Tuesday, August 13, 2013

lava table


So a lot of Sicilians have tables and things made out of lava from Mt. Etna. We decided to get a lava table before we leave. Since we live in Aci Trezza and absolutely love it, we decided to get an Aci Trezza themed table. I am no artist but I wanted our table to be custom and what we like about Sicily. I drew a sketch and took it to Mario's Iron Works where he makes wrought iron stands. He then took my sketch to an artist in the famous town of Caltigirone to paint the lava stone. We got the table delivered tonight and are so excited with the results!

Our inspiration - Aci Trezza



My sketch for the artist
Our table!!!!




Thursday, August 1, 2013

life

We are in for the long haul! Gene just re-enlisted for 6 more years with the Navy. We got our date and we will be reporting to Virginia Beach on October 12 and then most likely heading to Jacksonville, Florida by the end of the year for our next 5 years. Another adventure for the Gurganus'.








Ireland, July 2013

Scotland and Ireland were our last big trips before we move back to the States. They were both beautiful but so different. We flew to Dublin and spent our first night going to the pubs with Clint, Sara, and Nick. There is a pub every few steps and each one is as unique as the last. Our first day was spent at the Guinness factory and the Old Jameson Distillery. Our next stop was a condo we rented in Claire County. It was on a lake and happened to be the hottest week in Ireland in over five years! It was pretty hot walking around in pants and long sleeves in 85 degree weather. We spent 2 nights cooking dinner at the condo and relaxing on the deck. On our way to our next house we stopped in Glasgow to walk around. Gene got a shave, we bought some cooler clothes, and we had Ireland's famous fish and chips. We also went to The Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs were beautiful and very hot. I missed the Puffins in Scotland so I wanted to see the Puffins at The Cliffs of Moher. We walked almost to the end of the cliffs before we realized we had gone past the view point. Once I found the telescope I was able to see a Puffin! Unfortunately they were very far away so I could not get a picture :( Those Puffins are hard to find.

When we arrived at our next house in Westport we were pleasantly shocked! The house was beautiful! It was in the middle of green fields and every room had large windows with skylights that opened to the fresh air. I took extra pictures of the details for my future dream home :) We were so excited with the house we spent our nights in listening to Irish music and drinking Irish beer. The town of Westport was very cute and filled with great shopping and pubs. On our way back to Dublin we drove up to Northern Ireland. It happened to be some sort of holiday so there were parades everywhere. There was a very different vibe in Northern Ireland. We stopped in at a park where they have filmed some of Game of Thrones. Our last night in Dublin was spent talking about our trip and how amazing it was.


The Cliffs of Moher (out of sequence)







the pub next door to our apartment in Dublin

our apartment in Dublin

walking around Dublin


Guinness Factory









Dinner at The Old Storehouse, Dublin. Cottage pie..mmmmm


cool pub in Glasgow

Gene getting his shave
our house in Westport

A beautiful view in every room, even the bathroom!


the family <3

BBQing some ribs we got from a butcher

Westport

famous pub in Westport


Northern Ireland



Ireland...