Beautiful Belfast

Domed observation dome at Victoria Square.

 Belfast City Hall

Thanksgiving Square

Queen's Bridge

Yes, the sky was that blue!

Harland and Wolffe -- shipbuilders of the Titanic.

Political mural near Freedom Corner.

St. George's Market

Grand Opera House

International Wall murals

Signing the Peace Wall.

"Drumming for peace."

See more photos from Belfast and the rest of my trip here.

New uses for old neckties

Two of my scarf/belts made from doubled up neckties

sold last week so it is time to put more on Etsy.

Each double necktie scarf I offer combines two neckties,
fabric backing and trim on the ends, mostly vintage.

Here are the 10 pieces I chose to list,
all in colors to compliment your fall wardrobe.

Brilliant greens and blues

One thing I noticed with our visits to

the Northern Ireland countryside

is how vivid the colors are.

From the greens of the grasses and seaweed

to the bright blues of the sky and water.

These are my favorites from just north of Belfast

to Carrickfergus and from our ferry ride.

See all the photos from my trip here.
And be sure to check back here as I share more.

University of Ulster, Jordanstown campus

Jordanstown Loughshore Park.

View north from the park.

Views from Carrickfergus Castle.

View from the ferry, further north of Carrickfergus.

Competing against the best in the world

 Nothing more impressive than 53,000 fans

descending upon Glasgow Green in Glasgow, Scotland

to see the best bagpipe bands compete for bragging rights 

at last Saturday's World Pipe Band Championships 2010.

My oldest son is a snare drummer for Oran Mor Pipe Band,
one of only three U.S. Grade One bands and the current
Eastern United States Pipe Band Assoc. 2010 Grade One Champion.

At the World's, they competed with the best of the best.
Even though they didn’t qualify for the finals,
every member played their best and made those of us
who accompanied them on the trip extremely proud.

In case you didn’t get up at 5 a.m. East Coast time
to watch Oran Mor’s performance, here it is.
My son is second from left in the drum line.