Ashford Castle is a historic 13th-century fortress in the quaint town of Cong. It has been transformed into one of Europe’s most prestigious and luxurious five-star hotels, renowned for its grand architecture, lavish interiors, and storied heritage. The castle has hosted royalty and celebrities over the centuries and sits amid a spectacular 350-acre estate by Lough Corrib. It was our first destination for the morning as we made our way south to Galway.
Somewhat more diminutive but every bit as elegant, Ross Castle was our next stop. Thirty-four years ago, Mark and Marie posed in this very arch for their wedding photos. It was the first time they had returned since, and it was fun to watch them relive cherished memories.
The Old Church of Dunlewey, built in 1853 from white marble and blue quartzite at the foot of Mount Errigal in County Donegal, is a striking and now roofless Gothic-style landmark erected as a memorial by Jane Russell for her husband James, overlooking Dunlewey Lough and renowned for its haunting beauty and rich history. It was our first stop on the way to the dramatic Crohy Head Sea Arch.
A secret waterfall in a blowhole viewed through a sea cave only accessible at low tide. It doesn’t get better than this.
Killybegs is a town on the south coast of County Donegal, renowned as the largest fishing port in the country and serving as a lively maritime hub with a rich history and vibrant local culture. We stopped here for a little snack.
Jeanine found this delightful waterfall along our drive where we paused while Marie took a work phone call.
Benbulbin is a dramatic, flat-topped limestone mountain rising 1725 feet, formed by glaciers during the Ice Age and renowned for its unique shape and significance in Irish geology and mythology.
Today, the crew covered a lot of ground, stopping frequently to take in the sights of Ireland’s northern coast. Pictured above is Carrick-a-Rede, originally constructed to provide salmon fishermen with safer and easier access to Carrickarede Island for netting Atlantic salmon, reducing their reliance on boats to reach the best fishing spots. Below, is an aerial view of Ballintoy Harbour where we paused to stretch our legs and take a group photo.
Liquid fortification for the rest of the journey was sampled at the Bushmills Distillery before a brief stop at the ruins of Dunluce Castle, a dramatic, ruined medieval castle dating mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries. It once served as the seat of the powerful MacDonnell clan and the Earls of Antrim.
Mussenden Temple is a striking circular building perched on a dramatic cliff edge near Castlerock in County Londonderry, built in 1785 as a library for Frederick Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, and dedicated to his cousin Frideswide Mussenden. Inspired by Rome’s Temple of Vesta and renowned for panoramic views over Downhill Strand, it is now one of Ireland’s most photographed landmarks.
Malin Head is Ireland’s most northerly point, renowned for its wild coastal scenery, geological significance, and diverse marine life. We hiked up to an optimal viewing point where we enjoyed the breathtaking views.
Our final destination for the day was Grianan of Aileach, a large stone ringfort atop Greenan Mountain in County Donegal, dating mainly from the early medieval period, which served as the royal seat of the Northern Uí Néill and is associated with both ancient mythology and early Irish kingship. The impressive drystone structure, originally constructed without mortar and partly reconstructed in the 19th century, offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and has stood witness to over 4,000 years of history, myth, and power struggles in the region.
This morning, our crew (Mark, Marie, Jeanine, and I) joined a guided walking tour of Belfast focused on “The Troubles.” It was highly educational but not exactly visually stimulating. The opposite can be said of the Giant’s Causeway, which is a photographer’s dream. I separated from the group that joined a tour, so I could explore on my own. I racked up 7 miles and hundreds of photos. The Giant’s Causeway was formed about 50 to 60 million yearsago when intense volcanic activity caused molten basalt to pour through fissures in the Earth’s surface. As the lava pools cooled slowly and evenly, they contracted, leading to extensive cracking that produced around 40,000 polygonal basalt columns—most famously hexagonal in shape. The distinctive appearance of the columns is the result of this regular fracturing during the cooling process.
Jeanine and I woke up early to catch the Dublin Express bus to the airport. There, we picked up our rental car and waited to meet up with my brother Mark and his wife Marie, who were arriving from Minneapolis. Both activities proved fraught with challenge. The exact location of the bus stop was so poorly identified that we used every second of our twenty minute buffer running up and down the Aston Quay to find it. We were both dripping wet with perspiration by the time we boarded. Renting a car proved equally infuriating. You are unable to decline insurance coverage without a letter from your credit card or insurance company stating that your policy covers Ireland. Unable to produce this document, I had no choice but to accept their coverage for +$500.
