Getting Juiced

Hello Christmas present.  It was bought for Ian, but I have to admit I'm enjoying it quite a bit.  The best part besides the juice, it's so easy to wash.  See, we'd love to own a waffle maker, but we used to own a waffle maker years ago and while the waffles were yummy, cleaning the iron was nigh impossible.  We couldn't make waffles, clean up quickly, and look forward to doing it again.  It was just always icky with leftover bits stuck here and there, waffle batter stuck on, dribbled on the counter, cooked into the hinge. OK, we probably just didn't know how to make waffles properly but if the learning curve means a colossal cleanup every time, it's just not fun.  The juicer parts are easily rinseable, the catcher bag makes the pulpy stuff easily disposable, and the grater plate is the only thing that takes a few minutes of scrubbing with a brush in the sink.  Easy.

It's a lovely thing to see a bowl full of goodness turned into a large cup of goodness.  True, it's light on the fiber when you juice fruits and vegetables, but it's so darn tasty.  And while I'd have a hard time eating 2 carrots, a cucumber, a pomegranate, 2 kiwis, a lemon, and an orange, I can drink it all just fine.  Ian had the cup with the broccoli and celery added.  I haven't ventured into broccoli yet and celery will never enter my cup.

Voila.  Juice.  Healthy fruit and veggie mix perfect for either breakfast, a snack, or an after dinner dessert drink.

Petra was Awesome, then we went to Aqaba

How can we not love a place that has a Cat Cafe'?

We stayed at the Movenpick Tala Bay resort.  It's pretty awesome.  With 7 pools (one with a slide), 3 jacuzzis, beach, Zara Spa, Scuba certification, snorkeling, 4-wheeling, there was plenty of fun to be had even on the 2nd of January.

Of course we didn't do it all, we couldn't nor did we want to.  The water was warm enough to snorkel, so that's where the family headed.

The underwater viewing included coral and a sunken ship.  Aqaba is a port city and to get to Tala Bay we drove past serious transport ships and cruise ships.  This is where our household effects arrived, afterall.  But for all that, the water is clear and lovely.  The beaches are clean.  And the family had fun paddling around for an hour finding Nemo and sea slugs.

We ate, we rested, we played Scrabble and Yahtzee, we ate more, we read on the beach and watched movies in the room.  Truly we enjoyed doing a lot of nothing while the kids swam and spaaaaaa-ed.  

Next time either Ian and the girls will get Scuba certified or we'll do some 4-wheeling.

Decisions, decisions.

Petra Part 3

Our kids on donkeys, heading off to the Treasury.

"Petra"

Aside from rocks and history (did you know that Petra means rock?) there are people still making a living in the ancient city. The tourism industry is doing well even in the low season. Saddled horses or horse&carriage bring guests from the entry to the Treasury.  From the Treasury camels and donkeys make their way to the old city.  From the old city, donkeys can be hired to trek up to the Monastery.  And along the way are stands selling the usual trinkets, souvenirs, drinks, and sometimes even some treasures.  Ian purchased what were claimed to be Nabatean coins from a Bedouin with a baggy of curious looking monies.  The initial asking price was 300JD ($422) for a single coin.  He worked his way down to 20JD ($28) for 3 small coins. It helps to live in Amman and speak Arabic, though he still might have overpaid some.

We'd never make it out of the Siq if we had to carry all this.

Where I know we overpaid was at a shop built into a stunning rock wall and filled with jewelry of every value, beautifully crafted pieces I could never get away with wearing.  The table out front held carvings, lamps that reminded of Aladdin's genie, pots, rustic necklaces.  Along with the carpeted floor and the little tables with modest settees, the shop offered drinks to the thirsty passerby.  Apparently my girls were simply parched.  A 10JD bill later they each had a small glass of freshly squeezed warm lemon with mint.  Don't be like me and request a mint lemonade anywhere.  You will be unceremoniously corrected.

Further down the stretch were more vendors, one of whom was lucky enough to part Ian with a goodly amount of JD for a Bedouin knife.  It's a lovely piece, marked with the family name that created it, and it will join our small dagger collection.

The ancient boom box.  It rocks.

The city of Petra looks remarkably like any other Roman ruin.  The broken road, the toppled pillars, the frames of abandoned homes,shops, and temples. In the little museum at the end of the road, before the climb to the Monastery, lies a very brief history of the area and the realization that this area was inhabited for thousands of years.  Tools and jewelry and pottery are discovered regularly from all eras.  The ancient city was once a crossroads for trade and therefore had a regular influx of supplies and culture from all around the region as well varied points of the Roman Empire.  Then the trade route shifted to the north along the Silk Road and the west to take advantage of sea routes, the Petra valley rift was hit by yet more earthquakes, and the ancient city was largely abandoned.

