Boat Ride and Food

January 2011 and what to do on a rainy and cool winter's day in Abu Dhabi...
Why take a ride on a boat, of course! A group of administrators and physicians from Mafraq Hospital were scheduled to take a boat cruise last weekend. Rainy, windy and very cool for Abu Dhabi was the weather of the day. Now this is NOT a complaint, merely an observation. We started out on the covered top deck of the boat (it was larger than these, as these are the traditional fishing dhows so common in the area). Lovely fruit juices were served and we had conversation while we waited for the lost member of the group to find his way to Mina Port. One of the physicians also lives in Sas Al Nakhl Village; we recognized her children from the pool.

This was the appetizer and by far the best part of the meal. It was all chilled seafood and beautifully presented. We both finished every morsel.

Fruit and pastries were dessert. What about the entree you might ask... Well, let's just say that we skipped over the entree on purpose. Not sure if it was only so-so because of the 1 hour wait for the lost physician or maybe it just started out that way.

Anyway, fresh fruit is very common for dessert here and we both enjoyed it. But the pastries,

were gorgeous. Christine tried all 4 kinds (well, it was dessert!) and she pronounced the winner to be the third from the front with pistachio topping and chocolate. The pastries feature an almost jello type of filling as opposed to icing - refreshing.

But the winner for the entire week was what Scott brought home from work. This is a tray of nearly 200 Patchi chocolates, "Danger Will Robinson, Danger!!!" Scott had done a nice turn for a colleague and was rewarded with this! We walked around if for 3 days before Christine couldn't stand it any longer (was it those glasses of wine before dinner). The cellophane covering and several candy wrappers were history! Next evening we pulled this beautiful arrangement apart, eating as we went. The wrappers were hot glued to a piece of styrofoam underneath (thank goodness for that). A huge tupperware container on the top shelf of the kitchen is now their home and yesterday we managed to ignore it completely. But as Scarlett O'hara says "tomorrow is another day."

Winter in Abu Dhabi is overcast and cooler. It has rained off and on the past three weeks and several times we walked and swam in the rain. The only day it was awful was the day we took the boat cruise (naturally!). Cooler mornings are perfect for walking and Christine has been out every day. Liz Crossen joins her several times each week and they do set a brisk pace. Scott is just as dedicated to his swimming program. Several days each week he will do a longer session or different strokes. Weekends are nice for our activities because we meet up at the pool and enjoy the sunshine, except for those rainy weekends.

Our lives have settled into a familiar pattern of Scott cooking and Christine keeping up with the laundry and housekeeping. We continue to meet new folks in the compound. We take joy in being together and in saving toward retirement. Go 5-Year Plan!

In closing, we send love to our family and friends and would be remiss should we not pay homage to our childhoods in the Pittsburgh area with a rousing --

GO STEELERS!

Christine & Scott

New Years Day with Midshipmen

Paying It Forward or Thanks, depends upon how you look at life... Maybe a little of both. Christine posed outside our villa as we got ourselves in the mood to host a group of Naval Academy Midshipmen and their advisors. Scott thinks this could also be titled "Dress For Success".

In our living room 5 Midshipmen, Martin Simpson (HMRN Ret. Commander, on couch) and Christine

On the patio just off our living room are three Midshipmen and Major Aron Axe, on right (USNA '99 and also an instructor). Mid in the front is prior enlisted Marine, as is Major Axe.

It took 2 borrowed tables put end-to-end with ours to accommodate our group. At this end are Emma Quinn, Dr. Deborah Wheeler, Kiley Provenzano & Chelsey Boggs. The mid in the red shirt is a Firstie and his service selection is Marines (He recognized Alex from his graduation picture). The mid across the table is Devereaux Smith (I remember his name cause he was BIG guy and I kept pushing food on him and the others).

Please note the USNA Class of 2010 blanket we used to "decorate" and the yellow and blue tableware. Love to festoon for our gatherings, but Scott drew the limit at the table. He said that the Mids were probably happy not to think "Blue & Gold" on holiday to U.A.E.

When the question was posed what they could do to help clean up, we gave a resounding "nothing, but we do require a group photo!"

This is Midshipmen 3/c Emma Quinn with us. She is the daughter of one of Christine's school friend John William Quinn from Quaker Valley High School. John and Christine grew up 2 blocks apart and he was also in the same Boy Scout troop with Scott sponsored by the Methodist Church in Sewickley (church in which we were married).