Connecting with Mark and Marie put all this nonsense in the rear view mirror as we departed for a late breakfast in Drogheda. From there, we drove to Belfast and directly to the Titanic Experience where we learned all about the tradition of ship building in Belfast and of the Titanic in particular as well as the entire story of its infamous maiden voyage. It was a fantastic experience and my brother was captivated (or possibly exhausted from no sleep in 40 hours).
Mexico leveraged its home-field advantage to defeat Team USA 2-3. Despite the loss, the US finished second in the tournament and will qualify for the World Cup to be contested next July in Costa Rica. Nico was in exceptional form throughout the tournament and picked up another goal on a penalty kick in this final match which can be viewed here.
Our flight to Dublin arrived very early this morning. After dropping bags at our hotel, Jeanine and I walked 8.4 miles through the heart of the city. We managed to stay up until about 8 pm and then slept like a pair of rocks.
In Mexico, Team USA secured a ticket to next year’s World Cup in an exhilarating 3-2 win over El Salvador. The nail-biter can be viewed here.
Jeanine and I watched Team USA take on Costa Rica at Logan Airport while waiting to board our flight to Dublin. Nico had one assist and one goal from his center midfield position to help cinch the 2-0 victory. The full match can be viewed here. The hysterical after-goal celebration at the 1:00:05 mark is well worth the look.
UPDATE: I found this nice reverse angle of Nico’s goal.
My sister, Alissa, just received the first copy of her new book, “The Power of Impact Circles.” It will go on sale August 1, and I am looking forward to reading it. You can learn more about the book and read the early reviews at https://www.thepowerofimpactcircles.com/.
To my great disappointment, the YouTube Live feed for the soccer match between the USA and Guatemala last night was not operational. The US won, 4-0, and Nico had one goal and two assists. Jeanine and I will try and watch the match against Costa Rica tomorrow from Logan Airport, where we will be waiting to board a flight for Dublin.
31 years ago today, I cut the umbilical cord connecting Nicolai to Jeanine. I listened intently as the doctor calmly talked us through his Apgar score, a perfect 10! Still, something seemed amiss. I don’t know whether it was the power of witnessing his birth and the love you instantly feel for your newborn child, or perhaps I was in a state of shock, but it felt like several minutes before I realized that he was missing a leg. The doctor continued with a more comprehensive examination, starting with his head and working down; eyes, ears, nose, mouth, neck, arms, hands, fingers, …. She commented on the condition of every body part in a very soothing voice and continued in that tone as she remarked on the absence of a right leg and then on further examination, the absence of his right hip. I remember feeling like she took this approach to help us focus on all that was normal before addressing what was not. When she started to wonder out loud about the status of internal organs, however, any shred of relief I was beginning to feel evaporated, and I immediately went into hyper-focused, problem solving mode. Was he in danger? What further tests were needed? Who was the best doctor to evaluate him? At this moment there was no room for emotions. Once it was determined that there was no immediate risk, he was swaddled and placed in Jeanine’s arms and I joined her to say hello to our new son. He remained with us for almost an hour before a nurse came to take him to the NICU for continued observation and testing.
When Jeanine finally gave way to sleep after the physically and emotionally exhausting birth experience, I went out to my car in the hospital parking lot and allowed my emotions to surface. I cried uncontrollably until I had no more tears left. First, and selfishly, I cried for my self. How would my new son fit into what I long imagined our future family would look like? Second, I cried for Jeanine. I feared that she might blame herself for an outcome for which she had no responsibility. The care she took during her pregnancy was text book perfect. Finally, I cried for Nico. At the time, I could not imagine how he would lead a joyful life with a major “birth defect.” Now, I would say “limb difference” and confess my lack of imagination about how adaptable humans can be in the face of challenges.
Next, I struggled to understand why this had happened. The doctors had no theories to offer at the time, and no cause has been identified since. I remembered laughing at a joke, a decade earlier, about a one-legged man trying to kick down a door and wondered if doing so had triggered some kind of karmic payback. The truly funny thing now is that Nico is the first person I would seek out if I really needed a door kicked down.
