Posted by Kanga.
Some very large dhows on Dubai Creek.
Archive for August, 2013
Do you miss America?
August 13, 2013Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.
We are often asked if we miss America or most specifically if there are things we miss. Our answer is “No, we don’t miss America, but we miss Portland.” We miss the many people there that we love, we miss the climate, and we miss the culture. It is really too bad that we can’t afford to live in Portland.
Our Oregon sojourn is over and we are in California for a few days again. To see all our Portlandia pictures click here. To see all of our Oregon pictures click here.
We’ve been terribly remiss. We visited many friends, as many as we could squeeze in in one week. However, we did not even think to take pictures with all of them. Duh! I’m so used to taking pictures in a culture where people usually don’t want their picture taken, that I forget that it is acceptable. Despite the lack of photographic evidence, we enjoyed our time with Cedate, Laura, Tony, Colleen, Mari, Jeremy, Sue, Kraig, Paul, Gary, Troy, Martina, Todd, Angie, Kristen, Troy, Shawna, and Linda. If I’ve missed someone, my apologies. It was a whirlwind week and my brain is old.
Here is something that we do miss. The coin operated laundry.
We spent Sunday afternoon in a self-service laundry. There are no such things in the UAE. People there either have laundry machines in their home or give their laundry to a laundry service. Our current all-in-one laundry machine does not remove cat hair, so we happily ran our clothes through these machines and reveled in the lack of cat hair when they came out.
This is a rather disjointed blog post, but I hope it makes some sense. We love Oregon and Portland, specifically, and enjoyed our time there.
A Hobbit’s Breakfast
August 10, 2013Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.
First Breakfast came from Yolk Breakfast in the Woodstock neighborhood.
Fresh orange juice in an industrially compostable cup.
The Brother Badass sandwich – smoked pork, arugula, egg, on an English muffin.
Second Breakfast came from Egg Carton on Foster Road.
Bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on an English muffin with pink lemonade.
Third Breakfast came from Fried Egg – I’m in Love on Hawthorne.
Three sandwiches. Mine had egg, tomato, avocado, and cheese. Yummy!
Church
August 9, 2013Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.
Our first Sunday back in the States, I went to church with my in-laws. I haven’t been to a church service in a very long time. This church was fairly traditional and followed a familiar pattern. I enjoyed the music which was a mixture of old hymns and modern choruses. Singing is what I miss most.
This week we attended a very different church, The Bridge. The church currently meets in a yoga studio. Prior to the church service, food and goods are distributed to the homeless and anyone in need.
The church service was conducted as if it it were a restaurant and the activities were menu items introduced by the faux French maitre d’, Pastor Jeff. This included prayer, a story, a rhythmic recitation, and a dance break.
It was a lot of fun and meaningful. There was something for everyone – stories, music, movement, art, and humor. Very multiple intelligence.
Over the Mountains
August 4, 2013Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.
Friday, it was time to pack up and head out for the other side of the Cascade Mountain range. We were headed for the town where the families of both my parents went to escape the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. Here they met, married, and started a family.
We stopped for a brief break in one of my mother’s favorite parks. My homeland is so green and beautiful. I thought about this as we drove along and I think I actually understood and appreciated how beautiful it was when I was young. I was very fortunate to have had a childhood surrounded by forests, pastures, animals, and blue skies. Very happy memories.
I’ve added additional pictures – click here.
Artifacts of Several Lifetimes
August 1, 2013Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.
The purpose of our USA trip is not a simple visiting of friends and family, although we are doing plenty of that. I am also spending time with my sisters going through our mother’s belongings to choose things to remember her by and decide what should be done with the rest. This is definitely not a two day project.
In addition to 1000’s of photographs, there are old election pins, a union membership book, fountain pens, RCA victor phonograph needles, our great uncle’s harmonica, and more. This is complicated because it is not just the memorabilia collected by our parents, but also what was inherited by them from previous generations.
The jewelry box’s hidden treasures range from Black Hills gold and Silver/turquoise to plastic jewelry from the 1940’s. Cracker Jack whistles, old dried up perfume bottles, and military insignia.
The biggest laugh came from this handwritten note: Certificate of Award to Marian Kessell for not gripping [sic] for a whole hour. Judging from the handwriting, I wrote this when I was about 11 or 12. Rather bold and sassy.
The adventure continues today, since we did not get through a full half of the boxes. What wonders will be next?
Living the Travel Channel 