Clouds, Haircut, & Consulate

Here is an image I took this morning walking to work. Actually, I was there - this is the front of my building! This time of year there have been some beautiful clouds early on, which won't be here as summer progresses. This was a quick capture, as cameras are not allowed inside the area where I work, but with the proliferation of camera phones they are not quite as rigid as just a few years ago,

I came to get a haircut after a short afternoon outing described below. I got one not too long ago, but it was much too long on top so I came to get it evened up a bit.  This sign is posted on the barber shop door, which means the price of my haircut has gone up to the equivalent of $4.99!

I like my barber, Mel. He was the first guy to cut my hair here and does a very good job, so I try to time things so I can get him. It's a ticket/number system, so sometimes I have to wait a while, but I let him know when I arrive and he usually manages to time it just right!  I make it worth his while and  tip him very well.

They provide a "scalp massage" for SR8 (8 Saudi Riyals, about $2) that consists of a brief workover of head and shoulders with a heavy duty massage - I typically tip him the entire amount of haircut and massage and he gives me about a 20 minute workover with this thing - head, neck, shoulders, arms, and back (all while sitting in barber chair)!  All for about $15. And no, don't worry Natalie at Salon Professionals in Fayetteville AR, he can't replace you - but while I'm here he will do! :)

Last week a co-worker found out the hard way that if you run out of empty pages in your passport they won't let you back into the country! She spent two days in Bahrain until she could get into the U.S. Embassy to get a batch of pages added to her book. So after discovering that my passport has only a handful of blank pages left, I went to the U.S. Consulate here in Dhahran today to expand my book.

Interesting experience. I think it's easier to break out of prison than to get into this place! I'm not complaining, much. Given the proclivity around the world for various groups to target any American facility they can, precautions must be taken. No electronics can go in, so check you phone, ipad, etc. at the dooe. and photographs are forbidden! and all surrounded by passive and active defences. not really a fun visit.

I had to wait almost an hour to give them my book and be told to come back tomorrow to pick it up. They typically do it while you wait but they were short-handed today.  So rest assured, citizens, here in what is arguably the most stable place in the Mideast it is nearly impossible to penetrate the U.S. outpost. Even with an appointment!

More soon!

Art Show All Done

The art show is finished (well, a few days ago now! it's already a busy week) and I have somewhat mixed feelings about it.  On the whole, I'm very pleased to have participated and grateful to have some good images to submit. Still, photographs were treated as pretty second rate, and were posted in a an unannounced, unmarked second room down a dark hallway, so there was not much traffic through "my" room.

The artists reception Thursday evening was pleasant enough - lots of people came by to look, and my display was really quite well received. I had many lovely comments, lots of questions, many more suggestions on local places that I must go shoot (and some of them I will try to do so!!). I got a lot of attention Thursday evening. I also won a prize.

My shot of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles (below) was awarded 3d place in photography, so I'm very pleased with that!  My friend and co-worker Mike Thomas got 2d place for a photo he shot in Portugal, and first place was a very dark, grim image of a little girl that looked like it could be the poster for a horror movie - I really don't know what they were thinking with that one!

The event was also a sale, which was the true disappointment. In the photo room, with I'm guessing 200 images displayed, only 4 were marked as sold at the end of the weekend. There were some very nice pieces in there and I'm really stunned that nothing sold.  But I'll get over it and am not worrying it, and will enjoy my wall art while I'm here - I have a lovely assortment I can rotate through my cubicle!!

Dhahran Fine Art Show

There is a very active community here at Aramco's Dhahran camp. Since it is also relatively small, people are very interactive and involved in many pastimes. If you have enough interested people, you can start a special interest group in almost anything! There is a quilting group, motorcycle group (HOG - Harley Owner's Group; love this one!!), even the Hangar Flyers International group, which I joined last year (flying enthusiasts!).  This week I joined another one, the Dhahran Art Group, or DAG.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking - Mark isn't an artist! Yep, must agree with that. But about a month ago a Saudi friend sent me an email about the DAG's upcoming fine art show, and suggested I consider entering some of my photos in it. Hmmm . . . that was something to think about that I'd never considered before.

But I started asking some questions, and learned that yes, they do accept photos for the show, which is primarily an art sale and fundraiser for the group. I can sell my photos for whatever I want, and they get 10% - not an unreasonable deal. It started to sound more feasible.