It's no wonder it was a well kept secret from then until the 1800s.  The area is vast while Petra is nestled deep in the valley and protected on all sides by massive cliffs.

Hopefully the earthquakes will stay quiet and the visitors conscientious so it remains another 1000 years.

Tossing rocks off this ledge led to Physics theories.

Duck face.

 ...to be continued...

Part 2 - Petra

Rocks. Lots of rocks.  Carved rocks by man and nature.  My kids may sigh but I just love them.

Look around the interwebs and you'll find all sorts of sites about the history of Petra.  Suffice to say it was rediscovered in 1812 and has been a tourist destination ever since.

Take a close look at the photos and the people in them give you some scale.  These caves were often tombs.

So are the big carved doorways, but for much wealthier dead Nabateans.  The doorways were small compared to the columns, and the interiors are cramped and sparse.

I'd put those camels about 1/4 mile away from the carvings in the hills.  The columns were reassembled from fallen parts and constitute part of the entry arch to the central part of the city of Petra, where shops and homes were built along a central road.  All that is thanks to the Romans who ruled over Petra just as they did the rest of Jordan.

The first and last place you see when visiting Petra, aside from the Siq, is the Treasury.  Like the other carved entries, it did multiple jobs over the years, and like the other carved entries the interior is nothing like "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."  It is small and unadorned with no hidden challenges.  Also unlike Indy, visitors are not allowed in.  Too much damage is done when thousands of people visit and touch things (check out the Great Wall of China... sad), so the entry is blocked off.

 ...to be continued...

Outside

My word for this year.

Outside.

I think we started well.

On January 1 we drove our way down to Petra.  It's about 2 1/2 hours away from Amman, mostly on a well-paved 4-6 lane divided highway.  Our send off was a dust storm in the valley just outside Amman.

And by lunch time we were at the Petra Marriott.  Which has a stunning view over Wadi Musa and the Petra valley.  We skipped lunch and decided to snack at the park.

On New Year's Eve we forced the kids to sit and watch "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."  It was good prep.

But nothing really prepares you for visiting a wonder of the world.  The kids moaned and groaned about an afternoon looking at rocks, but I think if you caught them off guard they'd say they had a blast.  Jonathon had difficulties not climbing on millennial old carvings and boulders.  Katherine received a little too much attention from the locals.  And I do believe that Nicholas and Rebecca enjoyed the donkey ride.  I grant that 2 1/2 hours of walking (and chatting and taking photos and stepping out of the way of careening carriages) just on the way in without even rising towards the Monastery is a nice hike, especially as it's all down hill. I read that from the entrance to the city center is akin to dropping 45 stories.

Petra, especially the Siq, is spectacular.

... to be continued....

Giddyup

Day one of equestrian at Saifi Stables.  Saifi doesn't advertise.  At the turn off the main road there are a number of road signs for everything from an Autism support site, to soccer fields, to stables, and the shooting range.  Saifi isn't on of them and I asked the owner about it.  She was honest and said they have plenty of business and don't want folks to just wander in.  They board 65 horses both school owned and privately owned, have 150 students, offer classes to all ages and abilities, and are perfectly content with their current clientele and word-of-mouth advertising.  Rebecca really liked their instructor, Bruno, and caught on quickly to posting.  Jonathon took a little longer and doesn't quite have the rhythm, but with a little focus and patience (two things he is genuinely short on) he'll get there, but he had fun anyway.  And with lessons comes horse care.  They manage tack, clean hooves, the fun stuff.

If they stick with it, looks like we'll need to purchase a few supplies.  Boots, pants, and helmets.  Suggestions for online sites?

Jonathon

Jonathon, Rebecca, and teacher Bruno

After lesson time we returned home to get rid of the horsey smell, met up with Ian for lunch, and the boys spent a little more time practicing on their Ripstiks.  Rebecca gave it a whirl too.

There was minimal blood drawn, so a successful day for all.

BTW, it's December 27th and it's 57F outside during the day.  Jealous?

One Little Word

First, read this blog page and you'll see what it's all about:

One Little Word 2013

It's not a resolution. It's not a promise.  It's not an unattainable goal.  It's an idea.  An opportunity to focus on  small instances and change your way of thinking, change your reaction, stop and consider your options.

It's true that sometimes a word just screams at you (in a good way) and sometimes it whispers.  Either way, you know it's the one for you.  It pulls at you, it touches the thoughts and ideas that are swirling in your head, it feels right even as it feels potentially really difficult.  Look ahead at the year to come and you'll often see big decisions looming, big changes.  That one little word can help you tackle those opportunities in a new way.

This year's word is different for me.  Usually I pick something like Restraint or Patience, words fitting for a mom of four including two teen girls.  They are constant battles but since they are already in my daily list so I'm on a different angle now.

So what's your word for the year?

(You didn't think I was going to tell you mine, did you?)