R & R is over....

Since September 19, David, Mandy, Jackson and I have been on R & R in the states. The first few days were devoted to seeing the Rochester/Fairport/Penfield/Webster/Pittsford family (not a small group as you can see!), David and Mandy's fifth wedding anniversary at an overnight at Geneva-on-the-Lake followed by visits to the great Finger Lakes Wineries in the area, and shopping! All events high on the list of must-dos, we were not disappointed.

Jackson and I had a great time together as his mom and dad tasted wine. Then it was off to California for the three to see Mandy's family for about two weeks. There were many planned activities there as well. I have yet to hear about their adventures there, but will soon!

We all travel back to Ankara day after tomorrow (Friday, 10 October) and will meet in London Heathrow for the final leg back. I'm sure we'll have plenty to share!

My sharing will come in the form of describing every meal out with friends and family. Some days it was two meals that involved restaurants or a home. I cooked NEVER, it seems, and that was fine with me. I was sure that I would be rolling out of Rochester... but I've tried to be careful in my selections, pretty much drilled into me through Weight Watchers, a great organization. By the way, if you have trouble in that area of your life, check out the programs offered in WW. It works.

Of course, I can't wait to see Jackson, check on his newest achievements, the foods he's been enjoying, and get back into a routine together again. We'll be taking walks, going to the playground near our home, playing with the toys at home, and always... looking for puppies. Since we have two kitties, Soviette and Rumors, we'll be feeding and petting them and geting reacquainted. It will be interesting for me to observe his behavior as he returns to his home and more familiar surroundings.

Ankara temperatures are very similar to Rochester right now: highs in the 60s, lows in the 40s, but drier. I will, along with Jackson and his parents, experience the holidays in this city. Since David and Mandy have been here much longer and through holidays last year, they have an idea of temperatures, customs, and the degree that these American celebrations are addressed by the Turkish people. Quite an adventure!

I have a new year resolution in the waiting: that of keeping you all better informed of our comings and goings, and the accompanying perceptions.

I know.... it's been a month...

What a month... I had very good intentions of sharing with you the books I'd been reading but it didn't happen. Doesn't make sense to me: the heat's not as intense, I have a routine with Jackson (although that can change in a flash!) or perhaps I just might be suffering from the same kind of illness that David and Amanda have, unbeknown to them or to me, as symptoms are deeply hidden: they don't keep their blog up, and now I don't write in mine either.

There's a difference, however, on this one. I have asked them repeatedly to place the newest and latest happenings of the little one, that really is the only person of interest, on their blog! I have given them all my pics that I take during the day to document his progress, which is moving in leaps and bounds these days, but, as family will remind us, the blog remains in the month of June. I will keep trying.

Jackson seems not to be growing a whole lot (I aim to help him with that....), but there's no problem: stats as of his 6-month well-baby physical performed at 7 months and 1 week (indicative of other delayed happenings...) are that the little one is 16.5lbs and 27 inches long, no, tall! He's sitting by himself, playing with his toys, enjoying those that make noise, particularly music, or ones that he can produce an action from the toy. Jackson's also trying to get crawling 'down.' He's been gifted with numerous demos from his mom and grandma. I don't know if he's laughing inside, focusing on the moves, or just plain ignoring, but I do see him practicing in his crib when he thinks no one's looking! So much fun to watch him these days. He's got a lot going on with development which is probably both exhausting and exhilarating for him.

His dad and mom got the high chair this past weekend, and he's taken to it and the whole feeding thing with great intensity. Food that was spewed out prior to this new piece of equipment is now taken off the spoon with joy! Go figure! Since he can enjoy his surroundings from a different perspective -- higher up, sitting up, on his own, and eating all at the same time, this becomes a good thing in his estimation. Mandy had bought him a tray suction toy a while back that he can twirl during his eating time, and he loves it. He's had access to it from the kitchen table, but this is quite different for him. Much more fun and I guess it makes peaches taste better. (Peaches here are so delicious, along with tomatoes and all sorts of beautiful fresh vegetables, and much less expensive.)

