The Lone Flamingo
God is so Good! Around a year ago, my husband and I saw Dolphins lazily swimming in the Gulf and so I have been half watching for them to come back again. It was such a thrill.
Today, I saw something pink flying. How many pink birds do you know? I had been taking some photos for you anyway, and had the camera in my hand.
Don’t flamingos normally fly in a group? I think he chose this beach for resting, he is poking around in the surf, I don’t know if he is catching anything but it is a ripe place for small fish.
When we lived in Doha, we would drive out to a particular lagoon to watch the flamingos. I feel like I have been given a great gift, a very special gift, having my own flamingo, even for just a few minutes.
Isn’t he beautiful?
Mosque 1, Crane 0
This is a photo for Little Diamond/Dr. Diamond who was with me coming back from Al Kout, in Fehaheel, when we saw one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
An old mosque along the side of Gulf Road was being torn down for renovations. A crane had been hired to knock down the old minaret, but as it swung the wrecking ball to hit the minaret, the ball somehow tangled or something, and the crane fell over. It stayed there for quite a while as they figured out what to do next. I wish I had a photo. We always called it Mosque 1, Crane 0.
So Little Diamond, this is for you, a photo of the new minarets going up in place of the one that bravely beat the first crane:
DementoCat
OK, OK, No more after a while, just this one last one. Yesterday, as I was uploading the photo of the Qatteri Cat and his babies, he was zonked out on the couch, and dreaming.
With his eyes partially open, but totally out, little paws going, mouth going, making those inarticulate sounds we make when we are in the middle of a very active dream . . .
And he looked so funny! I promise, I promise, this is the last one for a while:
Thank God Adventure Man doesn’t have a blog! I don’t want any photos me me, when I am having a bad dream!
Think I should submit it to I Can Has Cheeseburger? I know it is not socially relevant, but I love this site. At least one caption gives me a laugh-out-loud, a great way to start the day.
Dawn’s Early Glare
August heat has set in with a vengence. The temperatures are the same, but the humidity is rising, clothes are wilting, and bodies are glistening. Nights are cooler, thanks be to God.
This morning, there is one great glare of sunlight; no differentiation between sea and sky, just 180° of colorless glare:
Officially, the temperatures are dropping. Today, a big drop to 111° F, down from last week’s 118°F temps.
. . . And then there was light
There are times – not too often, but it happens – when I want to have a whole crowd of people in, and I regret not having a larger place. Every morning when I get up, the view takes my breath away. You would think it is the same old/same old, but every day is different. One day, the sea may be like glass, another day with white caps. One day the sky is crystal clear, the next, there may be a sandstorm, and I am surrounded by orange light. One day, we even saw dolphins lazily swimming by.
Our window on the world is a never ending thrill.
99.9% of the time, I am content – even more than content. This morning, circumstances once again conspired to have me up before sunrise. Wooo Hooooo! I can always take a nap later.
You might get tired of my sunrise photos, but I never get tired of taking them!
The still, quiet world just before dawn – wouldn’t you like to be out in these boats while the fish are biting?
And then . . . a miracle happens!
I think that band that gives the photo the darkness is actually a low lying cloud of pollution, but it makes for more dramatic photos. This is the actual photo. There is no retouching, resizing . . . It is the photo just as it appeared.
WeatherUnderground for Kuwait tells me the temperatures are dropping! Only 113° F. /45°C today! And dropping down to 82°F/28°C tonight! Feel the frost in the air! 😉
Different Day, Same Sunrise
We didn’t have any luck with the Perseids last night – the sky was too hazy where we were. Did you see them?
I’m doing well with the jet lagging this time, except that I find myself wide awake around sunrise – and how bad can that be?
It was beautiful again this morning:
Welcome Kuwait Sunrise
Adventure Man looks at me like I am stark-raving-out-of-my-mind.
“It feels different,” I have just said. “I can feel winter coming.”
The temperatures the last couple days have been 118° F. (48° C) going down at night to 91° F (33° C), according to my friends at Weather Underground: Kuwait.
But the five weeks I have been away have made a difference, I can feel it. The sun is rising almost a full hour later. The clouds are different, early in the morning, and there are more of them. No, no, I am not breaking out my sweaters yet, but the shift of the seasons has already begun in Kuwait, and I am nearly dancing for joy. I love the six months of winter in Kuwait.
For some reason, I am not jet lagging so badly this time, or at least not yet. Sometimes it hits me hard a couple days after arriving, but so far, so good.
And look at the Titian sunrise that greeted me this morning:
Watch out, Kuwait. Intlxpatr is back!
Chevy’s Fresh Mex
At one time Adventure Man worked in Saudi Arabia, and came home every three months craving Mexican Food. His all time favorite restaurant was Chevy’s, which specializes in FRESH FRESH Mexican food.
Mom may be 84, but she is always up for a new experience. I asked her if she would like to try Chevy’s, and she was sure she would like to try it. You ROCK, Mom!
Mom’s Tostada Salad with beef:
My Spicy Salmon Fajita:
Totally delicious, but too much food! We brought home enough food for two or three more meals!
Port Gamble
Port Gamble is always a great place to stop, stretch your legs a little, walk around the beautifully maintained old company town, snap a few photos . . . .and have some delicious locally made ice cream. (I had raspberry sherbet, sorry, it disappeared before I could photograph it for you.)
God blessed us with a gorgeous, cloud free day in the Pacific Northwest for my Mother’s birthday, and a great road trip, alhamd’allah!
(Yes, we can make a birthday spread out over a week or two in our family!)
Halal Neighborhood Market
I have never seen this on a truck before. JD’s market is in an area near the local college, near the hub of the bus system, and near a lot of stores people can walk to. It is a neighborhood rich in immigrants, rich in opportunities for work, rich in transportation options – and it just tickles me to see a truck advertising “halal meat” on it.
You hear complaints in Kuwait and Qatar, and most of the Gulf countries, about the Americanization of the world – the supersize-me fast food outlets, the same western stores in every mall, the spread of western – and particularly American – culture.
Look closely. It’s not a one-way street. We are all influencing one another, more than we know.

















