At Least It's a Dry Heat

NOT!!

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that back home. No, it is NOT a dry heat. The past few days we've been havin' a cool snap. A tropical cool snap.

Even though daytime temps are hovering in the low 100's, the humidity has soared to near 80%. Yuck! Really, I don't know what's worse: Temps near 100 with 80% humidity or temps near 110 with humidiy at 45%. With one, my feet are slipping around inside of my shoes and my hands feel as if they are coated with slime (my own body slime). With the other, it's like a furnace blast resonating up from the pavement through your shoes and into your face every time you walk around.

It's so humid! . . . How humid is it?

When I walked out of the office this morning my glasses fogged up.
The building is collecting condensation on all the windows
I had to run the windsheild wipers to wipe of the condensation that formed where the A/C air is hitting the windsheild.
My hands are slipping off of my handbag straps as I walk down the street.
My hair has developed curls that have never been seen before.
The water on the pavement that leaked from watering the plants last night was still there when I left for work this morning.

Maybe if you've lived in Louisiana or Mississippi, you're used to this. But to me it is just too odd to see the whole building sweating like a cold pitcher of water.

How to cope?
Stay out of the sun (no brainer there).
Learn to live with sweat (sweat happens).
Use prickly heat powder (J&J makes one here).
Carry an umbrella.
Get outside once the sun goes down - or else you'll go mad!
Take a dip in the pool.

Speaking of which, I noticed this morning that the pool is now clean. When I got back from the US, it had been suffering from 3 weeks of no pool guy. It wasn't exactly green, but I couldn't see the bottom - murky. When he came by last Saturday, I saw him head out back, see the mess, and heave a heavy sigh. He mostly vacuumed when he was in on Saturday. When he left, it was still murky, but less so. This wasn't going to be solved in one visit. I figured it was probably ok to swim - I'm sure he had shocked the water. But it seemed less than inviting. Plus, I've been working late and not up for a swim when I finally have a moment around 9 or 9:30 (at that time, I'm feeling a lot like going to bed!) But today, after his second visit yesterday, the pool is crystal clear. I dipped my toe the other day. It's not bath water temps, but there won't be any hint of that cool-shock that you can get when you first get into a pool. I'm hankering for a swim tonight. After I clean the patio, maybe.

And a question for you physics-geeks out there - you know who you are. So, when it's hot - I mean really really hot - like say 110 or 115, it actually seems quieter when I go outside. Doors close more quietly, footsteps sound more muffled. Is it possible that the heat interferes with the transmission of sound? with my ears reception of sound? or am I just imagining it? It's also possible that it is actually more quiet. When it's hot like that - ain't no one wants to be out in that.

Edited to add
So, I looked it up and found this:
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/may98/896275999.Ph.r.html
It's not super conclusive, but does seem to point to sound traveling better in cold air. And from other web sites I looked at - it seems that maybe humidity has more to do with it than temps. I've yet to find something in plain English that will tell me if things sound more quiet when it is hot and humid. So, if you find it, post here.

Free Range Parenting

Did you know that there was a movement out there called Free Range Kids? It is an attempt to re-capture the ideas that children should be able to more freely explore their neighborhoods and community.

Statistically, there are fewer (not more) violent crimes committed today than when I was growing up. And there are NO MORE stranger abductions or molestations than when I was a kid (we just hear about it more on the fear-mongering news programs in the US). So, the danger is actually less for our kids, but our perception is that there is more danger.

So, at the age of 5 - what were you doing? Were you able to play outside in your yard with your friends without your parents having to be outside? Were you able to walk to the store to buy penny candy? Were you able to cross the street to get to the store? Were you riding the bus to school by yourself?

What about age 10? Were you riding your bike freely through the neighborhood? Were you exploring undeveloped plots of land or creating adventures at the creek/pond/whatever? Were you playing outside with groups of friends in other people's yard? Were you trusted to walk to the park or neighborhood recreational center? Were you allowed to take the bus to go somewhere? Were you walking yourself to school?

I was.

Was I ever approached inappropriately by strangers? Yes. Was I ever threatened by bullies? Yes. Was I ever in the wrong place (tresspassing) or venturing just a bit too far? Yes. Did I do things that would make my mother's hair turn grey? Yes. Did I ever get hurt and have to be taken to the hospital? Yes.

