AA--Doha II (1.12.26)

Early in our trip, our guide, Amanda, had us close our eyes and raise our hands if we enjoy museums.  Then, she had us raise our hands if we don't enjoy museums.  I asked what the result was.  "Way positive for museums," she said, "but I need to know the people who really don't like museums, so I can plan something else for them."   This would be a bleak trip for someone who doesn't like museums.  The Gulf States and Saudi Arabia showcase their art and heritage in gorgeous museum collections housed in stunning buildings.  We visited dozens during our trip.  My very favorite was the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.

The Museum is housed in a striking, geometrical building on the waterfront.  Traditional dhows and modern motor boats cruise nearby, with huge skyscrapers in the distance.

The lobby is a soaring space.  I liked the contrast of a group of women completely covered in their abayas, symbol of tradition, next to the daring, innovative architectural shapes around them.

The huge windows looked across the bay at the skyscrapers of Doha.

There were different galleries for each part of the world to which Islam has spread.  This 6th century turquoise monkey came from the Iran gallery

I love the sheen on Arab glass.

There were intricately decorated Korans from around the Muslim world.  Korans are everywhere, including in our hotel room each night!

The rugs in the Persian and Pakistan galleries were gorgeous.

This Turkish vase appealed to me.

And, of course, the jewels from India and Persia and Afghanistan were magnificent.

This necklace included big lumps of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan.

Many Arabs were warriors, and there were several mannequins wearing elaborate shields and war hats.

One of the Muslim arts is calligraphy--making writing beautiful.

 

Arab Adventure---Doha (1.11.26)

It was a trip of a lifetime--30 days in the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia.  We began the trip in Doha, Qatar, one of the go-go Gulf cities with oil money and futuristic buildings. 

We began our day at the racetrack--the camel racetrack.  The camels go walking every morning, and they were imposing, with their group of handlers.

We passed the track, where the camels race down one road and their owners race down a road on the side, slapping the camels' behinds with remote apps.  The camels have digital jockeys, since the young children who used to ride the camels in races were considered a human rights violation.

Racing camels held their "remote jockey" on their behinds.  It could whack them or shout instructions.

We visited the Museum of Modern Art in Doha, to see what modern Arabic artists were creating.

The special exhibition was about Palestinian artists who protested the treatment of their people in Gaza and the West Bank.

This painting was titled, "Our beautiful land stolen in the night of history."

We were impressed with the gorgeous, daring buildings in Doha.  Some were hotels, with charges of up to $14,000 per night.  

We stopped at Katara, developed to resemble a Qatari village.  It serves as an artistic cultural hub for Qatar, and is overflowing with art, shops, amphitheatres, restaurants, and visitors.  I got my first look at ladies wearing full-length black abiyas and face masks.  I soon got used to them

We wandered the souq, or traditional market.

Our goal was to visit the falcon souq, where rich Arabs indulged themselves in falconry, an old Bedouin pastime.  

The falcon market was closed, but I peeked inside and could see dozens of birds on their perches.

We visited the falcon clinic, where the birds are treated when they're sick.  There was a list of specialists on the wall.  Only the best for falcons!

We met a young boy at the falcon clinic.  His father had just given him a falcon for the boy's "good behavior."

As we walked back to our hotel, we passed the barn for the sultan's camels, who had briskly paraded around the nearby palace that morning.  Now they rested in a variety of disconcerting lumps!

New Nordic (1.4.26)

Dave and I have visited Iceland twice, and we love its fresh beauty and "new Nordic" culture.  On January 4, 2026, we invited the family for Icelandic cuisine--cod in curry sauce.  Camille's son, Jono, and his wife, Sarah, had also visited Iceland and loved it.  Mike joined us with his family a few years ago to drive the "Ring Road" around Iceland.  We had lots of family who loved Iceland and wanted to experience all its culture.  I set out my Icelandic trolls as table decorations.

Audrey visited Iceland when she was three.  She was just learning to count, and she counted the dozens, or even hundreds of waterfalls running down the sides of the road.

Market Street Memories (2.2.26)

Our daughter, Lisa, gave us a thoughtful Christmas gift.  She treated us to dinner, on January 2, 2026, at Market Street Grill, a restaurant in downtown Salt Lake that holds wonderful memories for us.  We have eaten there so many times, over the years, that I can taste the sourdough bread and spicy clam chowder before it even is placed on the table!  

One of my memories of Market Street Grill involves Lisa herself.  I took Lisa to lunch there when she was 13.  I asked Lisa what she wanted for lunch and, to my utter astonishment, she ordered a salad!  Before that time, my children's idea of eating their "greens" was green jello.  "Lisa is becoming a young lady," I thought happily.

 

Enough and to Share (12.28.25)

As a family, we ate Thai food on December 28, 2025.  Our Flindt grandchildren joined us en masse, for a last few hours together before they all went home after Christmas.

It has been a treat to get to know Junie, Grant's precocious one-year-old.

Spencer and Naomi now live in Houston, so we prize time with them and their 2 1/2 children, Eliza, Noah, and ?

We wanted something fresh, crispy, and spicy, after the roasts and cakes of Christmas.  I decorated the tables with statues and vases from Burma, next door to Thailand.

After our own dinner, Dave and I scooped up bags of pulled pork, casseroles of "funeral potatoes," and the many containers of salad and rolls we had stockpiled for our ward's "Just Serve" dinner for the homeless at St. Marks Episcopal Church.  We joined the assembly line of ward members ready to assemble dinners for homeless people gathered at the church on this very cold winter night.

Dave and I are the "Just Serve" volunteer coordinators from our ward, and Dave had carefully organized this event.  Each ward in our stake prepared and served dinner for one winter night.

It was fun to volunteer with old friends like the Pettys and Joneses.  It was also good to know we were making a difference.