I have been in Damascus, Syria for a few days now. The old city is really cool–a maze of twisty passages that all look alike–and one that has been continuously inhabited for over 5000 years.
People here are generally very polite and friendly. I have had almost no negative reactions to being an American here, but I am definitely a pretty rare beast. I have met one other person traveling on an American passport since I arrived here. It is a bit surreal to tell someone selling Hezbollah buttons that you are an American. In one way Syria is more relaxed than Jordan. There is a significant Christian population here, so there are quite a few night clubs, bars, and liquor stores, and more women who do not wear a hejab (headscarf).
Yesterday I read part of the Syria Today weekly news magazine in English. It had a surprisingly good (throrough, independent, and balanced) analysis of the possible affects of the US Election for Syrian foreign policy. It also had a report criticizing the government in its recent censorship of a Syrian soap opera that featured a freshly released policitcal prisoner. I guess the print media is more free than broadcast TV.
Sorry for the lack of photos this post, but it is 1am and I do not have my camera. Tomorrow I am off to Palmyra, then probably Homs, Hama, Krak de Chevalier, Latakia, and Aleppo. Good night from the Old Town.
This photo should explain why you don’t want to fall asleep and roll your car on I-80 in Nevada. That’s a medivac helicopter taking off from the freeway. The back of the car looked even worse than the front.
After North Carolina, we stopped for a quick visit with Christian and Janene and their kids Emma and Audrey in Des Moines. As always, Christian was generous to a fault. We had a blast swimming!
We drove up to Missoula to see our friends Bobby, Patty, Coby, and Katie. Katie (11) is in a kids singing group called the Missoula Coyote Choir. We arrived just in time to see the Coyotes open for Ani DiFranco (sorry no pictures yet).
Bobby jamming with Alex. He showed Alex how to play lap guitar.
The next day, Bobby, Coby, Alex, and I went up to Glacier National Park and just over the border to Waterton National Park in Alberta.
Playing piano at the lodge on Lake McDonald
Going-to-the-Sun Road is carved out of the side of a very steep gorge. It may be hard to maintain, but it has some awesome views.
mountain goat at Logan Pass
There was still lots of snow at the pass
Looking out at Sherburne Lake at Many Glacier on the east side of the park
On the way to Canada. The longest “friendly” border in the world. That term must have been coined before the Department of Homeland Security…
The lodge at Waterton
Looking down at Waterton Lake
Alex and I arrived at my cousins’ house near Asheville a few days early and helped get the house ready for a family reunion. We also helped fetch and split three truckloads of firewood from a tree that a friend of theirs took down in town.
As you can see, making food in my family is always taken very seriously.
Here Popsie, Tressa, Carol, Lynn, Charis, and Krista are making Chinese dumplings, and Dad and Jill are taking a break from husking corn.
Aunt Alice is knitting on the patio
The kids spent lots of time running around outside
They also turned the library into the headquarters of their semi-secret club/society of the “Meeps”
The morning before the biggest gathering, Dru, Ken, Lynn, Alex and I went to Mt Mitchell (highest point in the Eastern US) and took a very short hike to the next peak over (Mt Craig).
I think it is always fun to take photos that have other photos in them. Alex and I were looking through photo albums at my cousin’s house and she snapped this picture. If you look in the upper left corner of the photo album, you can see me and Alex from an earlier era.
Zooming in. Who is that scruffy dad?