But, would I have been better off being sheltered in my home? Monitored by my parents? Overseen by other adults? Protected from possible dangers? No. No. No. No. I don't think so.

In today's world, we seem to have a parenting approach that prefers sheltering over exploration. Monitoring over mistakes. Protection over injury. What are we telling our children when we raise them this way? What does Lyra think about the world? Will she feel safe walking down the street as an adult? or will she feel an overwhelming sense of doom approaching around every corner? Will she see the world as being full of wonderful people (with a few weirdos, creeps and psychos sprinkled in) or will the world be full of psychos and creeps with the occassional surprisingly wonderful person?

There's something to be said about the spirit of adventure that today's kids are missing out on. A sense of being a responsible person. An understanding that they can be trusted to navigate their community. An expectation that they will make good choices as they move through the neighborhood or are approached by people. An anticipation that most of the people they meet will be kind and friendly.

The frustrating thing is that even if I wanted to choose Free Range Parenting, could I? Would other people view me as putting my child in danger. If you saw a 5-year old at the corner store buying candy without her parents there - what would you think/do? What about a 10-year old riding her bike to school nearly 1 mile away?

To me, the implications for Lyra and how she is allowed to live her life are huge. Because where do I draw the line? If I don't trust her to ride her bike a mile away at 10 will I trust her to choose her curriculum at school? Will she feel the confidence to know that she has the wherewithal to handle what life will throw at her? Am I communicating to her that I don't think she can handle it?

Someone wrote, "I'm raising adults - not children". That has resonated with me. I've been pondering that statement a lot. I like the perspective it puts on things.

Quiz Night 2 - Answers

1. c - Taco Bell. I've always felt that Taco Bell was missing out on a great opportunity in the overseas market. Recently, a Chi-Chi's-like restaurant opened here called El Chico (a Saudi restaurant chain I think). Anyway - the thing is ALWAYS full. Mexican food is really popular here. Amygirl is right, the Arabs do love them some KFC and some Baskin Robbins - they are everywhere here (both of them).

2. d - Eddie Bauer. H&M has become one of my favorites. Especially when I'm shopping for "play clothes" or for Lyra. I had shopped there in Milwaukee (at Bay Shore) and in Chicago. But really discovered them here. The Gap shops and Nine West don't seem to carry the same mix of merchandise as back home. They seem to be more geared to the bling-bling styles here. But back home I noticed that bling is in everywhere, so maybe it's just me that is behind the fashion times. Noooo - that couldn't be it.

3. a - Acura. It is sold here under the Honda brand name. That is true in Europe, too. Acura seems to only be a brand that Honda maintains in the US. As for Cadillac, well the Escalade is probably the most popular Cadillac here. SUVs are alive and well in the Middle East. I think we could sell our FJ Cruiser for the same price as we bought it (nearly 1 year ago). Too bad that the US models are considered 2nd class here. Otherwise, dealers could be shipping all their overstock here to sell it.

4. b - Aveda. Evidently, since Aveda does not use preservatives in their products, they will not ship here due to the heat.

5. d - Chinese Chicken Salad. A shame, too. That is probably my new favorite in McDonald's these days. Here, they still pretty much have the old-fashioned, high fat offerings. They're starting to modernize and get more low fat options. But it doesn't have the same focus as in the US. The McArabia sandwich comes as either Chicken or Lamb. It is a large pita wrapped around the lettuce, tomatoes, meat, and a sauce (maybe a yogurt sauce). It's pretty good.

Indian Radio

What I'm listening to these days (click on Listen Live):

http://arnonline.com/pulse953/

http://www.hit967.com/English/Pages/default.aspx

If you had radio like this would you chose anything else? I love it! I love how they switch back and forth from English to Hindi without pause.

I've given up on English radio - although there's one station that I will listen to now and again, but lately I've given up completely.

