Ireland 2022
Returning to the Emerald Isle almost 24 years since their honeymoon, this time with Elise, the gang reprised their circumnavigation of the country in grand fashion. Some highlights include:
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The Adventure:
Day 1: Arrive Dublin zero-dark-thirty, get car, nap; see book of Kells/Trinity Library, Merrion Square park, and walk around neighborhood by hotel; dinner at Milano Day 2: EPIC (Emigration) Museum in the morning, head north that afternoon; swing by Newgrange, stop at the Dark Hedges, dinner in Portrush at Harbour House Day 3: Dulce Castle overlook, Giants Causeway in the morning; head south in afternoon to Old Donagh cemetery to see McKenna graves; dinner in Sligo at Walkers Day 4: Knocknarea - Queen Maeve's Cairn, Mayo Abbey cemetery to see Reardon grave; swing through Ashford castle, tea at Mrs. Tea's; dinner in Doolin Day 5: Ballinalacken Castle with owner, Cliffs of Moher, grab sandwiches in Ennis for late lunch, pub dinner in Killarney Day 6: Killarney National Park - Torc Falls and Muckross Abbey; drive to Glengarrif for early dinner at Eccles Hotel, swing by Sullivan house and school Day 7: Jaunting cart ride through Killarney National Park, wander around Killarney shopping and lunch, head to COVID testing site, then Kilkea Castle |
Concerts!
The combination of some COVID reschedules and some more recent ticket buys resulted in a 3-concert week for Sean. Monday (3/14), House of Blues Boston. Tuesday (3/15), same. Saturday (3/19), Southern New Hampshire University. Several factors, plus a crappy day at work Tuesday, caused Sean to punt on the Tuesday show (Ministry, full show, different venue, here). But here are some pics and clips from Monday and Saturday. Next up, Deftones, Boston University Arena, May.
Monday:
UnderOath (headliner)
SpiritBox (band I went to see)
Bad Omens (I'm now a fan!)
Stray from the Path (from Long Island)
Saturday:
Korn (headliner)
Chevelle (fan from album 1)
Code Orange
Monday:
UnderOath (headliner)
SpiritBox (band I went to see)
Bad Omens (I'm now a fan!)
Stray from the Path (from Long Island)
Saturday:
Korn (headliner)
Chevelle (fan from album 1)
Code Orange
Click any pic to see a large version with caption (lower left) and then use < and > to move through the set.
Bad Omens
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SpiritBox - "Circle with Me" snippet
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Click any pic to see a large version with caption (lower left) and then use < and > to move through the set.
Korn, "Falling Away from Me" intro
Korn - "One" mashed up cover
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Korn, "Shoots and Ladders" intro
Korn - "Blind" intro
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SPM50 Part Deux - Spartan
Following up on SPM50, I finally got to compete in the Spartan Race that I signed up for back in November of 2019 (I think it was a Black Friday deal). It was a Spartan Sprint - 3.7 miles, with 21 obstacles, held right next to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH.
I finished in just under 1 hour 32 minutes, with 3 unsuccessful obstacles. The Monkey Bars were very slippery and before I knew it, I was on the ground -- 30 burpees. I thought I had the rings (Multi-Rig), but couldn't get 'em all. 30 more burpees. Then, that damn Rope Climb, which I had practiced and could do, came at point when my arms were apparently just too taxed. I made it about 2/3 of the way up and ran out of muscle. Luckily, this one only carried a penalty loop, and no burpees. I nailed the Spear Throw, which was one of my goals - they say 90% burpee-out on the spear.
The course itself was cool. For one, we had the ambient background sound of drifting cars screeching around one of the ancillary tracks right next door. I even got a glimpse of the action from the course. Actually, I probably lost about 45 seconds there, just watching -- time well spent. The wooded part of the course was great trailing running. Oh, and the mud. There are, of course, the mud obstacles (Rolling Mud and the Dunk Wall), but there were a couple sections of nasty liquid mud. True, flowing slop. It did not disappoint.
I competed in the Open class. So, not Elite (yeah, I didn't want to embarrass anyone) and not Age Group. Age Group is more competitive, and my only objective was to finish with a feeling of accomplishment. The Open class also embraces a "run your own race" mentality. This Facebook comment I came across nails it: "Anyone who’s willing to go out there and run through the mud with all of us will always get a cheer from me. I don’t care if you walk the race and attempt half the obstacles. Why? Cause I don’t know what’s going on in your life and it’s not my business. In 2016 I saw an older couple both carrying oxygen tanks doing the Carolina sprint, I’ve seen people with a bum shoulder do what they can, I’ve see a college swimmer afraid of going under the dunk wall. We all have our own battles and if you’re out there, you’re getting a high five from me, I don’t judge." It's a great mantra. My mantra was to finish the race knowing I did a true Spartan Race -- IOW, 30 legit burpees for every missed obstacle. And, I did, which, from what I saw, was unique. But, just as the comment says, "I don't judge," and everyone I saw on the course was there to challenge themselves and that gets my respect. I only judge me. Here are some pics and a few videos. Fenway Stadion anyone?
I finished in just under 1 hour 32 minutes, with 3 unsuccessful obstacles. The Monkey Bars were very slippery and before I knew it, I was on the ground -- 30 burpees. I thought I had the rings (Multi-Rig), but couldn't get 'em all. 30 more burpees. Then, that damn Rope Climb, which I had practiced and could do, came at point when my arms were apparently just too taxed. I made it about 2/3 of the way up and ran out of muscle. Luckily, this one only carried a penalty loop, and no burpees. I nailed the Spear Throw, which was one of my goals - they say 90% burpee-out on the spear.
