Hoot Family Adventures

Happy Holidays 2009

2009-12-27T19:50:00.003-06:00

This Christmas our children gave us the greatest gift of all... a family Christmas with all of us together for the first time in at least five years! Joe & Sierra, Wendy, Shelly & Matt: We know, from past experience, how difficult and stressful it can be to travel great distances in inclement weather with small children just to please the grandparents... and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This meant the world to us. We love you all, our precious gifts from God!

Bottom: Wendy with Murphy, Shelly, Erik, Dane, Matt. Standing: Papa with Pepper, Joe & Serenity, Robbie, Nana holding Abby, and Sierra holding Alex.

Random Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T19:10:00.011-06:00

Wendy arrived on December 19th... Shelly, Matt and their boys on December 22nd. Joe, Sierra and the kids on the 23rd. We had a wonderful time... all the grandbabies were so well behaved and got along together marvelously! And we capped off the holiday week with lots of snow in central Illinois. Robbie and Joe shoveled the driveway. Robbie is such a HUGE helper to Nana and Papa!

Robbie was one of Santa's helpers on Christmas Eve, passing out gifts with his assistant, Serenity.

This was Wednesday evening. Sissy likes her new little cousin Erik.

More random stuff from Wednesday evening. Shelly donned one of the Viking helmets to bake cookies. She and Abby have formed their own Viking army...

Joe and Matt shooting pool Wednesday night, while the Vikings were upstairs plotting a coup.

I think Matt is trying to figure out how fire works...

Some of my cooperative fam "staging" a moment because I was trying to capture candids!!! They love to make fun of me! Smart alecs!!

Matt in his natural milieu...

Erik having his bath in the master bathroom sink...

Papa and Erik with Storyteller Bear. Both Eric and Abby liked watching the animated bear and listening to him read "The Night Before Christmas."

One of the gifts Dane got from Nana and Papa was his own digital camera. Now he's really a chip off the old block!

One of Sissy's gifts was a crown to go with all her Barbie stuff. She said, "Of course I got a crown, because I really am a princess, after all."

Abby was adorable opening her presents. At two, she's the perfect age to be enchanted by all the magic of Christmas Eve.

"Now who was I supposed to give this package to???"

Like I said, these photos are really in random order... here are Abby, Sissy and Dane sharing a bath before the Christmas Eve festivities began...

Matt was able to capture this perfect, precious moment when Alex grabbed hold of Pepper and hugged her to him. It was priceless... Alex was gentle with the puppy, as though he understood she is tiny, and she acted as though she almost understood that he is different from the others. Brought huge tears to my eyes!

Uncle Joe taught Dane how to shoot pool. It was cute to hear him ask, "Choe, you play balls with me now?"

More cute dog with kid pictures. Pepper was crazy about Erik and he was pretty interested in her, too!

Tuesday night... Papa with Dane and Erik just after they had arrived at our house.

And Nana with Erik...

Erik and Pepper again.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Hooten

2009-12-27T19:04:00.002-06:00

Bob's mother is 87 years old today, December 27, 2009. Here she is not quite a week ago, holding her youngest great-grandchild, Erik, after meeting him for the first time. She has two more greats on the way!!! Here's to many, many more birthdays, Mom! Love you!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-14T18:01:00.011-06:00

Joe brought Robbie, Serenity and Abby to Nana & Papa's for Halloween. Jack-O-Lantern carving and trick-or-treating in Decatur has become a tradition for Joe & Sierra's family, and one that we thoroughly enjoy!

Jack-O-Lanterns were carved the night they arrived. We were especially proud of Robbie, who carved his own pumpkin, without assistance from anyone. Since he was going to be Batman this year, he decided on a bat for his Jack-O-Lantern, and it was a pretty difficult pattern.

Abby's pumpkin was a kitty cat.
Sissy's was a goofy smiley guy.

Here is Robbie's bat. He said he didn't care how long it was going to take him, he was doing it all by himself and he was going to do it right. He did an excellent job for a 7-year old!

Here are Batman and Eyeore on Halloween evening.

Batman, Eyeore and Tweety Bird.

Closeups of the cute little Tweety Bird, Batman and happy Eyeore...

Waiting in line for the zoo to open. This year we did "Boo at the Zoo" for trick-or-treat. They had several treat stations, a talking Jack-O-Lantern who talked to each child about their costumes, carousel rides and a "spooky" train ride.

It's Almost a Bathroom!

2009-10-22T17:36:00.004-05:00

Finally, this week visible, tangible progress is being made on the master bathroom project. So much of the work up to now has been prep work that simply made dirt and dust and seemed like a supreme inconvenience! I know the inconvenience of the past weeks will be well worth the finished product... but it was so nice to come home today and see so much done!

Pictured below are the new vanity top and medicine cabinet, both of which were custom-made.

In this photo you can see the new spa tub. Mark McCarter, the tile installer, is also the son of some friends. He has his own tile installation business and is the one who installed our kitchen floor a few years ago. He's started the shower floor, and in this picture is beginning the main floor area. The tub surround and all the walls will be tiled as well.

Covered Bridge Festival

2009-10-22T16:57:00.005-05:00

Last weekend Bob and I (and Pepper) drove over to Rockville, IN (Park County) during the annual Covered Bridge Festival. We spent some time in the town, exploring the vendor booths and food stands, then followed one of the covered bridge tour routes to see some of the bridges. It was a nice break from the bathroom remodel and all the weekend chores at home!

Fall

2009-10-10T17:53:00.004-05:00

Fall is my favorite time of year in the back yard. I love when the ornamental grasses plume out, the mums bloom and I can have ornamental kale in the pots around the patio.

When we visited Shelly & Matt last month, Pepper rooted out a stuffed frog doggie toy at their house that Matt had brought home from work for the boys to play with. She became very attached to it, brought it back to Decatur with her and carries it all over the house! Thanks, Matt!

Master Bath Remodel

2009-10-10T17:18:00.004-05:00

I didn't think to take 'before' photos, but here is the master bath remodel project in progress. Everything is pretty much torn out except the old sink and toilet, which will be torn out within a few days. The new tub is going in, and the new shower will be constructed, in a couple of days. Still waiting for the heating coils for the floor, and the new vanity top and medicine cabinet to arrive. All should be completed in a couple more weeks, thank goodness, and I'll post the 'after' photos!

My tool man, Bob the Builder!

Where the new spa tub will go...

New tub, leaning against the bedroom wall. You can't tell in the picture, but it's a nice silvery gray color... so are the stool and new vanity top.

Here's some "before."

