Transitions: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado

Maria with Anna and Kate in front of their cabin at Geneva Glen Camp
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park

Jean, Pamela, and Maria in Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park
Pamela, Cousins Michelle and Jasper (asleep), and Maria in Glenwood Canyon
Pamela, Uncle Dan, and Maria at Windy Point, above Alma, Colorado, with Bristlecone Pines
Maria at Kite Lake at the base of four Colorado 14ers

Cousins in Colorado: Anna, Hallie, Pearl, Kate, Henry, and Mitchel.

Al, Pamela, and Steve meet their 2nd Grade teacher, Ruth Birge, at the Ripon Historical Society.

Steve makes ice cream with niece Sophie and daughter Anna.

Grandpa Bill made a treasure hunt in the woods for Henry, Sophie, Kate, Amanda, and Anna.

Are you sure that toy is on the roof? Could it be in the bushes?

A weekend break in Ripon gave Steve and Maria a chance to sit down...a rare moment!

The summer blew by fast and furious, but we got to see nearly all family and friends. The girls spent a week at the Vittone Grandparent's little house in Northern Wisconsin while Steve and Maria packed the MN and got ready for renters. We also had a weekend in Wisconsin for a fun Woolley family gathering Afterwards, we topped the summer off with two weeks in Colorado. Kate and Anna enjoyed their time at camp while mom hung out with Grandma, Pamela and Uncle Dan. (Steve was in Switzerland setting up the beginnings of our new home and starting his new assignment with Honeywell.) No time for a breather as we were off to Switzerland by mid-August. 

Traveling Home: Brussels 2010

Like previous summers, we break-up our trip home with a stop in Belgium to see Pamela and Henry. This is the first time the entire family was together for our summer trip - usually Maria and the girls head home earlier to get a jump-start on summer activities, while Steve is left to steam in the Dubai summer (with all the other bachelors in Dubai). For people interested in history and food, Belgium is a great place to visit. This summer Pamela planned a wonderfull two day adventure to Ypres, a lovely town in Flanders and the site of some of the most brutal battles of the Great War. We spent the two days taking a tour of the local cemetaries, trenches and museum. We observed the moving Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate - it was very moving. The comprehension of the purpose and magnitude of the event weighed heavily on all of us - Kate stopped to say a prayer.

The weather was fantistic - though got to be a bit on the warm side (warm for European and US standards - certainly nothing compared to Dubai). We enjoyed eating outside and taking in the fresh air and blue skies. Henry enjoyed 1kg of Mussels, a favorite food. We finished with a 4th of July barbeque with Pamela's friends.

Good Bye Dubai

After 2.5 years, we are leaving Dubai. It's hard to believe we've been in Dubai for as long as we have. The kids have grown in so many ways; their parents have too. It is a bittersweet departure for us. We leave behind so many good friends, colleagues, and those that helped make our lives easier. But we bring with us a better understanding of the Middle East, its people and the many cultures found there. We are comforted to know that for many of our closer friends, this is not the end of our friendship but simple a farewell for now. That is a difficult concept for Anna and Kate, who had to say good bye to BFF's Avery, Crosby, Hollis, Stephanie and Riley. But the world is getting smaller. Former Dubai friends Scott Grishom (Steve's travel buddy to Lebanon and Thailand) and Christi Miles are moving to Zurich in June.

We pray for Dubai, the Middle East, and the peoples living there. We have genuine affection for the Region and look forward to return to the Middle East to see the many of the people and places we grew to love.

Sri Lanka

We took our last Middle East-based holiday to Sri Lanka. We had planned to go to Nepal, but political unrest delayed our trip. We were never able to get the itinerary to work and prices skyrocketed in April and May - probably because of climbing season.

We had a terrific time. Sri Lanka - like so many other places we visited - was filled with wonderful people and beautiful sites. Sadly, Sri Lanka is poor and the family was once again left try to reconcile the vast difference between the "haves" and the "have nots". We brought a duffle bag of blankets, school supplies and toys for an orphanage in Colombo, but were unable to stop due to dense traffic around Colombo. Rajepakse, our faithful driver (pictured above with his brand new tuc-tuc), agreed to drop-off the items after we left.

