"SHARING IRELAND"
Wild Irish Rose T-Towel made in class during the tour.
From Left to Right - Joe (our bus driver) Rosie and Jim West
On April 14th, Vic and I, Jim West and Jan of Sew Many Places escorted 40 Quilters, friends and husbands.
We had a short delay in Newark because the pilot told us that London was holding us up because of a Volcano that was erupting in Iceland. The wait was short and we were on our way. We landed at the Shannon Airport on the morning of April 15th at around 7:30am.....unbeknown to us of what was unforlding! Come to find out, we were the last plane to land in Ireland, before the Ireland Air Space was closed.
Talk about the Luck of the Irish - first of all, it NEVER RAINED A DROP, while we were there.
We learned that we might be delayed in returning home and we were all prepared to stay a few days longer. Jim took care of any arrangements that migbt have to be made in case we had to stay.
Well, as LUCK would have it, the day before we were due to come home, the hold was lifted and we were told that all scheduled flights would leave on time. AND IT DID.....we arrived back home on the 22nd, just as planned.
WHAT A FANTASTIC TRIP IT WAS. Our accomodations which TOP NOTCH. The food was FANTASTIC and the day trips were PERFECT!
I cannot wait to travel with 'Sew Many Places' again soon. Check out our planned trip to Bali in October 2011.
Thank you Jim and Jan!
Following are photos and stories from some of the quilters that traveled with us.
Traveler: Verlie Garcia, Monrovia, CA
This photograph was taken the first day of our trip.  Bobbie Stephens and I (Verlie Garcia on the left) rode the jaunty carts in Kerry with Vic. and Rosie. We had a wonderful trip to Ireland.  I took over 2000 photos, so to narrow it down to one was quite a feat.  I felt the trip was well organized and we saw quite a bit of the country.  This is my second trip with Sew Many Places.  Both of them have been excellent adventures.  I am looking forward to another.
Travelers: Jerry & Pauline McCauley-Murietta, CA
On a beautiful spring afternoon (Fri 16 April) The Phoenix Restaurant on the Dingle Peninsula, hosted 'Sew Many Places', a American based 'Textile Art & Patchwork Tour' run by Jim West - http://www.travelwest.com Nikki Foley of 'The Sewing Shed' exhibited her own textile arts and sold from her unique collection of celtic quilts and fabrics which are on permanent display at The Phoenix.  Lorna Tyther and the Phoenix team served delicious home-made cakes, pies and crumbles thrilling the American guests with a selection from the Phoenix 'Tasty Tales' menu. There was musical accompaniment from instrument maker Richard Ennis and the event was photographed by Barbara Hodges of http://www.iveraghpanoramics.com
The tour was so successful the guests claimed it was the absolute highlight of their week.
NOTE: The photo and write up were in the local newspaper, Kerry's Eye - the photographer/reporter wrote the article.
Traveler: Arla Ballesteros, Chandler, Arizona
One of my many favorite photos is of the Irish quilter who sang to us the night we met with members of the local Quilt Guild at the hotel.  They had so much to share and show and tell. I found this very warm and welcoming.  Could I do this not on your life!!!   
Traveling to Ireland has been a lifelong dream and with the help of 'Sew Many Places', Jim West, Vic and Rosie and Jan it all came true.  This trip was so much better than my imagination could have ever conceived and there are really 40 shades of green.  I met so many wonderful warm Irish people and my fellow travelers were great and wonderful friendships were formed.  Now I'm talking my husband into going with Rosie and Vic to Bali in 2011
Visiting Blarney Castle and KISSING THE BLARNEY STONE
Hostess of the Trip - Rosie Gonzalez
I'm not sure which was more challenging, kissing the Blarney Stone or walking up the 100 steps to get to it! They say that if you Kiss the Blarney Stone the gift of eloquence will be bestowed upon you. So since I don't know what 'eloquence' means, I am not sure if anything was bestowed upon me!!!!! But it was fun!
OK, for those of you who are tempted to e-mail me about not knowing what the word
'eloquence' means, I am going to look it up!!!!!!!
Traveler - Mary Cooper - San Diego, CA
On Friday, April 16, we drove to the town of Kenmare. I loved the lace demonstration & its history in the community. I did purchase a small piece of linen to use in the quilt I will make on the Christmas cover of Irish Quilting magazine showing a Gregorian door of Merrion Square, Dublin. My 4th great-grandfather, Austin Cooper, lived on this square in the 1820s. Meeting with Nikki Foley & the other quilters was also a great highlight of the trip.
