Bet you thought I'd disappeared. Nope. Just too busy and then too lazy to update. But it's been a very interesting two months.
My trip to Lalibela, Ethiopia was amazing! It was probably the most exciting trip I've ever taken. How in the world were these churches carved into the earth? They were created in the 13th century by King Lalibela within a 29 year period. I'm including some photos and am sure you will share in my admiration for their very existence. Had a great time. Met a woman on the van from the airport to my hotel in Lalibela and we went on the most strenuous parts of the exploration together, including a trip up a mountain on donkeys. My body, in particular, remembered it for a week! Yowl!!!!
Obviously a foreshortened description of the trip of a lifetime, but I'm anxious to get caught up. Went from Lalibela back to Addis Ababa and was hosted by a friend of my nephew's and had a great tour of the city and a wonderful dinner. He was a delightful host and was terrifically persistent in tracking me down. Bless him!
From Addis, I flew (upgraded to first class) to Dubai. Great flight and I had plenty of time to take a taxi tour of the city. Lots and lots of new and unusual buildings but, not being a great fan of Las Vegas, I found I wasn't much of a fan of Dubai, either. It is pretty glitzy. I asked to see what was old and truly representative of the "real" Dubai and I was taken to a shopping center constructed to look old, selling very, very expensive stuff. I asked to see a museum and was taken to a gallery with truly beautiful stuff, all for sale at unbelievable prices. Tired of being shilled by my driver, I went back to the airport early and readied for the flight without end to Atlanta and then to Denver. Made the mistake of having an apple in my backpack when I got to U.S. customs. What a mistake...not a pleasant reintroduction to the states.
I arrived back in Denver, CO late the morning of August 30, the morning following the end of the Democratic National Convention, including Obama's acceptance speech the night before at Mile High Stadium. Talk about timing! My sister took me to my friend's to spend a couple days until another friend's place opened up. Anyway, back and forth several times for two weeks, during which I managed to find an apartment, purchase furnishings, sign up for Medicare and Kaiser Senior Advantage, and buy airline tickets to visit my kids and grandkids.
Arrived in Vancouver, B.C. in mid-September and had a great stay with my son, Josh, his wife, Shannon, and my three grandchildren, Brendan, Tristan and Lily. While there, I not only got sick as a dog for about a week, but visited Grouse Mountain, Burnaby Mountain, China Town, Stanley Park, Vancouver Island and Burchart Gardens. It as a very busy and a very wonderful time. I totally enjoyed my grandkids (and was there for Lily's third birthday) and was nearly overwhelmed with the beauty of the area. I've decided that the further northwest one goes, the more beautiful it becomes.
My next stop was in the Phoenix area to visit my daughters, Rachael and Jenny, and my grandson, Jenny's son, Edward. I was able to attend two of his high school football games (my first in 50 years!) and spent time with lots and lots of family and with my dear friend, Gloria Schuler. In addition, I took a little solo trip up to the Grand Canyon (another trip back into time; my last time there was in '65). It was great fun, including a ride on the Grand Canyon Railroad. I met some great folks and took some great photos.
Finally, two weeks ago, I returned to Denver and moved into my studio apartment in subsidised senior housing. It is a great little apartment in a great location and so cheap that I can afford to keep it no matter what I do or where I go. It's cheaper than storage would be! I'm going to try to not work and to not have a car. It's an experiment! So far, I am so bored and so restless I can barely stand myself. I keep hearing that this is normal and will pass. I sure hope so! So, here I am, living with a bunch of old people who all seem to think I'm one of them. I, of course, am totally convinced that this is all a joke and I'm pulling a fast one on everyone by living here and enjoying the low rent and primo location. Wonder who's right?
Through all of this, I've gotten on Facebook, I've been barraged (along with the world) with political ads, and I've finally gotten back to my little church community...it feels a little strange to me yet. I know it's just me; I don't seem to want anyone around and don't want to talk about South Africa or my experience. Interestingly enough, I would have loved talking to my kids about the experience (even took CDs with all the photos), but they didn't really show any interest or ask to see the photos. Now, I seem to be holding it very close to my chest. I'm guessing this is all part of my readjustment experience.