Our itinerary centered on cultural sites. Sri Lanka has wonderful beaches and beach-side resorts. Since we live on one of those now, we wanted to see the remains of ancient societies and Buddhist temples.

Our first stop was Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin. It is impressive and must have been a marvel during its day. Even more unbelievable is that this massive palace ground took only 7 years to construct and was only used for 18 years before being given to Buddhist monks. Following Sigiriya, we visited Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's second oldest kingdom and home of King Vijayabahu, a uniter of Sri Lankan kingdoms and defender of island against invasion. It is a vast, walled complex of temples (Buddhist and Hindu).

Last on the itinerary was Kandy and its temples, tea factories, and local art shops. The largest temple in Kandy is The Temple of the Tooth, which houses the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha. The importance of the relic (yes, the relic is a tooth) cannot be downplayed - it was believed that whoever holds the relic should rule the country. The tooth is only displayed on certain occasions and draws thousands (if not millions) of pilgrims for each viewing. After the visit to the temple we learned how Ceylon tea is made (we bought some) and then visited a local Batik shop where the family purchased local made art.

The last night in Sri Lanka was at Mt. Lavinia hotel - a classic, British colonial period hotel. The views from our room were stunning. We took a swim in the Indian Ocean which was refreshing, but warm. Overall, it was a wonderful trip. It was the girls' first exposure to a Buddhist country and served as another reminder that God's people are warm and friendly regardless of where they live and how they worship.

Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and Crater Lake

We took day trips to both Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru. We didn’t see any big cats during our game drives in this part of the Great Rift Valley, but we saw so many other things – including what had to be the worlds bravest Dick-dick – the smallest of the antelope species. The dick-dick was a family favorite – not only because of its small size and that it mates for life, but also the sympathy garnered for an animal that surely must live its life in constant and never-ending terror. There are estimated to be 1,500 hippos in the lake – they are absolutely enormous.

Lake Nakuru is a relatively small, alkaline lake located in the heart of Lake Nakuru National Park. Famous for the thousands of flamingos that migrate to the lake, the park is also home to white and black rhinos and wide range of other wildlife including. We saw our first hyena there and a rare tortoise. We had lunch overlooking the lake – the view was spectacular.

Eric and Steve took a half day trip to Crater Lake National Park – it too was packed with wildlife. They were particularly impressed by the number of bones from “circle of life” events that happened on the lake’s shores – it’s amazing that there is a migration out of Crater Lake.

Governors Camp at Maasai Mara National Park

We spent the second part of our safari adventure at Governors Camp located in the Maasai Mara National Game Reserve situated in south-western Kenya. Named after the Maasai people who still inhabit the area, the game preserve is considered the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

Like our experiences at Loldia House, Governors Camp was fabulous. Though a bit more rustic than our cottage overlooking lake Naivasha, the tents had running water and were lit by gas lanterns. We had elephants visit us at night to make sure we were enjoying our stay. The staff – from Captain Thomas who greeted us at the gate, to our wait staff Tony and William, to our driver Mohamed, to Mercy at the bookstore, to James, our Maasia escort within the camp – all were enthusiastic to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Coffee and hot chocolate was delivered at 5:45 a.m. each morning to get us ready for the 6:30 a.m. morning game drives. Our meals were wonderful; crocodiles and hippos regularly emerged from the Mara river to remind us where we were. One crocodile decided to dine with us one day during lunch by dragging an impala it caught onto the bank of the Mara and eating it whole, much to the chagrin of the mother hippo and its new born, who watched near by, and all of us at our table who quickly lost interest in our lunch. The mother hippo tried unsuccessfully to chase-off the crocodile, which didn’t want to be interrupted during its lunch. We couldn't think of a better way to see the Maasai Mara.

Game Drives On The Maasai Mara

The Maasai Mara game preserve is known for the large number of animals and its big cats. We found them all – and got to see all of them enjoy the results of the hunt the night before. We witnessed both the gentle sounds of the herbivores enjoying the fruits of the recent rainfalls, and the bone crunching and flesh tearing sounds of the “circle of life”. We did spend one morning with a Maasai tribe to learn more about that proud people’s traditions and every day life in a Maasai village. They were very welcoming and truly an eye-opener for the family. We saw and learned new things during each game drive - what a truly amazing place. We loved our Safari - the animals and the people.