I’m pretty convinced by now that there is no limit to the fecundity of this part of the planet. No matter how small or how sweeping the focus, all of the senses– gross to subtle– keep unfolding more treasures, happily finding residence in the heart. For me, coming home to the Heart is what Ireland is all about.

Anda and I spent a couple hours on the beach yesterday afternoon, sewing and drawing, respectively. It was gloriously sunny. Today we walked out the road just a wee bit so that we could look down through the pastures to the church and then up into the high pastures that hold the town within them like a cup brimming with vitality. Crows soared overhead and the smell of peat drifted through the air.

I had the strong wish to spend time by the Dall River that flows through Cushendall. I had already spent a little time there and had seen a fish jump, a duck ride the current, and a muskrat disappear into a hole in the rocks. While I was drawing I saw a man fishing on the other side, hidden in the shadows. The waters are the color of clear tea and the steady flow drew me in and gave me the sense that watching the river would lead me to some secret places inside myself.

I knew I would draw another scene and overlap it with the river, but I didn’t know what it would be. I ended up in the highest room of the tower, looking out the window onto the chimneys, the street below, and the sweep of ascending pastures that lead to the summit of Mount Lurig. (The “bush” in the upper left is actually a cow.)

I had begun with two circles, which didn’t seem to contribute to what ended up looking like a flood of the town. I was inspired to put flames around the circles, and this seemed to pull it all together.

Doing this drawing has helped me to feel connected to this place in my blood and bones. Perhaps the picture reflects how I am overflowing with gratitude for being here in this magical, vital place– a place filled with people that have truly golden hearts.

Finally, my first drawing in Cushendall is finished! We had trouble finding a functioning scanner, so yesterday, Vincent at Glens Computers kindly photographed my drawing. Today the library is open and Charlotte the librarian scanned it for me. Thanks to both! Thanks as well to The Glens Hotel for graciously allowing us to use their internet.

I drew the part in the large circle as I sat on the bench by the niche of the tower. The drawing in the medium circle was done from the window of the living room, which is on the third floor. As I drew I recalled the scene from the night before, when I woke up to shouting and witnessed some fighting on the street in front of The Central Bar. Crows watch the scene from their perches in what I call the “chimney pot world.” In the tradition expounded by the Native American medicine cards, Crow is said to embody Sacred Law.