Irish International Immigrant Center - Fantastic day out 2012

Today it was the Irish International Immigrant Center's (IIIC) annual staff day out.  And what a fantastic day it was too. Here are Jude and the squad, all smiles, looking cool and ready for an exciting fun-filled day.

The original plan was to visit Castle Island but that was shelved as the weather forecast was not great.  So what would they do? Go somewhere indoors perhaps? Well actually the plan changed to go apple picking, visit a big house and then go to the beach.  Wha?



So everyone took their coats and umbrellas and headed to the starting point for today's adventures ..... Russell Orchards in Ipswich, Massachusetts.












Russell Orchards was a cool wee place indeed, but remember folks ... if you ever go there ..... do not go in your bare feet (see sign).  So when the squad had settled on the Orchard plan and everyone's calenders were set, it was a bit of a shock when 48 hours before the 'day out' the Orchard posted a message saying all their apples were gone ..... all picked .... like seriously ..... there were no apples left!! What to do?  What to do?

Well as Captain Mannering would say, 'Don't panic, don't panic', and so the squad arranged to carry on boldly and meet as planned at the orchard.


'Ok, so it's 11.00am, we're at an Orchard in northern Massachusetts, and it's raining, what on earth are we going to do?  Caitlin, Jeannie, Sinead and Becky look a tad perplexed.

So what would they do?

'We could always have a vote to see which of our jacket's is the most colourful', Becky may have said.






'Or we could hang around and look at the $10 bales of straw perhaps ...... or ..........













..... check out the baldy scarecrows or .........


















.......... take the opportunity to nail a couple of cool photos.  By now the five early birds, from left Jude, Caitlin, Jeannie, Sinead and Becky, had been joined by that other early bird, Ann Marie (on extreme right).

When it was discovered (48 hours earlier) that the apples were all gone, a desperate plan B was hatched. This involved using one of the barns at the orchard to do some group work / team building activities.  Ronnie, the Deputy Executive Director at IIIC, had asked if Ann Marie would .............


........ ask the guys in the orchard shop if we could use their barn for the group activities.  As you can see here Ann Marie is pulling the 'I'll convince him with my enthusiastic smile' approach while saying, 'but please, you've got to understand, this is totally normal behaviour, we only want a loan of your barn for an hour or so to do some exercises and work activities, it's totally random yes and borderline nuts, but don't you see, some of us are from Ireland and this is a normal request back home.  To which the shop assistant replied, 'eh...sorry, we can't help you'.        




'Ohhh no ..... I don't believe it folks ....... Ann Marie is in there asking for a loan of the barn, now we look like a bigger bunch of edjits than we did turning up here in the rain!!!

'Oh ..... this is so embarrassing', thought Sinead.









Well he can stuff his barn ..... yeaaahhh .......... stuff his barn ...... that's what he can do.  We'll find something to do in the rain, don't you worry about that .......... it's a crap looking barn anyway', said little red riding hood Ann Marie.










'Fer flips sake ...... I don't believe it ........ now it's lashing ...... chucking it down .... what will we do ...... with no apples ...... no barn ......... and no sunshine? asked Jude.

But soon enough the rain had slowed down and the squad decided to make the most of their predicament so they ..........







...... dandered down towards a wee farm area at Russell Orchards and stumbled upon some old machinery and vehicles. 'Bloody hell, this looks great, my car got the last rites the other day, this would look nice scooting around Quincy ..... oh I wonder if they'd notice this missing', thought Ann Marie.









'Here Ann Marie, would you like some petrol for the truck? asked Sinead.

'Here, they never had signs like this up at Granny Clarke's or Lyttle's farms when I was a kid', said Jude.

'So now what will we do? asked Caitlin

'Hang around here I suppose', replied Ann Marie.

'What's that edjit Jude doing over there? asked Caitlin.









'Ahhhhh ..... sure that pumpkin's class ........ here take my pic over here, this is great ...... wha? said Jude.

Ann Marie ran over and joined in by getting her pic taken with the pumpkin too.

Meanwhile over at the chicken coup an air of bewilderment was momentarily broken as Sinead spotted this hen on the loose.  'Oh it's a hen ....... it's lovely', said Sinead.

In the distance the conversation went something like this:  'Ann Marie did ye ask about the barn', asked Ronnie.  To which Ann Marie replied, 'Yeah Ronnie, but they looked at me as if I'd two heads and told me there was no chance. I felt like a right edjit to be honest, I think he thought I was nuts.