That day, 31 years ago, I left my grief in the parking lot. Since then, the only tears I have shed for Nico are tears of joy, celebrating every triumph and milestone. Tonight, I will watch him take the soccer pitch against Guatemala as the captain of the USA Amputee Soccer Team and all-time leading scorer for the US, a reality I could not have imagined when he was born.
Starting tomorrow, the North and Central American Amputee Soccer Championship, also known as the Gold Cup or Copa Oro, will be take place in San Juan de los Lagos, México. Teams from the region will compete to qualify for the 2026 Amputee Soccer World Cup, which will be held in Costa Rica. Only two remaining spots are available, and the US hopes to secure one of them.
Today, the tournament pairings were released, and the US will meet Guatemala in the opening match. Nico and Team USA have been training at high altitude in Colorado for the past week to acclimate for the matches that will be played at ~6000 feet above sea level.
Opening ceremonies (Team USA is introduced at 23:20.) were this evening, and it would be safe to say that the city of San Juan de los Lagos goes above and beyond to honor and welcome the participants and, families, and to create an atmosphere of joy within their community. The schedule for Team USA matches is shown below.
Jeanine and I had dinner on the patio this evening while being entertained by a mourning dove in the process of building a nest. (S)he made dozens of trips from the forest floor to the nest, transporting a small twig with each flight. Perhaps we will have baby doves featured in a future post.
On the river, we watch as two fishermen plied the waters. Eventually, they caught this rather large fish. I have asked my expert brother for an identification and will share it when it comes in.
UPDATE: My brother has identified this as a Northern Pike. These fish are apex predators in their ecosystems, playing a role in regulating fish populations. This one looked to be 30 inches and was released back into the river.
This evening we were dinner guests of our good friends Tom and Karen. who live relatively close by in Westwood. Tom was my high school wrestling partner, and we have been friends ever since. When we recently booked an expedition cruise to Antarctica, Jeanine suggested we invite another couple to join us. Remembering a conversation I had with them years ago about such a trip, Tom and Karen were the first people that popped to mind. It turns out they had been contemplating such a trip and decided to book a cabin just down the corridor from us. We could not be more thrilled.
We were surprised to find Tom in an arm sling when he greeted us. Tom is a very strong guy, but not that smart. While riding his bike along a 3-lane highway at 24 mph, he thought he would push the minivan that cut in front of him out of his way by lowering his shoulder and ramming it. The x-ray above illustrates who won that matchup.
After a delightful meal, we all watched a soon to be released movie called “Damned if You Do.” Co-directed by their son Evan, it is about a group of friends who sold their souls to the devil at their high school graduation, who must reunite before their 25th reunion to try and escape Hell’s grasp before the contract’s deadline expires. It is very funny with an unexpected and clever ending.
Jeanine and I enjoyed a mini road trip today, which included a visit to the New England Botanical Garden, the Old Stone Church in West Boylston, and the Moore State Park in Paxton. The photo above was taken in the latter of the Old Saw Mill. I noticed a swirling pattern in the water and am very pleased with the 8-second exposure I took with my camera balanced on a handrail.
The botanical gardens were delightful. Known to Jeanine, who has visited several times, as the Tower Gardens, she did not realize this was where we were going, as I had planned the day’s itinerary. It was my first visit and certainly not my last.
I paused in the “rock playground” to complete the two-stone sculpture pictured below. It was really quite a balancing feat, and I am sure it will not survive even the slightest breeze, but very satisfying to create nonetheless.
My Concord Public Library card expired a few weeks ago on its 20th anniversary. Today, I received a new one with a lovely artistic rendering of the building on the front. When I showed it to Jeanine, she was immediately jealous. Her card is boring by comparison. We checked out several travel books to help further plan several upcoming trips. Ireland and Northern Ireland are on the immediate horizon. Fall has us traveling to Calgary from where we will drive to Banff, Jasper, Waterton, and Glacier National Parks. While there, we will celebrate my 67th birthday and our 35th wedding anniversary.
Nico is currently in Denver doing high-altitude training for the Amputee World Cup Qualifiers to be contested later this month in Mexico. He shared this photo from the weekend, attending a concert in Maine with a friend. After taking care of business in Mexico, he will join the family in Ireland to celebrate the wedding of his cousin Mario.