Other toys that he enjoys: the tower of tubes, soft stackable/chewable blocks, cloth books, anything that plays a tune, and the packaging (not dangerous to him, for those of you who are thinking such things right now) that the blocks came in!

The last couple of weeks have brought great change in Jackson. He's very fond of lady bugs that are in or on many of his books and toys. We have spread the beautiful quilt that he received from 'Gramma Pat' on the carpet for him to sit on and play with his things. There are lady bugs on that quilt also, and each time he sees them in another place he's quite pleased!

Now, I'm going to try to get a picture of the little one to go with this entry. Getting the picture is not so difficult. Getting one of the other adults here to get it into the blog is much more difficult, but just maybe, it will happen. Unfortunately I can't do it myself. Just working on this laptop has been tedious for me, but I'm learning.

We'll be coming back to the states on the 19th of this month for the R & R that is scheduled, a 21-day whirlwind trip for David, Mandy and Jackson. I, as the gramma/popo, will have a much more age-appropriate R & R. We'll all be in Penfield from the 19th through the 25th. The little family will leave the 26th for California to visit Mandy's family and for Jackson to meet his relatives there. I will be spending time with family and friends, catching up on yard work, and getting things ready for the next portion of this year in Turkey.

We'll all return to Ankara October 10, meeting in Heathrow for the last leg of the journey back.

Istanbul weekend

Last weekend, David, Mandy, Jackson and I spent 4 days in Istanbul, seeing the sights and walking, lots of walking... and then more walking! But, it was worth every step. Mandy and I (Weight Watcher girls) wished that we'd had a pedometer to more easily calculate points used in food which was wonderful, and the advantage of all those steps in the calculating process. Point to be made: we're outta shape!

Jackson was the usual hit for all other people. He received 2 'evil eyes', a larger one to place on his bookshelf and a small one pinned onto his clothing. That one he received at the Grand Bazaar in the spice section. We bought dried figs which we all love, some spices, and he was 'pinned' by one of the salesmen, not an unusual happening for him. We received the larger one from the MidTown Hotel in which we stayed, while we were checking in.

Conveniently located near Taksim Square, the hotel had a wonderful breakfast buffet included in the room fee. Taksim Square is a center area where the public transportation is located along with a stage for shows, pigeons galore, and a statue. One of the streets off this square is the main one with many shoppes, cafes and beautiful architecture available to see. There are churches, mosques and the Galata Tower in this area.

Sights seen farther away in the Sultanahmet area: Blue Mosque, Aya Sophya (Hagia Sophia), Topkapi Palace and park (178 acres of grandeur!), an experience with a carpet sales company which was very educational for me, food interspersed along with water and ice cream, the Cisterns (underground water system that is quite remarkable and has 1001 columns to hold up the street!); and we went to an impressively designed modern mall in Levent, a section of Istanbul, where Mandy was able to get an equally impressive hamburger, something she had been craving since last September! The place was called Gourmet Burger Kitchen and it was delicious, actually quite western both in presentation and taste. Mandy was in a very happy state upon finishing the whole thing.

We walked to the waterfront on the Bosphorus and watched people fishing off the bridge. This fishing thing constitutes a business for many who rent out the poles and people purchase the bait and tackle. Very interesting, actually a business that my son Mark and his friend Scott could think about! The place had many, many men and women fishing for their dinner! It is a beautiful area with lots of activity, ferries going back and forth, and food.... lots of food.

I would encourage you to begin saving for a trip to this city. The history is phenomenal. Example: the Aya Sophya was built in the 6th century and is still in very good condition. It was ordered built by Justinian, and was built as a church for worship; was taken over and converted to a mosque, and now is a museum, but has been carefully preserved through the centuries. Quite wonderful!

Jackson was, however, so excited when we reached our home in Ankara. He was nearly giddy: his own bed, own living room, bedroom with all his comfort stuff! Very cute to watch.

And, the second one appears right on schedule!

Jackson's second lower central popped into bite mode Sunday, just about a week after the first one! He's moving right along.