Then I started going through all the images I've taken here and there and all over the place in the past year. When Dana and I went to Europe last summer we collected some stunning images, and there are some very photogenic locations here that have given me very nice images. Eventually, with the help of some trusted friends, I narrowed it down to six images that I was willing to invest in and print to see what kind of response I'd get. (below - Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris France)

Then I was lucky enough to have a friend recommend a print shop near the mall, and I learned that they could print on canvas and mount it to a frame. I printed one as a test and was totally pleased with the result - great quality product all the way around, and something I would be proud to present as my work. I brought it to the office the next day and hung it there for two weeks with nothing but positive comments, and lots of inquiries about the piece. (below - The Grand Mosque, Bahrain, courtyard)

Then, of course, the person I'd been communicating with about the show told me that no, every photo must be printed and framed - no canvas! Eventually we got that worked out; turns out in the past they've had people bring in loose, unframed prints and canvases that couldn't be displayed.
(below - the London Eye, London UK)

Sunday afternoon (our Monday) was artwork turn in.  I'd been to the photo shop 5 days earlier to order my five other prints, and was a little worried they wouldn't be ready on Saturday night as promised. So I went Friday evening just to check and remind them I had to have them, and was pleased to learn they were already done! They brought out five neatly wrapped packages and opened them up for my inspection. (below - Grand Mosque, Bahrain, interior hallway)

I was pleasantly surprised as each was better than the previous, and all exceeded my expectations. Yeah, these looked like they belonged in an art show, or in someone's home!  I was very excited to carry these out, get a taxi, and head back to camp! It was very reassuring, too, when an Arab man in thobe (the long white robe) and head scarf offered in the shop to buy the image below, right then and there, that he had to have it! I thanked him very much, but conveyed that the print was to be in an art show at Aramco, so he had to know all about the show, when and where, so he could come to buy this print. I'd call that encouraging feedback! He shook my hand many times and told me he would be at the show - it'll be cool if he shows up! (below - Hall of Mirrors, Chateau de Versaille, France)

So Sunday after work, two co-workers and I bundled up our images and carted them over to the large multi-purpose room on camp and turned them in for the art show! Not something I ever thought I'd do, and can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll let you all know next week.

BTW, if you haven't tried it before, you can click on these images to see a larger version!  I would love to hear from you - which of these is your favorite? Best to all, Mark
(below - Tower Bridge, London UK)

Home for the Holidays

I got to be home for Christmas, which was delightful. Even after a career in the military, this is the longest I’ve ever been away from, so it is always a treat to come home after an absence, but even better to get there and we are all together!  Dana and Darby decorated the house and tree most beautifully – it really felt like coming home when I got there. Of course, we had to go straight from the airport to the University of Arkansas campus and see the second half of a Razorback basketball game – Go Hogs Go!! I know, sounds crazy, but it was fun!

Shannon and David made it in through awful weather from Montreal, and Darby trekked up from Little Rock. Everyone seemed healthy but me, who had a sniffle with sneezes – my classic allergy symptoms. We ate at our favorite places – Penguin Ed’s BBQ, the Catfish Hole, and almost P.F. Chang's.  We went on Christmas Eve to Rogers intending to eat at PFCs and then go to a movie, but they had a 1.5 hour wait; just too long.  So we went to Mimi’s Café next door and had a delightful meal together (and got an order of orange/cranberry muffins to go to have with brunch on Christmas morning!). I highly recommend Mimi’s Café!!

We saw several movies over the break – the new Hobbit, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and the Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  All good choices!  We hoped to see American Hustle, but my allergies turned into a sinus infection and I just couldn’t do it.

Christmas day started with brunch, then presents, then cooking the turkey, then a lovely dinner, which my friend John was able to come and share with us. And I got everything on my wish list – I’m just a little fuzzy about who got me what because I was just a little sick and simply can’t remember – I got back to KSA with things I didn’t remember getting.  But I know who got me each significant thing, and I am thankful for and appreciative of everything!

Shannon and David had to head back to Montreal a few days after Christmas and it was hard to see them go.  Then Darby went back to Little Rock for a few days, and then I got really sick Wednesday night of New Year’s Day!  We’d had a quiet evening in for New Year’s Eve – Chinese food from Mong Dynasty in Fayetteville (my favorite!), we watched a movie and an episode of Elementary (CBS’ excellent Sherlock Holmes drama), and watched the ball drop at midnight. Not too exciting, but I was right where I wanted to be!

