British Isles Tour - Day Eight Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is both the largest city and the capital of the Republic of Ireland.  We started our day by visiting Avoca Village and Avoca Woolen Mills, which is the Ireland’s oldest weaving mill founded in 1723.  

We took a tour of the mill where they first showed us many of their beautiful and colorful items made in this mill. 

 Larry and Doug look so dapper in their woolen caps.

 

We then took a tour through the mill where they showed us how the gorgeously dyed wool yarn is hand woven. 

 It was amazing seeing all the strings and set up they go through before they start the weaving.

 Then the weaver uses both the paddle with his hands and the pedals with his feet to make the whole process happen.

The whole place is whirling with activity.  Think about this all going on since 1723!

This woman has been working here for years.  Her job is to fix any flaws in the fabric.  Every square inch goes across these lighted tables so that nothing goes out that isn't perfect.

We all thought this was so interesting.  This sign has five clocks from different part of the world.  It says:  "From this little village of Avoca, nestled in the Wicklow mountains, in a mill that has been running since 1723, we ship to every continent in the world.  America, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Russia, India, Japan, China, South Africa, Middle East, and of course, all of Europe."  Amazing!

 

 We all got a kick out of this.  The woman who took us through the mill sat outside after our tour, and Doug sat down beside her.  He noticed she had a rash on her arm, so he started trying to help her and give her suggestions.  So thoughtful!

 We next started our drive to Glendalough (the glen of two lakes) National Park.  Along the way, we saw beautiful immaculately kept farms.

 We arrived at St. Kevin’s Monastery, which has extensive ruins with a stunning natural setting in the Wicklow Mountains.  The beauty and tranquility of the lakes and glacial-carved valley no doubt appealed to St. Kevin, a hermit monk, who founded the monastic site near the Lower Lake in the 6^th Century.  Most of the buildings that survive today at Glendalough date from the 10^th through the 12^th centuries. 

 

 Our guide showed us the cross indented into the rocks.

 Remnants of the old cathedral.

Headstones and grave markers

This cutout area actually contains a basin where they washed the sacred vessels.

 Joyce beside a basin used for religious ceremonies.

 

 Many more headstones surrounded the cathedral.

 

 Note the Celtic Cross.  Our guide informed us that the Christian monks combined the sun-god idea with the Christian cross to broaden the appeal to Irish pagans.

 

 St. Kevin's Church.

Walking up the path to the Round Tower of Glendalough.

 This is considered by many to be the most finely constructed and beautiful towers in Ireland.  

 The tower is divided internally into seven stories by timber floors, connected by ladders.    

 

In medieval Ireland, round towers served as beacon/landmarks to guide pilgrims from afar.  They served as bell towers, storehouses, lookouts, and places of refuge in times of attack.  

The door (which is straight above Beverly's head and looks like a large rounded window) is about 11 1/2 feet from the ground, which is commonly believed to be a defensive practice where those being attacked raised the ladder from within.  It would then be pretty difficult for attackers to get that high up to enter after the ladder was pulled up inside.

It is still in near perfect condition even though it is almost 1,000 years old. 

After we visited the ruins, we then walked and then drove to see the upper lake and lower lake.

 

It was a steep climb, combined with a lot of wind to get to the top of the mountain where we could overlook the valley and lake below, but was it ever worth it!

On our climb up, we walked through fields of heather which reminded Joyce of her daughter, Heather.

The greens on the one side of the mountain cannot even be described except through a picture.   This is one of the most photographed locations in Ireland.

 The beach on the northern side is bright white sand imported by the Guinness family whose estate runs through part of the Lough Tay area.  

This is hysterical and knowing Doug as I do, he won't mind me posting this (which by the way, I didn't take--it was my husband's doing!)

Doug had to go to the bathroom so badly which made our tour guide exclaim, "There are no facilities around here!"  That didn't bother Doug at all.  He just hopped out of our van and headed for the bushes.  It's funny that the yellow lights are marking the exact spot where he is standing.

