Colorado river - when I was a kid we used to camp along the river. My grandparents were Rock Hounds and we went on many desert excursions in search for rocks. You could swim in the Colorado river. The Colorado was cold and clear and drinkable back then. Now all that is left is a brown, hot trickle of water (hardly enough to wet your tootsies if at all). The last time I went home to California to visit family, we stopped en route to show my children the mighty Colorado - all that was left was a tiny hot, muddy trickle of a stream! Those desert communities built there because of the natural water source. Now they are left high and dry so Los Angeles can have swimming pools and fountains and water their un-natural lawns. We never had lawns when I was a kid. We had flowers! and we grew our vegetables and had an orchard. There was one little patch of grass over the septic tank system (that was self-watered & fed - hehehe) where we played games, but that is all. Our baseball fields were dirt! In spring, natural grasses were green and lush. By Summer, the rains ended and all the grasses turned brown. We used gray water to water the flowers, veggies and fruit trees. It didn't smell and we were healthy. All the farmers around there built concrete reservoirs up on the hill tops to catch seasonal rains. Everyone had their own well. Well water that supplied each household's needs was held in big tanks built up on towers and gravity sent the water down into the house. No electricity was needed. There was a gas generated pump down by the well that we would turn on to fill the tank once in a great while. It didn't take long and it didn't use much fuel. It was clean, great tasting water. The orchards were built on the hillsides so gravity carried the water from the reservoirs down the hillside to irrigate the crops and fruit trees below - no electricity was needed to pump out the water. Nothing was ever wasted. Depending upon where you lived, frugality was practiced and used with great success. Those old-time practices are no longer allowed. Now, most of the agriculture that once made California so great, is losing out to city people buying up the farming land and building homes out in the country and living like they did in the city. For cities, I understand there are very different needs, but the same ideas could be developed and practiced for city dwelling folks too. I've lived in the city and I still practiced the three R's. Waste not - want not. Stupidity, Selfishness, (Laziness) and Greed seem to be the rule of thumb for modern man. One thing about it, sooner or later we will all be forced to live by those old Pioneer practices. I just try to stay prepared for when that day comes. No matter how smug mankind gets in thinking we can control Nature....Nature will win over. We can either live within the laws of Nature or die fighting it.

barborn If I were you I would just get myself to ireland my own way and hire a car when I get there . The have most major car rental firms . Also many lovely "guest houses " Guest house in english terms means someone with a large house who rents rooms out in them (friendly and cheap) , there are many hotels as well . Also just for your info there are now 2 internal uk flight operators who run planes at incredibaly cheap prices they are "go" and "easyjet" , easy jet have just bought "go" so go's site might be outof date , You can fly from belfast(ireland) to edinburgh(scotland) for 17 uk pounds RETURN thats about 25 dollars(for example). their site is www.easyjet.com . curt ps are you going to northern ireland or southern ireland or both.coz they have different currencies , southern is the euro(might be still irish punt) , northern ireland is uk pounds. I live in the UK so of theres anything it may be easier for me to find out just email me

Try haggis and black puddling - learn what they are the day after eating them! Smoked salmon is wonderful in Scotland. All fish is good in Ireland and Scotland as both are surrounded by water. For desserts, try spotted dick and clootie dumplings - both are melt in your mouth heavenly. Carry a large purse and in it have a collapsable umbrella. It will most likely rain a bit every day. If it doesn't, consider yourself lucky. Pack clothes so that you can add and shed layers. I've spent alot of time in Scotland - Glasgow is a pretty modern city now. Much of the older architecture has been replaced by new buildings. Both my sisters will be at the Tattoo this year, too...I'm envious of you all! If you have any free time in Glasgow, head to the Willow Tearooms at 217 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. It's a teamroom/restaurant designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and it opened for business in October 1903. The tearooms were extremely popular, and are the most famous of the many Glasgow tearooms that opened in the late 19th and early 20th century. His architecture and design is my favorite in the world. Have a great trip!

Happy St. Pat's Day to all who celebrate. Sometimes I pretend the day doesn't exist and I'm mostly Irish with a touch of Scotland and Wales thrown in - all immigrant coal miners in the mid 1800's. DD is half. As a child growing up in Castle Shannon (a suburb of Pittsburgh) March 17th was the feast day of St. Patrick, not really the huge drinking event as it is now. The day began with a Mass in the Cathedral and then we'd march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. I took step dancing lessons before someone decided that garish costumes and curly wigs were mandatory, sang all the old Irish songs with my dear Da, drank Brewley's or Lyon's tea with cream and sugar, and baked soda bread with currants with my Grandmother. We will have a special meal to celebrate this weekend when the kids come over for a birthday celebration. They always ask for corned beef and colcannon rather than the Irish stew or shepherd's pie we often had as kids. I took my son to Ireland for 10 days and we had great craic as they say - which means fun. He gallantly put up with me when I joined in the singing in the pubs at night but I spared both of us the embarrassment of dancing any jigs or reels. I hired a driver so that we could both sit back and relax and enjoy the scenery and not deal with the roundabouts and driving on the wrong side. DD's boyfriend is from London so we're trying to plan a trip to visit his family and then go on to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Maire