We live in Australia now...

My sister used to live in Sydney, so when I told her that it was raining and she suggested taking my kids to the Powerhouse Museum, I typed it into maps and off we walked.  It’s a museum I don’t completely understand -- it focuses on science and design (which do seem to go together) but the Asian section featuring pottery, clothing, and weapons is just next to the bit where children experiment with electricity and physics.  Perhaps my objection or confusion lies in the museum organization rather than the collection itself.

Anyway, it was an interesting day for two reasons.  The first is that the - from this first experience - Australian children and parents have different expectations about turns and waiting for turns.  At least four times, one of my perfect, well-mannered children was waiting for "a go" on something and when the person ahead of them finished their turn, another child jumped in before T or L could move.  At one point, I said something but for the most part I guess they have to figure it out. But SO RUDE.

The second reason is the best one.  In the electricity section, a section meant for children to learn and experiment, there is an electric chair and all the children going through the museum are invited to sit in it.  I realize that this is Australia, which is different than the US where (I think) some states still kill people using the electric chair, but I found the presence of an electric chair meant to be sat upon by children horrifying.  Then, for all the children who can read, the plaque explains that when it was first invented, the electric chair was thought to be a painless, quick way to execute those so sentenced, but that we have since learned that the person being electrocuted remains conscious and can feel him or herself burning.  He or she is so in shock from the electricity that he or she is unable to react, which is why people initially thought it painless and quick. OMG!

We learned lots of interesting things at this museum, but my favorite (apart from the electric chairs) was that Australia used to have such a hard time obtaining fresh water that police used to disregard public drunkenness because beer was all anybody had to drink.  Just like on the Mayflower!

Camping and the permanent pit in my stomach

Over the weekend, we went camping with some of our favorite friends in Muscat.  These adorable photos of Lizzie and her best friend are taken on the edge of our campsite.  When we set up, it seemed impossible that the water would reach us and for the first night and day, that was the case.  However, we all woke up around midnight the second night to find water at the doors of our tents.  Eeek.  It was very windy (apparently there had been a weather warning) and we think that in combination with the high tide caused the disaster.  Luckily, we all got out of our tents and managed to spend the entire night in our cars.  (We all napped the following day, I think.)   It sure was beautiful.  (I have many more photos but no patience to sort through them and format them.  I'm sorry.)

So since around January 20, I've been walking around feeling uneasy - like something terrible has happened but I've forgotten it for a moment - and can you guess what it is?  I feel like I was punched and I keep trying to get up and dust myself off, and then I get punched again.  Eli has sweetly asked me to stop reading the news in the morning when I wake up and to wait until he and the kids are gone because it gets me SO WORKED UP.  I listen to podcasts all day long and my very favorite thing is that all the reporters on the NPR Politics podcast are so steady.  Even the day after the election, they were their normal selves, ready to delve into figuring out how Trump won.  (What in the hell America.)  They are so amazing at their jobs. But now I listen to Pod Save America and those guys all freak me out. (And also, the Politics podcast fell down a bit when discussing Trump undermining the Judicial branch with his "so called judge" tweet. But I don't blame them; I feel similarly shocked and outraged.)

One of my best friends here is Iranian.  Her husband and kids are Americans.  Guess who can't even apply for a visa to the US?  Trust me when I tell you that she is not a person we should seek to keep out of our country; we should be so grateful to have her.

Have you read this article?  What. The. Hell.  There is something wrong with this guy.

Over and out.  If you need me, I'll be listening to podcasts.  (Does anyone else laugh and then cry when they watch Trevor Noah?)

PS:  Eli took all these photos.  Obviously.

Jordan - Jerash

Our last day in Jordan was spent in Jerash, which are some amazing ruins in the north, near Syria.  The hardest part about Jerash is that it's clearly not being very well cared for (our guide told our kids to keep pieces of mosaic and pottery that they found, and some guys tried to sell us old coins they'd found which apparently come to the surface when it rains).  However, 80% of the site is still buried and at this point that's a good thing.

The kids had a great time; basically treating this place as one huge playground.  And, I suppose if it has lasted two thousand years, T & L probably can't hurt it too badly.  Right?

Below is the forum, you can see the lighter colored stones on the inside of the oval which were placed by the Greeks.  The Romans expanded the forum with flatter, bigger stones that are more of a pinkish color.

Lizzie on the main road, or Cardo.

A manhole cover!  The sewage when under the road.

This is the stone from the butcher's shop.  See all the cuts in the stone? 

Look!  Eli was there, too.  (But seriously:  I'm so grateful he takes photos of everything.  I LOVE having them.)

The smaller of two theatres.  The wooden flooring on the stage is new.

This is a photo on our drive back to Amman.  You can see to the left and rear of the photo,
a large used-to-be-refugee camp for Palestinians.  It has now turned into a proper town.

Jordan - Petra

Petra is stunning.  It is a place to see, if you are able.  (And you do need to be in decent physical condition to manage it.)  Petra was built over two thousand years ago by the Nabateans.  The two pictures below are how you enter Petra -- you walk about a kilometer in this narrow passage called the Siq and then, you get a glimpse of the Treasury, which is the first tomb.


See the Treasury behind the kids in the above photos?

You walk out of the Siq into this area - which has a coffee shop and plenty of shopping opportunities.  You can pay for one of those horse/wagon combos to take you up and down the Siq, and you also have the opportunity to buy a donkey or horse to carry you around once you are through the Siq.  HOWEVER, these are shockingly mistreated animals and I would never pay one of their handlers to ride on one of them.  In my view, it is propping up an industry that shouldn't exist.  And, while the Jordanians realize they have this problem, they ask the tourists to (1) report mistreated animals, and (2) not ride on animals that can't support them.  All this to say, Petra is not perfect, AND we were beat when we finished because we gave Lulu a few piggy back rides toward the end of the day.  BUT, don't let this stop you from going as it is truly amazing -- just don't ride on animals.

Hiking up to the "Monastery" which sits  800 steps up on the mountains above the rest of the city.

The Monastery

Christmas 2016

We had a lovely Christmas in Muscat.  On Christmas Eve, we had dinner at a local place with a nice woman from Eli's work, and on Christmas day we spent the afternoon and had dinner with our very good friends.  The big news is that Santa brought the kids' bikes PLUS one bike for a grown up (Santa must know how much Eli works?) and so we have spent a lot of time on our bicycles since Christmas.

Eli got a go pro, and I have included a few photos taken with it - for fun.

We went to the Al Bustan to decorate gingerbread houses on December 23rd, and took a photo in front of their pretty tree.  (When we left for Jordan, I asked Aileen to take the Gingerbread houses away, and the kids have never asked me about them.  So they didn't even eat them :) )

Christmas Eve dinner at Kargeen

Tommy got a new nerf gun.  He loves it; me, not so much.

Eli got a new camera - this is a test photo that I love

Go pro photos.  And for the record:  if you wear contacts, you can't open your eyes under water.  However,
I hadn't realized I was doing so much to develop wrinkles around my eyes when I close them...

Christmas afternoon on the beach

The feast and a truly lovely expression on my face