Okay, you may be wondering (and justifiably so) how a group of Midshipmen visiting UAE would hook up with a couple of ex-pats... Christine and John were talking on FB last autumn (if you've read the entire blog, you know that they hooked up at Alex's graduation last May) And John mentions that Emma will be coming to Abu Dhabi over Christmas break. Lots of back and forth conversations, via e-mail, of course followed. The group had a tight schedule, but we were plugged into the schedule for New Year's Day.

The group arrived and Scott promptly escorted them down to our swimming pool to relax in the sun. Christine stayed at the villa and talked with Maj Axe (yes, Louisville friends, I've got his life story and it is very interesting). Alex, having spent part of a Christmas holiday in Jordan, advised us on the menu. We served an American Picnic of hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw and sauerkraut meatballs (sauerkraut is tradional "good luck" food in Northern part of USA). We did not want to compete with the traditional foods of the Mid East or the fabulous meals their parents would have just slaved over.

HMRN ret. Commander & former USNA faculty 1998-2001 (taught navigation and handled the YP's) Martin Simpson spoke with our group. Martin captained the HMS Northumberland and served in the waters off the coast of Somalia. He spoke at length about his experience and observations during the interdiction of the Somali pirates. Martin is after all a sailor and certainly can turn a colorful phrase. A reliable source tells us Martin was quoted throughout the remainder of the trip, something about Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys ie: the French.

Chris Peters (yes, the guy across the street) works for E-Ships, so he came over for lunch and joined in the discussion from the commercial shipping point of view.

One of my personal goals is to act upon my better impulses and Scott feels strongly about "paying it forward". When the possibility of hosting a group of Midshipmen arose, we felt it might be good for them to see how Americans live and work in a Mid Eastern country. We are hoping that we might have the opportunity to host other Midshipmen in the future. Although we only had a few hours with this group, they were able to relax and enjoy a little bit of "home".

In closing this post, we leave you with the words of Edwin Arlington Robinson,

Two kinds of gratitude: the sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.

Love to All, Scott and Christine

New Years Eve

Ringing in the New Year If this dining room is starting to look familiar that is because Chris & Suzanna Peters are such welcoming hosts. John & Jan from Newcastle, UK, Doug Peters from London, Chris and Christine start the gathering off around 7:00 PM. The table behind us was covered with a vast array of food, which was enjoyed by guests 1 y/o to 80's

This group seems to only have male offspring. These guys had a wonderful evening of food, video games, party favors and racing around. It was a beautiful evening and the boys played outside until it got too cool to stand anymore. Oddly enough, Taavi the youngest at 14 months was upstairs asleep in his own bed.

. The boys have moved onto party hats and the brand new toy a Wii. Actually the Wii was a gift from Doug to Chris and Suzanna, but the big boys couldn't get anywhere near it that night.

Christine makes a point with Hendrick & Katherine Atsma, parents of two of the young partygoers. Katherine is the daughter of John and Jan from first photo.

Visitors from Europe are very common around the holidays. The flights are normally not a headache, although Heathrow was a zoo this year having experienced heavy snow in early December and then the week right before Christmas. The weather in Abu Dhabi is currently fantastic, with cool mornings and evenings and wonderful breezes during the day. Don't get to jealous, remember summer brings 120 degrees and you can't catch your breath.

We met several sets of grandparents on New Year's Eve and have enjoyed their company poolside and while walking. The grandparents of the boy, in photo with cones popping out of his head, are also from UK. They are retired and spend 6 months of the year with Tampa as their homebase and have been touring the US for years. We found them delightful to talk with and enjoyed their perspective of "home".

We made it to the New Year and toasted/hugged before giving up and walking across the street about 12:20.

Luke looked like a version of a punk rocker and Joseph Atsma almost popped his eyes out by blowing out his party favor. The little boys finally got a chance at the Wii. Amazingly they were still going strong at midnight, do you think it was all the sugar they had consumed?

Love to All,

Scott and Christine

Christmas Day and Boxing Day

Hi all,
Christmas just had to be different this year. We couldn't face No Children/Family, No Decorations or Tree, No Snow or cooler temperatures, so we decided to embrace the difference. Voila! Christmas morning on the Corniche Beach in Abu Dhabi proper. Packed a cooler with fruit and Bloody Marys. Scott enjoyed just sitting and looking out at the beautiful turquoise waters, as he decided the water was too cool for a swim.

