Preparations

I'm down to the last week or so, working on the list of things to do, things not to forget. As soon as I cross something off the top of the list I find myself adding something new at the bottom. I'm reminded of Pee Wee Herman, who said "I feel like I'm unraveling a HUGE sweater, that someone keeps knitting, and knitting, and knitting!"

Starting May 3 I'm looking forward to some family time in California, and then on May 8 my mom is taking my sister Lizzy and me to Paris and the south of France for two weeks. We're looking forward to smelling perfume and gawking at gardens, and hiking the city streets and rural footpaths.

It's nearly the end of spring in Tucson, The fragrant season is winding down. It started with the sweet acacias back in February, then the pink jasmine, followed by a long heady few weeks of citrus blossom. Now it's the star jasmine and the goaty-sweet smell of honeysuckle, with clouds of brilliant but odorless paloverde trees, and temperatures in the 90s. In order to prepare myself for the mountainous landscape of Yemen, I've been climbing Tumamoc hill nearly every day, three miles of nearly 800 feet of elevation gain. The top is a mix of prehistoric Hohokam ruins and petroglyphs, and postapocalyptic looking devices for communicating with space, in the enduring desert landscape.

Testing...Testing

Welcome! I'll be using this blog to keep up with family and friends while I'm in Yemen this summer. I'll do my best to check in here every few days. Remember, I love to hear from you, so please email me once in awhile. This blog will start on May 29, after I have arrived in Sana'a and gotten my bearings.