Fall

By far, the hardest part of living overseas, for me, is missing all the fall premieres. I am always grateful for friends who tell me I must get my hands on the season premiere of the Biggest Loser because it was tear inducing inspirational and for sending me links to gems like these from new fall shows that I can only hope arrive in my local video store once the season is over in May. I especially love this clip: football and Beyonce, it just doesn't get any better.

Heartbreaker

Sina and I can spend hours looking at old photos on our computer. Tonight we found a gem from back when our friends Tad and Rebecca visited us in France.


Or wait, was that when Robert Plant visited us? So hard to tell...

That's some serious toothbrushing

Fishing and horses

So one picture you'll almost always see if you happen to be looking at pictures from Sri Lanka, is of the pole fishermen. No, not fishing poles, pole fishermen. Why this has developed in Sri Lanka and apparently nowhere else I'll never understand, because it's a pretty simple idea. What's not necessarily simple is getting us out of bed in time to see them in the morning. It took a couple days of trying, and in the end I think we just got lucky with one guy who had nothing else to do that day. He was more than obliging for a photo shoot, especially after I gave him a dollar's worth of rupees. I figure it's like a donation to cultural heritage, on a very direct basis.







Ruby still loves, loves, loves riding horses. We stopped by a playground that was built by USAID after the Tsunami, and they had a pony to ride. Gavin wasn't so sure about it, he might need a better cowboy hat before he does any more riding.



But Ruby was of course still right at home.

Gavin's paparazzi

Our kids seem to get a little extra attention around these parts, what with the blonde and red hair and all. But this time it reached a high point when we were walking along the ramparts of the old fort in Galle. One woman basically took Ruby from my arms and held her so her friend could take a picture of them together. Gavin was the biggest hit, as you can see from this:

Beach Fun

Ruby the Mermaid - she was of course thrilled to find out that she could play dress-up with sand.




Nate and Ruby on the walls of the old Dutch fort in Galle



Gavin relaxing in the sand - luckily he didn't try to eat much of it this time!




This is Ruby being dragged out to sea by the "angry" waves.

Our Little Marine Biologists

We went on a little beach trip over Labor Day weekend, since that's what Americans do. Drove down to the southern tip of the island, just past the old Dutch fort and port town of Galle. We had read there were sea turtle hatcheries along the way, and Ruby could hardly stand waiting to see them. All morning before we left she kept saying, "We're going to the turtle hatchery!" Luckily they did not disappoint. You'd have thought that after hearing her talk about them all morning we would've known to linger amongst the turtles just a bit longer. But no, we jumped right back in the car about twenty minutes later, and Ruby cried for the next half an hour down the road because we'd made her leave her sea turtles. But really, can you blame her? I never even dreamed I'd be this close to one.




Ruby took it all very seriously... They had a few young turtles and adults who either couldn't be released into the wild or which they kept for "research" (i.e. tourist) purposes.

Here's a really big one!



And a smaller one...



Then there were the brand new babies - Ruby really couldn't get over these. Supposedly these had just hatched, and they were holding them in the tanks until they could release them at night when they wouldn't be snatched up by birds.



It all seemed reasonably scientific until they pulled a few of the babies out of their tank to let us all hold - that can't be Sea World approved, can it???



Then things really veered off the "scientific" path. Gavin actually got to hold this poor little one - well, I guess they always say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!



Of course you'd think Ruby would appear more interested in the one she's holding...



...unless of course she's too busy watching the one the guide put in her pocket!!!