Taking the obvious for granted

The caption of the picture reads: "Children play with fallen leaves in a Bucharest park yesterday. As autumn sets in, leaves change color and fall to the ground, signalling the end of summer." GULF News is spot on! That's exactly what happens when leaves die and seasons change (has every year since I was born!) Changing seasons are unknown to the local Arabs, so we may very well see another caption next week stating the obvious: "Children build giant snowman in Central park in NYC. As winter sets in, temperatures fall and rain freezes and turns into hard white crystals that can be molded into figures ".

We forget that generations here come from tribes in the desert, mountains and along the coast and that most have never seen four seasons. They rely on the wind, the fog, to signal summer's end.

Two days ago we woke up to dense fog (so dense they had to warn motorists on the highway to slow down - of course noone could see the sign for fog) - that's our signal that summer is ending and that the Shamals (winds) are coming, bringing sand storms and the long awaited rain.

We've already endured in two BBQ's and this coming Friday it's another pool and BBQ gathering at a colleague's house. Boots and cardigans find their way out of the closet, smelling of moth balls; time for jeans shopping again.

Slim is on speed - high speed - with lower temps he gets a new energy boost and practically hauls me around the lake, horizontally. Aric and I have started riding our bikes around the compounds and subdivisions early morning before traffic starts up. It's a great feeling and makes it so worth living here.

Hunter turned 17 last week and really selected a big night out: dinner with mom and dad at Yo! Sushi, followed by a movie that must have missed the red carpet....Scott Pilgrim - a real movie with cartoon "boom pow kabong" inserts! Look out for that one to blow the blockbuster earnings!

Thursday evening he invited 20 friends over for a party in the back yard. Thinking he is the new DJ Tiesto, Hunter Ault, AKA "DJ Virtue" took over the kitchen for some spin and scratch and major mixing...music that is... not drinks. The gathering went off without a major hitch (guess he learned something from the golf course incident after all). I've asked him to focus on school however, as for now all he shakes is the house and not the "DJ world" with his club anthems.