Across the wadi

Greetings from Al Ain!! Earlier today I donned a sweater, grabbed my coffee, and took off for a walk. In Kenya, I would explore the fields and hills nearby, gazing across the expanse of the Great Rift Valley. I do not have this luxury here in the desert. Today I enjoyed what I call ‘wandering the wadi.’ As you leave the front of the house, you can look across the street through the buildings and see date palms. Between you and the palms is the wadi. A wadi is best thought of as a potential river. In the times of rare rains it may fill and flow with water; the remaining times the wadi is a dry, meandering pathway through the town. I find the wadi a quiet place to walk and wander with my thoughts. Read the rest of this entry »

Good morning from Al Ain!! Thursday we moved from the guest house into our own apartment!! Jana and I decided to use the British wording and will call it our ‘flat.’ When we moved from Kenya, we shipped little furniture here. That is a good thing as our books, quilting things, and other items are still locked in Customs storage in Dubai. The saga of this sad plight is another story. We have purchased some household items, and our beds arrived Thursday evening (evening deliveries are common, I am understanding), so we had a place to sleep. The move marked a special time which will make my kids smile—we have a complete set of plates that all match for the first time in many years!! In years past as we entertained groups you could choose your seat depending on the various colors of plates. No more! Well, I imagine as we seek to entertain more I will again break the set consistency and add colorful options. Today, I awoke with a major challenge. I bought a coffee pot but forgot to buy filters!! A paper towel just is not exactly as good. My gold filter is in a box in storage. Oh well, there are stores around town. Read the rest of this entry »