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Friday, December 28: Inspired by Robin at Life in the Bogs: Time in a bottle, and by the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, I put together a collage of my life during 2012.  All in all, it was an amazing year.  It started with getting a new flat in Nizwa, at the Abu Nooh Building, in January.  Soon after, my sons came to visit me in Oman for nearly a month.  We explored from Muscat to Nizwa, and even to far-flung Salalah.  It was a great experience for them and helped us establish a special bond of shared experience.

Developing a close friendship with Mario was one of the highlights of my year.  We both love photography and exploring Oman, so we have spent countless weekend days gallivanting around the country.  We have driven through flooded wadis to Wadi Dam, through Wadi Mistal to Wekan, across the Hajar Mountains through Balad Sayt, to Muscat and other places along the coast.  We went on a botched trip to Masirah Island, and ended up in Sur instead.  And we’ve taken too many walks to count on our favorite Jebel Akhdar, ending with a shared bottle of wine at the Sahab.

In August, I went back to the USA for a month, and had a fabulous time reconnecting with my family and home in Virginia.  I spent precious time in Richmond with my daughter Sarah, and our family spent a week at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. I loved this time together and resolved that I need to be back home with my family.

I returned home to Oman for one day, repacked, and then spent two amazing weeks in Greece, exploring Athens, Crete, Santorini, Meteora, Delphi and Epidaurus (greek wanderings).  On my birthday, October 25, I flew for the Eid holiday to Ethiopia, where I spent a week visiting my friend Ed.  We explored Addis Ababa, Lalibela and Lake Langano (african meanderings {and musings}).  For the Islamic holiday weekend, I took a short trip to Abu Dhabi, about a 5 1/2 hour drive from Nizwa.

Click on any image below for a full-sized slide show.

Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE
rock-hewn church at Lalibela, Ethiopia
passageways through old Bahla, Oman
Kayaks at Deep Creek Lake, MD
FRUIT!!!! Salalah, Oman
Adam at Deep Creek Lake, MD
Oia, Santorini, Greece
The village of Al Ayn on Jebel Akhdar
Me at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA
to infinity and beyond! Al Bustan Hotel in Muscat, Oman
Life is an enigma. Fira, Santorini, Greece
my living room in the Abu Nooh Building, Nizwa, Oman
Thuraya, Shayma, me, Badr and Saud in January, University of Nizwa, Oman
Royal Opera House Muscat
Oia, Santorini, Greece
my wanna-be “garden room” with its fake plants (the one on the left is real)… 🙂 Nizwa, Oman
a rainbow of flowers and the Sultan’s palace, Muscat, Oman
St. George & the Dragon: the patron saint of Ethiopia
more goodies at Mutrah souq in Muscat, Oman
the village and the gardens of Balad Sayt in Oman
Alx and Adam at Deep Creek Lake, MD
a chess game by the sea in Sohar, Oman
me at the Agora, Athens, Greece
Malcolm & Sandy at the Turkish restaurant in NIzwa, Oman
Adam & Alex in the Empty Quarter, Oman
the entrance to the University of Nizwa, Oman
my sons chillin’ at Ziyara in Muscat, Oman
my excellent student, Badr, on the left and his unknown friend driving near Birkat al Mouz, Oman
Oia, Santorini, Greece
painted walls in one of the ruined houses at Wadi Bani Habib, Jebel Akhdar, Oman
Bailey near Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA
asleep at work ~ Nizwa souq, Oman
Alex and Adam the intrepid explorers
up & up the steps through the garden at Wekan, Oman
my favorite “sport” ~ hiking anywhere scenic and gorgeous… 🙂 Juniper Tree, Jebel Akhdar, Oman
Mario and our bottle of wine, Sahab Hotel, Oman
boarding the dhow in Musandam, Oman
the Acropolis, Athens, Greece
part of the Door Series (?) by Abdul Majeed Karooh at Bait Muzna Gallery, Oman
life vests and canoe paddles at our cabin at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland
Alex, Ahmed and Adam stand on the falaj going down to Wadi Tiwi in Oman
stylized palm trees on a hill in Oman
Alex stands on the edge of a falaj in Wadi Shab
“The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare to let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.” ~ Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (Oman)
Joanna Lumley and me at the Radisson Blu in Muscat, Oman
the incense burner on the hill at al riyam park in Muscat, Oman
Street scene in Athens, Greece
following the endless steps to the top of Wekan’s gardens in Oman
Jebel Akhdar, Oman
some intrepid Omanis dare to cross the wadi of all wadis near Ibri, Oman
swingin’ in the trees at wadi darba, Salalah, Omant
the young man from Balad Sayt, Adam & Alex in Oman.
me on top of the ridge overlooking Khor an Najd in Musandam, Oman
Omani men at Nizwa souq in Oman
drinking coconut juice at a Salalah fruit stand ~ Oman
My two “Omani” boys at Mutrah Souq, Oman
a hand reprimanding a goat in the Hajar Mountains, Oman
Me on the edge of Bet Giyogis, Lalibela, Ethiopia
the 21 Bronze Age tombs of Al Ayn with the jagged, comb-shaped Jebel Misht behind ~ Oman
an Omani boy at Nizwa souq
the fisherman haul in the nets, Al Musanah, Oman
a camel in Wadi Darbat, Salalah, Oman
fruits of labor in Birkat al Mouz, Oman
Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA
plantations at Birkat al Mouz, Oman
near Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA (Alex, me and Adam)
Oia, Santorini, Greece
onions in Balad Sayt, Oman
pomegranate at Wekan, Oman
seashells by the seashore, Al Musanah, Oman
colorful fishing boats in Sur, Oman
the Acroplis, Athens, Greece
Franciscan Monastery, Washington, DC
Alex in front and Adam in back in the BIG boulder-strewn Wadi Tanuf, Oman
Mohammed, Mario and Atrium Torres Merlot at the Sahab Hotel, Jebel Akhdar, Oman
the rock-hewn masterpiece church of Bet Giyorgis in Lalibela, Ethiopia
the Bahla Mosque with the gardens in front ~ Oman
Franciscan Monastery, Athens, Greece
the boys at the entrance to wadi bani khalid in oman
Sarah and me in Richmond, VA
happy times at the Sahab Hotel, Jebel Akhdar, Oman
I love the dramatic setting of this mosque in Salalah, Oman
a little ruined room in Birkat al Mouz, Oman
Oia, Santorini, Greece
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”~ William Wordsworth (Wadi Muyadin, Oman)
the sheikh zayed bin sultan al-nahyan mosque in abu dhabi, uae
Street scene in Athens, Greece
Santorini, Greece
a green garden at one of the Meteora monasteries in Greece
one boy’s grandfather and his sardine catch of the day in Al Musanah, Oman
Entoto Raguel & Elias Church in Addis Ababa

Time in a Bottle ~ Jim Croce

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with

Though I have no “you” that I can “go through time with,” no romance and no prospects of romance, there is still never enough time to do the things I want to do, once I find them.  I still like to save every day like a treasure, in my memory.  Though it’s been a solitary year, it hasn’t often been a lonely one.

I’ve learned to be content by myself, and though I want to reconcile with my husband, I don’t know if that will happen.  If not, I will keep my heart open for whatever the universe flings in my direction.  I know I will be returning home to Virginia in mid-summer of 2013.  So after this year, my living abroad days will be on hiatus, at least for some time.  What comes next in my life, I don’t know, but I’m ready for a new adventure.