The Irish are still talking about the heat wave that struck their country from July 15 to July 30 of this year. At last word, they were wondering if it was a mere coincidence that 10 Americans (reportedly Henry Kane, Bob Page, Bob Goodheart, Paul Casino, Frances Kuipers, Dave Kay, Pete Stella, Alice Kline, Phil Conlin and yours truly) were present during that period exploring by bicycle some 500 miles of the green, gently rolling, beautiful country, including the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula, the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands and Connemara. The rumor is that rain stopped falling as their plane landed and didn’t start again until their plane lifted off the ground for America. A spot shortage of sunscreen occurred during the visit. The Americans reportedly bought all available supplies (both bottles!) and still departed scorched! The Irish were stunned by the beauty of their country which they hadn’t seen in the sunlight for several generations and stood in awe, reportedly, with the Americans. There are also rumors of a shortage of Guinness which seemed to follow the Americans as they moved from pub to pub, south to north. In Roundstone, the supply was so low that traffic was halted for several hours while the Guinness truck re-supplied the various drinking establishments. The Americans were reportedly visiting one of the pubs where the patrons were in a near panic. The pub had just tapped their last keg of Guinness, the life-blood of all Irishmen! When the Americans told them that the Guinness truck was just down the street, they faced toward the direction of the truck, fell to their knees, bowed low to pay homage, and thanked their lucky shamrocks that they had indeed been saved! The B&Bs are recovering from the onslaught of wet bicycle shorts (and other shorts) hanging from lighting fixtures and clotheslines. It is reported that at one B&B one of the Americans received a well-deserved thrashing for washing clothes in a guest room (perhaps the drip, drip, drip on antiques had something to do with it!). It was also heard that one of the Americans, a lawyer, was seen standing at cliff’s edge (a 500 foot drop, no warning signs, no fences, no access for the disabled - children young and aged peering over the edge) at the Cliffs of Moher and at Dun Aengus on the Aran Islands, barely able to contain her excitement at the litigation potential. The Thursday before the Americans departed there was a brief rainstorm in Connemara – reportedly this was due to the complaint of an American from Phoenix (yocarmine!) that his new Gortex rainwear was going to go home unused. No way can the Irish let that happen! He was sighted sullen and sodden in an Irish pub – just desserts (and Guinness!). It is understood that, despite their failure to experience the true cold, cloudy, rainy, gloomy Irish climate, the Americans had a wonderful time – last seen cycling to Shannon airport with a sheep named Adelle in the lead! And heard spreading false rumors in America about a sunny hot place called – Ireland. Good riddance!