Wild swimming has been the best part of my summer in Ireland. I was worried about swimming alone but that was not an issue as seemingly everyone in Ireland was in the sea. So. Much. Fun! (5 min read, 9 photos) open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

The Wild (Swimming) Atlantic Way

This summer I explored the coast of the Wild Atlantic Way by getting into the sea as often as possible.

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I have loved hearing a bit of the Irish language every day on my summer adventure in Ireland. #Gaelic #Ireland #SlowTravel vibrantsquares.substack.com/p/reclaiming...

Reclaiming Language

To strip people of their language is to take away their culture, their identity, their sense of belonging.

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Exploring the Wild Atlantic Way just because my family lived there a hundred years ago. How could I not? (3 min read, 5 images) #AncestralHome #Ireland #Genealogy #Sligo #WildAtlanticWay vibrantsquares.substack.com/p/walking-wi...

Walking With My Ancestors in Sligo

And accepting the unknown

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My latest adventures ina and around Galway (3 min read, 8 photos). Thanks to all who have supported my blog by subscribing. substack.com/@lauriemorri...

Day Tripping from Galway

My Irish road trip envy started with a Facebook post I saw while still living in New York.

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I finally figured out how to finance my retirement travel and it is swapping homes. It’s so much more personal and interesting (and authentic) than hotels and holiday lets. (3 min read) substack.com/@lauriemorri...

Exchanging Homes

What started as an exercise in frugality turned out to be a brilliant way to experience the world.

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I expected to learn a lot of history during my two weeks in Limerick but I also found a lot of music and fun. (3 min read + photos, video) open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

Pride and Craic in Limerick

Craic / kræk / noun (Irish English) Enjoyable time spent with other people

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Sometimes travel is about seeing the sights and sometimes it brings transformative experiences. open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

Writing in Ireland

I came to Ireland this summer to write, to get away from the small things that so easily distract me at home, to plunge myself into a self-made, movable writer’s retreat.

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I’ve just started a two month adventure in Ireland and challenged myself to do it all via public transportation. open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

Getting There Is Half the Fun

Yesterday I arrived in Limerick to begin a two-month Irish adventure!

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I took a hiatus from my blog this summer to catch up on life admin, but it's back! #slowtravel #scotland #edinburgh open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

Sunshine on Leith

And so my Edinburgh adventure begins.

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My Scottish highlands adventure ended in the most perfect way - singing in a Gaelic Mòd! #SlowTravel #GaelicChoir #Scotland #Choir open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

Singing in Gaelic

I spent my last weekend of slow travel in Scotland singing at a Gaelic Mòd - a local festival celebrating Gaelic language, music, arts, and culture.

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I only had two things on my bucket list: see a puffins and the northern lights. I managed to do both during my month in the highlands. #Scotland #Highlands #puffins #northernlights #bucketlist open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

Puffins and Aurorae

Time for a new bucket list

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This week's blog post was inspired by an incredible science hike through the peat bogs with A Far North Naturalist. It not only taught me about peat's importance to the environment but provided context to it's role in my family history. #forsinard #genealogy #scotland #highlands #sutherland

It's All About the Peat

I never thought much about peat until I came to the Scottish Highlands.

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I've just finished my first (of five) weeks in the Scottish Highlands and it is starting to feel like home. #Scotland #Highlands #SlowTravel #Sutherland open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

My Highland Life

I jumped into the highland life (literally) at a village ceilidh my first night here.

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Absolutely over the moon that the Duke of Sutherland’s estate granted permission for me to photograph their 19th century records and include a sample in my Trantlebeg #OnePlaceStudy! #familyhistory #genealogy #sutherland open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

I ❤️ Libraries

I’m giddy with excitement because a librarian just convinced the Duke of Sutherland’s estate to grant permission for me to photograph some of their original early 19th century documents.

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I'm in full genealogy research mode, up in Scotland to focus on my One Place Study of Trantlebeg, home of my courageous immigrant great-grandmother Mary Morrison. @oneplacestudies.bsky.social vibrantsquares.substack.com/p/one-place-...

One Place Study: Trantlebeg

My great-grandmother Mary MacDonald Morrison emigrated to Chicago from Trantlebeg, a small group of crofting cottages along Strath Halladale in the far north of the Scottish Highlands.

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My latest Vibrant Squares blog post is the first in a series on finding purpose and connection during retirement and other life transitions. #retirement #purpose #connection #vibrantsquare open.substack.com/pub/vibrants... laurietvedt.wordpress.com/2025/04/25/p...

Purpose and Connection

Real Retirement Planning

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I have a new blog post about slow travel and my upcoming Scotland adventure. open.substack.com/pub/vibrants...

Slow Travel

One of my retirement goals is to live (short term) in as many places as I can.

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One day to retirement, the end of a long & circuitous technology career. Many of my contemporaries will relate to this a career retrospective, and my younger colleagues might finally understand why I did not study UX when I was at university. 😆 vibrantsquares.substack.com/p/time-to-go

Time To Go

My first paid computer job was in the early 1970s

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Thank you @bsky.app for making it so easy (and obvious) to add Alt Text to images. Great UX leap forward for accessibility.

Had a bit of fun creating my #SixGenerations chart. Typical American immigrant story.