Sitting here at my parents house in Ireland, I learned that my sister, Barb, and her husband, Henry, won silver and gold metals in the SeaTac Spring Invitational Pickleball Tournament while images of Obama and the Queen’s recent visits here play on the TV. Watching the crowds cheer Obama say “Yes We Can” in Gaelic reminded me of the excitement during the election. He looked like he was having a great time as well.

Talking to people, Obama seems to have generated much more excitement than the Queen. When I asked one local resident if Obama was popular here in Ireland, he looked at me like that the the dumbest question he had heard and told me that he thought Obama was the most popular person in the world. It is great to be in a place where it is just assumed that Obama is popular.

In case you are wondering, Pickleball is a sport played on a badminton court with a ball similar to a whiffle ball. I knew Barb and Henry are international badminton champions but that they are also winners in this new sport is new to me. Congratulations to them both!