Bob Visits Wendy

2009-10-10T17:11:00.004-05:00

Bob took a few days in September and went to Virginia to spend some time with Wendy. I wish I could have gone, but I'm saving my few remaining vacation days for when the fam is home for Christmas! They golfed with some of her friends, played Texas Hold 'em with some more of her friends, and went to the Air & Space Museum.

Zitz Videos

2009-09-26T14:35:00.005-05:00

They have this wonderful playground at the preschool Dane is attending. I sure wish we could build a slide like this in our back yard for the grandkids!

Just about as soon as we arrived at Shelly & Matt's house, Dane had to show us how he performs with his music ("Keet Oiban," of course), and he invited Nana to dance with him, too.

Visit to Minnesota Sept. 11-13

2009-09-26T13:40:00.012-05:00

We were able to drive up to Minnesota to visit Shelly, Matt and the boys over a weekend in September. The date was chosen in order to attend the USAFA-University of Minnesota football game, but the best part of the weekend was the time we were able to spend with the family at home. We had a blast playing with the boys and really enjoyed Shelly and Matt's wonderful hospitality.

Little Erik is such a happy baby, and a handsome one, too!

Here are some stills of Dane entertaining us with his dance routine...

The afternoon of our arrival, Shelly had the opportunity to take Dane to his preschool for a "preview" of what was to come. As you can see, the kid wasted no time at all scoping out the awesome playground!

Abby would love this sliiiiide!

Naturally Dane zeroed in on the balls!

And then the sandbox...

When Matt showed up, Dane showed his dad what was what.

On Saturday, Papa and Dane decided to go for a walk. Here they are trying to teach Pepper to pull the wagon.

She wasn't too interested.

"You want me to do WHAT?"

Papa trying to teach Dane to stand on his head.

It's better this way!

That's a GOOD One!

2009-06-24T18:11:00.004-05:00

When I was up visiting Shelly, Matt & the boys in early June, Dane wanted to show me how high he can go on his swing. This makes Shelly crazy with worry, but she deals with resigned acceptance since all the Z's are apparently born with a predisposition to extreme sports! Note, Dane is swinging with one of his CD's in hand! Matt's passing and Uncle Todd is receiving.

Pepper's Plight

2009-06-19T20:30:00.004-05:00

Pepper was four months old yesterday, 6/18. For her birthday, she got spayed! The cone they put on her at the vet's was almost as big as she is, and kept getting caught on the ground as she tried to walk around!

Finally I cut off more than half of it, and she is much happier. Good thing, as she has to wear it for two weeks until her sutures come out!

Home Front

2009-06-19T20:19:00.005-05:00

I was amazed at how the gardens had popped into bloom while I was gone... only five days! They were only budding when I left, and the tomato plant below was about 1/3 the height that it is in this photo (today, 6/19, it's more than a foot taller, by the way). Of course, we've had so much rain... I took these Monday, 6/15, the only sunny day we have had this past week!

Visit to Minnesota

2009-06-19T19:56:00.009-05:00

June 10-14 I flew to Minnesota to stay with Shelly & Matt and help out a little with Dane and Baby Erik. In the photo below, Dane gets to hold his baby brother for the first time.

After making nice, he managed to get in a sneaky elbow to the head move!

This was bath time for Little E. Matt doesn't like him much, does he?

Shelly and I took D and E for a walk around the neighborhood and Dane made friends with this little dog on the way. We had a hard time getting him to resume the walk!

Dane's at the age where he examines every twig, rock and bug along the route. He found a prize this day, a green plastic BB!

Here's Nana with her two youngest grandsons.

Shelly and her two boys.

Erik was getting some tummy time on Nana. Notice in the second photo how he's already starting to do push-ups!

Naturally Matt had to do a photo shoot! Shelly is the assistant holding up the backdrop.

As long as E was being cooperative and the light was good, I took a few myself!

Dane Driving... Well... not really!

2009-06-19T19:51:00.006-05:00

Dane is obsessed with his CD collection. Matt & Shelly make copies for him to cart around and play in his portable player, and he can only "touch" the originals in the holder in the car. The kid knows which one is which, and is very particular about where they belong. He asks to drive the car, but what he really wants to do is touch the CD's... I would purposely say the name of a CD wrong, just to have him correct me, so cute. Dane's word for "yes" is "Okay," said with varied inflections depending on how strongly he feels about the issue. Note the CD in his left hand - one of his, and he carries one or five around with him at all times! Such a personality!

I SLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!!!!!!

2009-06-19T19:23:00.005-05:00

When Joe & Sierra brought the kids down for Memorial Day weekend, Abby became enamored with the slide (we bought it when Alex was a baby... probably the best kid-toy investment we've made). She can do it all by herself (with everyone poised to leap at the slightest wobble) and wants to make sure EVERYONE is watching. Are you watching? (Particularly around 1:20 - wait for it)!

Bubbles, Puppies & Little Girls

2009-06-19T18:50:00.007-05:00

I'm not sure who had more fun in the back yard while Joe and Robbie fished, Serenity making the bubbles or Abby & Pepp-ah (or sometimes Bep-pah... bubbles are Bub-oh) chasing them! And Abby continues to announce to the entire neighborhood that she is going to SLIIIIIIDE!

Roma, Bella Roma

2009-06-19T18:04:00.013-05:00

Finally, I'm getting around to updating the blog! Below are a select few of the photos from our late April/early May trip to Rome, which was beyond wonderful! Since you can see ALL of the pictures on my Facebook page, I've just put a sampling here...

The view from our first room at the hotel.

The statue standing in the courtyard outside our "permanant" room. The hotel was called the Hotel San Pio, and this is him!

The walkway leading to our room.

We were just a few blocks up the hill from the U.N. Building in the Aventino district. The MFO offices are also just down the block from here.

Outside the walls of Palatino Hill (the Emperor's Palace).

In front of Circus Maximus, with Palatino Hill in the background. This is just a few blocks from our hotel.

Bob and me in front of the Coliseum, right before we started our tour.

On the terrace of our room.

At the Roman Forum.

A statue at the Capitol.

Overlooking an island on the Tiber that we were going to explore.

Street outside the Vatican Entrance we used!

Lemons growing in the courtyard outside our room.

HBH taking a rest at the Coliseum.

Inside perimeter of the Coliseum.

Coliseum Arena

I forget what this fort is called, but it's just outside the gates of the Vatican.

Just me hanging out on the Via Vaticana.

At a sidewalk cafe' down the street from the Vatican.

One of the Vatican Guards. "Distance, please," was all they said to the tourists! Hard to believe guys dressed like this are really elite special forces!

Did I take an illegal photo of the Sistine Chapel ceiling? You betcha!

The Spanish Steps from about a block away.