Today is his 6 month birthday! Mom Amanda can't believe he's growing up so fast. Ask any mom and it matters not when the child was born, the birth day is remembered in every detail, as are milestones along the way. And, it's all in the speed of lightening! Life is Good.

Well, I made it through town SOLO as Jackson and I made the return trip home from the American Embassy this morning. I will request that all appointments and events at the embassy be scheduled for about 10:30am and holding. The traffic was perfect! It was straightaway home with no fender bender and the minimum in horn beeping at my very unTurkish conservative driving. Would I actually have cared if someone was irritated? Not.

Tomorrow will be another 'opportunity' to challenge the roads as I'll be driving BOTH ways to accommodate Jackson's checkup, moved from this afternoon to tomorrow. I believe that it will be helpful for me to have experienced this two days in a row. In Ankara, the most dangerous thing possible is driving on these roads with local drivers able to touch your steering wheel when at a light or even passing! Amazing! We all marvel at the closeness to another car that is quite acceptable. Making a left turn from a far right lane is not out of the ordinary. One needs eyes all around one's head! Usual comment, 'Will you look at THAT?!' It never ceases to amaze.

My family back home went to see Vetiver, the band that my nephew Otto Hauser plays with, as they were in town for a gig. It was a great experience for both sides of the group: the band enjoyed themselves and mingled with their fans, and the fans had the pleasure of talking with each member at length. Overall a wonderful evening. Their music can be heard on either Otto's or the Vetiver websites. Check them out!

Another family member who sings and travels with a group is Sarah Versprille. She sings with the Josh Dion Band, a style quite different from Vetiver, which is more folk in genre. Check out her music either from her website or the Josh Dion Band website. Lots of music in the family! The Dion Band performed at the same venue as Vetiver in June (I think there was some help for them from Otto ;-) so Boulder Cafe in Rochester NY is becoming a family gathering place for music! Check out these musicians as well! Both bands travel extensively so check their schedules to note when you can see them live.

We'll be seeing some sights this weekend, a special time for us all. Next week will be a review of the places that were especially eye-opening for me, beautiful in scenery, and fun. I am told the food will be wonderful. Can't imagine it getting better than Ankara, but I'm willing to give it a try!

The first tooth appears!

Yup, Jackson has his first tooth, the lower right central, which means that the left one is close behind!

The drool is profuse, but these teeth are just in time! Jackson is loving his cereal, right now limited to rice, and fruits--bananas and applesauce. He will be a 'foody', and fit in perfectly with his gourmet cooking parents!

At the restaurant on Monday evening (7/21) the server first produced a high chair which Jackson actually disappeared in, and a plate of cucumber spears for him to eat. This food offering was probably an introduction to the foods that Turkish babies eat. With only one tooth, we let Jackson suck on one of the spears for just a moment, and then did not push the 'gift' to him. That the server thought of this little one was not unusual here. Turks love babies, yet one never sees them in restaurants. So, Jackson becomes quite a novelty. Fortunately he is very good in these places, all more high end restaurants, which allows us the opportunity to dine with little difficulty.

New glitch to this routine is the fact that Jackson is now on a regular schedule, with bedtime between 7 and 7:30pm. That's just about the time that the Shiao family would be heading out to a restaurant. So, unless it's a very special reason for us all to go, Jackson and I will stay home and let David and Mandy, his dad and mom, have a date with friends! Good plan!

Mandy's had Fridays off, although that may change, so we--Mandy, Jackson, and I--go out and run errands. Big plans for this weekend: Get me behind the wheel to drive in this challenging traffic and get myself to the U.S. Embassy here in Ankara. All this in preparation for next week's 6-month checkup for Jackson. I will be responsible for getting him there safely and on time. So, this weekend is 'driver training' for me, along with allowing the directions from here to there to become solid in my head! This should be interesting!

Next week you'll get the update on my first attempt to drive here and actually arrive at my planned (that's the key word) destination.

Jackson's goal? Double his birth weight and get out of the 25th percentile. We'll see if that rice has helped him toward his goal!

What's Ankara like?

