Gillian's home

Gillian Perrott, a very good friend here in Saudi Arabia, was full of Irish hospitality when Carolyn and vacationed there in July. She was so kind as to let us use her Saab to get around. To have such friends is wonderful and for that I did the two pencil drawings of her home there in Kinsale, County Cork. Gillian is a very independent and skillful person, tall and quite attractive, and very personable. Carolyn and I are so grateful to be her friend, and in return I drew these two drawings for her. She was astounded when I presented them to her, but they were a simple way for me reciprocate. The drawings are on 9" x 12" drawing paper using graphite pencils. Cheers - Gillian and thank you.

PADI Certification

Over the past three weeks I have been working on my PADI certification. Completed my final dive and final exam last weekend in Halfmoon Bay, where the water on the bottom of the dive area was 21 feet and the water temp on the bottom was 97 degrees F. The surface water temp was 107 degrees F!!! A hot bath. The dive site is a buoyed off section of the beach about the size of a football field or two. The bottom has a collection of junk items to make the otherwise featureless sandy mud bottom interesting. Junk items include old toilets, old oil drums, concrete blocks, old tires, several old derelict pleasure boats, etc. Water visibility was around 4 feet. Not the best diving place, but good enough to complete the open water dives. On my last dive, with Nicole as my diving partner, I was constantly dealing with hamstring cramps in both legs, so I was using a lot of air and stopping to stretch my hamstrings. Did see a nice big grouper under one of the boats on the bottom, but couldn't get Nicole to come over fast enough to see it. Once on shore and with all the equipment rinsed off and loaded into the vehicle I was totally exhuasted. When I got home I took off all my clothes and crashed on the bed for a short nap before heading back out to the Aramco Beach for Julian's birthday party with Nicole and Claudia. Nice night on the beach. So I am now certified as a recreational scuba diver. Frankly, I have been diving quite a bit (up to 120 feet on wrecks in the Atlantic off Delaware), but was never certified, as it wasn't required back then (in the Dark Ages), so this was like a refresher course.

The day before we all went down to the same place (The Halfmoon Bay Yacht Club - HBYC) to see how Claudia and Fraser were doing on Claudia's newly purchased Sunfish repairs. That work lasted until dark (Nic and Julian sailed until dark) and so we had a cook out there on the beach. Lots of easing down from the weeks work.

On Saturday I had a nice fun dinner at Tandoori with Nicole and some of her fellow nurses. I was able to surprize her with the gift of the Widgeon drawing for her birthday. Such a wonderful gleem in her eyes when she opened it up. Those reactions always make me feel so good when I am able to give a gift that I have created and it is appreciated so much by the person you give it to. The first image is the graphite pencil study and the second image is the pen & ink drawing that was the gift. I am planning on a watercolor painting, as well. That I will keep for myself.

The next couple of nights as a party and an Iftar dinner and getting Nicole's budgie to my room while she is on repat back home to Scotland.

Nicole's Punk Party (4oth B'day Bash)

Nicole does things up big for her major birthdays and her 40th birthday bash at the Diplomat Hotel in Bahrain was no exception. Dress code for the party (a brunch on the last weekend before Ramadan) was Punk. I decked out as Richard Hell, the founder of the Punk movement. The brunch itself was a huge party and we were a big group there. I drove over with Lawrence and Dan, stopping on the way for a couple of beers and a swim at the Dilman Club there in Bahrain. Once at the party we found Nic's tables and setted in. I promptly headed for the food - several plates of good seafood (lobster, crab, shrimp, clams suishi, etc.). With that taken care of my next task was to tatoo many of the women in our party. Lisa asked me to come prepared to do so. I knew that these girls had to work the next day in the hospital, so I found some washable markers and started to work. Fun for all. Nic was having a blast - good for her!! Dan, Lawrence and I headed back home around 4:00 pm to avoid the anticipated traffic on the causeway going back into Saudi Arabia. Had to stop by Ric's for some eats and another couple of beers and then headed out. The causeway was a nightmare - 3 1/2 hours on the causeway!!! Those damned girls stayed over night, since they did not have to work the next day - bummer for us - great for them! Some of the girls had their usual hangovers the next day - what's new? At any rate, we all had a great time - Thanks, Nicole, for a great party!