Interesting shot outside a flower shop in Il Centro.

Where's Waldo on the Spanish Steps? Or in this case, Where's Nana? You win a piece of candy if you can find her!

Street scene on the day we were wandering...

Fontana de Trevi, and yes, we threw coins in!

Following are a few shots taken on the beautiful Isle of Capri... where homes cost 50,000 Euros a square meter! Yikes!

Picture of a rainbow taken from the terrace outside our room.

Our last day, we found this wonderful "gastronomia," E. Volpetti & Sons. We sampled some of the best cheeses, meats & wines I've ever tasted, then bought way too much for a picnic lunch in a park down the street. How I wish I could have brought some home... but U.S. Customs would have frowned upon that!

Smart Cars are everywhere in Italy. This one was at a rest area we stopped at near Montecassino, on the way back from Capri. It advertised a casino, Las Vegas at Montecassino.

The Limoncello store at Capri. They sell everything lemon here, all locally made, from cakes, candy and liqueurs to candy, pottery and home fragrances.

Arrivederci, Roma, et Salute'!

Darned Blogspot... not sure how I got these out of order, but here they are anyway...

Bob drinking from one of the several thousand still-working fresh-water fountains throughout Rome, that date back to the Empire. This one was in the Forum.

This was the little park where we had our Volpetti picnic.

Spring Break

2009-04-22T17:12:00.006-05:00

When the kids were here for spring break, Robbie helped Nana make buckeyes (chocolate-covered peanut butter balls).

He's nearly in the bowl, he wants so badly to taste them!

Ahhh, finally!

And one evening, while playing with Alex's guitar, Abby just couldn't resist dancing for us. Note how she "snaps" her fingers to the music... by clicking her tongue!

A Confused Robin

2009-01-29T17:09:00.005-06:00

We haven't had the huge amounts of snow in Decatur that many of you have had in Indiana and Minnesota, but on January 27th we did get seven new inches overnight. I woke the morning of the 28th to a robin in the crabapple tree that is on the south side of our house! This guy is either really early, or really late!

He's still around, so maybe this is a sign of an early spring???

Final Days of This Trip, Back in Tel Aviv

2009-01-10T23:33:00.010-06:00

New Year's Day and January 2, 2009. Israel was bombing Gaza and Gaza was shooting rockets at Israel, but you wouldn't have known it in Tel Aviv, except that you could hear explosions way, way off in the distance late at night. It was business as usual in the city.

We spent a lot of time taking long walks along the beach my last day there. It will probably be a long time before I see Tel Aviv again, because our next few adventures will be to new places... stay tuned for future installments of Bob and Jan's Excellent Adventures!

From Desert Sandstorms to Desert Rain Storms

2009-01-10T23:23:00.003-06:00

In the final two days we were at North Camp before leaving to return to Tel Aviv, it got really chilly and it rained pretty hard. It's kind of odd to see puddles in the desert! This is Bob's front yard, his back yard and the exit gate from North Camp on 12/31 - 1/1.

National Lampoon Vacation - Egyptian Style!

2009-01-10T23:19:00.002-06:00

Some of the traffic we encountered on 12/29 heading back to North Camp from Sharm el Sheikh!

Petra, Jordan - December 26

2009-01-10T21:48:00.045-06:00

I am so getting these posts out of order! Sorry about that!

On 12/26 we took an excursion to Petra, in Jordan. Petra is an ancient city literally carved into the walls of a canyon located in the Rift Valley, about 80 kilometers south of the northern shores of the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba). It was occupied by many civilizations, but the most famous were the Nabataeans, who occupied and developed the city for about six centuries before the birth of Christ. Bob and I both took a huge amount of pictures, and I've tried to narrow them down to the best 36 (sorry)! It's such an amazing place that it was hard to decide which pictures not to publish!

We were picked up at our hotel at 7:00 in the morning to cross the Israel-Jordan border. We're not sure what the problem was, but it took us TWO HOURS to get stamped out of Israel. In retrospect, it was probably because the Israeli military actions against Hamas were starting then and they were tightening up the border crossings. On the other side, it took about five minutes to get into Jordan!

I was very impressed with what I saw of Jordan, and I'd like for us to have the time to go back someday to see more of the country. It is one of the cleanest countries I've been to in that part of the world, and everyone, and I mean everyone, speaks English, which was very nice for us. Of course, many speak German, Russian, Italian, French and dozens of other languages also.

We passed the two hours at the border talking with a retired U.S. Army colonel and his family. The gent (standing next to me in the hat) was actually born and raised in Danville, Illinois!

Obviously this is the border entrance to Jordan from Israel at the Elait (Israel) - Aqaba (Jordan) crossing.

This was a rest stop on the way to Petra.

Approaching Petra, you see Aaron's Mountain, or Jabal Harun. There's a tiny white dot in the picture at the top of the mountain, which is a 12th century mosque. The site of Aaron's (brother of Moses) tomb is also on this mountain. Incidentally, Joe, this is the mountain your name came from!

Here's Bob at the Indiana Jones gift shop. The movie, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade was filmed here in the Petra canyon and valley... the temple scenes.

HEY WENDY! - is this Jordanian guy a friend of yours? (Note the sweatshirt).

This is the beginning of the trail to the valley. The next several photos are along that trail. The canyon trail from the top to the entrance to the valley is a little over two kilometers.

Along the top trail there are caves, petrogyphs and rock carvings. We were told that caves with carvings over the entrances were tombs, and caves without carvings were residences.

This is the start of the hike through the canyon to the temple and city.

A lot of people take buggies to get to and from the temple/city site.

Some of the passages are very narrow.

This shot was taken from the ground looking up.

Another, where the trail widens a bit.

Indiana Bob and his wife.

Lots of niches carved into the walls for idols and offerings.

Valley of the Gods in Colorado Springs has Kissing Camels, Petra Canyon has Elephant Rock!

Bob in front of a water spillway. There are also conduits for water carved into each side of the floor of the trail, sort of like wide gutters, all the way down to the valley.

This is what it looks like 30 feet out from the temple valley.

About 10 feet out from the temple valley.

And then, there it is carved into the side of the canyon wall. Amazing. This is called the treasury.

The next several shots are more temples, tombs and dwellings.

Going further down the valley, about another kilometer.

And finally, our transportation back up the trail to the starting point!

Sharm el Sheikh - December 27-29

2009-01-10T21:14:00.021-06:00

On the road trip from Elait to Sharm, we stopped at a nice gas station south of Taba for a cup of coffee. They don't have gas station stops like this in the States!

This is what the view is like for most of the trip down the coast road from Taba to Sharm el Sheikh.

