I am quite ignorant of the process of cow rotation. I wish I knew more and am tempted to learn more about it over the next year or so. Not because I want my own cows and to rotate fields, but because then, possibly, I would know the chances of seeing our kitchen window cows on our next trip here by the way the field looks. We arrived home this evening to discover the field that sits beside the cottage has been freshly mowed and I immediately searched Google for what that might mean. Needless to say, as I am not a connoisseur of cow field maintenance and Google, for as informative as it can be, did not help me find a definitive answer, I still do not know if we will see our cows before leaving. To most, it is probably a very strange thing to be upset about. We have cows all over Michigan and there are cows everywhere across Ireland but there is something so incredibly sweet and charming about sitting down at the breakfast table and visiting with them while I eat my morning meal. All four of us constantly check the windows for any signs they might be near and we still have a few days left of our trip, so I am not giving up hope.

Today, we took a two hour drive to the fishing village of Kilmore Quay. Although it is a very small village, it is exactly what one would think of when imagining a quaint Irish fishing village and its focal point is the Kilmore Quay Marina. Upon arriving, we waited out the rain in our car before heading down to the marina to board a boat to take us to the one hundred and twenty acre Great Saltee Island; a privately owned island, home to one family and thousands of seabirds. Our main goal of this trip was to see the puffins that make this island their home through the months of June, July, and early August. The boat ride across the Atlantic was full of wind, waves, and a very cold soaking. The girls and I began the journey outside but eventually, wound up inside the very tiny cabin basically sitting on top of one another. Unfortunately for Kevin, there was not enough room inside the cabin so he continued to get soaked outside. When we neared the shore we switch from the boat to a smaller dinghy and headed right up to the shore. There are no docks on the island so we had to get out into the water and walk through thick brown seaweed up to dry land. Thankfully I brought towels so we all could dry our feet off a bit before putting our shoes back on.

After a quick snack, we began our walk in search of puffins and whatever other delights the island might have for us. It was stunning. We spent three hours hiking trails and taking in views of the cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean. Although we did not see any puffins, we did see a variety of other birds, and thoroughly enjoyed the cliff views. It was delightful. We made the return trip on separate boats. I took the first boat and had a very relaxing return trip soaking up the views, enjoying the waves, and not getting soaked with salt water. Kevin, Audra, and Ellery did not have the same experience on their boat and despite being told they would not get hammered with water on the way back, got off their boat drenched. Rather, Kevin was drenched as the girls sat in the cabin again and stayed dry. We did a quick dry off and clean up at the car and went in search of food.

When researching the area for food selections, as we tend to make many decisions based on our stomachs, I stumbled across a restaurant called the Saltee Chipper and thought it was a fabulous name and decided that was where we were going to eat on our visit and so, we did. They have everything; a coffee shop, full restaurant with take away option, both inside and outside dining, and an ice cream shop. Ellery had a burger and chips, Audra enjoyed a pizza, and Kevin and I once again, chose the fish and chips. I firmly believe they have the best chips I have tasted so far in Ireland and the fish, it very well may be the best we have had. Kevin, Ellery, and I finished our meal with ice cream and Audra had a strawberry milk shake. We listened to a young boy play his banjo while we ate dessert and made the return trip to the cottage.

It is hard to imagine that we have just a few days left of our Ireland journey and even harder to believe the amount of activities we are trying to pack into our final days here, but we will get to, what we get to, but only after I finish my cup of tea.