It's a SMALL SMALL World!

Sorry for the looong delay since last post. All is well in UAE though it's still almost 100 every day. At least it's not so humid. Two of my former classmates from University of Arizona started jobs here in August/September: Paul Barney moved from Boston to Al Ain and Jeremy Palmer from Cornell to Sharjah. I will upload some photos eventually. Both are settling well. Anyway, I almost fell over when I saw the local newspaper carrying a story about going to RHODE ISLAND for higher education. Agreed there are some great schools there, but honestly, I doubt anyone from the Gulf States would feel very comfortable living in Rhode Island - the climate & culture are just too different! Here is a link to the article: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/seaside-education-on-rhode-island-1.690640
It even has pictures of Johnson & Wales! Could you imagine a young Emirati guy falling for an Italian girl from Johnston?!? I think we'd have a sitcom in the making. Anyway, hope everyone is getting ready for Fall foliage, apple pies and Halloween!

Saudi Invasion

When word gets out that we are home, my former students from KSA always come to see us. Here are some pics with Bader & his cousin Mohammed, and Massad, Hamad and Mohammed. I'm happy to report everyone's English is better than the last time I saw them, Bader finished his master's in Engineering at New Mexico State and Massad has his MBA from Scranton, PA. The guys brought us a freshly slaughtered lamb, which we cooked on the grill, as well as some non-alcoholic beer. Yeah right! Some things never change.

Every town around us has had between .5 an 2.5" of rain. But we've only received .08! So the watering continues. Yesterday, we picked more than 20 pounds of grapes! All I need now is a recipe for wine. The green apples keep coming, plums are finished, and the almonds are almost ready. Also, my parents and aunt & uncle from LA were all here this past weekend.

Home Sweet Home

Despite the heat (105-110F/40-45C) every day and no monsoon yet, the yard & garden look great, thanks to Cousin Michael. We have apples, plums and grapes ripening now, and expect the almonds and limes to be ready in a a few weeks.

Weekend in Chicago!

We spent our 1st few days in the US with Pete & Paula. Paula & I went to SLU together almost 25 years ago! We went to Taste of Chicago, had severe thunderstorms twice, ran into Tina Turner and took an awesome dinner cruise from Navy Pier.

Cyclone Phet Hits Oman: 40+ Killed

It's amazing that this all occured only a 4 hour drive from Dubai!

Emirati Movie: City of Life

Great film that portrays how some locals and expats experience life in Dubai. If you have lived here, spent time here, are planning a move, or just curious, you must see this film!
http://www.cityoflifefilm.com/
By the way, the cyclone made a direct hit on Oman, then turned towards Pakistan.