Bob and me on the terrace of our lodging at South Camp.

We took a couple of Bob's South Camp staff to lunch in Old Sharm. This is a seafood restaurant they introduced him to last year, and one we ate at last spring as well. Great food! Huge portions! My lunch alone could have fed the four of us.

We spent time this trip exploring the Namma Bay area of Sharm. It's a very touristy area, with dozens of resort hotels, and full of modern chain restaurants, many clothing & jewelry stores as well as souvenir shops and traditional Egyptian market stalls. Here's Bob in front of "American row" with KFC, Baskin-Robbins, Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays!

And me in front of the Hard Rock Cafe'!

And OF COURSE, Starbuck's! Same coffee drinks, same decor, but MUCH better desserts!

Some shots of the Namma Bay center from the roof of a restaurant called The Camel Bar, which is owned by an Australian.

Having a drink at The Camel Bar

Some really pretty yellow hibiscus. It was all over the grounds of the Marriott Hotel in Taba. I'd never seen big yellow hibiscus trees like this before.

Jerusalem - December 20

2009-01-10T20:44:00.027-06:00

The day after I arrived in Tel Aviv, we went back to Jerusalem, to go inside the Old City, which we were unable to do in the spring because of security threats during the Orthodox Easter. We were actually very lucky, because a few days later violence broke out in Jerusalem again, this time because of the Israeli-Palenstinian troubles, and it would have been inadvisable to go into the city. Here we are waiting outside the Jaffa Gate for our guide.

Inside the walls of the Jewish Quarter.

Me with our guide, whose name is Israel.

These are some ruins that are being excavated in the Jewish Quarter from the Roman period.

This excavation shows how thick the original city walls were during Roman times.

These shots were taken from atop a hostel in the Christian quarter where we stopped for coffee.

This is the Dome of the Rock, outside the gates.

We followed the Via Dolorosa and the 14 Stations of the Cross. This crowded market in the Muslim quarter is on the route.

Entrance to one of the many churches along the Via Dolorosa.

Another church, this one Ethiopian.

The roof of the Ethiopian church. The monks actually live up here in these huts, to keep other denominations from laying claim to the church.

This is the rock slab where Christ's body was prepared for the tomb after His crucifixtion.

Bob and me at the entrance to Christ's tomb.

Elait, Israel - December 23-27

2009-01-10T19:55:00.038-06:00

After spending a few days in Tel Aviv and taking a side trip to Jerusalem, we went to North Camp for a few days to do laundry and relax. Then we left on a road trip to Elait in southern Israel and Sharm el Sheikh in southern Egypt. In the photo below Bob is waiting with a couple of Fijian MP's for the escort vehicle that's supposed to accompany us to the Egypt-Israeli border.

There were sandstorms in the Sinai, and as you can see, our escort vehicle is nowhere to be seen. They literally left us in the dust!

On the outskirts of Taba, Egypt is this place called Pharoah's Island. It's actually some kind of fort that dates back to the Crusades.

Just before the border crossing from Taba, Egypt into Elait, Israel we encountered some stray camels wandering the streets!

The shots below are of the views from our hotel room in Elait, on the Red Sea.

Bob really liked this bungee swing and tried for days to get me to go on it. I wasn't interested!

Bob relaxing in our hotel room.

The obligatory camel, outside the Marine Park in Elait.

We visited the Marine Park in Elait. Behind me is the underwater observatory. We also took a glass-bottom boat ride along the coral reef.

The glass-bottom boat.

The Red Sea is absolutely clear and beautiful to look at. You can see, though, how barren the Sinai is, right up to the sea.

Inside the underwater observatory.

Silliness.

20 Years and Counting

2008-12-09T18:42:00.007-06:00

Today, December 9th, is our 20th wedding anniversary. On August 9th, when Bob was home for a few weeks, our kids - Wendy, Shelly & Matt, and Joe & Sierra, threw us an early surprise anniversary party at Bob's sister's place in Indiana.

Old family friends, Tom and Gloria Marullo

A HUGE surprise, old friend Jim Shumate, who pulled and all-nighter and road-tripped to Indiana all the way from Colorado Springs!

Think I was surprised?

Our family

Trying to organize our family for the photo... I think we had a dozen takes!

Must have been a poignant comment made here based on the facial expressions.

Me & my wonderful husband, whom I would marry all over again.

The kids thought of everything... even a gorgeous cake and flowers.

Wendy, Shelly & Joe... we love you and are proud of each of you... and we love and cherish the family members you've added and will ad in the years to come. We hope we're around to celebrate our 50th with you, our grandchildren and maybe even some great-grandchildren!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Bob Visits Israeli Air Force Museum

2008-10-22T19:00:00.005-05:00

On a recent day off a week or so ago, Bob and some friends from North Camp drove into Israel to visit the Israeli Air Force Museum at Be'er Shiva. He emailed me these photos from their visit to the museum.

Bob says,

"Some of the older airplanes, like the Spitfire from England, had to be taken apart and smuggled into the country in crates listed as agriculture equipment during Israel's early days. Several of the German aircraft had to be given completely different names and origin because the early Israelis had such a hate for the Germans. There were several newer aircraft on display which looked like they could be used today if needed. I took a real close look at the F-15 Strike Eagle and the F-16 on display and they seemed to have all their equipment and their engines still intact. There were armed Israeli soldiers walking around the displays, but there were also a lot of Israeli families looking at the airplanes and enjoying the day."

Golfing with the Pharoahs

2008-10-08T18:53:00.003-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, Bob and his friend, Bill Belcher, spent a weekend in Cairo golfing. I don't know how anyone could concentrate on their game with the Pyramids in the background. What a backdrop! Note in the bottom photo, the tee markers are shaped like little pyramids!

Nana in "The Full Monty"

2008-10-06T22:38:00.008-05:00

"The Full Monty," as presented by JeDeMi Productions in Decatur, Illinois, finished its run of 9 performances over three weekends, on Saturday, "October 4th. Here are a few photos from the show...

Nana as "Jeanette Burmeister."
Jeanette with "the boys."
The scene, "It's gonna be hard going back to that rocking chair after this..."
Curtain call with the boys & with the entire cast.

Nana's Song in the Show - "Jeanette's Showbiz Number"

2008-10-06T21:47:00.008-05:00

This seemed like the easiest way for you to see my solo, until the video guy gets the DVD done and I am able to mail them to everyone! Thanks a million to Tricia for recording! It's a little blurry in places, and it's pretty long, almost 7 minutes, so get some popcorn & a beverage and chill out! Be aware that there is some use of foul language in the dialogue before the song...

