After sitting on the Mediterranean coast in Mersin for three days, we traveled back north to the area known as Cappadocia about three hours away.  These rock formations are part of volcanoes where the surrounding soil eroded away leaving only the cores.  We will go back again to get many more pictures later, but these were taken as we drove out of the area.

Many of these unusual formations have houses built into them, even hotels.  Look at this picture below:

And always add a picture of a pretty lady when you can.We will visit this again before the cold weather returns.  Bear in mind all who plan to visit, these are on the agenda.  And what you see here, is but a drop in the bucket of what is out there.  To get a better grasp of the this incredible sight, go to Wikipedia.

Kick butt.  D.

We spent last week doing a bit of traveling down south.  I had to work in Adana and Terese came along with me.  After work on Friday, we traveled down to Mersin, sitting on the Mediterranean Sea.  Spent three nights there and just relaxed in the salty humidity of the Sea.  Below is the Mediterranean, looking East of the hotel.… and looking West.The city of Mersin to the North.A view of the city at night..Sitting out with cigar and drink…… and a young visitor.And us.Next is Cappadocia.

Last weekend, we had another Wingfest and had about 45 people show up.  It was pretty much the limit of our apartment.  So, the next one in a few months will have to be somewhere else.  As I took these pictures, I tell people they are for my 900 year old mother.   No one objected, so I will post what I want.   Below are the beginnings of margarita fixens. The chicken wings The chicken wing cook.The chicken wing cook’s damn cat before the fest.  Once it started, we neither saw nor heard, hide nor head of her.Some of the finished delicacy.A strange variation with rum.One of the special quests of the party, Donna (working in Afghanistan) on the left and our good Turkish friend, Ayda on the right. Zeynep and Ayda, both Turkish beauties.

And various shots of good people.   A few shots of some of the good Marines who attended. Finishing the evening with Marines and cigars.We plan to do another one in a few months in honor of another good friend who will be leaving soon.  D.

I recently came across writings from years past and decided to create a new page to post them.  The first words are what I saw when I helped with the building of a giant cross on Interstate 40 in the Texas Panhandle.  Later I will post things I saw from a pilgrimage in Medjugorje in Bosnia/Herzegovina, close to the border of Croatia.  Then some writings from Afghanistan, which I would guess have affected me more than anything else I have written.

The new post is on the left under Page Three – What I Saw.  But you can click: The Cross to get you there quicker.

I just finished reading the autobiography of Harpo Marx.  I would have placed this on Page Two under the I’ve Always Hated Book Reports but it is such a long read, I placed it by itself.  Look on the left under Page Two and click on Harpo Speaks!

The Marines.

These are good guys.  I’ve yet to meet one I did not like, and I’ve met many that I liked very well.

Less than 1% of the US population is in the Military, and 6% of the Military are Marines. Take that a bit further and I am told only 1% of the Marines work in the coveted roll of the Marine Security Guard Force at Embassies around the World.

The US has a consulate in Adana Turkey, where a detachment of Marines were installed for protection.  Before everything was set up for them, the Marines sent in a special group to watch until it’s ready for the “normal” group to come in.  This group had some acronym which basically stood for a special team for the initial entry into harmful areas.  Even though the Consulate did not require such a sophisticated group, they had to send them because of the attack at the US Embassy in Ankara on February 1st, 2013 which took the precious life of a Turkish guard.  This initial force had older and more seasoned Marines.  They take their job very serious.  As I stated years ago in writing, if you ask them a question and the answer is No, there is no way that answer will change.  No pleading, begging or bribery will get the answer changed.  And they are extremely polite in telling you, No.

I spent several weeks working in that location and got to know several of them personally.  They initially called me sir, as I did them; but over several weeks of joking around with them and seeing they indeed do have normal personalities, if there is ever such a thing, we resorted to first names.

I spent a few years in Afghanistan many moons ago and my first encounter with the Military, was when I stepped off a wore-out bus at a US base in Karshi, Uzbekistan.  It was the end of four long flights and a very fast bus ride through the streets of the city driven by a guy with only one good eye.  I stretched and looked up at the wet gray sky, then glanced to my right and notice a 30 cal machine gun pointed at me from an opening in a wall of Hescos – basically big cardboard boxes filled with dirt that will stop a rocket.

I jumped a bit, likely drawing a smile if not a chuckle from the eyes behind the weapon.  But it was a stark awaking of the magnitude of where I was.

Since then, I have developed an acute friendship with the Military, a tight bond with a few.  These are good guys.  Yes, there are some personnel that are not good to be around and I met a few in Afghanistan, but for the most part I find they have more common sense than many people on the street.

A few months ago, a good friend of ours invited the Marines to her apartment for a BBQ, and invited us.

I personally have become good friends with their boss – referred to as the “gunny”.  He describes himself as “An American by birth and Texan by the grace of God.”  So I explained to him that my mother likes Marines and would like a photo of them.  He replied, “Absolutely.” and spoke some command and the next thing I knew, we were standing for a photograph.  The picture is not very good but will work.

The man in shorts is the gunny and the dog is a bit crazy as most dogs are.  One thing about Marines, they may be tough, ornery and walk around with Popeye muscles, but they appreciate the value of “mother”.

This post is for you MotherDear.  Love D.