 No, he's not praying.  He's just saying, "Hallelujah!  Relief at last!"  So funny!

We then drove to Powerscourt Estate, which is a large country estate noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 47 acres.  The house, originally a 13^th-century castle (had at least 68 rooms), is now a popular tourist attraction.

 

  The scene where Edmond Dantes hosts a part of his inauguration as a Count was filmed at Powerscourt Estate in the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo.” 

 

 We toured some of the rooms, but spent most of the time in the gardens. 

 

Powerscourt House and Gardens (particularly the woodlands) were used extensively to shoot the film Ella Enchanted.

We especially loved the Japanese Gardens.

After again having a fantastic day, we headed back to the ship.  The show that evening, after our dinner, was “Boogie Wonderland,” with the Stars of Infinity Singers and Dancers.  We were sad to leave Ireland!

Tomorrow:  My favorite day!   Visiting Liverpool, England

And Those Birthdays Just Keep Adding Up!

Since we had just returned from being gone for two weeks to Texas, I asked George what he wanted to do for his birthday.  His reply:  "Just get caught up at work, then watch the Florida-Georgia football game."  Basically, just veg!  We ended up having a very nice day--except for the maddening Florida-Georgia game.  We were so disappointed with Florida losing, but other than that we had a very peaceful day.   That being said, I want to share a few pictures of George through the years and remind him how much he means to me and our family.

 

Yes, crew cuts and bow ties were in fashion!  He has always looked very handsome, right?!

 

He had wonderful parents who taught him to work hard, be organized, get a good education, and love the Lord.

 I know they encouraged him to be polite even when he wasn't exactly thrilled about doing what he had to do!  Hah!  (Not a date--he and the little girl were mascots for the Gold and Green Ball.)
He, also, learned responsibility through being a crossing guard across Roosevelt Blvd., no less!   Well, it was only a two-lane road at that time.  Every time we drive that way, he reminds me about this great responsibility he had!  (Third back on the right.)

And his parents always made sure they went together as a family to church.  They had a love for the Lord and for the gospel which definitely was instilled in George had a young age.


They were great parents and got him braces for his teeth.  (Sorry no pictures with the braces on.)

 In school, he always had lots of friends and one year was definitely the teacher's pet when she asked him to walk her dog every day during school because she had to bring him for some reason?  Is that legal to do as a teacher?  Anyway, he loved getting out in the fresh air--the dog and George!  (Sitting third back on the right.)


Yes, George truly loved sports right from day one.  Here he was playing on a little basketball team with his brother, Dwayne, (3rd from left).  George (4th from left)

He was a star basketball player for the Robert E. Lee Fightin' Generals while he was in high school.  He went out to Ricks College in Idaho to tryout for their basketball team, although he already had a baseball scholarship there, and that's when he was hurt during try-outs by a kid undercutting him during a lay-up which ended up affecting his back his entire life.


After high school graduation, he headed off for Ricks College in a little town of Rexburg, Idaho.  He had absolutely no idea where Rexburg was, let alone he wasn't even sure about Idaho!  Hah! 

 In addition to playing baseball for the college, he also was elected to the leadership committee.  I met him during his second year at Ricks while he was serving on this committee. 

After one semester of his sophomore year, he headed off for two years on a Mormon Mission to the Western States Mission, with headquarters in Denver, Colorado.

 He loved serving the people and preaching the gospel.

 Sparing you the details, we were engaged about a year after he returned, and by that time we both were attending school at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

We dressed up in period costumes (actually my sister Joyce's melodrama outfit and my grandpa's suit) for another fun engagement picture.

We were married June 5, 1968, in the Idaho Falls Temple and have now been married 45 years!

Through the years after our marriage, George continued his education and got his masters' degree when we had six children, and four years later with seven children, got his doctorate--all these years, working a full-time job, and being very busy in his church callings.

Through the years, George has definitely shown that his kids mean everything to him.