The Best Part of Summer in Central IL

2008-07-19T10:11:00.006-05:00

The best part of any summer is when the gardens come into full bloom. This year's heavy rains, combined with hot, humid days and sultry nights have produced heavy foliage and prolific blooms! All the backbreaking work in the springtime pays off when everything comes together like this in July!

Under this past week's full moon, the yard looks wonderful!

Note the giant tomato plant, left background near the corner of the house... it seems to grow about 6 inches taller every day!

In the daylight, the vibrant oranges, yellows, reds, blues and fuschias in the gardens make the back yard a garden party just waiting to happen!

Even the new plantings are doing well because of all the moisture.

And the grandkids love to pick the flowers... fine by me, since deadheading makes them bloom even more!

July 6th - Abby's 7 Months Old Today

2008-07-13T17:56:00.002-05:00

July 6, 2008 - Abby is 7 months old today. She decided to celebrate by basking in the wading pool.

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-13T17:36:00.012-05:00

Even with Papa over in Egypt, we still managed to keep up the tradition of Joe & family coming to spend 4th of July in Decatur. Here we are, in the boat on our way to watch the Lake Decatur fireworks. We were treated to THREE NIGHTS of fireworks on the lake this year, thanks to the Lakeside Music & Arts Festival taking place over 4th of July weekend.

Abby likes the boat!
And of course, so do Sissy, Robbie and Alex. Alex enjoys the motion and the sound of the motor.
Abbers zonked out on the five-minute boat ride!

We're anchored now, waiting for the fireworks to begin, and watching some that lakeside residents are setting off.

Abby woke up at the first volley, and as you can see from their expressions, all the kids enjoyed the show!

After the fireworks we returned to the house, and the back yard for a "campfire" and to have s'mores before calling it a night. Robbie and Sissy are waiting patiently for the fire to be ready. Rob-O is entertaining us with a campfire song.
Abby was yawning in Mommy's lap, but made it to have a taste of her first s'more with Daddy.

Serenity shares her s'more with Nana.

Rob enjoys his own.It was a fun 4th of July, but we sure missed you, Papa! We love you! We are all looking forward to having you home for three weeks in August.. AND getting together with the WHOLE family for a big Hootennanny!

I Taught I Taw A Puttytat

2008-07-13T17:29:00.004-05:00

Back around the first week in June, we had some fledgling Goldfinches hanging out in the back yard at the feeders. One liked to perch on top of the Hummingbird feeder in the window and "knock" on the window. It drove Merlin the Magnificent absolutely nuts!

"I did tee a puttytat... I did! I did!"

Flooding in Decatur!

2008-06-04T19:48:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, June 3, 2008, central Illinois got hit with 4.5 inches of rain! There's flooding all over the area, with many roads closed. The water levels on our lake rose considerably... flooding about 15 feet over the bank in front of our place!

The pump house across the road from our place - looking north toward ours and our neighbors' docks.

Jerry & Ann's dock and watercraft.
Our dock... what dock??? Note the shed. I'm sure there's about 6 inches of water in there!

The properties just to the north of us.
You can't tell where the land ends and the lake begins!

Jerry on his dock... looks like he's walking on water!
Only the end of our "high" dock is showing. It's actually floating because that part of the dock isn't attached to anything!
There's Jerry walking on water again, trying to get a long line on our pontoon boat to secure it to a tree on shore. He's actually standing on the dock, which is almost a foot under water.

On the Road Back to Tel Aviv - 4 May

2008-05-26T20:45:00.003-05:00

I had to catch an early flight to the States on 5 May, so we drove back to Tel Aviv the day before. We had time to stop and take photos of some of the more interesting sights in the desert.

I absolutely love these signs... they are the biggest signs on the road, measuring about three meters square, at least. Conversely, signs warning you of unexploded land mines along the road are about 12 inches square!

Bob kept telling me we would stop and see an ancient rock carving of Moses in the Sinai, and naturally I believed him. Not Moses, but this thing is HUGE!!! I wonder who carved it, when and why. Whomever and whenever, they had a sense of humor. I think it's supposed to be a camel's head... what do you think?

Return Trip to North Camp on Bob's Birthday

2008-05-26T20:31:00.005-05:00

We celebrated Bob's birthday by flying back to North Camp in the MFO CASA. This is a smaller prop cargo plane flown by the French Air Force. As you can see, we needed a cargo plane to get all our stuff back to North Camp!

Getting ready to go up the ramp and find a seat.
My honey and me on the plane.
The Sinai from the air... I wonder how deep that sand is between the peaks...
Several aerial shots of North Camp... an oasis in the desert, as it's the only green for miles around!

Old Sharm - Lots of Local Color and Ambience

2008-05-26T20:17:00.006-05:00

Sharm el Sheikh has become a resort city with many modern beach hotels and condos. However, like all cities in the Arab world, it has a charming old section where you'll find the souk, restaurants and older architecture. Naturally, being on the sea, fresh seafood is abundant in the restaurants. We found a great seafood place with tables out on the sidewalk, where we could watch the day's catch being unloaded and the ice being ground to keep it fresh for the night.

I have to say that my single most favorite thing to do on these trips (aside from being with my wonderful mate and just simply enjoying each other) isn't the sightseeing, but just sitting around in these cafe's or walking the streets watching people and soaking up the culture.

I think Bob liked his calamari!

Bob with a merchant in a shop where we bought a camel saddle.
Yep... Seven-Eleven in Old Sharm!
Horsing around at the entrance to the Old Market. Note the Seven-Eleven is right next door to the Camel Bazaar!

South Camp - Our Private Resort on the Red Sea!

2008-05-26T19:43:00.011-05:00

After the long bus ride, this was my first glimpse of South Camp on the Red Sea.

Bob's ICT Branch at South Camp is a much smaller office.
This is Khaled, who works at ITC South Camp. He's been with the MFO for 25 years, and is the one who has planted all the landscaping around the office!
We had reservations at an all-inclusive resort in Sharm called the Delta Sharm. When we got there, we were extremely disappointed in our accommodations and the fact that we not only couldn't see the sea, but that we'd have to take a shuttle bus to the beach! After some discussion, we decided to check out and go stay in a hooch at South Camp instead of going to a different hotel. The accommodations were wonderful, on a cliff with the Gulf of Aqaba as our back yard, and we had the private beach just steps away down the hill! Best of all, it was free!

Bob in the sitting area of our hooch
This was the bedroom - facing the sea.
The bathroom.

Our private terrace overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba.
The officers' club was just outside our front door. We didn't go there, though... we had too many other things to do and went into town every night for dinner!
A view of Tiran Island (see previous post "Trip to Tiran Island") from our terrace.