I was able to get in to see our family doctor late Thursday morning and he gave me the works. I had two shots and got an oral antibiotic chaser.  By Friday night I was feeling a bit better, and by Saturday noon I felt much better, and good enough to travel.

Big mistake. Don’t fly when sick, boys and girls. It wasn’t the flying so much as the traveling. Flying was fine. Sitting in an airplane for 8 hours was hard. Getting nothing more than catnaps for 2 days was exhausting.  Literally running through the Chicago terminal, wearing a 30-pound backpack, to make my second flight with 15 minutes to make it and arriving as they were closing the door, was almost more than I could do, and I coughed uncontrollably for 2 hours once I got on the jet.  Pretty sure that little jaunt set me back at least a week of recovery.

Nonetheless, I made it back safe and sound, albeit without my suitcase. In the quick turn at Chicago during a snowstorm, my bag took its leisurely time while I was running to make the flight. It took four days to show up in Bahrain, but I’ll forgive it and Lufthansa – it was a rotten day in Chicago and a lot of people had it rougher than me. Next time though, I will take a delay and email work and tell them I’ll be back soon, but not yet!

747 in Frankfurt, Germany 

And now I am pretty much all better – I have a little residual cough that shows up once or twice a day, but yesterday I took a good long walk and it felt great. I can focus again on my work and don’t need an hour hap every after work day to make it through the evening.   

just after sunrise in Frankfurt 

Of course Dana and Darby came down with strep throat a few hours after dropping me at the airport, and then were immediately snowed in for several days while prescriptions were waiting for them at the pharmacy! It’s lovely to live on top of a hill in the woods, but some days it can be problematic.  Thanks to a neighbor who has a lovely little tractor with a blade, they finally got down the hill, got their meds, and are finally starting to feel better!  This is the worst time for me when I'm away, wishing to be home to help my girls and there's nothing I can do!

I am grateful for the opportunity to get home for the holidays, and even more grateful for my wonderful family who make my efforts worth the trouble. I love you all!!

October Trip Home Part 2

In October I was able to come home for a week. It was a great trip but not enough time to deal with the 2-day travel time on each end. It was still worth making the journey, though!  So here is part two of what I did at home while I was here!

I got to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) Friday night at about 7 p.m. and got home about an hour later.  Dana and I had a lovely visit and then got 8 hours of sleep and woke up ready to go.  It just happened that my trip occurred on a weekend that we had a wedding booked, so Saturday afternoon we geared up and went to shoot a wedding at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.

It was a lovely, pleasant day, although mostly cloudy. The sky cleared up right at sunset for some beautiful portraits of the couple in the most beautiful light of the day. All in all I had a great time and it was wonderful to work with a camera in my hands again! (I've added a few wedding shots here!)

We took Sunday off, mostly just taking it easy and resting up.  The rest of the week was spent in errands, getting the cars worked on, doctor appointments, shopping, and so forth. Essentially stuff I hoped to get out of the way so when I got home at Christmas I wouldn't have to mess with any of it then. I got a lot done, but as always my list was longer than the time available.

 Where my flights home were relaxed with generous layover times, the return flights were crazy tight. The XNA to Chicago flight was 35 min late (why is this flight always late??). We made up a bit of time en route, but literally taxied in circles after landing for 20 minutes before turning into the gate area, then ten more before getting off the jet. Boarding for my flight to Doha, Qatar started about the time we touched down, and I had to hustle to get out of terminal 2, take the tram to terminal 3 (NOT the international terminal as you might expect glad I was paying attention!), and run to my gate -  getting there two minutes before boarding closed.

The changeover at Doha was nearly the same. We landed and taxied to what seemed like the furthest corner of the ramp, then waited nearly ten min to open the doors, go down the stairs and get on a bus. It took nearly 15 minutes on the bus to reach the transfer terminal. I ran in there, went through security, through immigration, then up a set of stairs to the gate (which was actually right across from the stairs) to check in, down a set of stairs and onto a nearly full bus to go to the next plane.  Wow!

It is only a very short flight from Doha to Bahrain, like 25 minutes. It is 89 miles in a straight line from takeoff to landing. Late at night at the end of a long trip it feels much longer though, and I actually dozed through most of it. We landed in Bahrain at 2020 (8:20 p.m. for you non-military, non-international types). It only took about 10 minutes to go through immigration, but 20 minutes to wait for my bag to come off the airliner!

