Buying a mop

When I was talking about traveling in my last post, I forgot to mention that one reason I went to Switzerland last month was to support my brother who did the 600 km (373 miles) Swiss cycling marathon. It took him a little over 30 hours to accomplish this feat and, in doing so, he toured a major portion of Switzerland (and a sliver of Germany). He also proudly represented the New Mexico colors!

The route my brother rode

Not only the distance was exhausting, but the weather didn't help either. Although it was end of June, during the night and Saturday morning it was raining and cold; below 50. I think he was close to giving up near the end. I followed him around, providing moral support, draining his car battery by charging GPS devices, and doing some sightseeing while he was sweating.

One of the cool sights along the way

Still in relation to my last post, the day after ranting about the weather and people who keep talking about the weather, I came across this comic. I felt it was very appropriate.

So, now to the title story. Saturday morning, Lee Ann asked me whether I wanted to come along to the shopping center, a three-minute drive, to buy a mop. Good husband that I am, I said yes. Just before lunch when we got ready to leave, she says, "Oh, and there is a house in Lusk I'd like to look at". Lusk is a little town North of Dublin, about twenty miles from where we live.
By the time we looked around Lusk for a little bit, it was lunch time. We drove the ten minutes to Skerries on the coast, had some seafood, white wine, and a short walk along the Irish Sea. Then it was time to head back and buy that mop. Of course now it was evening again. All those of you who thought I was not flexible and easy going, think again!

The Lusk round tower and St Mac Cullin's Church

Lusk is mostly a new settlement that serves as a bedroom community for Dublin. However, the tiny village center is interesting because the St Mac Cullin built a monastery here in the 5th century. What remains from back then is the largely intact round tower in my cell phone picture above. The square belfry attached to it dates back to the 15th and 16th century. There was a church attached to these towers before, but it must have been destroyed during one of the many raids at this site. The one that is there today was built in the 19th century.

A plaque attached to the round tower

Trying to find out when all of these things happened and how to spell Mac Cullin is actually not trivial. The plaque above has one version, while the Wikipedia entry and the church site differ slightly. Maybe the round tower is actually from the 9th century. It seems possible to get into the round tower and maybe the belfry which are now part of the Lusk Heritage Centre. According to the church site, there is an exhibition about medieval churches of North County Dublin in the Belfry. Next time we need a mop and swing by Lusk, I'll go ask Mr. Kelly for the key.