Today’s Gas Station
I didn’t know they still made gas stations like this, but this is where we bought gas this morning. And . . . my rental has a small little tank, so I’m not paying big bucks for the gas, but . . . neither am I paying 80 cents a gallon like in Q8 and Qatar:
Ghost Horses
As Mom and I were stopping at one of the public access beaches, a whole group of horse-carriers turned up and all these horses got out. We don’t know exactly what it was all about. It appears they are trying to get the horses used to being near the surf. Some found it very scary, some wanted to taste it . . . and there was all this mist, so it was a very ghostly experience:
Disconnected
Last night, a woman walked by our cabin out to the slight hill in front, and she was there for about an hour. I got a clue. My phone had zero bars on it, but when I walked to the top of the ridge, I had one bar.
Well, I learned this morning, trying to call AdventureMan, it is one bar IF you are exactly in the right spot, IF you are standing with the phone in the right direction and IF the call goes through. We had one of the shortest phone calls we have ever had, me standing out on the ridge trying to maintain the connection.
The motel also advertised wi-fi, but as it turns out, it is only in SOME cabins, not all the cabins, and not our cabin.
Being disconnected is not really so bad, but I DO like to talk with my husband once a day . . . and I do like to chat a little with you!
It rained as we drove here, but we have lived in Washington State long enough to know that a little rain on the way has nothing to do with how it is going to be once we get here. We’ve had sunny weather, and last night, around 4, I looked outside (I am sleeping with the window open so I can hear the surf) and there was a little cat stalking a mouse, and all the stars in the world – it was wonderful!
Here is where we had lunch yesterday. My Mom said “you can’t show that to your friends in Qatar and Kuwait, that we ate in a BAR!” but the bar was what was available, and it was pretty shabby, but served a great Prime Rib dip sandwich. They have a lot of business – there aren’t a lot of eating places around here. Mostly, we have brought food with us, but we like to eat out from time to time. No, no photos of the Prime Rib dip; I left my camera in the car.
The Moonstone in Moclips
Moclips is one of the northernmost beaches on the Washington coast, not a far drive from Seattle, maybe 3 hours. We stopped in Aberdeen for cold groceries – milk. orange juice, salads, etc. so it took us a little longer, and we weren’t in a hurry.
We have reservations at the Moonstone. The Moonstone is not your five star kind of place, it is a very old timey Washington beach kind of place, the kind you stay when you are clam digging.
We have a little two bedroom cabin with a kitchen and bathroom, not fancy, actually, you could sleep six people if you wanted to. It would be a tight fit, but families do it.
It is a great beach for clams. Here is what clams look like when you go clam digging:
See those holes? There are clams beneath the surface. You stomp; a clam squirts and then you dig like crazy, with a “clam gun” which is a special narrow shaped shovel, or with your hands if you are really really fast and don’t mind losing all your fingernails. When you grab the clam, it is really hard to pull him out, because he is digging down like crazy.
This is what it looks like when a clam is digging down – a tiny fountain of water behind him bubbling up:
This is what the beach looks like from our cabin:
And this is what it looked like at SUNSET!
Qatar May Pardon SOME Traffic Violators
Even in Seattle, I see people on their mobile phones while driving – even in law-abiding Seattle. It doesn’t make sense to have a law that is not enforced.
It would be interesting to do the smart thing – do a study of the most common accidents, see who the violators are, see how often mobiles were at fault – talking or texting – and penalize the violators. But . . . that would mean equal-before-the-law enforcement. (Sigh.)
Some traffic violators may be pardoned
Web posted at: 9/1/2009 3:6:48
Source ::: THE PENINSULA
DOHA: The Traffic department is thinking of waiving penalties imposed on some traffic violators to mark the Holy month of Ramadan.
Participating in a question and answer session, Mohamed Saad Al Kharji, Director, Traffic Department, said here that the other day the department was looking into the cases of some violators who may be forgiven to highlight the spirit of Ramadan.
Replying to another query on the ongoing traffic violations, including using mobile phones while driving, Saad Al Kharji admitted there are a growing number of similar incidents. “Taking an on-the-spot action against these violators means creating chaos and confusion on the roads in every five minutes. But some time, we do that to create an awareness among the motorists about the violations,” the official said.
Some participants suggested that the department make a crash course on Qatari law and its traditions mandatory for all expatriates applying for a driving licence.
The government has been consistently trying to increase traffic safety awareness among motorists in an attempt to reduce the number of traffic accidents.
My / Your New Best Friend
Back when I was studying conversational Arabic, sometimes I would slip. I was supposed to say “Ana Taliba” (I am a student) when asked what my profession was, but in my exam, I slipped and said “Ana Taliban” which sent my teachers into gales of laughter. I was so embarrassed.
So Abdul Kareem Talib caught my attention this morning, by his name, but, sadly, I cannot take advantage of his kind offer. He doesn’t even have the courtesy to call me by name! And he includes his phone number, so I encourage any of you with too much time to kill to give him a call and chat him up. His e-mail is also there; for some reason he doesn’t mention he is writing out of Hong Kong.
Dearest
Compliment of the day ,I am Abdul Kareem Talib the son of Lt Colonel Deng Aluk Naeem Talib Of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)led by Late Lieutenant Colonel John Garang Hinga can read moreon: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/spla.htm about the war and problems ,having two distinct major cultures–Arab and Black African–with hundreds of ethnic and tribal divisions and language groups, which makes effective collaboration among them a major problem that led to several wars that is still going on now.
I am contacting you for the investment of the sum of US$7,300,000.00 [Seven Million and Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars] which was inherited by me ,before the unpleasant situation in my country that is going on now, have made up my mind to invest under your directives and financial control.
Please, I need your urgent reply, here is the telephone number you can reach me+66-8-45-666910 and reply by my e-mail.
Awaiting for your respond.
Best Regards.
Abdul Kareem Talib
abdulkareem.talib@yahoo.com.hk
St. David P. Oakerhater
Another ‘who knew? ‘ I found this in the Lectionary readings for today – a Native-American saint:
DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931)
David P. Oakerhater (born around 1850) was a warrior and leader of the Cheyenne Indians of Oklahoma, and led a corps of fighters against the United States government in a dispute over Indian land rights. In 1875 he and 27 other military leaders were taken prisoner by the U S Army and sent to a military post in Florida. There, thanks to the efforts of a concerned Army captain, they learned English, were encouraged to earn money by giving art and archery lessons to visitors, and encountered the Christian faith. David and three others were moved to become Christians and to go north to study for the ministry. David was baptized in Syracuse, New York, in 1878, and ordained to the diaconate in 1881. He returned to Oklahoma and there founded schools and missions, and continued to work among his people until his death on 31 August 1931. When he first returned to Oklahoma in 1881, he said:
You all know me. You remember when I led you out to war I went first, and what I told you was true. Now I have been away to the East and I have learned about another captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is my leader. He goes first, and all He tells me is true. I come back to my people to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace.
by James Kiefer
Note: the “military post in Florida” is Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, now a National Monument. Should you go there, you can learn more about his imprisonment there.
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