The course itself was cool. For one, we had the ambient background sound of drifting cars screeching around one of the ancillary tracks right next door. I even got a glimpse of the action from the course. Actually, I probably lost about 45 seconds there, just watching -- time well spent. The wooded part of the course was great trailing running. Oh, and the mud. There are, of course, the mud obstacles (Rolling Mud and the Dunk Wall), but there were a couple sections of nasty liquid mud. True, flowing slop. It did not disappoint.
I competed in the Open class. So, not Elite (yeah, I didn't want to embarrass anyone) and not Age Group. Age Group is more competitive, and my only objective was to finish with a feeling of accomplishment. The Open class also embraces a "run your own race" mentality. This Facebook comment I came across nails it: "Anyone who’s willing to go out there and run through the mud with all of us will always get a cheer from me. I don’t care if you walk the race and attempt half the obstacles. Why? Cause I don’t know what’s going on in your life and it’s not my business. In 2016 I saw an older couple both carrying oxygen tanks doing the Carolina sprint, I’ve seen people with a bum shoulder do what they can, I’ve see a college swimmer afraid of going under the dunk wall. We all have our own battles and if you’re out there, you’re getting a high five from me, I don’t judge." It's a great mantra. My mantra was to finish the race knowing I did a true Spartan Race -- IOW, 30 legit burpees for every missed obstacle. And, I did, which, from what I saw, was unique. But, just as the comment says, "I don't judge," and everyone I saw on the course was there to challenge themselves and that gets my respect. I only judge me. Here are some pics and a few videos. Fenway Stadion anyone?
Laps for Larz
The Larz Anderson Auto Museum teamed up with the Palmer Motorsports Park for a "light" track day. The idea was to be able to go "a bit faster" in a controlled, well-designed environment. It wasn't a full-on "Track Day" - IOW, helmets were not required and convertible cars were allowed. The idea, which I jumped at, was that this was a perfect opportunity for first timers to whet their appetites. More importantly, it meant I wouldn't really bang on the 911, which is a no-no for an "investment car."
The car had a great day. Got some real good looks and slinked through the course, dying to go faster. Here are some photos of the amazing cars that participated. You'll also see some pix from a nearby metal fabrication shop that we got a tour of as part of the event. Wild stuff. There is also a cool in-car video montage I was able to cobble together, GoPro courtesy of T-ROW (thanks bro!). And the last item (a video) is all about the audio - it's a racing version of a 911 GT3. I could listen to that for hours.
The car had a great day. Got some real good looks and slinked through the course, dying to go faster. Here are some photos of the amazing cars that participated. You'll also see some pix from a nearby metal fabrication shop that we got a tour of as part of the event. Wild stuff. There is also a cool in-car video montage I was able to cobble together, GoPro courtesy of T-ROW (thanks bro!). And the last item (a video) is all about the audio - it's a racing version of a 911 GT3. I could listen to that for hours.
- Click here to see the stuff
The ZePpeLiN Tree Fort
Finally built the tree house (fort) Elise has been itching for. Took an approach that tries to minimize impact to the tree, so nothing is nailed or screwed into the tree. I used a clamping/wedge approach, with a backup cable sling to be safe. This approach was the inspiration for the name: the Zero Penetration Lofted Nest, the "ZPLN," which Elise cleverly dubbed, The Zeppelin. The other main design element was making it secure - it's perched in a tree in the unfenced section of our side yard, which gets a lot of pedestrian passers-by. To address this challenge, I made the ladder upwardly retractable via a pulley/winch setup that can be locked, preventing any Ne'er-do-wells from causing trouble.
UPDATE: Video PowerPoint of the ZPLN
UPDATE: Video PowerPoint of the ZPLN
Virtual "Spartan Sprint"
Here's my virtual Spartan Sprint - the 20 Challenges portion. I followed these with the 5k run.
Sean's "Portfolio"
Finally put together a visual collection of most of my "creations." Enjoy.
Cougar Cam Returns!
Another great wedding and Cougar Cam is reprised!
Sean's Rallycross in Syracuse - July 2016
During a visit to the Murphy's of Syracuse, Sean got to race rallycross with Chris. Check out the videos:
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Pacific Northwest Tour 2015
In August 2015, we took our first big trip to the Northwest to visit Denise, Jimmer, and Nora and then hook up with Jess' college pals in Washington.
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Snow Row 2015
On a snowy day in March, the Hull Livesaving Museum hosted its annual Snow Row off the very tip of Hull's peninsula at the museum's Windmill Point Boathouse.
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Visit to the American Museum of Natural HistoryLooking to get some good "culcha," Jess, Sean, Rich, Ginger, and Elise headed to the Big Apple to check out the American Museum of Natural History - destination: the dinosaurs! Good time had by all.
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Jess' 5k Mud Run
Deciding that running 3.1 miles is no fun unless you have to overcome about a dozen obstacles and get real muddy doing it, Jess and some friends participated in a Women's Mud Run at Kimball Farm in Haverhill, MA.
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Block Island Weekend
Jess marked a milestone birthday with an enjoyable weekend on Block Island.
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Cousin Annabella Turns One!
Family gathered from near and far to celebrate Elise's cousin Annabella's first birthday.
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Sean goes to Israel
For reasons that cannot be disclosed, Sean had a work trip to Israel. There, he spent time in Tel Aviv, a whole day touring Jerusalem, Haifa, and a quick stop at the Caesarea ruins.
August 2011 |
Destination: Aruba!
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Southeast Trip 2005
In the dead of July, we headed to Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC, and ultimately, Charlotte, North Carolina for a McKenna wedding.
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