So the gang spent the next while dandering around looking at the animals, like Ned the Donkey (or is it a horse) ............













'In Longford we have farms like this, sure I grew up on a farm I did, I love farms', said Ann Marie to Tom and Sinead.












Tom was loving it big time and quickly became best friends with this wee horse (ehhh ...... or is it a donkey perhaps).














I'm just a big fat pig!!














'Oh aye ..... now we're whistling Dixie .... oh I love tractors, and I love welly boots, and farms and all ........ sure this is great this is .....sure this is just like Longford now, ahh this is great', rambled Ann Marie.











Jude, Tom and Toni eventually managed to drag Ann Marie off the tractor and got this cool pic taken.












'Jude....... get outta the road ....... I want another pic with the cool tractor, it's my tractor', said Ann Marie.

Meanwhile Tom's loving it!!    










'So after the adventures with the animals and tractor ...... what will we do now then? Theo asks Gjerji and Scott.












The gang shifted to the farm / orchard shop where they found this guy.  He's called John and he works at Russell's Orchard and farm.  So Ronnie introduced himself to John and John replied, 'Ronnie Millar, I know a Ronnie Millar from Belfast who worked at Corrymella in Ballycastle'.  'Well that's me', Ronnie replied.  Talk about a small world!!










So John explained what he does at the orchard and farm ......













.......... and gave a great presentation about how they make apple cider.  Very interesting it was too.













Jude then nabbed John and quizzed him about the best apples for making an apple tart / crisp.  Jude was under instructions from the world's number 1 apple tart maker, ehhhhhh ........ Marguerite, to get some nice apples for baking.
















And John told him these ones were the best.

You see Jude was not going to leave here today without picking some apples so he got his wish even if it was picking them from a basket.













'Ah sure I'll chuck this in too, this keep Marguerite sweet', said Jude as he bought Marguerite a surprise.












And as instructed, this is what Jude brought home for Marguerite.  Then using these ingredients Marguerite proceeded to make the most delicious Apple Crisp you've ever laid eyes on or tasted, I say it was very tasty indeed.

'Naaiy..... how much is that boss', asked Jude.















Wha?............sixteen dollars and forty-eight cents', replied yer man.

'Aye ....... seriously naaiy, no codding about, how much is it, I'm from County Down ye can't bluff me mucker', replied Jude.









'Sixteen dollars and forty-eight cents', replied yer man again.

'Wha ....... for a few apples, 6 cider donuts and a bag of apple crisp stuff, daylight robbery this is .... do you not even break a smile when you're robbing folk? replied Jude.








'This donut better be good, sure it would cost ye an arm and a leg in here', said Jude.

After Russell's Orchards and the farm the IIIC squad took themselves off  for part two of their day out ..........










.......... they skipped along in the rain to ......  

The Great House at Castle Hill, just down the road in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  The estate belonged to a Mr Crane of Crane Co (leading Engineering company) from Chicago.  He bought the land, rebuilt the house and hired the famous Olmsted Brothers (sons of Frederick Law Olmsted who created New York's Central Park, Boston's Emerald Necklace and parks in Chicago) to design the landscaping.  The house was rebuilt and used as a summer getaway (from Chicago) for 6 weeks of every year.




So here they are, all 19 of them.  Today there were about 4 or 5 staff members who could not make the trip ....... but it takes more that rain, cold, and wind to rattle this bunch of adventurers.







 



So after lunch the gang took the tour of the Great House.  It really was a great historical tour of a spectacular house.  Jude had missed the announcements about what you could and could not do in the house (announcements made by this doll in the light purple jacket) ............ and so he got told off for taking this pic!!!







And here's the evidence.  Read it for yourself ...... it basically tells you not to be taking pics. Well of course that could mean only one thing ........











.......... the squad would take loads of pics!!!  Like this pose by Ann Marie.  This is just simply breaking the rules and ........











........... downright childish to say the least.   Some people really just need to catch themselves on and grow up.

Jude walked into this room and announced, 'look, it's a picture of Florence and the Machine', and amazingly the lady in the picture was really called Florence, she was the wife of the owner way back when.









'Ah ......... I think a wee snooze is required', said Jude as he sample one of the beds.












This wee yoke was cool ............ there was one in virtually every room.  At first glance it looks like a clock, or you may think it looks like a compass, however it was actually a weather instrument which was used by the Crane family to indicate when conditions were perfect for sailing.  So depending on what way the wind was blowing etc, the bulbs would light up and so on.  Pretty nifty wee yoke that was.







