Muscat, Oman

Oman, just to the east of the UAE, is known for rugged mountains and friendly people. We visited one of the many wadis just over the border a few years ago, but had never been to the capital, Muscat. Over Eid al Adha earlier this fall, we finally got our chance. A work colleague and friend of John's moved to Muscat with his wife earlier this year. They welcomed us into their home, right across the street from the beach:

First activity: snorkeling. The clear waters next to the rocky coast line are full of lots of colorful fish.

The Chedi, right next door to our friends' house, is one of the nicest resort hotels in town:

From the Chedi we went on yet another boat ride, this time a Catamaran sunset cruise with more friends that used to live in Abu Dhabi:

A drive up the coast reveals lots of old Portuguese watch towers, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, and a new(er) tower made to look like an incense burner: Hmmm...

The Sultan's private yacht in the old harbor. Yes, it's huge. This is what you can have if your country's main natural resource is oil:

The Royal Opera House of Muscat is a lavish venue for world class acts. There weren't any events when we were in town, but Yo-yo Ma will be performing here in January. We're considering returning for that. The interior of the auditorium is supposed to be amazing.

Lots of beautiful Omani silver is available at the old Muttrah Souq, right next to the harbor.

Muscat has a surprisingly nice range of restaurants. We ate fish fresh from the Gulf of Oman at the Turkish House, had a middle-eastern meal at Karjean's, and a wonderful lunch on the old port at a contemporary Indian restaurant called Kurkum. Thank you to our friends for being such great hosts!

Summer in the States, 2013

As usual, once school finished, John had to stay to work in the heat of the Abu Dhabi summer while the girls and I headed for the States. We stayed in Chicago, Champaign, Oak Park, South Haven, and Franfort, Kentucky. Believe it or not, this is actually less traveling than previous years, but was still just as much fun.

The highlight of the summer was Michigan, so I'm going to start with that. The first week of August, we rented what turned out to be an absolutely wonderful home, nestled in the woods with a view of Lake Michigan, near South Haven, Michigan:

67 Friends and family from all over came to visit. Some stayed for the whole week in nearby homes, some stayed for a weekend, and others just came up for a day trip from Chicago. For the first few days, a few families stayed outside. We called it Tent City.

John got a surprise birthday party cake our first night there.

An official photo of the extended Osborn Winner clan:

The big living room was a great place for everyone to hang out, day and night:

Everyone helped with cooking and cleaning all week. I'm happy we have such helpful friends and family. But it was definitely not all work and no play. Lots of time was spent down on the beach:

 

           

(double trouble)

Sunset from the house, and an evening of music:

We had room for bean bag toss:

And a tennis court!

We're sad that the house won't be available again next summer. We're already working on finding another nearby option, but this one is going to be a hard act to follow.

(John calls this shot Michigan Nighthawks)

Before Michigan, we spent a weekend visiting the cousins in Hyde Park...

and a week in Champaign to see my parents.

Hannah's birthday dinner in downtown Champaign.

Then we spent a month in Oak Park to catch up with friends while Hannah took Driver's Ed and Mackenzie took a cooking class:

Friends since long before the kids were even born.

Our last week in the states was spent in Franfort, Kentucky visiting John's parents. We stopped by a farm for retired race horses, coincidentally sponsored substantially by a Sheik in the UAE. The horse on the right is one of several that played Seabiscuit in the recent movie.

Parting shot: on the way back to Chicago (and Abu Dhabi), we stopped off in Indiana so the girls could visit their cousins. Another nice summer, come and gone.