Quiz Night 2

1) Which of these food chains is NOT in Dubai?
a) Dunkin Donuts
b) Baskin Robins
c) Taco Bell
d) Kentucky Fried Chicken

2) Which of these clothing store chains is NOT in Dubai?
a) Gap
b) H&M
c) Nine West
d) Eddie Bauer

3) Which of these car makes is NOT in Dubai?
a) Acura
b) Infinity
c) Lexus
d) Cadillac

4) Which of these beauty products is NOT available in Dubai?
a) Dermalogica
b) Aveda
c) Paul Mitchell
d) L'Occitane

5) Which of these items is NOT available at McDonald's in Dubai?
a) Happy Meal
b) McArabia Sandwich
c) McFlurry
d) Chinese Chicken Salad

Jet Lag Update

Well, the whiskey helped - a little. I got to sleep the next night around 9pm. Or should I say I barely missed falling on the floor as I dragged my brain dead self to bed. But I woke up around 3am. Even though my brain was still aching from being tired, my stupid body thought it was time to get up. This is my usual jet lag pattern - fall asleep dead tired and then wake up after only 5 or 6 hours of sleep. Each night I will tend to sleep one hour later until after about 1 week I'm finally on my normal sleep cycle. I did try to get some more sleep, but it's pretty futile usually and was again this time.

Again, off to yoga for my 6:30 class. Again, it was a good choice to be up and doing something to help invigorate my sleep deprived brain. That day was nearly as long as the first. Every moment was a struggle to keep my brain engaged and stop yearning for the sleep time that was hours away. After work, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up Juno at the movie rental desk. I had heard from several folks during our visits that this was a great movie. And somehow I got a second wind and stayed up until midnight to finish watching it. I fell asleep exhausted and slept way past the 4am wake up I expected.

I was roused out of the deepest sleep by the ringing of the doorbell. I was so asleep I struggled at first to understand what was happening and what I should do. It was 7am. What?!? By sheer habit I dragged myself to the intercom. "Hello?" I croaked. "Madam, car wash?" It was our very kind but totally inept car wash man. I can appreciate that on a day where temps are set to soar to near 50 that he'd like to get the cars washed early, but really the fates are against me on this day. "Yes, just a second," and I stumbled upstairs to get something on.

As I came out into the car port he said, "Sorry to disturb, madam." He's really kind and we're soft hearted to keep having him come wash the cars. But he really needs the money. I would guess that with the $40/month we pay him and the next door neighbors pay him he is practically doubling his salary. And over time, with coaching, his car washing has improved so we keep letting him come. He certainly has a thing for making sure the tires are cleaned with tire foam and Son of a Gun.

Even though it was only 7 hours of sleep, today is the first day I've felt close to normal. I didn't doze off in the middle of a sentence. I had the energy to get Basil and the cats from the kennel. Now the place feels less empty - and I'm hoping for better luck tomorrow morning. I'll sip a wee dram just to be certain.

Jet Lag - I've Got a Bad Case

Not as bad as when I threw up in Hong Kong, but just give me a few more hours. Won't be long and I'll be stumbling around the office like a drunken sailor.

I left the house in Milwaukee on Tuesday at 12:20pm their time (9:20pm Dubai time). First flight was a shorty into Chicago and then from Chicago the flight left around 7:30pm (4:30am Dubai time) for London. I had dinner while still on the ground in Chicago, so I got plenty of sleep on that flight over to the UK. Once again, London was putting on her most beautiful face. A gorgeous summer day greeted us when we landed. From London, we left around on Wednesday 12:30pm their time (3:30pm Dubai time) and got into Dubai just after 10pm local time. I had done a good job of staying awake during the flight to Dubai and was feeling pretty tired. When I called Russell to let him know I'd landed, I told him how I was feeling pretty good about how I was transitioning to the time change. I jinxed myself.

After getting my luggage and taking the taxi home, I arrived at just after 11pm (nearly 26 hours door to door). A quick perusal through the house - and then off to bed.

