Dubai -- 10/28 - 10/29

Dubai -- a very long distance across the pond!  We left Newark 11:30/ish/pm on Friday.  Our flight was 12 or 13 hours, plus a two-hour layover in Athens, and throw in a time difference that I cannot calculate, and you see why we arrived in Dubai on Saturday night, almost 24 hours after leaving Newark.  So, you have me typing this at a disadvantage, both sleep deprived and overheated by Dubai temperatures.  From our large jet, we saw the moon rise on Friday and again on Saturday!  I don't sleep well while traveling, but no complaints!

Leaving Newark:  Jimmy, me, Ibby and Bernice.

Close to Athens.  We deplaned and walked around, but remained in the secure area.

Back on Emirates, same seats, for the final leg to Dubai.

Arabian Courtyard will be home for three nights.

Our eighth floor room offered great city views.  After gathering luggage and customs, we didn't get to the hotel till after 1am, and not into that lovely bed (above) till 2ish.  Unfortunately, we'd booked an 8:00am tour to Abu Dhabi for the next morning.  We managed a couple hours sleep.

An early morning view of a minaret from our room.

The sky seemed murky-looking to me.  Smoggy.  Others used words like foggy and blowing sand.  Whichever you prefer, the A/Q was a disappointment, inasmuch as we couldn't see the fantastic Dubai skyline clearly.

I could give you statistics, but I won't, at least not now.  Two years ago, I'm the one who thought Kathmandu would be a sleepy town, filled with exotic spices and maybe a camel caravan or two, but I was far from correct.  It's a big city.  This year, I was fooled again.  Dubai is a large city, 2.8 million ... filled with vehicles, some of them in the wow! category.  They're all trying to get somewhere.  Of course, most people have heard of Dubai's out-of-this-world architecture, but not its traffic.  I was appalled by the congestion, even with wide streets and freeways.  Stop-and-go.  Our Sunday Abu Dhabi tour took took a long time to get there!

Our first look (through the haze) of the Burj Khalifa.

Our guide said there is a mosque every kilometer.  I don't know if that's true, but Google said Dubai has over 1400 mosques.  Beautiful structures.  I photographed quite a few.  Fact is, if photos weighed anything, my stack would weigh a ton.

Mai Dubai = Dubai water.

Everyone loved this Aldar Headquarters Bldg, though we don't know who/what Aldar is.  The Coin building is how people refer to it.  Quite large -- but EVERYTHING in Dubai is large, the biggest, or tallest, or both.

Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, opened in 2005.

Jaw-dropping opulence everywhere we looked.

Ibby, Vibha (our Abu Dhabi guide), Jimmy and Bernice near the Palace hotel fountains.

Jimmy enjoying a seat at the fountains.

Looking across from the Emirates Palace Hotel.

This intro to Dubai is just that.  Our first day -- Sunday -- was brimful from 8am to 8pm.  I could say exhausting, but it was so awesome!  First impressions can be accurate or misleading.  I will have more to say on my next blog post.  But ... We Are Here!

A very cool Thursday, 10/27/17

Never a lack of things to do when we're Out and About!  While we're only in New Jersey for a day before our flight to Dubai leaves Friday evening, Bernice and Ibby suggested visiting Grounds for Sculptures in nearby Hamilton Township, NJ, not far from Trenton.  Neither Jimmy nor I had ever heard of it.  Boy, what a delightful surprise!

Painting by the Glow of the Green Fairy (Seward Johnson)

I copied the following from their website:  "Nestled in the heart of central New Jersey lies Grounds For Sculpture, a magical place where art and nature are always at play. At its core are more than 270 sculptures by renowned and emerging contemporary artists, each thoughtfully positioned on meticulously landscaped parkland full of thousands of exotic trees and flowers. It is a feast for the senses."

Covering 42 acres, the four of us wandered over the grounds, admiring the scale of Seward Johnson's enterprise.  Fashioned out of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds (basically barren ground), GFS has been transformed into a space that offers everyone the joy of discovery.  Sculptures are large or small, in-your-face, or tucked into a forested nook.  A public, not-for-profit corporation since 2000, GFS charges a nominal fee.  You have to see all of it to believe it ... and we glimpsed only a fraction of what GFS offered.