Jim West & Jan Shields of Sew Many Places were fantastic in organizing everything.
Traveler: Liz Hood, St. Augustine, Florida
This is one of the sites that we saw while riding in our very comfortable tour bus, driven by Joe. The best bus driver ever.  This is the Dingle peninsula which has beautiful beaches, harbors for fishing boats and sites where movies have been filmed.  We stopped in the town of Dingle where we had lunch and did some shopping.  With the entire tour in the hands of Jan, from Sew Many Places, we never had to worry about a thing.  This is the way to travel!  See you in Bali.
Traveler: Mary Hyde - La Jolla, CA
I was intrigued by the monuments on the streets depicting the history of Ireland.  This one, of Molly Malone, was commemorated by erecting a statue of her in Dublin which has become a familiar landmark at the corner of Grafton Street and Suffolk Street. Ireland with Rosie & Vic, Jim, Jan and Joe - and all the great ladies and gents - was a highlight of my life.  The scenery was more beautiful at every turn.  Great accommodations, great food, great company and the wonderful, generous and kind people of Ireland...who could have asked for anything more!
Traveler - Frankie Hey, Auburn, CA
Here is a picture of one of my favorite places we visited. It is the coastline in Dingle. It reminds me of the coast of Northern Calif. My husband and I really enjoyed the trip. Ireland was beautiful and the people great especially our comic bus driver, Joe. Enjoyed our evening with the Irish quilters, they were very talented. The weather was great. I expected rain and was pleasantly surprised. Thanks to Rosie, Vic, Jim and Jan for making this a memorable trip.
Travelers: Jan and Ed Hayman - San Diego, CA
The Ireland trip was a trip of a lifetime. What a wonderful time it was and Jim West and you did a great job. I would reccomend Jim to anyone and will travel with him and you again. The 2 pictures I am sending are on our trip through the Gap of Dunloe. We did this when you all went to the lace factory. It was a wonderful hike and then a beautiful boat ride back down through Upper, Middle and Lower Lakes. We ended up at Ross Castle. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Thank you again for an awsome trip.
Travelers: Jerry and Pauline McCauley, Murrieta, CA
This bridge in Dublin really fascinated me. It reminds me of the sundial bridge in Redding, CA. I always thought that the shamrock was Ireland's national emblem. But it actually is the harp. It's wonderful how the Irish celebrate their national emblem by erecting a beautiful bridge in the shape of the harp in their nation's capitol.
Jerry and Pauline in front of Blarney Castle in Ireland. They say that if you kiss the Blarney Stone, you will possess the gift of eloquence (aka gift of gab) for the next seven years. What a wonderful trip we had! Many thanks to Jim West of Sew Many Places, along with Jan Shields. Their attention to detail, including making plans in case we had to extend our stay because of the volcanic ash was phenomenal! I loved the additional surprises they planned for us, too, like the sheepherder Brendan putting his dogs through their paces, the mini quilt show at the Phoenix Restaurant, and the meeting with the quilt guild in Killarney. Our bus driver, Joe, helped make the trip so fun and interesting, too. And of course, Rosie and Vic were wonderful hosts. Just love them!
Travelers: Sophia & John Hoefer - San Diego, CA
Pictured here is Joe, our Leprechaun busdriver.  He epitomized all I thought Irish people would be like - warm, friendly, fun.
Travelers: Robin & Bob Henselmeier
I Couldn't pick a favorite part of the trip because we loved it all! I got a real kick out of seeing all the sheep and baby lambs, and their pink and blue markings/brands. Loved the hedgerow fences and dry stone walls dividing the land (looked like a raggy quilt), the thatched roofs, the wonderful ancient buildings and colorful newer ones. Really enjoyed Joe's humorous and informative travelogue, Irish coffee - yumm - and our fellow travelers were great! Very impressed with Jim and Jan as tour directors and Rosie was a marvelous hostess. Even the Iceland volcano's ash clouds couldn't have dampened this trip - thank you, Rosie!
Consider Joining Vic and I and Sew Many Places in October of 2011 on our trip to Bali....
Sign up early - this trip will fill up quickly!
We plan to do many other trips with 'Sew Many Places', you could not ask for a better company to travel with.
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