This is my favorite season.  It has the dangerous storms, lethal lightning and horizontal rain.

About 10 years ago when we lived in Texas, we had an incredible storm roll through the small Texas town.  The next morning, as I laid in bed trying to get the eyes to open, my wife came into the bedroom to hand me some coffee and casually said, “Honey, what did you do with the swimming pool?”

“Huh?”

“It’s not in the backyard.”

“Huh!”  Then I thought she is probably pulling a joke on me, but got to thinking, why would she come up with such an outlandish comment.

I jumped out of bed and realized why she had the outlandish comment, because it was indeed true!

The swimming pool was no longer in the backyard.  When we went to bed the previous night, it was there and now it’s not.

So, I adopt my casual attitude like I knew what happened all along.

“Well, honey, what probably happened is … well it was, it is …..” …and I let me voice trail away.

Below is what the swimming pool looked like, minus the pool.

And this is what I found when I stuck my head out into the alley. The camera picture was blurred and I’m sure the situation had something to do with it. The pool was almost empty with about 3-4 inches of water, but was still sucked up and tossed over the fence.  I took it apart since the majority of the metal was bent and gave it a proper burial at the landfill.

Yeah!  I love this weather.  Keep your feet anchored to the ground and head up, so you don’t miss any of it.  D.

Working overseas, we meet many good people and a few stinkers.

There is a young lady down the hall from my office that drops by to visit and drink coffee every morning.  At least once a week, she has an interesting tale concerning her twin 5 year old sons.

One Monday morning, she came in and I could tell she had a ragged weekend.  She sat quietly, and then casually commented, “Did I tell you my kids ran away from home the other day?”

“Ah, no!”

“Yeah.  They took off out the front door and the nanny ran after them.  Outside, they split up and each went a different direction, and the nanny couldn’t catch either of them.”

I waited, not knowing what to say.

“We had the local guard force looking for them, and the Security office was out trying to find them.  I was worried sick!”

I assumed they were indeed found, so I said. “Where did they find them?”

“Oh, they were in a bookstore in the mall.  The one that has a bowl of free candy.”

And she continued. “They had to slip though the perimeter fence of the apartment compound and cross a very busy highway to get to the mall.  I asked them how they were able to cross the highway, and they said, ‘Oh, we held hands.”

Then she stated, “I was so distraught, I didn’t know whether to be relieved or angry.”

I did notice that she seemed to have a bit more gray in her hair.

Kids.  That had to have taken a year off her life.

Kick butt, D.

… and it’s only Monday.

Late Saturday night, Terese left her purse in a taxi here in Ankara.  After getting home I jumped on the phone to get debit and credit cards cancelled.  I sat on the phone for 20 minutes listening to something resembling music that just grinds the mind when all you can think about, is getting the cards cancelled before someone books an all expense paid trip to Mars.

Finally, some character named Renaldo came on line.  He sounded so laid back, I could have sworn he was smoking pot while talking to me.  I think I could actually hear him taking long draws from an illegal substance, and by the time I got off the phone, the room seemed rather unusual.  Almost floating.

Remember the couple who recently got married here?  Allison is a Foreign Service officer and Serkan is a guard at the Embassy.  I explained our predicament to them, and Serkan jumped on the phone and within a few hours, the purse showed up at the Embassy gate.  Everything seems to be intact, although the debit and credit cards are no longer valid.

For those in the family, if that happens to you, remember the information listed at the end of the notorious NAPE list.  Those are the numbers I called.  Just be patience when listening to the droning music and then talking to someone who sounds stoned.

Kick butt.  D.

… to the post below, I wanted to share a story I found some years back, called The Dichotomy.

Click on this to jump to it:  The Dichotomy

Spent the last two weeks traveling to Adana and beyond, then home; then to Istanbul and now home again.  Be here for at least a week or two.

I had thought a predominantly Muslim country would not celebrate Christmas, but they do.  Below are pictures I took of some of the decorations for the season at the high end hotels we stay at. Note that all of these were taken during the week after Christmas.  Long after most Americans remove their decorations and start thinking of Valentine’s Day.

As I stated in so many words in the past, the Turkish food is incredible.  And for me, that is not a good thing.  Very difficult to only eat half portions, but I am starting to win the battle.  We traveled Southeast from Adana to do some work in a city that is well known for its food.  Below are a few pics of the cuisine.The one above was the main dish.  I forgot to take a picture before eating it, but know it looked much better at the beginning.  I stayed at a hotel that looks like it was renovated from an old fort a century ago.  I do like the decor.Below is a picture taken from the hotel window in Adana, of the sunset across from the canal below.Luckily, Turkey is civilized enough to have its share of Starbucks restaurants.  There is one that sits on the Bosphorus Strait.  This is the body of water that divides Istanbul, and is also the division between the Continents of Aisa and Europe.

This restaurant has the best view of those I’ve been to.  It has four levels with the lowest sitting on the water’s edge.  We stopped there a few times for coffee in the mornings and I got a few pics. For those who choose to come visit, if we make it to Istanbul we will stop there.  This is an incredible city.  I could easy retire there.  The only big negative I see is the traffic.  The volume is so high, people working at the Consulate know it will be 30-60 minutes of driving in the morning, and 45-90 to get home in the evenings.  But if I am truly retired, it wouldn’t make any difference to me.

Until next time, keep kicking butt.  D.

Got my camera back so now I get to throw some pictures up on the screen.  Enjoy.

Below are our two Regional Security Techs.  These two good men make our jobs easier.  The gentleman on the right is Aydin, who travels with us and causes things to happen where otherwise they would get bogged down.  On the left is Savas who is an expert on the explosion-proof doors and windows that are used at Embassies and Consulates.  He is sent all over the world because of his abilities.

The picture below could be misconstrued to something other than the truth.  Suffice to say, the kiss was not consummated.  …. I don’t think.   And for you kids, this is what alcohol will do to you.Below is a picture of us with a couple who recently got married.  They were the ones in a previous post.  She is from the Texas Panhandle and he is a resident of Turkey.  They plan to be in Lubbock Texas this May and want to drop by and visit with an incredible 96 year old Texas Lady.  He is looking forward to it and every time he sees me, he tells me he has the perfect gift for my mother.

Also, notice the multiple photo-bombing in the background.We very much enjoy hosting these and every fest brings more people.  What started with just 20-25 people, has swelled to 50-60.  There would have been more people at this one, but Valentine’s Day was the following day, so the turn-out was smaller.

Until the next Wingfest, eat your wings, drink your beer and kick butt.