Bob decided to go swimming... there are a lot of rocks and boulders in the water, and he lost his balance! He had a nice bruise on his toe from the rock!

There was a little gift shop right on the beach, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) it wasn't open any of the days we were there.
My handsome man with the gulf at his back.
Bob found a beached whale and took a picture of it while it was sleeping in the sun...
Just us... having fun!

We took our morning coffee on the terrace each day and watched the parasailors, as well as the MFO patrol boats (Italian Navy) and tour boats go by. Next time we go to Sharm together we are going to parasail!

Getting ready to go into town for the evening... gotta have money!
One evening we saw these U.S. soldiers playing roller hockey on the tennis courts at South Camp... soldiers can make their own fun wherever they are!

Seeing this kind of thing makes you want to sing Jimmy Buffet songs!

...son of a son, son of a son, son of a son of a sailor...

Road Trip to Sharm el Sheikh 30 Apr - 3 May

2008-05-26T19:14:00.006-05:00

We rode an MFO tour bus through the Sinai to Sharm el Sheikh in the southern part of Egypt. The trip took about six hours. It was an experience to ride along on a limited access (e.g. "official" vehicles only) border road through the desert and into the rough and mountainous part of the Sinai. It was a comfortable ride, though, and this huge bus only had about 15 people on it (including our armed guard, a member of the Hungarian Army)!

Yours truly getting ready to board the bus

Leaving North Camp... from the height of the bus you get a better picture of what the North Camp entry/exit process is like.
Believe it or not, the desert around El Gorah supports peach trees! Much to our surprise, we drove right through the peach harvest on market day!
People with vehicles of all kinds, bringing their peaches to market in the little town of El Gorah.

The open road again. Now we're heading toward the mountains, but we'll still be in the flatter desert for a couple of hours.

The border fence... we were very close to it for much of the trip.
This was my first view of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. We were just north of the city of Taba here. You can see the coast of Jordan on the horizon. Later it becomes the coast of Saudi Arabia.

At North Camp 27-30 April

2008-05-26T18:40:00.013-05:00

After driving from Tel Aviv through the desert and across the border, we finally arrived at North Camp, El Gorah, Sinai, where Bob is based. Thought you might like to see what the camp and his living conditions are like!

Below is the main gate entrance to North Camp.

This is the perimeter fence. The towers are manned by Fijians with machine guns and radios... every other tower during the day and every tower at night is manned.

These 1/2 trailers, called hooches, are housing for single people on unaccompanied status.

This is the force exchange, which contains a store (like a BX), a barber and beauty shop, a travel agency and other services.

The U.S. post office is operated by Army personnel.

This is the base TV station, one of the operations that Bob directs.

One of the helicopters at the base airfield. The French Armee de l'Aire handles all aviation operations.

The entrance to Bob's ICT Branch at North Camp. His title is Director - Information, Communications and Technology Branch.

Bob in his office

And with a few of his Egyptian staff. The ICT branch is staffed with multinational military and civilian personnel.

The boss and his car.
This is the front entrance to Bob's townhouse.

He has a nice, private back yard, too.

We spent hours outside watching all the different birds in Bob's back yard in the evenings. This is called an African Hoopoe. When he gets alarmed, his little crest spreads out and he looks like he's wearing a war bonnet.

A few shots of some of the flora around Bob's place.

The Athenian owls are very tame. They roost in the trees in Bob's back yard and you can almost walk right up to them!

My handsome husband

Bob and his bike

Jerusalem & Bethlehem 26 April

2008-05-08T21:09:00.016-05:00

Oops... we went to Jerusalem and Bethlehem before we took the road trip to North Camp... so this post is out of order! Sorry... but Blogger doesn't let you move posts, and I'd have to do the previous post all over again - no thanks!

It was an interesting day, but somewhat of a disappointment. We were assured that we could see the old city of Jerusalem even though it was Passover. What we didn't plan on was that it was also the Orthodox Easter. Unfortunately, when we got there, all the gates to the Christian parts of the old city were closed. We were told that the Albanians or Armenians (some dissident group, anyway) were causing trouble, so the only people the Israeli police were letting in were actual Christian worshipers who were citizens, and no tourists were allowed for safety reasons. So, the only part of the old city we got to actually enter was the Wailing Wall, where we were asked not to take photos...

This is a view of the walls of the old city. The large dome you see is the Muslim Dome of the Rock.

Outside the walls was this Russian Orthodox church with its beautiful golden onion domes.

We're on a cliff overlooking the old city. Immediately below us are huge cemeteries of every denomination... Jewish, Christian and Muslim.

A gorgeous mural painted on one of the walls of the old city.

Not sure what this is, but it's a nifty garden just outside the entrance to the Wailing Wall.

These olive trees in the Garden of Gesthemane are descendants of the trees that were there in the time of Christ. Olive trees live up to 500-600 years and when the old part of the tree dies, it leaves new shoots to take its place. The girth of these old trees is amazing.

Another mural on the outside of the Church of All Nations, which is in the Garden of Gesthemane. This scene depicts Judas' kiss in the garden on the night of the Last Supper.

The church was built around the actual rock on which Jesus sat and contemplated the night before his capture by the Roman soldiers. You can see the rock, just in front of the altar.

Study this tree stump closely. Do you see the face of Jesus in the bark?

The walls of the old city as seen from the Garden of Gesthemane

And the gate through which Jesus was taken when he was captured.

This is the entrance to the part of Bethlehem that leads to the stable where Jesus was born. Bethlehem is located in Palestine, so we had to walk across a border checkpoint to get there.

This silver star in the floor of the cave marks the spot where Mary gave birth to Jesus, and the photo below it is the spot where the manger was located, about 8 feet away. Marble flooring, partitions, curtains and all kinds of things have been added to the site over the centuries. The walls and ceilings of the cave are black from the soot of candles that have burned constantly for hundreds of years. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't all this gaudy stuff "decorating" these spots. I guess I thought the cave would have been more or less in its natural state, preserved - rather than embellished - over the centuries.

This Orthodox church was built several centuries after the birth of Jesus, over the stable, which was actually a cave.

The colonnades of the monastery surrounding the church.

There is a hole in the present floor of the Orthodox church, which allows one to see what the original floor of the church looked like. Over the centuries, different cultures and conquerors added to and rebuilt portions of the church and monastery.

The Roman Catholic place of worship in the Bethlehem complex - obviously built much later than the Orthodox portion.

This catacombs is underneath the stable, which is underneath the churches, and the crypts contain the remains of many of the male babies that the emperor ordered to be killed when he heard the news of a newborn king.

