Dust, Camels and Carrier Pigeons

Well, I'm still here in Saudi and the dust has begun to pickup. I have been reassured that I missed the worst of it when the dust is as thick as snow in the winter. The dust however fills the air and puts a light coat on everything. if you stay outside too long you can swear you smell and taste the dust. It comes in from the northwest usually after a day of windy weather and everything outside is just coated in it. It reminds me of home for the past few years with all the construction dust!

I have neglected to mention that I saw a herd of camels in caravan the other day. It was pretty cool! There is this long stretch of highway where the land on either side is interspersed with random garbage dumps, camel camps and hilly, varied terrain with portions of what were once structures. I haven't figured out the structures yet. They aren't completely demolished but 4/5th of them are gone. Or you see what looks like bridge supports without trusses. All of this terrain is fenced off and you can see rocky outcroppings, ponds and other natural features. One of the people I road with speculated it was a military training camp but that doesn't make sense to me because it is not hidden from public view. The rest of the land is a mixture of areas that have been filled with new sand, areas that are untouched and look like the military camps and areas that are somewhere in between. The land is covered by a mixture of sagebush and a spindlly grass with occasional palm trees. The towns are filled with topiary, trees, gardens and buildings in various states of occupation or construction.

Unlike Abu Dhabi, I see a lot of birds and cats with an occasional dog. I have seen about four of five different types of bird. But the most impressive sight by far has been the camels. I have seen yellow, red, black and even a couple of white camels roaming the hills along the highway. You know you are not in Michigan when you see the camels...

My host is returning home today to the States today. I will be following in the coming days and still I do not have the long awaited software. Apparently it was send by carrier pigeon because it has been two weeks and it has not arrived. I found out they sent it standard mail instead of something sensable like FedEx or DHL. Most of the locals agree with me that even carrier pigeons might have been faster. I have decided to start working on anything I can over these coming days. I have scheduled meetings, meetings, meetings... It almost seems like home!

Speaking of home, I spoke to Ann and she is eagerly awaiting my return as too am I. She told me of a conversation (yes, an actual conversation) with Emma in teh car that went something like this...

Emma: Emma blanky go b-bye Mum's house.
Ann: Yes, Emma's blanky is going b-bye to Mum's house.
Emma: Emma b-bye Mum's house
Ann: Yes, Emma is going b-bye to Mum's house.
Emma: (Insert name of random Emma associated object) go b-bye Mum's house.
Ann: Yes, (repeat named object) is going b-bye to Mum's house.
Emma: Dada b-bye Dada's purple car... Dada airplane go b-bye far away... Emma miss Dada!
Ann:
Emma: Blanky miss Dada
Ann: Yes, blanky misses Dada, too.
Emma: Neeny miss Dada...
Ann: Yes, Neeny...

Well, I miss you too Emma and I look forward to holding you can getting Emma kisses (or not, because somehow my daughter thinks I should be the one kissing her and not the other way around). But she does give great big hugs and she'll say, "Dov you, Dada." I really love that! I can't wait to get Mary hugs and slobbery baby kisses. And I certainly can't wait to be home with and hold my Wife again. As someone who has travelled frequently I think I can say that the two best parts of travelling are the anticipation of going and actually coming home. Of the two, it is a close call as to which is the headier experience but there is nothing like the relief of being in your own house, sleeping in your own bed, using your own shower and basking in the warmth of your family. I know that the girls will probably be bursting with excitement and I'll be lucky to get much sleep for the first couple of days. Even the dog will be glad to see me and he'll be all pathetic and want me to pet him endlessly... I do look forward to that!