Christine models her Christmas gift. Scott purchased this sarong in Goa from a beach vendor. Enjoyed half of her morning treat and then went for a little walk along the water's edge.

Beautifully set Christmas table at The Peter's home, (Chris and Suzanna) note the traditional English "crackers" on the table. Each person pulls the cracker (silver or gold wrapped tubes at each place) and it makes a loud pop sound. Inside are prizes and paper crowns.

Chris with Taavi after dinner. Chris looks stern, actually he was exhausted because he and Scott did the vast majority of the cooking. We had ham, turkey, stuffing (Christine's Mom's recipe), potatoes, brussel spouts, green beans, carrots, rutabaga, parsnips, and a Finnish recipe of carrots and squash. The huge amount of veggies is important and read on to find out why...

Layla (Suzanna's Mother), Taavi, Richard (Chris' boss) and Doug (Chris' Father). We are just about ready to eat - there was sooo much food and it was all wonderful.

We know that most people are about has happy as they decide to be, so, we decided to embrace the difference. Chris & Suzanna and their other guests were so gracious about including us in their Christmas Day and Boxing Day plans that we were busy and the time passed quickly and very much was enjoyed. Dinner on Christmas Day was huge affair. Dessert was also impressive. Chris brought back a proper Christmas pudding from London. This dessert is sort of like a really moist fruitcake - really moist because it has been soaking in brandy for the past 6 months. Chris poured more brandy over the cake and lit it on fire. While the cake is lit, Chris is spooning the flaming brandy over the cake. Delicious with a bit over brandy sauce anda glass of port. We rolled ourselves across the street.

Boxing Day (Dec 26th) is huge holiday in UK. We were invited back for Boxing Day celebration of elegant leftovers. The hit of the day is called "Bubbles and Squeak". Essentially all left over veggies and potatoes/stuffing are mashed and then either pan fried or oven roasted. A fried egg is served over the B&S. Scott was thrilled to eat ham two days in a row - remember ham isn't often on the menu! We were made to feel so welcome and a part of our neighbors' Christmas plans, that Christine woke up and it was Dec 27th. She had made it through her first Christmas away from home (and the "boys")

Christine felt inspired to return the hospitality and made Turkey Devonshire (a.k.a. Hot Brown for our Louisville friends) and apple pie for the Peters' family. Later in the week, Scott requested Aunt Jo Herbst's Turkey Tetrazzini. She always made this for her holiday gatherings and Scott has always enjoyed it. Enough with the turkey already is Christine's thought process...

In retrospect, Christmas season was certainly different, but lovely none the less.

Love to all,

Scott and Christine

December 2010

A few weeks before Christmas we made a trip up to Dubai and I caught Christine with the Burj Khalifa. This building truly is amazing. You have to book tickets to the observation deck near the top (around the 120th floor). We are waiting for visitors to experience this view, any takers?

Cheese , Cheese and more Cheese- Christine's major food group! We heard about an Australian cafe/shoppe called Jones The Grocerier and in our effort to experience as much as possible, well, we went for brunch. The coffee and pastries were lovely. Scott sampled the eggs benedict
and his verdict was "Mom's is Better". There were lots of foodstuffs to purchase, but I was thrilled to enter the Cheese Room - it smelled wonderful! Oh, and I was saying "cheese" for the photographer.

Father Christmas comes on Christmas Eve in Finland. The sandals are a surefire clue that we're not in Finland. Next December Father Christmas may have to find some proper footwear cause we know Taavi is going to catch on.Suzanna and Taavi. He's almost 15 months here and dressed in a darling elf outfit. - He'll kill if these pictures get out in 14 years. The elf outfit came from Finland.

Taavi doesn't know what to think of Father Christmas - All I can tell you is that he doesn't want to be too close !

Christmas Eve was so different this year as there was no running around with last minute errands or wrapping presents. We decided to have a special dinner of rack of lamb and a lovely bottle of wine. Our evening was enhanced with watching "It's A Wonderful Life" and knowing that indeed, we are living a wonderful life togther so far away. Plus we know that we are making such lovely memories while we work diligently toward The 5-Year Plan.

Love to all,

Scott and Christine