From Carpets to Camels

I told you I felt a carpet purchase coming on. I was thinking it would be Sherry, but it was Joan that has made the first purchase to take back to her home in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. She purchased a beautiful Indian silk carpet for her living room under Bill's watchful eye. Ok, you know Joan, it didn't matter how watchful Bill's eyes were, Joan does what Joan wants. She's a great example for all women everywhere. After her carpet purchase (that's it all folded tightly in the sack Bill is carrying), she meandered upstairs and played queen for the day for us. But we all know that she doesn't need a headpiece for us to know her role. The gentleman that sold her the carpet told her she looked like "Bush One's Wife". We laughed at that one, but actually thought it was quite apropos. Sherry didn't find a carpet that struck her fancy there, but we're not giving up yet. We have a few more stops to make so that she can make her informed decision. After carpet shopping, we had a two hour pit stop back at the villa before heading out for our dune adventure. No 113F weather can stop us. We met our guide Ibrahim and his expert drivers at 2:30pm for the beginning of a memorable afternoon. It was the guys against the girls in the two Land Cruisers. Joan rode shotgun with the driver, while Sherry, Kristi and I were in the back. Joan was in lala land until we took an abrupt turn to the left and stopped to face a 100 foot dune with a nearly vertical drop off. Joan promptly asked the driver, "what are we doing?"...."now you back this car up!" Luckily, Ibrahim didn't listen and straight down we went. After all the screaming and laughter, Joan smugly announced, "that wasn't so bad". After more dunes, screams, and laughs we stopped at the Inland Sea for a break and pictures. We loaded up and headed to a camel farm in the middle of the desert and shared tea with our Bedouin friends. Now, time for camel rides. Joan met her match with the camel she was trying to get on. He also had a mind of his own and decided to stand up before she was completely on. But she rode the camel, nonetheless, with Bob and Sherry mounting up next. Bill opted out, valuing what he has left of his knees. It was a great day that truly captures the essence of this Arab country. We are very blessed to be able to share this with family and to live through it!










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