The news from Galway harbor

Well, it's been a long time since I wrote about what's happening outside our windows.  Oil ships and scrap-metal barges have come and gone on their regular rounds, a few yachts have wandered in and out, and we keep hearing rumors that the Volvo Ocean Race is coming to town, and that it will be a major event. 

Many things are supposed to have been happening in preparation for this race stopover, but until today I didn't actually believe that they were going to move the oil tanks to make room for the race village.  The tanks were supposed to have been removed in December or January, but on they stayed in all their galvanized splendor:  

Throughout the morning I heard the occasional thunder of crashing metal, without realizing what was going on.  I looked out and saw that our scrap metal heap, the usual source of such noises, was nowhere to be seen.  The sound was coming from the old, empty oil tanks.  Perhaps they are coming down at last. 

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