11:50 - So, to bed. My brain is going zing-ga-ding-ga-ding-ding at 100 miles per hour. Can't sleep, can't sleep, can't sleep, can't sleep, can't sleep.
12:20 - Turn on light and try a crossword. I'm so tired that my brain is heavy in my head and my eyes are aching.
12:40 - Back to bed. My brain continues to spin its own little vortex (who needs hurricanes?) House is quiet, I'm all alone, can't sleep, house is quiet, I'm all alone, can't sleep, house is quiet, I'm all alone, can't sleep. Is this what an over-tired toddler feels like?
1:30 - Turn on light and try to read. Really enjoying my book, Out of Africa. Keep reading, and reading, and reading, and reading - how come I'm not falling asleep? My brain is SOSOSOSO tired.
3:00 - Back to bed. Can't sleep, missing Russell & Lyra, can't sleep, missing Russell & Lyra, can't sleep, missing Russell & Lyra. Now I start to throw my own little pity party.
3:10 - Turn on light and go downstairs to call them. Talk to them on the phone for about 10 minutes. Lyra tells me how she had to have 4 people hold her down for her 3 jabs and 1 blood draw at the doctor. I ask her, "Wasn't it scary to have 4 people hold you down?" She said, "No, because when I saw those needles I wanted to be out of there." I asked, "How old do you think you'll be when you don't need to be held down to have a jab? six? seven?" She replied, "Probably eight." - Note to Lyra: Those pierced ears are going to have to wait.
3:30 - Back to bed. This time I will NOT turn on the light, even if I'm just laying there thinking over and over: I wish I could sleep, I'm so tired, I can't sleep, I wish I could sleep, I can't sleep.
4:28 - Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar. The two mosques start their call to prayer. I have missed those guys. They're so soothing in the morning.
4:56 - The prayers start.
5:06 - I tell myself, if by some miracle I have fallen asleep in the next 25 minutes before my alarm goes off, I'm just going to keep sleeping. I wonder if I'll fall asleep? Hmmm, am I asleep? Nope. Hmmmm, am I asleep? Nope.
5:30 - Alarm goes off. This is ridiculous - I should just turn that off and go to sleep. Problem is, it is now 8:30pm in Milwaukee and if I fall asleep now, I'll just want to stay asleep until 3 in the afternoon. That's just creating the same problem for tomorrow. Oh, but I want so much to SLEEP!
5:32 - I decide to get up and go to yoga. Maybe that will energize me.

Actually, the yoga was a very choice. Except for one thing. If you're feeling woozy, don't bend over backward.

The day stretches out before me like a long endurance test. I'm looking at things, but not seeing them. Hearing things, but not understanding. Saying things, but not even following my own train of thought. Walking, but not knowing where I'm going.

Tonight, I'm going to bed with a glass of whiskey - a tall one. Wish me luck.

Cow Meetings

The other day at dinner, I offered Lyra a bite of my tasty meatloaf.

Lyra: Is that cow?
Me: Yes [I used to answer that question with - No, it's meat. But that doesn't work any more.]
L: I don't eat cow.
M: Why not?
L: I like to save the cows so we can have milk.
M: Well, the cows that give milk aren't usually the same as the cows we eat.
L: Why not?
M: Only girl cows give milk and usually the cows we eat are boys.
L: Nuh-uh. Boy cows give milk, too.
M: No, just girl cows.
L: Nuh-uh. What if the mama cow is gone, the baba needs to feed the baby cow.
M: Well, the mama cow is never gone. It's always the mama that feeds the baby. Only mama cows have the udders to hold the milk.
L: Nuh-uh, baba cows have milk. What if the mama cow needs to go to a meeting and talk to other cows? The baba needs to feed the baby.
M: [Imaging the cow meeting] Well, mama cows don't really go to meetings they are always taking care of the baby.
L: What if the farmer takes the mama cow's milk? Then the baby wouldn't have anything to eat? Who would feed the baby then?
M: The farmer knows which mama cows have babies and he doesn't take their milk. He leaves it for the baby to eat.

It ended there, but she's still not convinced.

A Day for Needles

Needle #1 and 2
Much to my disappointment, my dentist discovered a cavity at my last check up. I decided to take care of it while still here in the US. I like my Polish dentist, Jadwiga Krol. She's good. Plus, I like that I know someone named Jadwiga.

Laying in the chair, I was a bit nervous. She first applied the topical anaesthetic before Needle #1 emerged. Tell me, why do dentists have to have these stainless steel syringes that look like they just came out of Dr. Frankensteins lab? Because really, this does nothing but send my blood pressure to the ceiling. A quick pinch - and it's really not so bad. Jadwiga's nice enough to give me a quick jolt of novacaine and let the numbness settle in before really giving me the full dose with Needle #2.