Road Trip to North Camp, 27 April

2008-05-08T20:45:00.010-05:00

Our road trip across the northern Sinai, heading southeast from Tel Aviv across the Israel/Egypt border (two border checkpoints and then an MFO checkpoint) to MFO North Camp at El Gorah. Once we got past Be'er Sheva in Israel, there wasn't much to see except sand and more sand!

Drifting sand across the roads and highways is common! They use bulldozers to clear the sand off the roads. If they didn't do this, the roads would quickly disappear into the desert.

The road is long and often empty.

The Israeli border crossing. We had to walk through camel dung to the guard shack where I got my passport stamped! Didn't smell too good! It's against the rules to take photos of "military installations" so I couldn't photograph the facility, which was clean and modern except for the camel poop!

A very nice, friendly Egyptian soldier who expedited our entrance on the Egyptian side of the border.

Finally, the MFO checkpoint in Egypt, not far from the border crossing... we're still a couple of hours away from North Camp!

Rambo and Rambette had to gear up in helmets and flack jackets at the MFO checkpoint for the remainder of the trip. Those vests are HEAVY!

We passed a group of Bedouin women, tending their herd of camels, goats and donkeys.

Tel Aviv and Jaffa (Yafo) April 24-27

2008-05-08T15:53:00.016-05:00

I flew to Israel this time for my spring trip to see Bob. He met me in Tel Aviv, and we spent several days there, visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem, drove through the desert to MFO North Camp in Sinai, Egypt, took a trip down to Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea, and then back to Tel Aviv for my return to the States. Israel is a beautiful, modern, clean and highly developed country. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Tel Aviv, and I would love to go again.

This was the view from our hotel room on the Beach in Tel Aviv

We have just arrived at the bottom of the hill in Old Jaffa, ready to wander around the old city.

We found ourselves in a small park at one of the entrances to the old city.

Some interesting antiquities decorating the exterior of an apartment.

The old city is composed of dozens of narrow walkways, sloped ramps and stairways.

An Orthodox church. We peeked inside, where people were preparing the church for the Orthodox Easter celebration.

More nooks, crannies and alleyways.

And lo and behold, we stumbled upon this quaint shop where all the jewelry is hand made!

The old port

A local resident

Some fantastic views

The Colonel (Bob) with the General (Napoleon)

St. Peter's Catholic Church and Monastery. It is said that St. Peter actually visited this site and performed a miracle here.

One of my favorite shots from the top of the hill (That's Tel Aviv Beach in the background).

Restaurants literally ON the beach! What a great atmosphere! You're sitting at a table with your feet buried in the sand (at least mine were) with the Mediterranean literally yards away...

And of course, KFC and Mickey D's are easily accessible. We did NOT go there...

More early AM beach views

Shelly & Matt Visit Egypt

2008-05-08T15:27:00.011-05:00

Shelly and Matt were able to spend a week in Egypt in early April, to visit Bob and some of the sites. Bob was with them during the Cairo portion of their trip, and a great time was had by all!

At the Khan el Khalili (souk) in Old Cairo, preparing to haggle with the merchants over souvenirs & stuff.

Matt & Shel in front of Zosier's step pyramid at Sakkara

Shelly & her dad at Sakkara

Naturally Matt & Shelly had to climb on the big pyramid at Giza!

Bob and Shelly near the Sphinx

Trip to Tiran Island

2008-03-22T18:00:00.008-05:00

Recently, Bob took a trip to Tiran Island, off the coast of Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea. He was checking out the location as a site for a microwave tower for the MFO. You're lookin' good, Honey! Like a movie star in an action film!

A shot of the island from the helicopter.

The place is truly a "desert island." I doubt even Robinson Crusoe could survive here for long! There is an MFO contingent of U.S. Army troops who actually stay on the island for a few weeks at a time. ALL their supplies, including water, have to be airlifted in twice a week! You can't dock a boat at the island and walk up the mountain, because the beach area still has a lot of mines buried that are left over from the Israeli-Egyptian war.

I think I'll stick with the normal tourist sites and Bob's place at North Camp on my visits, though riding in a Blackhawk would be fun!

Flora and Fauna at MFO North Camp, Sinai Egypt

2008-02-10T22:03:00.001-06:00

MFO Sinai at North Camp and all of Egypt had some cold weather and heavy rains recently. When the clouds cleared, some egrets decided to stop in Bob's front yard for a short visit on their way to wherever...

And the yucca plants in his back yard decided to bloom... I have never seen orange flowers on a yucca. They're really pretty! The gardener better get busy, too... I see a lot of weeds!

This is a shot of what the duplexes in the housing area look like. This isn't a shot of Bob's unit... he has a large hot pink bouganvillea growing up the wall of his front patio.

The walkways and parking at the housing area. Note the Disney-style topiaries! This is the only part of North Camp that has grass or greenery of any kind. The rest of the camp is strictly sand and desert terrain. That's Bob's car on the left... but he's getting a new one soon!

These owls also hang out in a tree in front of Bob's duplex. I think they're called Athenian Owls. They're indigenous to Egypt, and they are all over the place. When I was visiting in November I was sitting on the balcony of our hotel in BUSY downtown Cairo at around midnight one night and one flew by within a couple of feet of me. I guess they can find prey in the city just as easily as they can in the country!

This is a hooded crow, also found all over the place in Egypt. The birds really like that tree in Bob's front yard!

Our Grandchildren

2008-01-17T14:23:00.002-06:00

Our grandchildren, each with his/her own unique personality and spirit, are our greatest joy! Abby, Serenity, Robbie and Alex are the children of Joe and Sierra, and Matt and Shelly are the parents of Dane. Thanks, guys, for bringing these five fabulous little people into our family! They fill our hearts to overflowing with wonder and love. Youngest to oldest, they are:

Abigail Rose, born December 6, 2007

Dane Matthew, born March 18, 2007

Serenity Clare, born July 15, 2004

Robert James, born July 12, 2002

Alexander Dean, born May 20, 1999

First Day in Cairo - November 2007

2007-12-27T14:53:00.003-06:00

Queen Neferjanni

Pharoah Robert

November 1 was my first full day in Egypt with Bob, after arriving the night before. Here I am, still jet-lagged, wearing a new Egyptian shirt, a new pair of Egyptian jeans and Bob's underwear, waiting to order breakfast! My luggage was "misplaced" at the Cairo airport for four days!!!! We spent the day just walking around, taking a carriage ride, souvenir shopping and generally goofing off!

The Pyramids

2007-12-27T13:55:00.001-06:00

On my second full day in Egypt, we saw the Pyramids at Sakkarah and Giza. We were escorted by Ashraf Mobariz, the MFO Liaison Officer in Egypt. Ashraf is an expert in pharoahnic history and archeology, and it was a great pleasure to see these phenominal sites with someone who has so much knowledge to share. Thank you, Ashraf!

