My Dinner with . . . Jim

This is Jim, last night, as I saw him off to Cairo.  He is an extraordinarily gifted writer, educator and friend.

Jim travels the way I would if I were brave enough.  He doesn’t just visit, tour around and eat great local cuisine.  He stays . . . teaches and learns.

One of the topics of discussion last night was the name of his new blog in Cairo.

For the previous 2 years he has written as “Veeds of Arabia” while teaching English in one of the most repressive societies in today’s world (my words - not his) the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Reading his descriptions of everything from grocery shopping to parking in KSA was an amazing gift.

I look forward to his new adventures in Cairo – whatever the final name of the blog might be.  My suggestion was ‘Purple THORN of Cairo’.  Jim’s response?  “Keep thinking”.

So, do yourself a favor and look over the last few years of his last blog as we wait to see whether he will be so distracted by the sight of women’s ankles that he will be unable to find time to write.  Of course, he no longer has to make his own wine and hide it in bottles marked “grape juice” . . . so I think he’ll find time to bring Cairo alive for his small but loyal following.

He writes a political blog as well that is humorous and edgy.  I’ve included links to both below.

The best stories are the ones that follow a glass or two of wine.  Those are mine!!

Saudi Blog:

http://jveeds.blogspot.com/


Humor and politics:
http://jveeds.wordpress.com/

What’s to love about Wisconsin Dells?

There I was trapped in a boat after a lovely ride over land and river.  Beautiful rock formations that reminded me of those I grew up with in Colorado.  Sweet faced college boy driving and telling VERY bad jokes.  Kids are laughing, smiling and pointing at wildlife along the way.

The area is still brown from winter but the day was warm enough for light jackets.   We are having a lovely time.  Then, about a half mile from the end of the tour, young Toby or was it Troy?  Stops the duckboat and invites us to tip him.  Seriously, he brings the vehicle to a complete stop, passes out books and postcards as if they are gifts then asks us to pay $2 each for same.  After which he talks about tipping and needing to pay college costs. 

Really?  I had a $5 tip in my pocket.  It remained there.

The resort was beautiful and Marilyn, my dear friend, is the queen of coupons.  She had a coupon for everything.  Even so, the food at the resort was not great and was outrageously expensive.  The best meal we had was barbeque at Famous Dave’s downtown. 

The best part of Wisconsin Dells is of course the waterslides.  They were awesome but it was the off season so we were limited to those at the resort.   As it was, it was nice to have the water park right there so that the kids could play some on their own when their Mom and I were too tired to go on!

Marilyn and I had lovely wine in the bar.  Since our friendship began over a bottle of wine after training in Lansing one night, we have mostly concentrated on family activities – so our evening drinking wine was really nice. 

People in Wisconsin are great.  Warm and friendly even in a resort town. 

Bring Me the Shivers

Bring me the shivers of a cold winter day.
Good weather for snuggling, puppy on my lap
under a blanket while I read a great book.

Bring me the shivers of a scary story.
Read in the dark night,
surrounded by silent house.

Bring me the shivers of holding a hand.
Kissing in the dark
at the end of a sweet night.

Bring me the shivers of holding a new baby.
The smell of new life.
The joy of renewal.

Bring me the shivers of standing in a spot
where I feel that no one
has stood before.

Bring me the shivers of the earth from above.
Watch it slip by the clouds
as I hurdle through the sky.

Bring me the shivers of a strange airport
Where no one speaks English
while I follow the signs to a train.

Bring me the shivers
Of Life!!!