After several spine tingling minutes of that drill-from-hell sound that only a dental drill can produce, I had a nice neat hole in my tooth. This is one moment when it would pay to be deaf. I try to relax and let the sound not bother me, but I can't. I knew in high school I'd have to cross Dental School off the list of possible school options. I could never stand that sound.

She proceeded to attach some stainless steel screw-clamp thingy to my tooth and shoved a couple other things around my tooth that I could tell would really hurt if I wasn't numbed. I've never seen such a contraption bolted to my teeth. More Dr. Frankenstein lab stuff - hello dentists of the world - you could do yourselves a favor by laying off these gizmos. I'm thinking it must be because I got a white enamel filling rather than silver. I kept trying to catch a glimpse of all that was going on in Jadwiga's glasses (I love a dentist that wears glasses). But she had these cool jeweler-like magnifying lenses (you know the ones that they look through to tell you if there are any flaws in your diamond) that were attached to her glasses and kept getting in the way of my seeing what was going on. Probably for the best.

Needles #3, 4, 5 . . . . to infinity
And then I went to get my tatoo. The new tatoo artist in town has had an influx of customers from all the moms in Bay View. I think I was mom-customer number 5 (or something like that). Oddly enough - of all our friends in Bay View - the moms have tatoos and the dads don't (except for one dad who has a few). How weird is that? I told you we have the coolest friends.

I have had a design in mind for years - but I needed to bring something with me from Dubai. When packing 3 weeks ago, getting a tatoo wasn't on my list of things to do. So, I didn't have the design with me. Instead, I got an Ohm** (see right) tatooed on the back of my neck, near my hair-line. I'll have a photo made and post it here soon.

Tatoo-dude, Julio, was worried that it would be too small (it's less than 1"x1"). He said, "People are going to have to get real close to see what it is." I think we come at this tatoo thing from two totally different perspectives. He's got his arms and legs (and maybe his body) covered with tatoos. He's made a statement to the world using his body that you can see coming down the street. My statement is a bit more understated, more private - it's a statement for me not for the world. I don't care if someone mistakes my tatoo for a weird birth mark or has to squint and says, "What is that?"

After my trip to the dentist, I was a bit twitchy about the needle part. My memory of the last tatoo was faint and I couldn't remember how much it really was going to hurt. When Julio touched my neck (with his hands) to start the tatoo, I nearly jumped out of my skin. But as with most things, the anticipation is worse than the actual experience. I timed him - 4 minutes of tatooing was his estimate. He was right.

I'll take needles #3, 4, 5 to infinity a hundred times over needles #1 and 2. Not so much because of the needles, but tatoo needles are much less painful than dentist needles. It's the freakin' drill - I hate it. Lyra would tell me, "That's not a nice word. You shouldn't say 'hate'". I have tried explaining that inanimate ojects cannot have their feelings hurt. But she still wouldn't let me off. So, perhaps I should say something else like: "I loathe it or I despise it or I abhor it or I detest it" - there. I think those words aren't in her vocabulary, yet.

**Ohm, besides being the measure of electrical resistance between two points of a conductor, is the symbol for one of the chakras (energy centers) in Yoga - the Ajna chakra. The Ajna chakra is the "3rd eye". In Yoga, the chakra represents the unification of duality in the body; the meeting of consiousness and unconsiousness, sun and moon, creative and logical, hot and cold, left and right, etc. If I wanted to be technically correct, I should have had Ohm tatooed onto my forhead between my eyebrows. Call me a yoga-rebel.

Things To Do in Milwaukee

Someone asked me - "What have you been looking forward to doing while you're back?"

1. Visit with friends and family. I almost eliminated this one from the list because it is so TOPS of the list that all other "want to do" items pale in comparison. There's no denying that we have the coolest family and friends - it is so good to be back amongst them. We are just loving every moment of seeing everyone and being together with folks.