While Susan and Jean were visiting, I attempted to make pancakes from a box mix. It was a dismal failure. The box tasted better than the pancakes. Later, I learned that the mix had passed its “best used by date” three years ago.
This evening, I redeemed myself with a batch that was squarely in the highly edible range, dare I say yummy. I used the internet to research the best box mixes and ordered the winning brand. While they do not compare to Jeanine’s scratch pancakes, I can make them myself with minimal effort. I served them with fresh strawberries and received an approving smile from Jeanine.
This evening, my soccer team competed in the finals for the over-62 League Championship. We played in South Weymouth, where the air temperature was 84F plus an additional 5-10 degrees that artificial turf fields contribute to the ambient temperature near the ground. About 8 minutes into the game, a player from the opposing team collapsed on the field, having suffered a heart attack. He had no pulse and was starting to turn ashen. Fortunately, one of my teammates is a doctor and immediately took charge of the situation. He barked out orders between breaths as he administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He directed one person to begin CPR, a second to fetch the portable defibrillator we carry with us, a third to call 911, and the rest of us to form a human shade umbrella to keep the sun off him. Within 2-3 minutes the defibrillator was connected and triggered which restarted his heart. His eyes popped open and he became responsive. Ten minutes later, the ambulance and EMTs arrived and took over. It was a very sobering moment for everyone. There is no doubt in my mind that this guy would be dead now if not for the expertise of our doctor, immediate availability of a defibrillator, and the teamwork of all who cared for him.
Both teams agreed to terminate the match and were declared co-champions. We finished the season the an undefeated 10-0-1 record. Not too shabby.
UPDATE:
Leo, the player who collapsed, is going to make a full recovery.
Jeanine hosted a hen party for her friends this evening, one of whom was celebrating her birthday. I was not invited and spent the evening in my office until summoned to take a group photo. Jeanine was laughing uncontrollably, for reasons I hope to discover later, and I was not able to get a “serious” portrait of the group. Having said that, this image captures the mood of the night very accurately.
UPDATE: I have learned the cause for laughter, but have been told I may not publish the details. I can reveal that it involved an unintentional “jeu de mots” during a conversation between Jeanine and her hairdresser about a new employee at the salon.
Jeanine’s sister, Susan, and her partner Jean arrived yesterday and will be staying with us until Saturday. Today, while Jeanine was at a hair appointment that she could not reschedule, I orchestrated an outing to Bonsai West, which has one of the most extensive collections of bonsai trees I have ever seen. Some of the trees are over a hundred years old, meticulously trained and shaped to mimic the appearance of mature, full-sized trees found in nature. It is one of my favorite places to visit, and I was glad I could share it with my sisters.
Maya joined us for dinner and a raucous discussion that we all enjoyed.
The Magellan Explorer is a modern expedition ship custom-built for Antarctic cruises, launched in 2019 and designed to the latest Polar Code specifications with a Polar Class 6 (LR PC6) ice rating for safe polar navigation. It accommodates up to 76 guests in 38 cabins featuring private balconies, individually controlled heating, sitting areas, and bathrooms with heated floors. The ship is 298 feet long, with a beam of 53 feet, and is operated by a crew of 60. Public spaces include a glass-enclosed observation lounge, a spacious dining room with panoramic windows, a library, a gym, a sauna, and an outdoor BBQ area. For wildlife observation and landings, it is equipped with ten Zodiac boats and features two mid-ship gangways for efficient embarkation. The ship’s maneuverability and comfort are enhanced by state-of-the-art stabilizers, bow and stern thrusters, and advanced ice-detecting radar.
It has been a dream of mine to visit Antarctica, and today I booked a 20-day cruise on the Magellan Explorer, which will include stops in the Falkland and South Georgia Islands. We will depart from Punta Arenas, Chile, in late October 2026 (the earliest availability) and return to Ushuaia, Argentina.
With new import policies and taxes on Chinese goods in effect, it has become impossible to buy a new DJI drone in this country. This has led to high demand for used drones and I decided it is a good time to sell my backup.
Kyle believes that selling my backup is guaranteed to ensure that I crash my primary drone. I have to admit that this thought has also occurred to me.
