Gaby's Photography

Gaby is taking a photography class at school.  As part of an assignments, she and I woke up early last Saturday - which was not easy for a teenager to do - and drove to Madinat Jumeirah to take some pictures.  She took some nice shots.

Good Lordy She's Forty

Shelley turned 40 on April 8th.  It would be a mistake to think that she would quietly turn the page to the next chapter of her life without a big bang and celebration.  As Shelley often says, "go big or go home."  So, we planned a beach-themed party, complete with a DJ, strobe lights, dancing, and - of course - many friends.

Being in Dubai, one of the things Shelley wanted to do for her 40th birthday was to spend time at the beach (her main love) and in the snow on the same day.  So, we did just that.  We spent the morning at the beach near the Burj Al-Arab and then in the afternoon went to the indoor ski resort at the Emirates Mall.

USS Truman

Several weeks ago I spent three days aboard the USS Truman as it transited through the Persian Gulf.  I had previously toured aircraft carriers while they were at port.  However, being aboard an operational carrier was an entirely different experience.  All the crew were focused, busy at their assigned tasked.

 

Oddly enough, the hustle and bustle of the sailors preparing to pull away from the pier reminded me of a Saturday morning at home growing up.  Sailors lined the halls ways scrubbing the walls, polishing the brass, and deep cleaning the ship.  Growing up, my mom also ran a tight ship.  

After getting a brief orientation, we were taken to our staterooms.  I am sure our accommodations were nicer than those of enlisted sailors - they probably didn't have embroidered towels, robes, and slippers laid out for them.  

The aircraft carrier operates 24/7.  At all hours of the night and day the hallways are buzzing with mechanics, cooks, radio operators, and many other specialists.  Each group of specialists had a different color of shirt.  Medics wore white shirts, mechanics wore green shirts, fueling specialists wore purple shirts, room was directly below the deck where fighter jets were being launched and landing all day and night.  

Once we got into international waters, the aircrew began preparations for launching planes and hellicopters.  

The Iranians were kind enough to escort the carrier group as it passed through the narrow portion of the Straits of Hormuz.

Before leaving the carrier, sailors asked us when and how we were returning home.  When we responded that we were taking the COD flight (C2A Carrier On-Delivery), they invariably smiled and without elaborating they told us we were in for a treat.  Sure enough, during the briefing before boarding the COD, they told us the plane would be catapulted off the carrier over 120 miles per hour.  Sure enough, the ride off the carrier did not disappoint.

Former President Carter Visits Dubai

I feel old helping Gaby with her 8th grade history homework.  As I read in her history text book about the fall of the Berlin Wall, Iran-Contra Affair, and First Gulf War, I realize that I was alive and closely followed those and about a third of all the events described in her history text book.   

Former President Jimmy Carter visited Dubai in January.  It was a hard sell to convince Gaby to come hear him speak at the U.S. Consulate.  In the end, I convinced her that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that she could not pass up.  He did not disappoint.  We were impressed with how active, up on political and world events, and involved in various humanitarian causes he still is - despite being 89 years old.