Thursday, October 22, 2026

No Place Like Home, Right?

Little sweetheart, whenever you got home, the first thing you did - quite sensibly - was change into jammies and slippers and put your hair up. I was never much of a PJ's guy until I met you but you fully converted me! 

This is a shot of you in the kitchen here in NYC - it's so different now! - dinned in pajamas and a nice pair of Uggs, checking your phone, a diet soda at the ready. What a welcome sight! 

I always loved just kicking back at home with you, wherever we were - NYC, SF, Davis or on the road in Seattle, London, Boston, back in our hotel or guest lodgings. No place like home, right?





Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Save Every Text!

Little sweetheart, before you and your Dad got me my first iPhone for Christmas, my cell was the bottom-of-the-line Nokia I got when I first signed up with AT&T. 

Our entire first year of texts were on that phone and I had a huge panic attack a decade ago when it wouldn't power up anymore. The battery had swelled with the phone's casing and I didn't know what to do. 

I found a great place in the West 30's and they got it back up again but the tech told me to go home and take a picture of every one of your texts - I'd explained to him why it was so important: because it was YOU! - with my iPhone and save them like that, maybe even printing them out! 

I did exactly what he said. There's a couple hundred of them. This is one I just saw again today. A couple more are printed out and hanging over my desk. 

Love you forever.



Tuesday, October 20, 2026

The Sweetest Thing

Little sweetheart, still looking for a very specific picture from that county fair we came across on our way back to Cork City - it's of you in front of a line of tractors that the local farmers had proudly lined up - but this is a moment later when I took a shot that details one of my favorite things: getting way underneath the bill of your enormous sunhat and giving your pretty face a kiss. Love you forever!!! 




Monday, October 19, 2026

This Way to Tir na nOg!

Little sweetheart, one day we drove over to the Beara Peninsula. Kilcrohane and Bantry were on the Sheep's Head, the middle of three peninsulas, the southern one being the Mizen Head and the northern one, this, the Beara. 

The Beara was perhaps the wildest of the three, the most rugged of terrain, and it featured a tiny island - Dursey Island, only reachable by a cable car stretching over the shore, over the sea - that marks the Westernmost point of Europe. 

At the water's edge stood a sign indicating the distances to points west and east (including New York) and, rather whimsically, Tir na nOg - Irish for "Land of Youth" and the title of the play you and I met doing in San Francisco. 

Kris took this picture of the two of us there, before we headed inland to a little pub for lunch...




Sunday, October 18, 2026

At The Shrine in Gougane Barra

Little sweetheart, on our drive back down the coast to Cork City, we had a wonderful day! First we stumbled across a lovely country fair! I'll try to find and post a picture or two from that! 

And then we stopped at Gougane Barra. 

You were delighted ... and surprised - when Kris mentioned it, you thought he said something about a bank and that we had to make some stop to get cash or something. 

Gougane Barra is a gorgeous heritage site - kinda like a national park - where Saint Finnbar (hence: Barra) built a monastery in the 6th century amongst a little island and surrounded by an old growth forest. It's also the source of the River Lee. 

You were completely enraptured by its beauty! We traversed the grounds where the monks prayed in little meditation caves, looked at the lovely churchyard and the cozy, beautiful chapel. I took this picture of you there, after lighting a candle. There was also a lovely hotel there and you and I went inside to get info - you wanted to come back in the spring to Kilcrohane (you also really wanted your whole family to come for a Christmas sometime) and you thought it would be lovely to book a night or two right here in Gougane Barra - the hiking trails alone were worth the stay! 

It was actually a very romantic spot. I think we both felt that, little sweetheart. I so looked forward to coming back with you!





Saturday, October 17, 2026

Our Night at The Snug!

Little sweetheart, one night we drove over to Bantry - not exactly a city but the biggest village in West Cork. Kris and I loved a place there called The Snug - it was a rustic bar and restaurant - and we always went there for a meal when local. It was invariably packed. We could never get a table but instead ate, quite comfortably, at the lovely bar. 

The night we three arrived was like none other - we basically has the place to ourselves. We settled into a comfy banquet and ordered. You weren't much of a carnivore, little sweetheart, but you would have a nice grass fed burger now and again. We were in rural Ireland and it was the perfect place for just that. I rarely had steak but always did at The Snug. That's what Kris and I ordered, ourselves, and on the menu for you was ... Two Cheeseburgers! I'd never heard of such a thing and there weren't exactly sliders - they were two big cheeseburgers! 

That was your order and, as you often did, you saved the second for later, taking it with you for home after. 

Needless to say, we has an incredible evening. This is you enjoying yourself and the culinary delights, immensely. We lingered for two hours and when we emerged outside, Bantry Bay was filled with swans. I'll try to find that photo, too. 

All my love forever.





Friday, October 16, 2026

Heads Together at The Lighthouse

Little sweetheart, before we headed back and almost got lost (!) we took this picture together out at the edge on the other side of the lighthouse. We also saw a stone circle on the way out there. I know I have a picture of it. I'll find and share it here...