Meanwhile back at the ranch ............. Ann Marie is still busting the rules and taking pics left, right and center.











Ann Marie took this pic of Jude.  So you were not allowed to touch, open or read the books (these books were hundreds of years old and were imported from Ireland in the 1920's).  Fantastic they were too.  Jude got told off again, this time for getting caught reading one of the books. That's twice told off in the one day ......... it was like the old days ....... Jude used to get told off frequently enough for acting the edjit, but you'd think he would have grew up by now.  Wha?




Here is an example of one of the sitting rooms, as you can see it was just beautiful.  And so the tour finished and it has to be said that this really was great fun.  It was very informative and interesting but also great fun.  So ended part two of the staff day out.

'Hi-ho .... hi-ho ...... it's off to work we go ....... we work all day ......'.  The IIIC staff leave the Great House at Castle Hill and ...............











.............. take one last pic before ..........













......... managing to get lost on the way out.  Here they are (all 8 cars but you can only see 3 or 4 here) all turning as one on this narrow road.  Jude was hanging out the window of Becky's car like a paparazzi snapping away and laughing his head off.    










Talk about three point turning, some of these turns were more like 18 point turns ... kinda like that famous scene from the Austin Powers movie where he is turning the wee cart in a narrow hallway ..... anyone?...... anyone? ..... ahh jeez never mind.  

Eventually, after a few laps of the estate, the squad made it out.

So what to do now?  What would part three of this fantastic IIIC staff day out be?

Folks you couldn't make this up but it was ..........







.......... a visit to the beach.  It's October, it's drizzling with rain, it's a cool day ............. well no better a day to hit the beach then.  Wha?

'What the blazes are we doing dandering down a boardwalk to the beach and it freezing, wet, windy and everything else? Ann Marie asked herself.

So what to do at the beach then?






Well Janey and Jeannie dove straight into the water ........ well actually they walked in.













Before getting hit with one of those wee waves that surprise you, soak you, freeze you and have you scampering out of the water as fast as you can.  













The beach was actually Crane beach, also in Ipswich. Very beautiful it was too.

While in the water the seagulls were checking out Janey's bag for sweets, sandwiches, burgers, chicken legs, fish suppers and anything she might have in there that would be edible.  Here Toni and Janey chase the bird away.











Fortunately the drizzle ended just as the gang hit the beach and so Jude wasted no time in putting his umbrella to good use as he wrote .........











............ 'IIIC Fantastic Day Out 10 October 2012', in the sand.  'Naaiy there's only one thing missing, to make this complete I just need ..........












......... all the IIIC staff to stand in behind for this lovely pic.  Very nice.  Wha?

There are only so many things you can do on a beach in October.  So soon enough ........









.............. Ronnie was putting into action another cunning plan.  This time he had spotted one of the Crane Estate Rangers (who run the Crane Estate whom the beach belongs to).

'We'll just stay here and be rebels .......... yeah everyone's leaving the beach now but we'll see if we can lose them', thought Ann Marie, Erika and Toni.

'Ah no ....... we've been spotted ...... what's he gawking at ...... bog off Jude ..... we're trying to lose you lot .......... I wish he'd clear off with that stupid wee toy camera of his'.

But before you could say 'Yogi Bear' the gang were indeed being given a guided tour of the park, it's dunes and give a wee talk about the wildlife and all that.










Actually this was also very informative and interesting.  Our man flint told us all about how the land evolved, the wildlife that lives there and more importantly for Jude .........











........ exactly which of the plant life was edible.  You see Jude's always thinking about food, even when at the beach.














Here he tries these wee sweet beach peas .............














..... and pretends he does not like them.  Actually he's a spoofer as he scoffed about 12 packs of these wee peas.












Here is one of the wee packets of peas ........... eh .... and a leaf chucked in for extra colour value.

So everyone dandered along listening to yer man and having a laugh as they did so.










This great pic shows one of the trails the IIIC squad took on this wee beach adventure.  Just how the folks at the back can hear what the Park Ranger is saying is hard to figure out.  Jude was of course hogging the front, up beside the Ranger, like a geek, listening to all he was saying.  Sinead (in the pink jacket) was saying, 'thank God I brought me wellies today', while Erika who is the only one looking up is thinking, 'this is great, if only we could do this every Wednesday I'd be delighted'. And so ended the 'IIIC Staff day out 2012' - this really was a fantastic day with plenty of craic, and lots of laughter.  Perfect!!