2. Have a Tamarindo Margarita from Riviera Maya and order their mole sampler with chips.

3. Sit in the park during the South Shore Farmers Market.

4. Watch the South Shore Frolics Parade.

5. Drive 'Ms Jewl' - the RX-8.

6. Eat a slice of Di Marini's pizza (sausage, onion, mushroom and green olive).

7. Order a Brandy Manhattan

8. See the sail boats on the lake from the crest of the Hoan Bridge

9. Sleep with the windows open

10. Browse the shops of the 3rd Ward.

Some things I've done that were completely a surprise and wonderful:

1. Rent a pontoon boat to cruise the rivers and canals downtown.

2. Go to Humboldt Park for Chill on the Hill Tuesday nights

3. Head to Bastille Days for the Storming of the Bastille

4. Visit the new Sugar Maple in Bay View - a smoke free bar

5. See the Mother Truckers (actually this was in Minneapolis - but they're coming to Vnuk's so that kinda counts as something to do in Milwaukee)

6. Get a tatoo

7. Watch Wizard of Oz with Lyra, Mimi and Russell

Edited to add:
I missed doing items number 3 (it rained) and number 7 (ordered a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet instead).

Answers to Common Dubai Questions

1. No, I'm not as tan as you expected. That's because it's too hot in Dubai to be in the sun. In February, I'm slathering on SPF 70 because I can feel my skin sizzling. When you have sunshine every day of the week - you're more concerned with protecting yourself.

2. Yes, Dubai is as amazing as those powerpoint slides you've seen going around. Most of those buildings are already being built. The pace of construction is as crazy as it seems.

3. Yes, we're glad we have made the move. It has been a great experience for us as a family. We've seen and experienced more than we ever could have if we hadn't done this. But we'll be glad to be home when our time is up.

4. No, we don't have to speak in Arabic. We've only learned a few words. Everyone knows English and all business is conducted in English. If we wanted to learn a foreign language, it would probably have been better to learn Hindi - given the large population of Indian and Pakistanis in Dubai.

5. Yes, Dubai is a very livable place. The houses are spacious, roads are big and wide, cars are big, shops carry products we're familiar with - all very similar to the US.

6. No, I don't have any issues being a woman in the workplace there. The offices are very much like any office in the US or Europe. There are many women, there are people from all over the world - and very few Emiratis working in our office. That's because 85% of the population in Dubai are not Emiratis - they are from somewhere else.

7. Yes, we have women in the office who wear a black abaya and shayla. However, no one in our office in Dubai covers her face - but there is one woman in the Saudi office who does cover her face in the presence of men (only her eyes show). But people here do not treat women differently just because they are covered.

8. Yes, I enjoy my work there. I like the team I'm working with, the office environment is pretty much the same as any office in Europe or the US. I am a bit more unique as a woman in management - but I don't feel that it changes the way I'm treated.

9. Yes, Lyra likes her school. We were very lucky to find a great Montessori school for her. She made good friends and adored her teacher, Miss Sita. She will be starting a new school in September, the Universal American School. They follow the IB system and she'll be in their 5-year old kindergarten program.

10. No, Russell has not been working. Up until now, he's been home full-time with Lyra. When she starts full-time school in the fall, he is thinking that he'd like to find something to help keep him busy. In the meantime, he's certified as a scuba diver and has taken up working out at our health club.

If you have any other questions, please send them to me in the comments.

Yes, Ma'am

Never in my life have I heard "Yes, Ma'am" more than living in Dubai. But you soon learn that "Yes, Ma'am" does not mean "I agree with what you've said". Instead it means something more like, "Your lips just moved and a sound came out of your mouth." Ways that I've heard it used:

Driving with a taxi driver, I give him instructions to take the next left. "Yes, Ma'am" as we continue to drive in the right hand lane. "Left please," I say with a little more force. "Yes, Ma'am" continuing in the right hand lane. "Left NOW," I say as we swerve across 2 lanes of traffic to execute a left hand turn. Oh my!

Speaking with a delivery person, I ask them if they will deliver tomorrow or Saturday. "Yes, Ma'am" is my reply. "Which one?" I ask. "Yes, Ma'am." "Your delivery - on Friday or Saturday? Friday? or Saturday?" "Saturday," is finally the answer.