Anytime I meet someone new here, one of the first questions is, 'What do you like about Ankara?' Having come from heat and humidity in Penfield NY, I have to admit Ankara weather is spectacular and preferred! Days can get relatively warm, sometimes in the 90s, but it's just not oppressive because the humidity is about 17%. And, you add to that the fact that the temperature drops evenings and nights 20-30 degrees with a very lovely breeze, what more can one ask! We live on the 7th floor of a hi-rise condo complex so there's no pesky flies up here! Thus, no screens on the windows or balcony doors. Amazing!

I continue to marvel at this wonderful option for patio doors. These doors and long windows open two ways: 1) like a door, 2) or by moving the handle a bit further, it will tilt forward from the top, the bottom of the window remains almost in place. Good when you have animals, want the air, but also prefer that the pets don't get out! They like the air, you like the air, and everyone's happy! I LOVE these doors. Now mind you, it's taken me about 6 weeks to get used to operating them, (that would be the month I was here before, plus the two I've been here now again) but I think they are wonderful. A similar joy to that my daughter-in-law (I really don't like that term for her or my other one...) Judy evokes regarding fat free flavored creamer.

Let me tell you more about the view from the 7th floor, actually the 8th floor in my count, with the top being the 14th (maybe 15th depending who you talk to about this!), the penthouse condo. The first floor is 0, the European way of counting floors, but we push the 7th floor when going up. From the balcony off the living room, I see much of the city of Ankara, which houses about 3 million people, and therefore is mostly apartments and hi-rise buildings. There's a building similar to the tower in Toronto with a restaurant at the top visible from this vantage point. Also, there's the home of the President of Turkey, a low and very contemporary style design, and easy to pick out of the many, many homes built very close to one another. We are probably classified as in the 'burbs' of the city, but it is rapidly becoming congested along with the rest of the area.

In the background of this view are the hills, some of which are slowly becoming part of the city as more and more buildings are popping up on the upgrades. It's quite amazing. The dwellings go right up the mountain! Less densely populated, the views toward the airport and from the kitchen balcony reveal the lovely mountains yet untouched by construction. It's beautiful. However they have all become more brown since the rains have stopped. Green for a short while in the spring, they are now experiencing the usual dry weather and the green no longer visible.

Not too far away is a farmer's market with fresh veggies and fruits. The peaches are just delicious and David made a peach cobbler last evening. Since neither he nor Mandy were feeling well, the cobbler remains untouched as yet, not that I wouldn't like to try it! I'll wait for dinner for this tasty treat. Also close by is a small market for groceries and some home-grown produce. It's handy and the people are very nice in there. On the way home from David and Mandy's work place, but also within walking distance, the other direction has a larger produce business, and they like that place very much. And, of course, the new mall has the largest grocery store, Migros, which has many items that are not traditionally in a grocery store that we know of at home. You can buy almost anything you need in there: clothing (not the best, but good in an emergency!), bedding, car needs, shoes, all sorts of dry goods that amaze me. That mall also can be dangerous to step into as the stores are quite wonderful, and so close to home!

Ankara is very hilly, so streets are up and down, challenging when walking and pushing a stroller! And, especially after a shopping trip! The bottom of the stroller is a wonderful 'trunk' in which to store all the bags! It does, however, make it more difficult to navigate on the up hill portions of our walk. There are great restaurants within walking distance which we occasionally enjoy. By the way, the food is outstanding!

So, if you're considering a trip, Turkey should be an option on your list of places to see. There is much ancient history here, many sites that have been excavated that are spoken of in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. One thing that keeps reminding me of something Jesus said to Peter, when Jesus was washing their feet. Peter wanted Jesus to wash more than his feet... wash all of me, he said. Jesus said it was not necessary, as he was clean, feet excepted. How true that is! The streets and sidewalks are very dusty, shoes need to be left at the door or the dust gets tracked into the house. And yes, one's feet are very dirty after a walk outside.

Working on a new schedule

It's the second day of our new schedule.