With Ashraf at Sakkarah, at the site of Zosier's Pyramids, the early pyramids of Egypt, also known as the Step Pyramids.

An ancient statue of Pharoah Zosier himself inside his temple. You have to look through a hole in the stone to see the statue.

The archeological digs surrounding the site of Zosier's pyramids.

Bob with Ashraf at the geological dividing line between the fertile Nile Valley and the desert where the Step Pyramids are constructed. It's amazing. Behind them are palm trees, lush farmlands and tropical gardens. Where I was standing is barren desert!

The following photos were all taken at the site of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. I think they're pretty self-explanatory!

The "tourist police" on camels at Giza!

Bob and me holding the New Carlisle News (something we did for Grandma, and it DID appear in the New Carlisle paper), with a panorama of the Pyramids in the background.

Inside the Temple at the Sphinx

Until seeing them in person, one has no idea how awesome these sites really are. They are gargantuan in size, ancient, and you simply have to see them... pictures just don't do it!

More from November Egypt Trip

2007-12-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

Finally, finally getting around to posting the rest of the photos from November's trip to visit Bob! Sorry, all, but time just got away from me with everything that's been happening in November and December! The following video was taken from the balcony of our hotel room, the first night or two that we were in Cairo. The front of the hotel faced the corniche along the Nile... but the back faced what I have termed, "Cairo's Times Square." This video was taken at around 1:00 AM. I love the Coca Cola billboard!

Maxa s-salaama, Egypt... Till Next Time!

2007-11-14T18:50:00.000-06:00

The huge terrace outside our suite at the Nile Hilton in Cairo, on our last night of my first visit to Bob in Egypt. During our trip, we stayed here twice, once at a very luxurious Marriott in Cairo, and at the Old Winter Palace in Luxor. Of the three hotels, the personalized hotel service and the food in the restaurants at the Nile Hilton were far superior to the other two hotels... just in case you're thinking of hopping over to Cairo for a visit!

A riverboat casino on the Nile!

Such a roomy suite! It was even nicer than the one we had at this same hotel during the first portion of our trip.

Opulent and richly appointed

Too bad I didn't get to sleep there! Bob did, though...

Enjoying The Last Day

2007-11-14T17:45:00.001-06:00

November 8 was our last full day in Luxor. I can't tell you how different, and how much more enjoyable, it was from Cairo. We shopped, walked the waterfront, and simply relaxed and enjoyed the ambience of Luxor before catching our flight back to Cairo that evening. Late that same night, actually at 4 AM on November 9, I caught my flight out of Cairo to head back to the U.S.

The feluccas waiting for customers.

A great Egyptian waterfront restaurant where we enjoyed a fabulous lunch!

Nile River cruise ships at the dock.

The median in the roadway in front of our hotel.

The Old Winter Palace Hotel...

And a buggy traffic jam!!!

The Temple of Karnak & Temple of Luxor

2007-11-13T18:50:00.002-06:00

After spending the morning across the river at the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, and going back to our hotel for a recuperative lunch, we toured the Great Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor in the afternoon. We had seen the awesome sound & light show at Karnak the previous night, but I wasn't prepared for how immense the complex is in the daytime... over 80 acres!

The entrance is lined on both sides with these sphinxes.

Dozens of "tame" stray dogs live at the temple. I just had to take a photo of these puppies... their mom was foraging for food, and there they were, right out in the open amongst all the tourists!

Ramses II was the longest-reigning pharoah in Egyptian history, ruling for 67 years. He had statues of himself erected all over Luxor, and there are more statues of him than any other pharoah. Many of his statues show him with his most beloved queen, Nefertari, standing underneath his legs (!)

An example of one of the hundreds of huge columns in the temple.

And us just enjoying the experience and each other...

The entrance to the Temple of Luxor (there's Ramses again).

And Pharoah Bob with his beloved Queen Jan!

Examples of some of the hieroglyphics, carvings and columns at the Temple.

Bob with our fun and knowledgible guide, Emad. Thanks, Emad, for a fabulous day of touring the tombs and temples of Luxor!

Mem and Non

2007-11-12T19:23:00.001-06:00

These collossi are just off the bridge highway on the east bank of the Nile, on the way to the Valley of the Kings. Who erected them, and how? Did they guard the route where the funeral processions passed on the way to the burial places of the kings and queens of Egypt? It is said that when the wind blows, the Collossi sing. They are known as Memnon, or Mem and Non. With Bob standing at the base of one of the statues, you get a perspective of just how immense they are!

The Alabaster Factory (aka "Tourist Trap")

2007-11-11T23:48:00.002-06:00

Surprise, surprise, our guide escorted us to an alabaster factory that just happened to be located in a small village right outside the Valley of the Kings. We did watch them carve alabaster vases by hand, and were assured that the prices here were fair and the products superior...

Naturally, following a demonstration of the primitive techniques handed down through the generations, we were invited into the factory's "little shop!"

Where Bob proceeded with his FAVORITE activity in the Arab world, haggling over the best deal for all the cool stuff we bought!

Valley of the Kings/Queens

2007-11-11T22:40:00.002-06:00

The Valley of the Kings... we did get to go into King Tut's tomb, just two days after Egypt placed his unwrapped mummy in a hermetically sealed vault with a plexiglass top. We saw Tut's treasure in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo before we traveled to Luxor. Photography was not allowed in the museum, nor in any of the tombs. We went into several other tombs, including Seti II, Ramses II and Amenhotep. The hieroglyphics inside the tombs was unbelievable... the colors still strong and the carvings sharp after 3,000+ years!

Jan at the entrance to the tomb of Seti II with our guide, Emad.

Following our tour of the Valley of the Kings, we visited the Queens. The large temple in the background is the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt for 27 years as a man! Our guide informed us that "Hatshepsut" is pronounced like "Hat, Shep Suit!"

On the River Nile

2007-11-11T12:21:00.001-06:00

Our first afternoon in Luxor, we took a sunset cruise on a felucca. Our captain's name was "Moses" and his boat is called the "Nice" boat. We caught some excellent images of both sides of the river... the East Bank, where we stayed, and the West Bank, where the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens are located. We also caught some great photos of local fauna, and Egyptians going about their daily tasks.

Winter Palace Hotel

2007-11-11T11:40:00.001-06:00

In Luxor we stayed in the Old Winter Palace Hotel, an icon in Egyptian modern history. We had a lovely room with a balcony that overlooked the corniche and the West Bank of the Nile. The mountain you see in the background is where the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens are located.