Andei Flying in from Rome

It feels longer than a week since I said goodbye to Andei at the Dublin Airport. She flew to Rome to spend a week with her friends from  Sicily and I heading back home to the states. I just woke up and checked e-mail to find a short message from her. She made it back to Dublin airport  (wheew!) and is now on plane to Newark and then on to Raleigh where I will pick her up tonight.

I’m really enjoying this summer semester. I’m focusing more on my photography and writing because I have a light teaching load for once in a very long time. The past few days I found time to write a travel article about Andei and my photographic adventures through Ireland. It’s being published in the local paper (feature section) this Sunday. I’m using that 1500 word article and my travel journals as the foundation for a Blurb Book I’m starting today. Next week I am having shoulder surgery so I am trying to get as much writing done as I can. Doctor says I won’t be able to move my right arm much for a few weeks after the surgery. Thirty years of intense racquetball just wore out my shoulder. Here are a few photos Andei sent me from Rome. She has come a long way as a photographer in a short amount of time. I see a little of Cartier Bresson in her work. She’s getting better at capturing (and framing) those unique decisive moments when a situation no matter how seemingly insignificant or commonplace comes together for a split second – like in  the 3 Nuns photo and the Woman at outdoor cafe.

Park Bench in Rome by Andei Keough

Woman at Outdoor Cafe by Andei Keough

Three Nuns Walking by Andei Keough

Violen against Wall by Andei Keough

Friends by Andei Keough

Ireland Through Lens of Diana “Plastic” Camera

I’ve been editing the thousands of images Andei and I shot during our trip through Ireland.  We had a very special trip – one, I’m sure neither of us will ever forget. I’m writing a travel article for the local paper and putting a Blurb Book together as well. Just looking at the photos makes me long to go back to the home of my ancestors.  I could easily see myself living in Dublin, Galway or even Cork after I retire.

I also developed 2 rolls of 2 1/4 Delta 100 B&W film taken with my Diana camera during my travels and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  The fun thing about shooting plastic cameras like Holga’s and Diana is no matter how careful and deliberate you are when taking pictures with them – you never know exactly what you’re going to get in the final image.  The plastic lens translates subject matter in a soft, dreamy almost ethereal way.  Sometimes they are properly exposed and sharp and other times the images are either over exposed or under and have a very soft painterly quality to the prints.  Here are some of my favorites from our trip.  I’m posting more under the plastic camera page of the blog. Enjoy!

Celtic Cross, Dublin

Waterfall Behind Anam Cara Artists Retreat, Beara

Grafton Street, Dublin

Rock of Cashel

St. Steven's Green, Dublin

O'Connell Street, Dublin

Ireland Adventure Wrap-Up…

I flew into Raleigh yesterday afternoon after a hectic “mad capped” day of traveling from Downtown Dublin to the Dublin airport, turning in the Rental Car and getting Andei to her Ryan Air flight for Rome and to my flight back to the states.  Driving in Ireland can be stressful to say the least.  I’m still getting used to driving back on the right side of the road.  I’m not going to attempt putting into words how incredibly special this trip was for me.  Sharing my love for Ireland with my daughter and taking her to all my favorite places in Ireland was a dream come true.

We not only got some excellent photographs – we got to spend some quality time together and that to me is what really made the trip worthwhile.  Our mutual love for photography added an additional dimension to the trip – I must admit I learned some new things from her as far as photography is concerned.  It’s very easy to get caught up in one’s own personal style.  Andei looks at EVERYTHING in such a new and fresh way, where as I can be jaded and not see potential photographs in the “little things” – I am so impressed by her “photographic eye” and creative sensibility.  Here are a few more images from our last days in Ireland.  They are all Andei’s photographs. I was shooting black & white pinhole with my Diana Camera.

Thatched Cottage, Bunratty Ireland by Andei Keough

Tourists at Bunratty Castle

Tourists Taking a Break, Bunratty Castle, Photo by Andei

Traditional Irish Bedroom, Photo by Andei

Kids Resting at Bunratty Castle, Photo by Andei

Traditional Irish Step Dancing, Bunratty Irish Night by Andei

Irish Dancing, by Andei

Traditional Irish Music Night - by Andei

Japanese Garden in Kildare Ireland by Andei

Japanese Garden Reflection by Andei

Dad shooting a Pinhole Photograph with Diana Camera

Having Fun Shopping by Andei

Cheers!

Irleand Sojourn Continued….

