ITS ALWAYS A GOOD TIMEto add a photo of this beauty near the northern coast of the Absheron peninsula, north of Baku, last weekend. This is a much less attractive swimming option then the nature reserve, a few pictures down from here.
SCHOOL - LAHIJ STYLE
Ilana and some fellow TISA 4th and 5th graders visited a school in the village of Lahij in late September. Here is a photo of the group of visitors with the local class holding up their national flads. Our champ is clearly getting better nutrition than some others. We like to think she has pretty good genes, too. It is also interesting to note that at this school, as in most other places, the new black is the same as the old black. Ilana's pink shirt offers a stark contrast to the local garb.
Shirvan National ReserveA few photos from our visit to this park, in early October, about 150 km. southwest of Baku. As you will note, the park (like nearly anywhere else here) has oil rigs. Also interesting marshes and a beautiful beach but most importantly lots of 4 wheel driving when a certain individual dispersed Gazik to the back seat of the Toyota and took the wheel. Third photo shows the home team on an empty beach on the shore of the Caspian that may (or, then again, may not) be far enough away from Baku to be clean and safe to swim. Was a bit chilly so we'll have to come back and swim another time. Saw some deer and foxes and a significant amount of insect life. The park, like much of this country, "shows great potential". That is a euphemism.
THOSE ARE FLOWERSWe hosted 32 people for Rosh Hashannah dinner last Friday night and a good time was hopefully had by all. As we generally host a diplomatic kind of crowd, we are used to guests who bring the usual assortment of tasteful dinner gifts. You know: flowers, candies, wine, the occasional knick-knack. One guest decided to travel the FLOWERS route this time. Not (lower-case) flowers but FLOWERS. An enormous melange of blue and white to celebrate the beginning of 5767. I guess he, as said in
Field of Dreams, wanted to "announce his presence with authority". He did. Note the couch to the right of the FLOWERS to understand the healthy size of the bouquet. We appreciated the other gifts, too.
OUR HEROINES RING IN THE NEW YEARErev Rosh Hashannah at Casa Lenk in Baku.
Grandparents are helpless when presented with these smiles.
Yesterday, we went off towards the beach to celebrate the sixth birthday of Namik, the son of friends Eran and Nargiz. They have recently completed a lovely beach house just outside Baku. You can see parts of the house and pool above. Note the photo of Aiden and friend lounging on one of eight canopied queen-sized beds... alongside the nearly Olympic sized pool. Baku certainly needs not be a hardship post
all of the time!
NAMIK'S BIRTHDAY
