HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Here in Dubai it doesn't quite FEEL like Halloween.  Oh yes, there are bags and bags of candy being sold in the grocery stores.  And yes, there are tons of costumes being sold and rented everywhere.  However, it doesn't quite FEEL like Halloween because it is in the 90's outside, with the  bluest of blue skies, and an absolutely magnificent breeze blowing through the palm trees...(I am NOT complaining, by the way!)

It doesn't SOUND like Halloween because there are no crisp leaves blowing around outside.  (I am NOT complaining about this either, by the way!  Those leaves used to blow around after I thought I was finished raking for the year!!)  And I am quite sure there will be no little trick or treaters on the 22nd floor tonight ringing our bell!  I am bummed about that as I'll certainly miss all the River Ridge kiddos that used to come our way on Halloween night!!  (Have fun you all!!)

I do, however, have a big pot of homemade vegetable soup brewing in the slow cooker on the counter in our kitchen.....so now at least it SMELLS like HALLOWEEN here in our humble abode in Dubai!!  And tonight it will TASTE kind of like HALLOWEEN too!!
                                       

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

WE MISS YOU ALL!!  XXOXX JOHN & DEEDS

HEY, CAN YOU DO ME A FAVOR???

Just wanted to say "HI" everybody -- we miss you all soooo much!!  

I think I have solved the "I can't comment on your blog" problem.  But I need you to post a comment to make sure!!  So PLEASE comment -- I simply LOVE hearing from you all!!!

MOOCHO THANKS!!

BROUGHT TO US BY......

These beautiful buildings in the Dubai Marina...

were brought to us by......

 foreign workers that come from India, Pakistan, Asia, etc.......

After working long hours in the heat....

 they grab some cool water to drink.....

and line up waiting for a bus to transport them "home" to the labor camps.....

And do you know what is simply amazing?  Every time Teddy and I walk by lines and lines of these workers at the end of their day, we are always greeted with huge smiles and a sincere "Hello Ma'am"!  And they absolutely LOVE the Tedmeister!!

OUT OF HIBERNATION THEY COME!!

OMGoodness.......we walked The Jumeirah Beach Walk again last weekend.  But this time The Beach Walk was filled with people!  The cafes were full of people sitting outside enjoying the weather and the drinks and the food!!   See for yourselves......out of hibernation they come at long last!!!

There was even a craft/jewelry/clothing/etc. fair going on.  Apparently these booths will be set up every weekend throughout the winter.....be still my beating heart!  There is nothing better than browsing around these booths on an absolutely beautiful evening!

Out of hibernation they come....and they're coming to The Beach Walk that is right across the street from where we live!!  Now I call that convenient!!

SOME THINGS DO GROW IN THE DESERT!!

Yes, some things really DO grow here in the desert!! 

HA! HA!  Wanted to make sure you were paying attention!!  See, some things that can't grow any place else actually can grow in the desert!!

ONCE AGAIN...IT'S TIME TO ESCAPE!

Here we go again!  The temps rose a bit and the humidity made it uncomfortable to be outside soooooooo we did what all sane people here in Dubai do.....we escaped to another mall!

This time we visited the upscale Mercado Mall on Jumeirah Beach Road.

It didn't take long before John and I realized that it felt like we were walking the streets of Venice!  It was a wonderful reminder of what we recently got to experience -- winding "streets" were filled with boutique shops to browse, cafes to enjoy, with piano music and coffee aromas filling the air.  SIMPLY DELICIOUS!!

In the States, mind you, we were never really mall people.  But, here in Dubai, we have evolved (out of necessity) into lovers of malls....yes, they are a respite from the heat, however, they are truly "destination spots" here. 

And the Mercado Mall certainly did not disappoint! 

Can't you just hear the music playing in the background?  Can't you just smell the coffee brewing at the Starbucks, er, the coffee shop in the center of town?  Just when we were feeling like we were, indeed, in the center of Venice, Italy.....we started to notice some of the people milling around.....

And then we noticed what some of the shops were selling....

And it finally hit us that noooooooo, we weren't in Venice anymore!!  We were smack dab in the middle of the desert on a hot and humid day escaping the heat in yet another mall surrounded by kandoras and burqas and hookahs and everything Middle Eastern!!!

But what an awesome escape it turned out to be!!