August 27, 2013

Amos with his birthday cake and Kodiak card, drawn especially for him by a fellow team member. We had a nice party, but after eating all the other food I had fixed we were too full for birthday cake so we ate it for breakfast the next morning (today.) One of the candles stands for twenty and one for eight. We will leave you to decide which is which.

August 23, 2013

Despite the fact that our washing machine is a bit of a prima donna, the laundry is remarkably easy, at least during the summer time. Hang it out, and in an hour it will be bone dry and ready to put away. We have chosen to ignore the existence of irons. In the winter however, if you hang it outside, you will be bringing it in in stiff sheets.

August 21, 2013

In Kabul, even the less affluent like to play with colors and brighten up their houses.

August 11, 2013

With the end of Ramazan and the coming of the cooler breezes, kite season has begun. It's hard to find a patch of sky that isn't dotted with kites in the evening. Unfortunately, it's difficult to photograph them well. The other day, a kite that had been cut free during a kite battle floated down into our yard. Almost before it touched the ground the little boys who had been chasing it were banging on our gate. I handed it out to them and they ran off to re-tie it and fly it again.

August 8, 2013

Here's another calligraphy design (plus artwork) by Amos.

"The porcupine says to its own child, "My velvet baby!"

August 4, 2013

I was asked to make a baby shower cake with an aviation theme for C.'s baby boy's shower this week. After considering my options, I decided to make a chocolate cake in the image of (as least my artistic conception of) one of our remote, mountainous airstrips. Following is the result:

It did look quite a bit more "mountainous" and "airstrippy" in real life.

P.S. If you've made it to this blog and are able to view the pictures, please leave a comment on this post. You don't need to write anything except your name. I just want to make sure everyone is still able to see and enjoy the "Picture of the Day/Week"

August 3, 2013

It's the last week of Ramazan, and I don't think anyone will be sorry to finish the fast. People are saying it's the hottest summer in forty years. Whether that's true or not, it certainly feels hotter when you're not drinking anything all day long. Too bad you can't bottle up some of this sunshine and use it later...

 I plan to get my Eid shopping done early in the week--lots of fruit, nuts, candy, and little gifts for the extra special people.