Yesterday began the purpose of my Year in Turkey~ that of taking care of Jackson and easing the minds of his parents, David and Amanda. Jackson is my third grandchild, just 5.5 months old. He's learning nursery rhymes and their tunes and loves it! These are not presented by Einstein, but by his mom and grandmom (that would be me, better known as popo). His mom sings to him before bed, after his story, and I do the finger plays to those that I remember from the day care center at Faith Church. They were background music to my workday at the church and now that subliminal teaching is working well for me. Jackson pays close attention to all the elements of these old poems and the accompanying tunes and finger plays.

I think he realizes there's been a change in the routine, but seems to be handling things well. I explain to him the circumstances and he listens. I give him the requested kiss from mom since he has not been awake when she's left either morning. I appreciate the signals he gives to introduce the next phase of his day. Very helpful boy! Mom and Dad are handling this transition as can be expected.

July 4th was spent on the US base in Ankara and was much like any 4th spent in the states: booths of stuff, food and drink aplenty, music (some good, some not so good), a pie eating contest, water balloons for the kids, dancing to the music and wonderful fireworks. All in all, a celebration that was indeed American. One thing happened that was interesting. Mandy and I were walking around the grounds with Jackson and looking at the 'stuff' booths when a woman at one of the booths asked if she could smell Jackson... that's right, smell him. Most immediately conjure up in their minds the smell of a dirty diaper, definitely not the desirable list of baby smells. And, of course, that was not what she was needing. She wanted to smell the skin of this little one, a smell that cannot be duplicated anywhere and for very long, if you've ever had the joy of smelling a baby's skin. Her youngest child was now 12 and she was missing the smell of an infant. Precious. So, of course, she was given the joy of smelling Jackson, who fortunately had been bathed for the occasion. There is no smell like a baby's and she was so grateful. He seems to bring out something special in people and it does not cease to amaze his parents. The grateful woman went to the neighboring booth and got him an 'evil eye' as gift for her sniff! (I will talk about the 'evil eye' another time... but Jackson is accumulating them at a rapid rate!)

Saturday we visited the tomb of King Midas, presumably. There is some question now if indeed it was his resting place, probably that of another person, possibly that of either King Midas or King Gordius, both Phrygian. The place is located just 106km west of Ankara and was the ancient capital of Phrygia. There's a museum with related artifacts taken from some, about a quarter, of the burial sites there. These sites are large hills of dirt called tumuli and contain the remains of about 18 different levels of civilizations from the Bronze Age to Roman times. A tumulus can be 60m high and 300m in diameter. These mounds are located all over this area. Very interesting. This is what Turkey is: an enormous amount of ancient history-filled areas in which one may visit. It's remarkable and lovely.

We ate at the restaurant situated next to the parking lot of the museum. The food was delicious. One of David's, Mandy's, and now my favorite foods is called gozleme, made of filo pastry and, in this case, containing minced potato and parsley. A fresh salad is served with this dish and is just wonderful. As it turned out, we sat down in this empty outdoor restaurant just in time. A bus load of people touring the area arrived and took up the remaining tables and chairs. They were expected and food was ready for them shortly after they arrived. We waited until they were all taken care of and then ordered. Again an interesting thing: the woman who may be one of the owners of the place brought out her baby daughter who was about 3 months old to introduce her to Jackson and let the little ones check each other out. So interesting. That baby had on long johns, pants over that, socks and booties, and 3 layers on the top. Jackson was in his pampers, shorts and shirt. This woman did not, however, suggest that Mandy and David were not doing their job as parents. She was lovely, and a picture was taken of the babies 'shaking hands'! By the way, that lunch was $18 (lira). It included 4 sodas. Delicious.

Sunday was the beginning of a search for a church where we can worship. We were not successful Sunday and will try another one of the options next week. However, lunch with friends was quite successful. It was at an Ankara restaurant, Italian in cuisine with a Turkish edge. Delicious. (I know, I indicate this 'delicious' word frequently...)

Cameron, you will love the food. Trust me... there are more foods out there than chicken wings, mild! (Cameron, number one grandson,is coming this direction, although not entirely to Turkey, in the next couple of weeks and will see ancient ruins in Greece, Italy, and may sit at a table in a Parisian outdoor cafe on his People to People trip.)