We took many vacations together as they were growing up.  Most Christmases, instead of buying lots of presents, we would take a Christmas vacation which held many more memories than gifts did, we felt.

He has always been one of the most loyal, dedicated Brigham Young University fans there is, even cheering for them over his beloved Florida team if they played each other!  This love for the Cougars was definitely conveyed to his children as they grew up sitting together as a family at all the home football games from when they were little babies.

Each and every grandchild is so loved and cared for, just like his own kids.  They are all remembered in his prayers!

His church callings are always something he has been so dedicated to.  Nothing is a sacrifice for the Lord after all the blessings he has been given, he feels.

 And, yes, George loves working with his colleagues in the Business Affairs Department for the school district.  They are some of the finest and hardest-working men and women he has ever worked with!  He is really going to have a hard time retiring because he loves his job so much!

So, what do I see in George's future?

Well, he is not a fan of the snow and cold, so I highly doubt we will ever go back to face that again.

He will continue to love ice cream and continually tell me not to buy it any more--even though he secretly could eat it every day in as big a cone as this is, if possible.

 His love for Diet-Coke/Diet Dr. Pepper with a few squirts of vanilla (combined in his own unique recipe which he won't share with just anyone) will never die.

He'll continue to share it with the grand kids.  He has a real soft heart for those requests!

 Hopefully, we can continue to see parts of the world we haven't seen or go back to some of our favorites.  George loves Europe!

 And lastly, I know he hopes to serve his family and the Lord in any way that he can in order to make a positive difference in others' lives.

Happy Birthday, George!  Love you lots!

Happy Halloween from the Copelands!

Halloween certainly has had its dark past.  Even when I was growing up in the country, everyone was very aware that they would have to have someone stand watch for all the pranks that took place that evening including tipping over sheds (or old outhouses) or burning hale bales in the streets.  Thank goodness, today it is such a fun time for creative costumes, great get-togethers, trunk-or-treats, trick-or-treating, and of course, lots of candy!  (All the better for my two dental sons!  Hah!)

 (Made by Alison's family during family home evening.)

 I'm sorry to say that I wasn't very creative in the costume department when Halloween rolled around as my kids were growing up.  My poor boys had to wear the same Dracula costume for so many years until they each grew out of it.  But, I wanted to share some of the creative costumes my grand kids did this year for Halloween.  Grandpa George and I love to have their parents share their pictures since we don't get to see the kids in person.

 Preston

 

 Tyson

John and Alison's family even dressed their little dogs:  This is Princess Roxie

 

 And this is Rosco as a "wiener" dog.  Hah!

 Isaac, Garrett, and Lola (under all that red hair!)

 Believe it or not, that is Brady with the red eyes.

Jenna with some of her friends.  See what I mean about clever?!

Lauren (in the middle) with some of her Baywatch friends.

This is a crack-up!  Ella wanted to be Mavis from Transylvania, so she went over to her dad's dental office and had him put these fangs on.  Actually, she loved these teeth so much, she wore them for the next couple of days, but Kent said definitely he was going to grind them down before she went to church on Sunday!

Sydney, Gavin, Mason, and Jaxon 

Gavin and Riley go to Pre-School together, so here they are in their cute costumes

Riley

 

And now to the youngest, Kennedy
 

 I had to add these last couple of pictures.  Kennedy was invited to her first birthday party for another little girl who was just turning one.  Kennedy is the second little girl, and the little birthday girl is the third one.  Anyway, the mother purchased these four high chairs just for the party so all the little girls could eat together, and then afterwards, the mother donated them to a charitable organization.  Such a cute idea!

 And finally--at the end of the day when Cassie was exhausted and had done all the bathing of the kids and had them all ready for bed, the water wasn't quite drained from her brother's bath, so Kennedy went right back in--pajamas and all!  A mother's work is never done!

Happy Halloween!  Grandpa and I had big smiles seeing your costumes and hearing about all the fun you had!