In my mind, I see myself as playing soccer much as I did when I was a younger man. Alas, video of my performance on the pitch does not support such wishful thinking. Our post-season, semi-final playoff match last Sunday was professionally recorded, and I have reviewed the footage several times. Playing it back at 2x speed is what I visualize in my head and approximates the pace at which the game should be played. It also enables me to accurately assess my contributions and mistakes. Fortunately, I played one of my better matches and only gave away the ball once. On the positive side, I forced several turnovers and turned them into dangerous counterattacks, the best example of which is shown in the brief video above (I am in the #2 maroon jersey) . At 66, I am the second oldest player on my over-62 team and I am not sure how much longer my body will allow me to keep playing. All I can say now is that I am reasonably healthy going into the finals next Sunday and have signed up for the 2025 fall season.
It was a good day to review video footage indoors as the outside temperature reached 102F (picture of my car dashboard during my lunch run). I worked in the yard for less than two hours this morning and probably lost 5 pounds in water weight.
Nicolai has just been named to the World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF) Players Committee. In this role, he will advocate for players of the sport as it continues to grow and gain worldwide popularity. This is a great honor, and we are extremely proud of him.
Our local beavers appear to be starting construction on a new lodge. This evening, this rather large one came ashore directly in front of our house, cut down a small sapling, and took off upstream. The photos are not very good because (a) it was dusk, and (b) the lens on my camera fogged up when I took it from our air-conditioned house out to the patio where the humidity was very high.
This morning, I woke up to find a blue heron perched on a branch over the river. The light was wonderful, and I managed to get this shot without scaring my subject away. Later, I removed and sectioned a large branch that had fallen into the river during a winter storm. It proved to be a more strenuous task than I had anticipated, made no easier by the extreme temperatures we are having today.
Jeanine threw her back out while getting into her car after yoga class this afternoon. We had to cancel plans to attend the neighborhood picnic and a dinner party we were looking forward to. I am not a very good nursemaid maid but I tried to make her as comfortable as possible.
Kyle shared several photos from his trip to Portugal. The Benagil Cave has been on my bucket list for some time, and I was thrilled to see that he had visited this natural wonder.
Kyle may have inherited his passion for adventure travel from me, but there is no doubt he acquired his appreciation for exotic fine food from his mother. Presented with the meal below, I would be content to have the bread and the lemon, and possibly the sweet potato if I were feeling particularly venturesome.
Kris is a big baseball fan, or to be more specific, a Phillies fan. Even so, we thought she would enjoy a tour of Fenway Park while in town. Fenway is the oldest active Major League Baseball stadium, having opened in 1912 as the home of the Boston Red Sox. The park is famous for its distinctive features, especially the 37-foot-high left field wall known as the “Green Monster,” as well as quirky elements like “The Triangle” and “Pesky’s Pole”. With a seating capacity of about 37,755 for night games, it is one of the smallest MLB ballparks. Fenway has hosted the World Series eleven times, with the Red Sox winning six championships there. Besides baseball, it has been a venue for football, concerts, hockey, and other major events. In 2012, Fenway Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places, cementing its status as a Boston and baseball landmark.
This evening, we were joined by Kris and Maya’s friends Sarinnagh and Claire to celebrate her 26th birthday, a day in advance. Unfortunately, her brothers were unable to attend. Kyle is in Portugal touring the wine country, and Nico is in Arizona dodging rattlesnakes (literally). Maya requested that we dine at the Dali restaurant, a Spanish tapas bar she has always wanted to try. The food and ambiance were exceptional but no match for the friendships around the table. Maya has been best friends with Sarinnagh since kindergarten, and with Claire since middle school. Jeanine and Kris have been BFF for nearly 50 years. The warmth of the celebration reflected the profound relationships among these women.
After dinner, we reconvened at Maya’s apartment, where she introduced us to Wally and Kurt, the sibling cats she lives with.
Jeanine and Kris enjoyed a cocktail after a long day of work. In the morning, they were on the river in a canoe extracting water chestnuts. In the afternoon, they were at Kyle’s place getting it ready for new tenants. Kyle would be wise to thank them profusely for the effort they put in. I mulched our newly planted creeping thyme bed, which was more than enough exercise while I recover from my weekend collision with the ground.
Pictured in the middle is Jeanine’s grandmother, Lila Nalder, on her father’s side, framed by her parents. Lauren, Jeanine’s sister, shared this photo with us after receiving it from some sort of ancestry group. It is no doubt the oldest picture we have of Jeanine’s side of the family and a real treasure.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
