As some of you may know, I grew up in cork,Southern Ireland. Summers were spent in places like,Ardmore,Co Waterford and Schull,Co Cork to name a few. They were not by any stretch of the imagination extravagant,but were nonetheless extremely wonderful holidays.
My parents would rent a house for a month at a time,and basically move there. My dad would indeed take some time off work,but for the most part it was just the four of us and Mum !
Ardmore, Co Waterford. I can still see the house we rented,as if it were just last week. It was not on the beach,but it did have an incredible view of the beach. If we did not want to wait for a drive in my mums car then off we set,which invariably we did, by foot to the beach daily. Rain or shine!!
There were no organised activities except for Lifesaving classes. No , not with swanky swimsuits and goggles. You jumped off the pier,where the boats were moored. Lovely,just lovely. Dead fish,fishing nets,bouys etc. You had to go in at times in your jeans,learning how to take them off in the water and use them to indeed save your life.
Perhaps it is because I am going to be 40 this year or perhaps the ocean is still in my blood,that I FEEL THE NEED and urge to simply go back to basics. I now am a mother with two lovely boys of my own but don't feel like they are in fact being educated. They go to a private school and don't have any knowledge of world geography. My thirteen year old is still studying Texas history. Don't get me wrong,we live in Texas,but even his general knowledge about the rest of this country is worrying to me. This is by no means a slight on the school,but even they don't see how grade driven they are. Losing sight of true education. Even schools can loose sight without it being intentional.
NOW, I am on a quest. I want to leave Dallas for a month or so this Summer. I want to take my kids to Maine. Live simply. No organised activities for them. Leave behind country club activities,organised sports,team uniforms,air conditioned buses for field trips and let them figure out how to get along without dare I say it PS3 and XBOX. I want to live there. Not vacation. I want to see if I can continue to run my business from there whilst my kids get their education. Can I continue to sell RACHEL GAFFNEY IRISH SHORTBREADS from there? EDUCATE & ENTERTAIN people about Ireland and in turn my kids can be educated about Maine. I can offer Irish cooking classes. Anyone out there have any ideas?Looking to partner with hotels,cooking schools,B &B's,culinary shops,radio stations.Portland,perhaps?2 bedrooms. Electricity etc of course. I want my kids to be able to get around without cars. I look forward to hearing from anyone. I will start documenting this journey.