Its hard to believe its been a week since we left for Ireland.  Andei and I started off in Dublin and are now outside of Limerick near Shannon Airport.  After leaving a fantastic 2 days of hiking and biking around the Beara Peninsula we drove to a town called Bunratty.  This is a good central location for visiting the Cliffs of Moher, rugged and barren Burren and the famous ancient Dolmen.  It was rainy and foggy today as we drove up to the cliffs (see photos below) but worthwhile nonetheless.  There is so much history here in Ireland. Its such an ancient, magical place.  You can literally feel it as you walk across the rocky terrain or look out at the mountainous fog shrouded green landscape.  The sun is shining now that we returned from our drive to the coast and hopefully it will stay sunny for our visit to the Bunratty Castle and Theme Park tomorrow.  One more day here and then we head back to Dublin and prepare for our flights. I fly back to North Carolina and Andei is off to Rome to visit friends for a week before coming back home to start summer photos classes at Carteret Community College and a part-time hostess job at a local restaurant.  This will most likely be the last post until I get home.  Cheers!  Enjoy the photos!

Cliffs of Moher

Ancient Dolmen (Tomb)

Sheep Convention by Andei Keough

Andei in a Stone Circle - Beara Peninsula

Old Stone Church by Andei Keough

Ireland Sojourn

I don’t have much time to post due to the lack of internet and wireless access on our travels through Ireland.  Things are going  absolutely “Grand” as they say in Ireland.  Our trip so far is meeting and exceeding all expectations. We had a “lovely” time in Dublin this past weekend. Andei went into shopping mode while I visited some museums.  Our B&B in Dublin was excellent and after leaving the big city this past Monday morning and renting a car we have traveled across the entire country from East to West.  We are staying at a fantastic artists retreat on the Beara Peninsula called Anam Cara. Andei and I rode  bikes along the Irish coast all day today. We got some absolutely fantastic photographs. She shoots 5 for my one – she is a serious and passionate photographer.  Here are a couple of photographs…there will be lots more to come.

This Guiness is for ALL my Friends! Cheers!

Andei Shooting at Cashel Castle

Rock of Cashel - Andei in Foreground

Andei Taking a Break on a steep hill to Mass Rock

Awesome Day of Bike Riding along the Irish Coast

It doesn't get much better than this - except for that pint after a long ride

Off to Ireland!

It’s hard to believe I actually have wrapped up Spring semester, submitted all my grades and am actually getting on a plane tomorrow morning with my daughter Andei to do a 10 day photographic excursion all around the country of my ancestors.  You can see by this map (in yellow) our basic route. We are also going to visit my favorite Artists Retreat in Southwestern Irleland called Anam Cara. My friend Sue the owner of the retreat invited us for a visit and even has bikes for us so we can bike around the countryside. Andei is going to love that!

I hope to be posting photographs and our travel observations as we make our way around the country. It will all depend on how much internet access we have.  Cheers for now! I am packing my last few things, charging up my camera batteries and making final preparations for this very special trip with my daughter who I don’t get to spend nearly enough time with.

Dublin - Tipparary - Beara - Castletownbere - Dingle - Galway - Donegal - to Dublin in 10 Days

3rd Year Anniversary of KeO BloG

It’s hard to believe I’ve been blogging for 3 years now.  It all started when I attended a Distance Learning Alliance conference in Asheville, NC May 2006.  I attended a blogging workshop conducted by David Warlick and the rest is history.  He invited my to come up to the podium and literally had me create a blog during his presentation just to show how easy it was.  He inspired me to start blogging which I have done consistently over the past 3 years.  My first post Into the Digital Terrain was based on my thoughts generated by that DL Conference.

Since that time my blog has enabled me to explore and investigate everything and anything that interests (concerns) me at any given time.  I love the fact that I can share my photographs, short stories, art, writings, what my children are doing, thoughts on technology,  distance learning,  conference observations and more recently politics with whom ever stumbles upon my tiny little corner of the web.

Blogs are like personal repositories  that can contain a wealth of information and insight, in addition to empowering anyone and everyone (both good and bad) to publish (share) whatever (art, writing, photos, personal agendas, even lies) that is on their mind and heart.

My daughter Andei is home again after a 4 month sojourn sailing (and photographing) around the Bahamas with her Mom and Step-Dad.  Just a few more days wrapping up my classes and we are off to Ireland for 10 days.  We plan to do a photographic travelogue of our adventures (hopefully blog the trip along the way) and I may even do a video.  I’ve been planning this trip for months now and now its less than a week away.

Lastly, I am adding a new page for my Dad’s political writing call View from Right Field.  He still writes with a typewriter and submits his articles to local newspapers on Long Island.  My Dad is my hero in so many ways. Whenever I have struggled with an issue regarding being a Dad to my children I would always pause for a moment and think how my Dad would handle a given situation.  Normally the decisions I have made in this manner have turned of ok.

I’m going to redirect the KeO Blog back towards photography and travel as I prepare for this Ireland trip. As passionate and concerned I am about the the direction this country is going in I can’t let it stress me out.  I truly believe God is in control and in the end this country will endure even though the political spectrum seams bleak and depressing right now – at least for Conservative Americans like myself.