Day 49 - Kuwait

-
The sandstorms are something quite remarkable. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I've posted these photos to express the difference between a "clear" day and a "dusty" day. I took the "clear" pictures from the same spots as the "dusty" pictures, just to give you a frame of reference. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/khalaf.writes/DustStorms

Popular posts from this blog

Royal Oak, MI - A Profile in Courage and Sportsmanship

-
It's been a while since I posted my whereabouts. Since the beginning of the year I have been to Minneapolis and back six times. Last week I was in Ohio for a change. Sadly, I didn't venture beyond the hotel. Maybe it was the ice storm that first night that left a 1/2 inch layer of ice all over the car that I had to chip through Monday morning. I'm sure there were some neat things to see there; if I go back in better weather, I'll write about them. But this week finds me home doing things around the house - unclogging drains, getting cars running, cleaning the house, etc. One of the perks of being home is the opportunity to spend more time with our beautiful children - taking them to and from school, talking around the house. So far it has been a fantastic week. Yesterday, Benjamin had a wrestling meet in Royal Oak, Michigan - about a 20-minute drive from the house. So after school I grabbed the video camera and headed over to the gymnasium. Once in the gym I found Benja...
Read more

Anchorage - Day 7 - Epilogue

-
The flights home were relatively uneventful. Exit row seating gave my legs a place to stretch. I didn't get much sleep on the Anchorage-Salt Lake flight, and I used the Salt Lake-Detroit leg to fill out my paperwork for the week. Arriving at Detroit at 2:05pm Saturday, I headed over to the Starbucks for my first coffee in well over a week. My lovely wife picked me up a few minutes later and we enjoyed the ride home. I can't wait to go back to Alaska. In fact, I think that's where we'll go for a family vacation this summer. Then I'll finally get to see the "other" Alaska - green everywhere and sunlight forever.
Read more

Signs That I've Gone Native

-
Image
I'm nearing the end of my fourth straight week in Minnesota. As faithful readers of this blog know, I have spent a lot of time up here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (a.k.a. Land of 10,000 Hockey Ponds). When I spend so much time in one place I develop feelings of ownership for it as if I have become one of the natives who lives there. Here are some signs that I've "gone native" here in Minnesota: I give directions to people trying to get places. The front desk staff at the hotel recognizes me by name. I avoid freeway traffic by taking side streets. My speech is dotted with "Eh" and "You betcha!" I take the shortcut out of the parking structure at the airport. The guy at the gelato stand at the Mall of America knows my preferences. ("Mocha flavors, right?" http://www.paciugo.com ) I know who Ole and Lina are. Weather is a big topic of conversation, but the cold weather doesn't really bother me. I have used the word "spendy" cor...
Read more