Ireland Inspirations: Part One
One of the things that I love about traveling is the release from the usual responsibilities… like blogging! In the spring of 2007, we received an invitation to visit the southern coast of Ireland from my long time craft show friend, quilter Cherry Schacher, who had recently 
inherited a house on the sea near Schull. The idea, which at first seemed impossible, gained traction when I found tickets to Shannon at a great price, yay! We packed up the kids, (then 9 and 13), and were off on our adventure just a couple weeks after the idea was hatched!
Anyone who has traveled to Europe knows that odd jet lagged feeling of being so excited and at the same time so tired after a long flight. We really needed to get out and walk after a long night on the plane, and determined to stop at beautiful Killarney Park. The opportunity to row out to a small island on the lake there presented itself, and provided for a lovely picnic and an exploration of the ruins of the 12th century Augustinian priory. As always, I was keeping an eye out for interesting rocks, and there I found many! My geologist brother tells me that the combination of hard and soft rocks, (in this case sandstone and basalt), 
make for these very interestingly eroded specimens. Two of the rocks discovered on the island inspired the Fossil Pin and the Killarney Bracelet! 