Founded by artist and philanthropist, Seward Johnson, Grounds for Sculptures is itself a work of art.

 Hawthorne Tree II (Isaac Witkin)

Experiencing the landscape in harmony with the sculptures really was very cool.  You see Bernice and me sitting in front of a spectacular Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar tree ... with jackets on.  A 66° high temp was predicted, but the reality was a high of 56°, clouds that turned into light rain and ended at 52° with a real feel of 44° by the time we left.  Cool?  Yup, downright chilly.  Something we will probably wish for in a few days!

Jimmy really liked this one.  But I couldn't find any info on it.
Autumn tree color was gorgeous.

Ten Ogilarchs (Michelle Post)

Resting Place (Roy Wilson)
Sandhill Cranes came to my mind ....

The Chamber of Internal Dialogue (Seward Johnson)

We inserted ourselves in many of the sculptures, having fun as usual.  GFS's mission doesn't specifically say having fun is part and parcel of its mission statement, but I'm sure they'd appreciate their audience having a good time, regardless.  Indeed, some of their sculptures, like above, begged to be imitated!

Bamboo:  alive, one yellow, one green, on either side of the path.

Go figure.

Family Secret (Seward Johnson) ... a classic.

Dancers (Alexander Rutsch)
When I saw Dancers, I immediately thought of Tree Beard in Lord of the Rings.

October Gathering (Joan Danziger) -- a favorite of mine.

"Copyright Violation!!" (Seward Johnson)
Peeking over Van Gogh's shoulder!

Testing Togetherness (Seward Johnson)
If you're wondering, they are life sized, and the book is Physics!

Depression Breadline (George Segal)
Though Jimmy and Bernice joined the line, the sculpture is too real to make you feel comfortable.

Has Anyone Seen Larry? (Seward Johnson)
A grisly sculpture!

I also couldn't find anything on the girl reading a book of poems.

Confrontational Vulnerability (Seward Johnson)

While this looks like a flat mural, it is a monumental sculpture on a hill near the entrance.  I took the picture as we approached the entrance, astonished by its size.  You, looking at this photo, have no way of knowing (without someone in the fore or background) how big it is.  Look again at the first photo and that'll give you an idea of this amazing sculpture.

Lunar Brilliance (Yuyu Yang)

If it Were Time (Seward Johnson)

Me, photo-bombing Bernice and Ibby's parody of the two statues.  We spent a few hours outdoors before retreating to one of the indoor galleries, followed by coffee and a sandwich in the Peacock Cafe.  How many contemporary sculptures?  Yes, you saw it at top -- the park now exhibits over 270 works, including sculptures by renowned artists.  I posted only a few.  There are many, many more.  We would love to spend more time exploring ... next time.  Recommend.

This is my last post before jumping across the pond.  I hope to have time-inclination-opportunity to post on the blog while we're in Dubai/India/Athens.  Stay tuned!  Hugs from Nickie and Jim!

Buttoned up! Tuesday, October 24, 2017

No fall color here, but the Live Oak trees are beauteous.

Well, it’s taken some doing and we’ve been busier than one-armed paper hangers the past two days, but I believe we’re ready. Our bags are packed, boarding passes printed. Laundry is done, the fridge cleaned out. We’ve said our goodbyes. And lastly, we moved Tergel -- she’s tucked into a sheltered area not far from her usual spot beneath the trees. She’s buttoned up, so to speak, protected from storms. Tomorrow morning we’ll arise early (very early) to catch a 7:20am flight to Newark. Jimmy’s sister will drive us to Mobile airport; we’ll leave Smartie parked at her apartment complex. Ready, set, go.

(While we’re taking care of this, tree men are at our house in Nevada City today, cutting down seven of our large, tall trees, five of them too close to the house.  With them gone, our place will be more "fire safe."  I'm glad I’m not there to witness the whole business ... especially the crane lifting big sections of tree trunk over the roof!)

Now that all the mundane chores are taken care of, we’re excited to be traveling again. To new and magical places. From Newark, Jimmy and I, and our buddies Bernice and Ibby, will fly Emirates to Dubai, leaving on the 27th, arriving on the 28th. Big plans afoot in the UAE, adventurous excursions planned!

