Comber

I spent last weekend in Comber, Co Down and stayed with a friend of Greg and Sarah Clark. Diane Presho met Greg and Sarah on an exchange to MSU and was even Sarah's maid of honor in their wedding. I was at the wedding and Diane was shocked to know that I was ten or eleven at the time. She showed me the the many things worth seeing in the Comber area, including the scenery around Strangeford Lough, Sketrick Castle, Nendrum monastic site, and Scrabo tower above Newtonards. I very much enjoy getting off the beaten path and seeing these out of the way sites. To me, they're just as interesting, if not more, than major attractions in big cities, and come without the crowds and the feeling that you have to rush to see it all.

On Sunday, I was treated to a home-cooked lunch with Diane, her parents, and her brother. They live on a small farm and I was showed around the place. Most farms in Ireland are smaller, at least acreage-wise, than ranches in Montana. Diane's dad took me to a neighbor's farm though, and I was surprised. Four brothers own 1100 acres, 500 dairy cows, and 700 beef cows, which is a huge holding for Ireland. Not only that, but they custom cut 5000 acres for silage and another 2000 acres of grain. They showed me their very impressive equipment shed and I drove one of their five New Holland tractors. I was thrilled (really) to stand out in the cold and talk about hay equipment and how they put up silage.

Between the food and drink, the site-seeing, and the conversation, last weekend was one of the most enjoyable I've had since I got here. Diane mentioned more than once that she loved her time in Montana and was happy to repay the kindness that she had been shown. I will be more than willing to do the same for anyone who might come to Montana in a similar situation.

Many thanks to Diane Presho and her family for their hospitality, and to the Clarks for helping to make the world a bit smaller.