I found my taxi driver in the arrival hall, holding a sign with my name on it - "Mr. Mark." My last name seems to be beyond this culture!  It took 20 minutes to get out of the airport parking lot - traffic engineering doesn't seem to be much of a priority in the Middle East, and a traffic jam after the arrival of a large jet full of travelers is nothing out of the ordinary.  Crossing the causeway back into Saudi Arabia was pretty painless - traffic was surprisingly light. I got back to the Aramco camp at 11 p.m. Total travel time was about 36 hours, with catnaps along the way.

Have I mentioned that I don't sleep on airplanes? Ironic, I know, for a professional pilot, but never have. I hope I will get the knack of it someday, as I'll have more of these flights ahead of me. The next one, though, will most likely be business class, which is a whole 'nother story!

Happy New Year to all!!

A trip back home - in October!

Ok, I know this is ridiculous timing, to write now about a trip I took over two months ago. I actually wrote it back then, I just got too busy to remember that I had it done and post it. Makes perfect sense, right? So here is a chronicle of my all-too-short one-week trip home in October, while I sit in Bahrain about to head home for Christmas! (OK, it is now post-Christmas, and I've discovered that this post never posted, but got stuck in draft mode, so here it is! This is part 1, part 2 will come later today!)

After six months in Saudi Arabia I had an opportunity too good to pass up.  A week-long religious holiday in October would be a great time to go home! I wouldn't be working, and although it was a long trip each way, it would be worth it to see home and family. 

As luck would have it I also had the chance to shoot a wedding! I got home on Friday night after a 36 hour day from when I got up on Thursday morning until I arrived at XNA Friday night. 

The trip started with a taxi ride from Dhahran camp to Bahrain. The ride was fairly quick and uneventful which was nice. It only took an hour and a half to cross the causeway between the two countries.  I shared the taxi with a lady leaving about the same time, and we left at 3 pm.  She went to one hotel for a nap, and I went to another, the Movenpick, for a massage!

I've had a real problem while in KSA. I'm a bog, strong guy, and all my stress and tension ends up in my neck and shoulders. Couple that with some damage to my neck decades ago while flying, and I end up with pinches and pains in my neck that I just can't get rid of through exercise or stretching, and I refuse to habitually take pain meds for a sore neck.

I've had some wonderful chiropractors over the years who've greatly improved the condition of my neck, and one of them last year recommended regular massage would be more helpful to me than coming to see her.  I do love good honest medical professionals who care more about my well-being than anything else! (Dr. Alexis Rachotes, sports chiropractic, Fayetteville ar). 

Massage can be a wonderful thing for many different reasons. If you need to soothe away tension and relax, there is a technique for that. If you are an athlete and need to work out aches and pains, there are techniques for that, too.  If you have a chronic muscle knot deep in your neck and shoulder, that you usually get is some combination of those two techniques, but they really don't get the job done because they never really get to the root of the problem, which takes patience, sensitive hands, and great technique to work out the knots.

I went to the movenpick to get a massage and foot reflexology treatment, an hour of each. The nice phillipino lady who worked on my was nice, and had great strong hands, but really gave me a combo relaxation and sports massage, never really doing anything greatly helpful for my neck.  Or maybe sitting on an airplane for the next 20 hours had something to do with it, but by the time I got to northwest Arkansas my neck was in knots again.

I am lucky to have found a therapist who has the right stuff to fix me up! Sadly, she's in Fayetteville, and I can't get treatment over Skype! But one of my stops while I was home was a massage with her. She has an amazing skill to feel the knots in my back and work them out using Hans, elbows, forearms, fist, whatever it takes to put the right pressure on the right spot and keep it there long enough to ease the tension out. It's painful at times, but its also a wonderful feeling to feel the knot "give" and the pain disappear from that spot!

Regardless, it was nice to have any kind of massage after 6 months without.  In general, men don't get massage in KSA. I don't really understand that, as they love personal services, and men friends greet each other warmy with hugs, kisses on the cheek, and hand holding. Oh well, maybe I'll go to the movenpick for an hour next time I'm in Bahrain. 

I had about 10 hours to kill before my flight, so after 2 hours of massage I went to the hotel restaurant for dinner, a steak night buffet. How that worked was for me to choose the cuts of meat I wanted grilled (steak, chicken, turkey, or lamb or chicken kabobs), along with veggies to grill. I had a nice salad and appatizers, and then had a great mixed grill with red wine.  The dessert portion of the buffet was my downfall, and I had to sample several different options, all small and tasty!

