Big Mistake – Early Morning Eid in Doha
After all these years living here, I still have so much to learn.
Jet-lagging, wide awake and the sun is just up – it’s Eid, and I am betting that with everything closed, the roads will be mine.
Almost immediately after leaving the compound, I get the idea that I am very very wrong. Cars are racing past our entrance as if it were night-time, when I rarely drive if I can help it. There is a feeling of unrestrained energy in the driving, a release. As I circle the nearest roundabout, I watch two cars crash. One, a woman, is exiting the roundabout, the other, a man whose car was parked just outside the roundabout which is also outside the mosque, just drove right into one another. Neither would yield.
All this, and it is not even six in the morning. It’s kind of like everyone is up for sunrise service on Eid in Qatar.
But I really want to capture some of the early morning light. Not taking the hint, I head downtown, and traffic is heavy. I get to the old spit Where-Bandar-restaurants-used-to-be, and as soon as I exit the car, my camera lens fogs up and I have to wait for the camera to heat a little before I can shoot anything. Oh yeh – me and all the other camera-toting people with the same idea. I shoot The Pearl, and then I shoot a young man just coming from prayers with his very nice camera – a Nikon digital.
The spit is crowded – everyone is there. Some guys in cars are just sitting there smoking in public, just because they can. Entire families are all out enjoying the breezy morning temperatures (LOL, in the 90’s Fahrenheit)
This is my absolute favorite shot:
Actually, I love the water in this one, but I can’t take any credit for that.
This one I call Scrambled Eggs, because there is so much going on, but it is definitely a Doha kind of chaos:
This is taken where Al Rayyan Road begins, at the mouth of the entrance to Souq al Waqif, sheer chaos:
And this is my own palm tree shooting out some new shoots – maybe it is a sign that winter is on its way?
Leaving Seattle
It’s hard to leave. The last few days have been filled with pre-departure must-dos – spending time doing some things with Mom, seeing old friends I won’t see again for a while, packing (aargh) and preparing for the next leg of the journey.
I have an early flight, early enough that I zip right through Seattle, and there is no one to check my car in at the drop off place and I have to trundle over to their rental location to turn in my mileage, etc. Aargh again.
From there on, however, everything is smooth. It is a beautiful day, and leaving Seattle is a gorgeous departure:
I arrive just in time to capture the sunset over the Bayou in Pensacola 🙂
Sudan Journalist Escapes Flogging, Chooses Jail
This spunky journalist has chosen to go to jail in the Sudan instead of paying the fine. Her lawyer is aghast, but Lubna Hussein says it will give her material to do a series on Sudanese jails, LOL! The judge had the option of sentencing her to flogging, but, wisely, abstained. You can read the entire story on AOL News
This is a follow up to an earlier story Whip Me if you Dare
Journalist Escapes Flogging in Sudan
By MOHAMED OSMAN and SARAH EL DEEB, AP
KHARTOUM, Sudan (Sept. 7) – A Sudanese judge convicted a woman journalist on Monday for violating the public indecency law by wearing trousers outdoors and fined her $200, but did not impose a feared flogging penalty.
Lubna Hussein was among 13 women arrested July 3 in a raid by the public order police in Khartoum. Ten of the women were fined and flogged two days later. But Hussein and two others decided to go to trial.
The female journalist on trial in Sudan for wearing trousers in public was convicted Monday for violating the country’s indecency law. A judge ruled that Lubna Hussein, seen above outside the courthouse after the verdict in Khartoum, will not be flogged, but must pay a $200 fine. The case has made headlines around the world.
“I will not pay a penny,” she told the Associated Press while still in court custody, wearing the same trousers that had sparked her arrest.
Hussein said Friday she would rather go to jail than pay any fine, out of protest of the nation’s strict laws on women’s dress.
“I won’t pay, as a matter of principle,” she said. “I would spend a month in jail. It is a chance to explore the conditions in jail.”
The case has made headlines in Sudan and around the world and Hussein used it to rally world opinion against the country’s morality laws based on a strict interpretation of Islam.
Galal al-Sayed, Hussein’s lawyer, said he advised her to pay the fine before appealing the decision. She refused, he said, “She insisted.”
The lawyer said the judge ignored his request to present defense witnesses.
“The ruling is incorrect,” he said, adding that the prosecution witnesses gave contradictory statements.
Al-Sayed said the judge had the option of choosing flogging, but apparently opted for fine to avoid international criticism. “There is a general sentiment in the world that flogging is humiliating.”
Ahead of the trial, police rounded up dozens of female demonstrators, many of them wearing trousers, outside the courtroom.
The London-based Amnesty International on Friday called on the Sudanese government to withdraw the charges against Hussein and repeal the law which justifies “abhorrent” penalties.
