Cemeteries are sad places.

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I haven't been able to post any photos yet because we haven't found an internet cafe that has the right technology! I will soon, though.

Yesterday we drove out to Annalong, which is an ancient and beautiful little village that is flanked by the Mourne Mountains on one side and the Irish sea on the other. We stopped at the place where Pete died, on a narrow road that winds past green meadows up to the Mourne Mountains. Pete borrowed someone's motorcycle and hit the stone fence along the narrow road. His last view would have been those giant velvet mountains. It's been twenty years and I still miss him.

We went out to the churchyard where Pete and my grandmother are buried. It's a lonely place and the wind is always howling and unfriendly, blowing in from the sea.

Just up the road is the Harbour Bar, which sadly, has been rebuilt since the original burned down. It was the place where Pete and my Uncle Dave used to go for a few pints. We went in for a few of our own and met two of the locals, William and Davey. Strapping lads, they were--Willy's a pig farmer and Davey's a dairy farmer. I've seen my fair share of dairy farms (thanks Andy) but I've never seen a pig farm and this was just too good an opportunity to miss. William's farm was stumbling distance up the road.

So I headed off to see a real live pig farm while Mom, Dad and Rose stayed behind like a bunch of slackers. Incredibly, this pig farm was really clean. It had hundreds of pigs, including the most adorable little pink baby piglets that squealed blue murder when I lifted them up. Very cute... but the smell stayed with me for a few hours.

Today we went to Larne, where Rosie grew up. We stopped at a little old village called Glynn to visit her grandmother's grave. The cemetery was incredible with some plots dating back to 18th century. Sad, how many families lost children, including my great-grandparents whose 2-year-old daughter Edith died when she tumbled into a big kettle of boiling water. Can you imagine?

After a hair-raising drive (Dad kept mistaking the narrow and windy roads for the Indy 500), we arrived mercifully intact at Larne. Rosie and I walked all the way through town, past her old house and primary school. What a view she had from her back yard--hilly fields dotted with sheep and a beautiful loch, complete with ferries. We hiked--and I do mean hiked--straight uphill to the Craigy Hill Cemetery to put flowers on her Dad's grave.

I think Rose was feeling pretty nostalgic here in a town steeped with memories but all of her family gone. Then a bit of serendipity... I saw a man with a dog and I said, "Look Rose, it's an Irish shih tzu. I wonder if it barks with an accent?" We were laughing so hard we just had to go over and talk to the man. Seems Irish shih tzus are just as dumb as Canadian shih tzus. Apparently Scooter's only trick, the man told us, is "come here"--and even then only half the time. Turns out the man knew some of the people Rose knew so they reminisced for a while. It's great, how friendly the people are here.

Right now we are in a beautiful bed and breakfast called Derrin House. It's really cold and windy outside. We're going to bundle up and hike back to town for dinner and a night on the town. Let's hope Larne is awake now because at 5:30 it was shut up tighter than drum.

Cheers.

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Photos

Glynn Cemetery
Some of these graves date back to the 1700s.

Glynn Cemetery
more than 300 years old

Newcastle
near Annalong

Annalong
This is near the place where Pete and Nanny lived.

Annalong
The rocks on this stone fence are just placed there, no mortar to keep them in place. Don't know how they do it, but these fences have stood for decades.

Comments

[Shaman]

Wow
Great Stories Deb. Am looking forward to the next installment and some pics. Hope all is well. Rosie Rocks.

[Lauren]

OH WOW!
Mom, I'm LOVING this blog! I had NO idea Rosie was from Ireland! Not a clue in the world. I always figured she was "Canadian" like Shelly... (Which is what I believe Shelly told me back in the day) I'm SO glad you're having so much fun. Word to the wise - pig farms are great places for hiding bodies. Please try not to venture off with random pig farmers too often. Kthxbye. LOVE YOU!