Blogs from Bodrum, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East - page 9

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302I think it's time for another day trip because our blogs are getting boring and my children our bored. Note that I say the children are bored. After I have done my chores, I am delighted to step outside and look at PHOTO_ID_L=my-view.jpg which I can view from any one of three outdoor seating areas. Here is one: PHOTO_ID_R=one-of-my-3-outoor-seating-areas.jpgWhat are my chores? Well, they are similar to my chores at home, yet different. Cooking is a bit of a challenge because my pantry of staples is fairly small, I don't have access to many things that I usually cook with (both software and hardware). The children are relatively picky about their food both places. Josh, for instance, doesn't like melon or tomatoes which are both staples of the Turkish summer diet. I've adapted what ... read more

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302We didn't blog yesterday because we were very busy and got home uncharacteristically late. We were late getting home in a good way. Let me explain.Yesterday we went to the pool in the morning and met up with Josh's friend Amishay (this is not the correct spelling, btw, but the best I could do without a Turkish keyboard) at the beach in the afternoon. Kate and I really enjoyed watching Amishay's mother and father swinging his little brother (maybe 18 months old) to sleep in a towel while singing to him. Afterward he slept on a beach lounge chair for about an hour-so cute! He's just a little round ball of baby in a Speedo.Amishay's mother and I worked our way through a conversation using a dictionary. When we left, she invited us all ... read more

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302We have had plenty of time to work on those hard-to-get-around-to skills here. So far, Alex has learned how to dive and tie his shoes and shuffle a deck of cards. Kate also learned how to shuffle cards. I learned how from my Aunt Diane in Canada, so I guess it's a good summer vacation skill. I've included pictures and video of my sea monkey at the pool.... read more

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302One day we walked down to the pool. The pool is big and is shaped like the letter P. Alex and I were playing tag where we would jump in the water or walk around the rim of the water trying to get each other. It was my turn to try and evade Alex. It was about as easy as slipping on ice. One time I dove into the water. The cool water went around me and I felt pleasant and well. I was going along in the gracefulness and coolness of the water and then ubruptly pain shot up my nose. I had hit the other side of the wall--some concrete. It hurt. I came up to the surface. The pain was so harse it was hard to speak. Mom got me out ... read more

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302Today we are celebrating Kate's birthday. She is wearing a new red dress that she bought in Bodrum yesterday, the new pearl earrings that Alex bought her and playing with the new plush rabbit that Josh bought her. We spent the morning at the beach and are heading off in a minute to go buy a cake. Alex: Yesterday it was Kate's birthday. Early in the morning Kate opened presents. We didn't have any wrapping paper so we put a blindfold around Kate's eyes and we had her feel her presents and try to guess what they were. I got her pearl earrings and a silver dolphin necklace that I bought at St. Peter's castle. Dolphins are a symbol of Bodrum. There is also a statue in the water of Bodrum of dolphins. We ... read more