Human rights and political groups in Sudan say the law is in violation of the 2005 constitution drafted after a peace deal ended two decades of war between the predominantly Muslim north and the Christian and animist south Sudan.
The Amnesty statement said Sudan had been urged to amend the law which permits flogging, on the grounds that it is state-sanctioned torture, after eight women were flogged in public in 2003 with plastic and metal whips leaving permanent scars on the women. The women had been picnicking with male friends.
Cougar Closes Seattle Public Park
I love it – and I think a lot of local people do – that it is still possible for a wild cougar to find his way into our big city park. I love it that our city officials close the park to the public so as not to tempt any problems, and I love it that they were able to catch him and release him.
He was healthy and well fed. Sadly, a lot of roaming housecats had disappeared in the area . . .
(Keep your kitties safe inside!)
Elusive cougar captured in Magnolia’s Discovery Park; already released into the wild
A cougar that has been prowling Discovery Park in Magnolia for about a week was captured early this morning after being tracked and tranquilized by wildlife officers.
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
A cougar that has been prowling Discovery Park in Magnolia for about a week was released into the wild after being tracked, tranquilized and captured by wildlife officers this morning.
The 2 ½ to 3 year old male, reported to be in “great physical condition,” was spotted by a park employee between 9 and 10 p.m., according to Capt. Bill Hebner of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Wildlife officers responded to the park and tracked the cougar through the 534-acre preserve until about 1:30 a.m. today when the cat was immobilized with a tranquilizer and placed in a trap.
An ear tag and a radio collar were attached in preparation for the cougar’s release, officials said.
Wildlife officials took the cat to Snohomish County late this morning and successfully released it back to the wild.
“It’s a great candidate for relocation,” said Hebner.
“By all reports, it’s not aggressive, hasn’t been seen stalking people or capturing pets and has maintained its natural respect for the wild,” he said.
The GPS collar on the cougar will automatically send updates on its location twice a day, he said.
Discovery Park was opened at 11 a.m. this morning, according to Seattle Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Dewey Potter.
The park was closed on Sept. 3 after some Magnolia residents and someone living near the Woodland Park Zoo reported seeing the cougar in the past week or so.
Magnolia resident Thomas Olson was driving home last weekend near 34th Avenue West when he saw a cougar run into the road about 50 yards ahead of his vehicle, heading toward Discovery Park.
“I said, that’s incredible, so I drove into the park and there it was again,” he said.
Resident Lori Jacobs was driving home on West Bertona Street, between 35th and 36th avenues West, about 12:30 on Sept. 1 when she turned into the alley behind her house and saw a “huge cougar” walking toward her. Worried about her cat, that was outside, she gunned her engine, turned her lights on bright and chased the cougar down the alley.
The cat stopped, turned and looked at her. She rolled down her window and yelled at it. It flicked its tail and sauntered out of sight.
On Wednesday, a man at the park told authorities he saw a cougar in the parade field of the old military installation in the park at dusk.
A 110-pound, 2-year-old cougar was captured in Discovery Park in 1981. It was tranquilized and taken to a game farm in Tacoma. It was later released outside Enumclaw.
Some officials said they believe the cat arrived in the park by following the rail lines south, a route bears have been known to use to get to the park. Others speculated it had been transported to the park.
According to the state wildlife department, cougars are the largest members of the cat family in North America. The state cougar population for the year 2008 was estimated to be 2000 to 2,500 animals.
Reflection of Sunrise
As the sun came up this morning, the mists were gone, the air was clear and clean and it was like the world was all washed clean.
I loved the pinkness of the waves rolling in:
Misty Afternoon, Beach, Log and Seagulls
One of the best things about being at the beach is being at the beach – just being there, just feeling the sand between your toes, grabbing a beach book (mine was Philippa Gregory’s The Other Queen) and listening to the steady rolling roar of the waves hitting the beach . . .
As I strolled down to my favorite log yesterday, it was weirdly magical – the sun was shining bright, and there was this huge MIST rolling along the beach. It wasn’t cold, it was just magical and weird. I took a few shots of mist and beach and log:
Maybe this is what’s left from the seagull’s fish yesterday?
So I crawled up on the log and was reading my book and I hear a sound . . . and out of the corner of my eye, I could see a seagull land, like 5 feet away. I didn’t want to move too much and scare him, so I took this photo:
Yes, I had to hold the camera upside down, but then, slowly, slowly, I turned right side up, as more and more seagulls landed, groomed, and went to sleep. I guess I must have found the beach hot spot:
I quietly slid off the log to head back to the cabin, telling them not to worry, I meant them no harm. They didn’t flicker a feather:
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!
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Early Voting in Florida
