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The basalt columns of Giant's Causeway

View from the top of Glengesh Pass

Sheep crossing the road in Northern Ireland

Earlier this month, I went on a two week trip to Ireland and returned with memories to last a lifetime and a new definition of beauty.  The landscape of the country is unlike anything I have ever seen.  I traveled the country from top to bottom, doing the touristy “must-see” things as well as venturing off the beaten path quite a bit.  The highlight of my trip was renting a car in Belfast and driving along the coast of Northern Ireland and through the beautiful country backroads to County Donegal in the west.  It was such a freeing experience that made me feel very small in the scope of nature.  Some of the sights I saw were the basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, the unbelievable high sea cliffs at Slieve League in County Donegal, the famous Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, and my favorite sight of the trip (although relatively unknown) – the Glengesh Pass in County Donegal.  After exploring the scenic sights of the country, I went back to Dublin and retreated to the pubs for the Saint Patrick’s festival.  The five-day festival has something for everybody, ranging from the craft beer festival to the city funfair.  ”Good craic!” as the locals might say.

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin

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Yesterday I had the privilege of watching SoundWaters launch their schooner at Norwalk Cove Marina. Due to space, only two photos ran in the Stamford Advocate, but I was there for the whole process of moving the large boat from land to sea.

First, Jack Raymond removed the staircase that allowed crew members access to the deck of the boat.

Then a travel lift was carefully maneuvered into place.

Next, Tom Wilson and other employees of the marina connect the large slings with metal pins underneath the boat.

All hooked up, the travel lift raised the slings until the boat lifted off the stands it was sitting on. Crew members quickly painted the areas previously blocked by the stands and the travel lift carried the boat to the water.

Once poised over the water, the lift lowered the boat down.

I had to ask a question that had bothered me from the beginning- how do they get the slings out from under the boat? The answer seemed obvious once they told me. They simply lower the slings, the boat sails away, and they lift the straps back up again.

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Our own Linda Tuccio-Koonz takes the Penguin Plunge into Candlewood Lake at the Danbury Candlewood Park, in Conn. Saturday, March 23, 2013. The event was a fundraiser for local charities including the Connecticut Special Olympics.

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Yeah, a cliche I know, but I couldn’t resist.

Bailey Cotrona, 16, of Trumbull, gets to know her newly adopted parrot named Newtie, a 14 year old Nanday conure, during Wilton Parrot Rescue’s Parrot Adoption event hosted by H3 Pet Supply in Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 23, 2013.

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Workers repair the steeple of the First Congregational Church, in Danbury, Conn. Saturday, March 16, 2013. Since they were working about eight stories high without harnesses, I didn’t report their names.