Looking for directions, I ask someone if a shop I'm looking for is down the next street. "Yes, Ma'am," I'm told. After driving back and forth down the next street without success, I ask someone else, "Is the shop on this street?" Of course it's not. Next time, I'll remember the meaning of "Yes, Ma'am" - I saw your lips move and sound came out of your mouth.

I've been told that it's more important to try and be helpful than to tell someone no. So, even if someone has no idea what you've just said or the answer to your question, they will still respond, "Yes, Ma'am."

Grammy Camp 2008

Can you OD on family? I don't think so - at least not with mine. And believe me, we tried! The whole fam-damnly was in Minneapolis this past week. All except B-I-L and oldest nephew - they had to work. But the rest of us were all there - including Lyra's Great Grandma, my grandmother.

Grammy Camp is a "fat camp". But instead of going to Grammy Camp to lose weight, you go their to gain it. Even as we were groaning in agony from eating way too much we were plotting and planning our next meal. Oh boy were they great meals! Pork chops on the grill, juicy cheeseburgers, Davanni's pizza, pulled pork sandwiches - its was an eating fest!

The icing on the cake was a Pannekoeken Huis discovered by my sister. We were sure they had long-ago disappeared. But now they're back. Complete with the "PANNEKOEKEN" yell as the server hurries from the kitchen to your table. As we sampled one another's pannekoekens it was hard to decide if the Classic (with lemon and powdered sugar), the Rhubarb (with fresh strawberries), or the Bacon (with a side of applesauce) was the winner.

It was so much fun, we're planning Grammy Camp 2009. Dates to be announced.

Rambling

I love walking. In the UK, they call it rambling. The footpaths that cross the country are a national treasure there. No matter where you go - in the heart of London or in the countryside you can always find a footpath marked out. They're literally everywhere.

But even before we lived in the UK, I loved walking. Whenever we would go on a vacation or holiday, especially in the National or State parks, I'd scope out the map looking for a good walk to go on. It's like the trail is calling to me. I can barely resist the urge to get on the trail. I'm forever promoting my agenda to everyone else - let's go on a walk. "Listen to this," I'll say. And then proceed to read the synopsis of what we might see on this particular walk. I've found that waterfalls are a good lure for others. But to me, I really don't care. I just want to walk.

Walking is not just a countryside activity for me. I love city walks. Our neighborhood in Miwaukee is a great one. There's always a garden to admire, a house being renovated, or the boats of the lake (Lake Michigan) to watch as you stroll through our neighborhood. A walk into "downtown" Bay View is always nice for a cup of coffee and a browse through the independent shops up and down the street. I'll miss being able to pop in to Schwartz Book shop.

This is one of the things that Dubai is missing for me - walking. (Well, they do have the "Mall Walkers" club.) There are some hikes that I've scoped out - and when it's winter again I'll try and lure the family to head out for a walk. Will be hard to convince them of any exciting waterfalls that will await us.

Lovely London

I love London. It was great to be back. We had perfect weather while we were there - cool in the shade and warm in the sun. It's nice to visit there and not feel like we need to rush about seeing everything. Certainly there are new things there to be seen, but it's just as pleasant to wander about and experience the city like we did when we lived there.


The dangerous thing about having lovely weather while we were there is it lures you into remembering only the wonderful things about living in London. Most Londoners will tell you that they've been having bad weather lately - like for the last three years. Cold and dreary winters followed by cold and rainy summers. There's nothing more dreary than a damp wet overcast winter day in London. I used to say, "The tornados and blizzards in the US can kill you in an instant, but with London weather it's a long slow death."

When we moved back home to the US it was November. We were nearly giddy with the thought of bright cold crisp winter days. So many people wondered why we'd be moving back just before the winter (not that we had any real control over the timing), but we were happy to be leaving London before the dark grey days of winter set in.

The first few years we were back in Wisconsin, I was so homesick for London. I still am at times. Watching the BBC (the real BBC, not BBC America or BBC World) or listening on-line to London radio can really make me pine for it. Being back this week was a great opportunity to re-acquaint with the city for a few days.

The introduction of congestion charging seems to have reduced the amount of traffic and pollution. You know Dubai air has to be dirty when you find London to be fresh and clean. But the true test is to check the color of your buggers when you blow your nose after a day wandering the city. Still dark, but not as black as I remember. Now that's progress.