The blog continues even though I have left! The content below is from another team member, Dyson Clapp. Today we cleared a 100+ year old live oak blown over in the front yard of Danny, a retired military man. The tree’s huge upended rootball revealed how the hurricane winds toppled this giant oak: the rootsContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 8”
Author Archives: Peter Ireland
Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 7
My last day 😞. Unfortunately, I had to leave early from this deployment to head out on another adventure. It was cool to end on a high note. After a slow start doing an easy cleanup job, we moved next door. That homeowner had been helping lots of his neighbors so it was great thatContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 7”
Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 6
The first night in our new dormitory thankfully resulted in a good night’s sleep. The longer walk to get coffee from the kitchen allowed time to reflect. I love being outside for the dawn, and as I heard the birds twittering, I just wanted to go birding with my camera. Or walk under the starsContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 6”
Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 5
We joined the host church for Sunday morning worship. The congregants were asking each other how they had fared in the storm, how long they were without power, and how they were managing to communicate without internet or phone lines. This represented the community. I felt that it was a privilege and honor that weContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 5”
Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 4
Today, the weather changed to cool and crisp while the opportunities to serve remained. We cleared fallen trees at two different houses, one of which belonged to a mass-feeding volunteer and another to a family who had just moved to Florida from Arizona. Today’s work was satisfying. The cooler temperatures helped, but this was amplifiedContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 4”
Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 3
Today was a long one but good one! We are blessed to be a blessing to others, and it was a blessing when we could bless others. We start each day without knowing what each day will bring or what surprises will come our way. Today’s work was about a bunch of big trees andContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 3”
Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 2
When tens of thousands of people are impacted by a hurricane, I have wondered what one crew of volunteers can achieve. Today we found out! We didn’t move mountains, but we moved some trees! We returned to a house that we visited at the end of the previous day. The single mom’s daughter was gettingContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup Day 2”
Hurricane Isaias Cleanup: Day 1
I had relaxed when the Houston weather feeds confidently claimed that Hurricane Isaias would not impact Texas. However, on Thursday October 8th, my Texans on Mission Disaster Relief Chainsaw team leader, Marcel, put us on alert. I did not think much of it until the reports of a Category 2 hurricane making landfall near PensacolaContinue reading “Hurricane Isaias Cleanup: Day 1”
Giving Bailey Away: Phase 2 to Completion
Bailey’s engagement to Jett was the beginning of an intense journey to complete “Giving Bailey Away.” The main event was, of course, their wedding, and the bar had been set very high by their engagement party on 27th April 2025, which concluded phase 1 of giving Bailey away. While I lamented that we hadn’t broughtContinue reading “Giving Bailey Away: Phase 2 to Completion”
SWCP Land’s End to Plymouth
Over twenty days in the late summer of 2026, we hiked from Land’s End to Plymouth along the South West Coast Path, thus completing South Cornwall’s coast path. We arrived at Land’s End on 25 August 2026, and finished walking in Plymouth on 15 September. We planned and booked everything ourselves. We used the TrailblazerContinue reading “SWCP Land’s End to Plymouth”
SWCP Day 20 Kingsand to Plymouth
A bright sunny day called us outside for our final day of walking, though we had to wait until 9am for our pub’s breakfast. The high tide almost disrupted our coastal walk, but we stayed dry with a bit of rock hopping and watched a naval training ship exercise around Plymouth Sound. After a fewContinue reading “SWCP Day 20 Kingsand to Plymouth”
SWCP Day 19 Portwrinkle to Kingsand
Where else in the world can you walk on a public footpath through an army firing range? The presence of sheep and cows helped make us feel save, and we spent most of the day shrouded in mist. The day’s oddity was a group of houses, spread out along the cliff, without any driveways anywhereContinue reading “SWCP Day 19 Portwrinkle to Kingsand”
SWCP Day 18 Looe to Portwrinkle
Today was another lesson in not making assumptions! We feasted on probably the best roast dinner we’d ever had, in the pub with the silliest name! We wanted to make the most of staying at a hotel that did not serve breakfast by getting an early start. So, we were plodding by shortly after 7am,Continue reading “SWCP Day 18 Looe to Portwrinkle”
SWCP Day 17 Polperro to Looe
Our weekly day off included a short amble of less than six miles, ascending less than 1000 ft. The weather was kind as we followed the path along this beautiful and relatively easy stretch. We could tell it was a Saturday as about twenty groups of walkers passed us, going the other way, following anyContinue reading “SWCP Day 17 Polperro to Looe”
SWCP Day 16 Fowey to Polperro
Today’s straightforward-looking hike along the coast masked a lot of climbing, which made this a tough 8.5-mile day with 2,200-ft ascent. We started the day eager to get back on the trail, and I was already not looking forward to day 21, when we wouldn’t be hiking 😞. The relaxing ferry crossing, which started ourContinue reading “SWCP Day 16 Fowey to Polperro”
SWCP Day 15 Charlestown to Fowey
Today’s inspiration was that all things of man are temporal. Over the previous days, we had passed through many small fishing villages that had redefined themselves, while surrounded by permanent rocks and less stable cliffs. Today, the main town we passed through was Par. The town of Par, and its associated port, was a majorContinue reading “SWCP Day 15 Charlestown to Fowey”
SWCP Day 14 Portloe to Charlestown
Some days are full of ups and downs, and this was one of them! The views remained great and the weather kind. The main memory of the day’s walk was going up and down about 300 ft every mile! As it was just an 8 mile day, albeit with over 2000 ft elevation change, weContinue reading “SWCP Day 14 Portloe to Charlestown”
SWCP Day 13 Portloe to Mevagissey
The length of today’s hike crept up on us. Or perhaps it was the ascent. 13 miles and 3000 ft of ascent was our biggest day and our legs felt it by the end. The day started with us waiting for the rain to stop, which it did very timely at 9am, with the morningContinue reading “SWCP Day 13 Portloe to Mevagissey”
SWCP Day 12 Portscatho to Portloe
With the day’s walk a straightforward eight miles, we could really take it easy and absorb the views. However, even our most relaxed pace was over 2 mph! Nevertheless, we paused to enjoy cows, birds, and plenty of ripe blackberries. Seals remained elusive, but we maintain hope that we’ll see some in a few days.Continue reading “SWCP Day 12 Portscatho to Portloe”
SWCP Day 11 Falmouth to Portscatho
These days have been like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates. We started off each day, unsure how it will turn out, though with some certainty that it would be pretty good. There have been a few surprises, but mostly on the good side, and all of them add flavour to the journey! We had beenContinue reading “SWCP Day 11 Falmouth to Portscatho”
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