May 21, continued

As we approached Tara, a dark cloud preceded us and rained on us during our drive, but when we arrived and got out of the car, the rain stopped. I recalled that during our visit in 2001, Sara, Mother and I could only look longingly from the stone wall around the site and were not allowed to walk up to the hilltop because of the restrictions for the hoof-and-mouth disease outbreak. However, on this trip, we happily strode (and rolled) up the hill for the magnificent view once enjoyed by the High Kings of Ireland!

Before we left, we intended to go to the gift shop/cafe and have a light lunch. We stopped at a little chapel on the hill to peek inside. They offer an audiovisual presentation, but when I asked how long the program was, the man said that unfortunately they were having a power outage because of the storm. He added that the cafe was without power, too.

So we decided perhaps we could still buy things from the gift shop, but we didn't quite know what to do about lunch. We were sort of hoping we could enjoy a relaxed light lunch before driving on to Dublin. We thought we might at least get a few souvenirs from the gift shop. We weren't sure whether or not they were dependent on the cash registers, so I offered to run ahead and ask while Sara, Martha, and Annis pushed Mom along in the wheelchair. When I reached the gift shop, the lights were all out but the door was unlocked. I saw some other patrons browsing in the dark. I spotted and employee and asked, "Are you still able to make sales?"

She answered, "We're not able to make sales right now..." And just as she said that, the lights came on.

"How about now?" I asked. We both laughed and I immediately said a prayer of thanks to Uncle Mike. 

We got our lunch, did our shopping and got back on the road, heading toward Dublin.