On October 31st, the four of us will join a three-week Road Scholar trip to India: The Best of India, Treasures of the North and South. This will be our third journey with Road Scholar. They do such a fine job of making learning fun. I know we’ll travel to some amazing locations in India, beginning in Delhi.

Finally, on our return to the states, we’ll take advantage of a layover in Athens and spend a couple of days exploring ruins in Delphi and Athens.  Our month-long trip will combine sleek and modern with ancient and ordinary. We think it’ll be fascinating.  We’ll be back stateside on Thanksgiving, Nov 23rd. 

And away we go!

On ye olde trail, Thursday, 10/19/17

Neither Jimmy nor I like pedaling a bicycle on a roadside, unless the road is almost devoid of traffic.  We know too many people who have been hit and hurt, some fatally, by cars.  We much prefer riding rails-to-trails or other off-the-beaten-track paths, especially if scenery and/or wildlife is thrown into it.  Our bikes are 29'ers, not light road bikes at all, not fast nor easy to haul around, but we like hopping on 'em and "flying" over the ground!  Exploring a new trail is especially fun, 'cause you never know what's around the corner.

Our ride began near the Orange Beach water tower.

Our friend, Tommy, told us about a new trail near the FL/AL line from Orange Beach to Gulf Shores.  It wasn't close to Daphne, maybe 60 miles, but we were up for it, the day being fine.  Parts of the trail were new, but the rest of it had been reworked or rerouted, so it may as well have been new.  It was new to us!  We found out from a fellow cyclist that the improvements -- enhancements -- were compliments of BP oil money (from the massive BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill in 2010).  At least some good came out of a terrible tragedy.  The project continues, with additional trails and amenities coming soon.

Covered swings and wooden benches were among the amenities.

Lots of both.

We pedaled through Gulf State Park, where we saw a controlled burn taking place.  Coming from California, seeing fire (especially NOW) is alarming.  The rangers, etc., had it under control, but I still gave it the stink eye.  We pedaled on to the museum in the park.

If you're not familiar with Gulf St Pk, it's a mile-and-a-half from white sand beaches, and offers a whopping 496 improved FHU campsites with paved pads, plus 11 primitive sites.  Tents are welcome on all sites.

And there we encountered "The Doctor," a lady Great Horned Owl, I think the girl at the desk said.  Tethered on a perch, we visited with her (I called her Fluffy) for a bit, before continuing on to eat our sandwiches at a picnic area near Middle Lake.

Walking and eating at Middle Lake.

Jimmy and I and my sis, Nannie, ran, walked, and biked around here more often than we can recall when we were training for road races -- 10k's, etc.  Round and round Lake Shelby we went, six miles. The annual Shrimp Festival run is held here, and we three ran it a couple of times, and won little trophies in our divisions.  I think I still have mine.  The blue water tower is an icon for us.

Miles of new boardwalks kept us off the busy highway.  Double thumbs up.

Along the way, we came across a stately Tricolored Heron (above) and a cute li'l American Kestrel (below).  The Kestrel didn't want it's pic taken, but I tried.

Good to see kayaks for rent.  But not today for us.

We rode through a really diverse gulf habitat, from wetlands to woodlands to beaches.

Gulf Oak Ridge was my favorite part of the entire 20.5 ride.

When we weren't on a boardwalk, the path was wide, paved, and level.  Easy for walkers, runners, and bikers.  Much of it accessible.  It was lightly trafficked midday today, but I imagine weekends and mornings would have more activity.

Other than pretty Firecracker flowers, we didn't see much color.

Not many people know where it is or have even heard of it, but we parked our RV at a Harvest Hosts winery in Bad Axe once, and enjoyed it.  Cool to see the name here, so I took its picture.

Snowbirds love to flock to this area when the weather up north turns icy.  They form clubs down here; e.g., The Missouri Club or the Ohioans, or whatever.  Again, good has come to the trail via the benches.  All of them are inscribed -- some by individuals, but many clubs sponsor a bench.  We applaud.

Thoroughly liked riding today.  If we have time before we leave, we'll do it again.  Recommend!