Health

I recently reviewed with my physician my medical records from the Aramco hospital and Saad hospital in Khobar. I had a rather complete examination and the results are excellent. All my scores are just where my doctors want them to be. Even had a Cardio stress test and that went the limit and it was all normal. I thank God for my excellent health and just hope that it continues along this path. I do lead a somewhat active life. I try to watch my food intake. I should drink more liquids here (according to my good friends Nicole and Jillian and am trying to follow their suggestions). I get a good night's sleep usually (about 6 hours). Ride my bike a good bit around this compound. Walk a good bit (I have a reputation around here regarding my walking - "Beware", they say, "Richard will wear you out if you try to walk with him! He walks fast and far.") I get a good workout on Wednesday nights in the Country Rocks line dance sessions. Nicole frequently tells me to slow down - "you are not in your twenties anymore", but it is hard to slow down - there is just so much to see and do. I should spend time in the weight room working on my upper body. I hate to be around my son, John, with his well built body :( I have my weight standing at around 155 lbs., which is just near my running weight (150 lbs.) when I was in college. People constantly guess my age as about 15 - 20 years younger, so I must be doing something right. That has been my problem all along in my younger years when I was asked for my ID in bars well past the years that most everyone worried about it. So far life is good, thank the good Lord.

Ringing terns in Bahrain

My good friend, Brendan Kavanaugh, professor and birder extraordinaire in Bahrain asked Nicole and I to help with the ringing (banding in Americas) of tern chicks on some spoil islands about 45 minutes off the north end of Bahrain. After a couple of failed trips due to bad weather, Nicole was able to make a successful trip with Brendan and his team, banding lesser creasted tern chicks. I was unable to make that trip due to work back in Saudi Arabia. The next trip I was able to make. This time the target was bridled tern chicks and later some white cheeked tern chicks. We gathered at the Bahrain Yacht Club at 6:00 am and headed out up the long inland bay to the top of the island nation and then headed almost due north to several spoil islands about 45 minutes away from the tip of the main island. The water was beautiful - calm and green and clear, so the ride was comfortable. We finally arrived at the spoil island and unloaded the boat and set up a base camp (an umbrella). We promptly headed out in two teams to sweep the island looking for bridled tern chicks hidden under short bushes. I was a gatherer and scratched my hand and arm a good bit reaching in to gather up my chicks. Brendan and Nicole did the ringing. After about 45 minutes it was just too hot to continue, so we headed for the camp for water and rest. About 30 minutes later we headed out to finish combing the island and ringing the last of the chicks (about 200). I cannot understand how those chicks survive in the heat on that island. From there we headed out to another island to see if we could find some white cheeked tern chicks. On that island we were able to find and band probably 50 chicks. After a dip into the Gulf waters to try to cool off (in a hot bath!) we headed back in. It was a successful trip. The trip into the club was nice and smooth, but long. After a shower and a nice cold Carlsburg I headed back to Saudi Arabia. Nicole stayed to have dinner with a friend. I sure slept well that night.

Week one - post Ireland

Once back in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I went into the office early the morning that I arrived. Spent half a day there, then met my birding colleague to go over the lesson that she had put together for me to present that night. She had done a really good job with it, so all I needed to do was take it and run with it later that night. And it turned out just great - addressing migration and then focusing on four common birds around the compound. I just have more fun doing these little presentations and getting people engaged in nature.

