Steve's New Ride

Steve finally got a vehicle!! As is everything else, the process is long and arduous...had to wait for visa, etc but he is thrilled not to be driving a Mitsubishi Lancer ( go ahead and laugh-he and the kids hated it). So he went with a navy H3...he is thrilled. When he got home, he took us on a drive and even let me give it a try (felt like driving a semi). Drew was so excited he fell asleep in about 2 minutes!! They have several 4x4 clubs to learn dunebashing and wadi-ing (dry creek bed off roading). So of course Steve has signed us up for one this Saturday. I'll keep you posted!



The kids enjoyed searching out crooks and crannies!!!

Makin' a run to Barracuda!!

So we were told of a legal place to purchase adult beverages in the UAE (without a licence). It is a resort (really more of a motel) on the beach about an hour from where we live. They have a restaurant that served pretty good food. But the reason you "make the run to Barracuda" is for the warehouse of alcohol!

Steve of course enjoyed the foreign beers! And they had a large selection of wines sorted by country. I bought several (i.e 3 cases :) bottles of wine! A good assortment of reds and whites.

Russell and Patrick, this one is for you. ABSINTHE!! For the rest of you, who have ever had the pleasure of watching the really good/bad movie "Eurotrip" you know what this is. Absinthe is illegal in the states if sold in the proper form. It is 150 proof , 75% alcohol. It takes like black licorice and is neon green, red or black. YOU DO NOT DRINK IT STRAIGHT!!! You mix with ice cold water and it forms a cloud of smoke...sounds safe, huh? Steve drank about 3/4 cup and said it felt like he had 4 well-made 7 &7's. By the way the price you see is in dirhams not dollars!
Gethin, a friend and coworker, showed us the way and came back with plenty of wine and irish whiskey!

Friday Market and FINALLY...the beach!

On Friday, we went down to the walk and enjoyed a great breakfast outside at a french cafe. Then we were off on our usual drive and headed to what is known as "Friday Market". It reminded me of border towns, with bartering and harassing sellers.

There are men slicing the tops off of fresh cold coconuts and sticking a straw in them. Jacob really enjoyed it. They also have roasted corn that they pile with salt and spices...delicious!

Beautiful plants, cacti, and trees are also sold and really good prices especially if you act like you are not interested in their first price.

The fresh fruit and vegetables were awesome, too. The different exotic fruits were very colorful!!

We picked up some mangos, fresh sliced coconut, watermelon, and pomegranates! All for less than $5.

Because the weather has finally cooled down to a comfortable 100 degrees we finally took the kids down to the beach. You see the occasional speedo and women in some very skimpy bikinis (some of which should have looked in a mirror before going in public). We went late in the afternoon and the waves were very similar to Gulf Shores, but in the mornings there are usually much bigger waves and people surfing. There are no jelly fish or seaweed but there are a ton of shells and the water is much saltier. It was busier than usual because of the holiday, Eid.

The boys body surfed and played in the sand. I couldnt move after morning bootcamp so I laid out and read a book :).

NOW, what you don't normally see in the States are camels walking down the beach! They offer rides for a price and have nice little dropping bags on so as not to poop on the beach!

This is a picture looking back at the JBR walk where we live.

We ended the evening with another beautiful sunset!

Children's City

This weekend we took the kids to Children's City during their holiday break. It is a large park with a children's museum and dolphinarium. They had a blast and the dolphin show was great!!!

How do they keep the grass so green..

Drew using his muscles to learn about pulleys!
Jacob propelling a jetmotor of an airplane!

Look mom...I'm magic!!!

The museum had an entire area about the human body (not my BIG mouth, I swear!)
This is the dolphinarium. They do daily shows with dolphins and seals. They have science summer camps and there is also a restaurant.
There were 3 dolphins...jumping thru hoops, playing basketball and dancing.

Here are the dolphins in action. Jacob said his Aunt Kristin would love this show!!

One dolphin painted a picture that was auctioned off and sold for about $125.

The seals performed very well, too. They danced, twirled hoops, and even sang into a microphone (not the most pleasant noise-sounded like a long burp!)
The kids played volleyball with the dolphins and Jacob got soaked! We finished the day with an excellent spicy Thai dinner. Thanks Grammy!!!