The lobby gave me a lovely, private place to stretch out and nap until time to go to the airport, but for some reason I couldn't figure out they wanted me to wake up and move at midnight, so I went out and layed down on a chaise by the pool.  When I looked up I saw the first constellation I'd seen since leaving home - Orion. And it was huge! Much larger than at home, which I cannot explain. But it was nice to see - too much light pollution and dust in the air at Dhahran to see much of the night sky at all, which I hate.

When it came time to go I just waked to the airport, a trek of 5 minutes or so. I had a 35 minute flight to Doha, Qatar, which is a work in progress. The airport is leftover from another era, with a single narrow runway and narrow taxiways, which are a poor match to modern large jet aircraft. They are building a new airport nearby which should be an amazing facility. You can see it in the distance but its not ready for use yet.  

After a 4-hour layover spent trying to rest in airport chairs designed to prevent travelers from successfully resting, it was time for the long leg 14.5 hours to Chicago. Boarding took most of an hour as we queued up, checked in, waited for a bus to take us to the airplane, then waited longer for a second bus to take another batch of us to the plane, about a 20-minute ride. Once onboard and strapped in and ready to go we proceeded to wait in that spot for an hour before starting engines. I don't know why - it was a beautiful clear morning at 8 am, with little traffic coming or going, but oh we'll. we finally got on out way and were winging our way to the west.

It's interesting to fly west for a long time at jet speeds - the day seems to stand still as you counter the earth's rotational speed with about 600 mph of you own.  So the "day" lasted about 20 hours from sunrise to sunset.  Pretty cool, even for an old pilot.  Right now I'm headed west, so the opposite will happen as we race toward sunrise.   I'm seated near the rear of the wing and can see Montreal off to our left - hi Shannon and David!

Oh my, it gets tough to sit upright in a small seat more than half a day when you can't do more than doze for a few minutes at a time. Even leaning the seat back, I just can't get settled I. Enough to really sleep. So I dozed for while, then watched a movie. Then had the snack they provided. Then dozed for a bit, then watched another movie.  This pattern went on until I'd seen After Earth, The Heat, Star Trek Into Darkness, and The Artist.  Along the way I had a very nice breakfast and lunch, and saw two episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

Finally - Chicago and a chance to walk and stretch my legs! And my phone worked! I could make a call without Skype for the first time in 6 months! And I had 3 hours to kill, so I went through immigration and customs and security (again!!), found my next gate, and as I was so tired I could hardly see or keep my head up, I did the logical thing and walked up and down the terminal a few times!  I found a great chocolate shop with terribly unique wares (caramel, chocolate, and bacon bits! Surprisingly tasty!), and a delightful caramel apple with nuts that was so big I couldn't eat it, so I shared it with a young airman on his way home after basic training! 

Thanksgiving away

I spent a career in the Air Force, and somehow managed to never be away for a birthday, anniversary, or major holiday, except for Darby’s birthday when she was, I think, 3, and I was gone for several months. This is my first Thanksgiving away from my home and family.

It’s a hard place to be for me – my family has always been very important. I was never one of those pilots who couldn’t wait to get on the road to get away. I love my family and cherish the time with them! But this year we are spread out. Shannon and David are in California visiting his family. Darby is in Fayetteville with Dana, and I’m here.  I am fortunate, though, to have met some wonderful people here who open their doors to people like me, so I’ve enjoyed two Thanksgiving dinners, one last night and one tonight. If I must be here it is nice to spend some time with my new friends. 

So Happy Thanksgiving to all - I hope you were able to spend it with those you love, and that you were able to be thankful for something. I am thankful for the opportunity to be here, to do challenging work with a good team, to learn a whole new world of information, and to earn a nice paycheck doing it! I am thankful for my beautiful wife and lovely daughters for supporting me and each other while I'm away. I am thankful for my parents and brothers and friends and all the people who help make up my life, and for good health - I am thankful for every breath I take!

After dinner I was returning on my scooter to the hotel – 65 degrees, 88% humidity, everything dripping wet, almost foggy but just not quite. I went by the soccer field and there was a low fog deck right over the turf, and three fellows out practicing. This just looked too cool so I stopped and grabbed a few shots just to see what I could get – here are a few!

In August Dana and I went to Europe, and things have been so busy I’ve done an awful job of sharing some of the amazing images we captured. Here are a few from Edinburgh, Scotland. More in the coming weeks! Cheers, Mark