Then, later that week, I gave a presentation to the Arabian Natural History Association : "The Serpents of the Arabian Peninsula" and that was a resounding success. There was a good crowd in the room and when, at the end, I pulled out a small Hardwick's Rat Snake to show folks, they really livened up. People came up to touch and some to hold the snake (a mildly venomous kind) that was introduced here to control the rat population (that was also introduced). At any rate he did manage to bite me once, as well as a Saudi girl who came up and wanted to hold it. (No harmful effects at all). The girl brought her blind brother over to touch the snake, and to see the smile on his disfigured face was such a thrill to me. My best surprise of the night was to see my dear friend in crime, Nicole, ask if she could hold the snake, without any proding from me. That made my night. Of course she was terrified, but she took that huge step toward relieving that fear. Some day, if I ever find a something like a friendly sand boa, I think I could make another huge step with her fears and dislikes of snakes. Won't ever be a total acceptance, but a relaxed tolerance of the creatures - even a dangerous one at a respectable distance. As I anticipated, I have had numerous requests to provide information and talks about snakes to various groups in Aramco who venture out into the desert. Interesting note: can you believe that in the time that I have been here I have yet to see a snake in the wild!! When I was here back in the 1990's I saw several sea snakes in Halfmoon Bay. The density of snakes is nothing compared to the density that I have experienced back home in Texas - just too blazing hot here! After the past few presentations to the ANHA group I feel that I am making a contribution to the Aramco community beyond the learning design work that brings me here. I trust that if my contract is renewed that I will continue to do these kinds of services to the community.

Return trip from Ireland

Our return trip home from Ireland was a very stressful affair. We missed our scheduled flight on Aer Lingus from Cork to Amsterdam due to a long delay in Security. I apparently left my Leatherman tool and a pocket knife in my carry on baggage - a no no for sure, but when they found that, they began to tear into all of our carry on stuff and by the time they were through and we were able to pack things back into the bags the gate had closed. From then on things got so hectic, stressful and costly. I was going back to Saudi Arabia from Amsterdam in the afternoon, so my connections were easier to change, but Carolyn was connecting to a non-stop flight about an hour and a half after our scheduled flight was to arrive. In order to try to make those connections we were told to catch a Ryanair flight to Dublin that was leaving in 15 minutes! The hassles of buying two tickets, checking and paying a lot of money for overweight baggage and then for extra carryon baggage when the plan is full and waiting for us to board, was just stressful to the hilt. I do not like Ryanair and will never fly them again. While we were dealing with Ryanair an Aer Lingus agent was supposedly getting us both lined up with our approprriate flights back home from Amsterdam. We were running back and forth between the two agents. Once in Dublin we went to the Aer Lingus agent to get our baggage checked for the flight over to Amsterdam, but had to go in and out of passport control several times to finally get our tickets and baggage checked. Remember our baggage was just a little over for international flights, but for domestic flights it was way over and we had to pay for that (a lot of money). Fortunately, the agent in Dublin noticed that we were supposed to be on a through international flight, he over looked the overweight on our baggage. We had to rush to get to the plane to Amsterdam - it wasw all rush, rush, rush. A quick flight o0ver Britain and into Holland where we find thaty we do not have our tickets home for here. So more frantic going in and out of passport control and going from arrivals to departures and back again, only to find out that whiole my ticcket home was ok and leaving in minutes, Carolyn's ticket was not. She missed her flight from Cork and the Aer Lingus agent in Cork apparently did not cancel her booked flight, nor did he schedule and book a later flight for her, so that she was a no show for her scheduled flight and that cost us. Then, this being the high season, she had to find a seat on a flight home. All this was going on with her, when the KLM agent told me to run to my gate or I would miss my flight to Saudi Arabia. I had to leave Carolyn there with the agent to figure all of it out by herself. Gave her a big hug and kiss and had to run back through the passport control (a long slow que) and security control to just make my plane (they were holding the plane for me). Carolyn had to sleep in the terminal overnight on a bench, but was able to able to find a seat on a Delta flight with a change of planes in Minneapolis. Finally, she made it home late at night. I really worried about her. My flight to Bahrain was ok - I did have a really nice and helpful middle aged woman from Kuwait in the seat next to me. We talked about a lot of things and tried to sleep some. After a refueling stop in Kuwait I had a short flight to Bahrain - the young woman who sat next to me on that leg was an Iraqi woman working with the State Dept. on woman's issues in Iraq - very good conversation! Got to Steineke around midnight and just crashed for a few hours before heading to work at 7:00 am. What a day for me and what a couple of days for Carolyn! And costly - over $1200! So I made a list of what not to do when you travel and will post them later. Happy travels!