular, but still has it’s own charm and a sense of tranquility that you don’t get in the city.

Much better than looking at the tweed walls of the cube in the cube farm of my old workplace. And, non-Donegal Tweed at that, sure even the Donegal Tweed is now made in Morocco, and the only native Donegal Tweed is made by artisans.

And those are seagulls perched on the ice.

The doorway:

From across the street:

From down the road:

From afar:

And a close-up of one of the angels on the tower:

http://www.pinestreetinn.org/news.php?id=343

The photograph also came 24th in the Boston Globe’s 2008 Winter Wonderland contest:

http://timony.com/mickzblog/2008/02/22/winter-wonderland-24/

Penny over at BostonZest did a write up on this and asked me to comment on the picture:

http://www.bostonzest.com/2008/10/holiday-cards-to-support-pine-street-inn.html

Updated: Oct 25th with updated link to Pine Street Inn’s Greeting Card page.

And this one getting over 1800 views:

Both of these were taken sometime in the 1970′s and I can’t take credit for taking the pictures, that would have been John Hinde or the postcard company he owned of the same name and sold in 1973 (right around the time these pictures were probably taken).

I really like these pics, they’re very nostalgic for me as the the postcard themselve remind me my childhood, as these were sold around the town up to the late 1980′s (even after the center of town changed they made the center into an open plaza with any cars on it). I can barely remember the town looking like, I would have been 3 or 4?

You walk around the base of the memorial, towards the water.

Go through a short tunnel, which has speakers playing the voices of people talking about the famine (including Bono).

And your in a ruined house.

You walk out the front door of the house, and follow the path up the hill, past a grave, and a what to me looks like a fallow potato field (because of the mounds or ridges or riggs in the field).

Here’s a view from above, which should give you a better view of how it’s laid out.

There’s even an overgrown garden out the back of the cottage.

Really a very impressive memorial, hey was that’s Bono’s voice coming out the speakers. Sheesh, he’s on everything these days.