French food day
Yesterday morning, late morning that is, we all went to Gourmandise, a French pastry shop. They had an excellent variety of pastries from very delicate mille-feuille to coarse bread. Mina enjoyed a couple of cookies and we each had a choice of pastry and coffee. Mina enjoyed wondering around and exploring the ornately carved furniture.
After we left there, we dropped Jan and Elif to visit a friend, Jane, in the hospital. We dropped them off and as Mina took a nap in her car seat Tolga gave me a nice tour around the parts of the city I had not seen. The area known as the “avenues” is the expensive part of the town and the houses certainly showed that.
We picked up Jan and Elif from the hospital and returned home. Around 2:30 pm, Marjorie, Susan, and Janice came to visit with us. It was very nice to see them again and they all looked wonderful. We immediately called Binnaz on Ojo and everyone enjoyed the almost face-to-face conversation. The joy was apparent in everyone’s face and heart.
After they left we all went out to Paris, a nearby French restaurant. Of course, Mina dressed for that occasion too from her haute couture selection. At Paris, I ordered a dry martini straight up. which turned out to be a mistake. First, the martini came in a rather smallish martini glass and with ice shavings in it and the glass was not chilled. I called the waiter and asked him to correct the problem as I did not want any ice. Ten minutes later, my smallish glass of martini came with a thimble size drink in it; it did not even come to the midpoint. I called the waitress nearby and asked her to remedy the situation. Five minutes later, the bartender came and told me that he could not serve, according to Utah laws, more than one ounce of drink. Fiasco! I immediately switched to wine. Then, my supposedlywell-done steak came. Oh, that was pink inside! I ate the outside and asked the waiter to take it to the grill one more time. The meat was good but simply not cooked enough for my taste. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening with the kids.
Below are some photographs from today.
Christmas and the next day
Yesterday was Christmas day, Mina enjoyed receiving gifts from Santa. Her two big gifts were a fully equipped kitchen and a huge bear that her father got for her. She is interested in cooking as you will see in one of the photographs where she and Nana (Jan) helping mommy prepare the Indian dinner. She looks the part with her apron and has a keen taste. You will also see her dance with her baba and the bear. She loves that bear.
This morning, after the heavy snow of last night, Tolga went out to try the new snowblower Elif got for him. But it is a bit on the small side and he preferred the manual snow shovel. Elif helped him with the blower. I think the snow blower is going back for a little larger one. Now, Tolga is out using the blower to make the finishing touches on the driveway. Mina went out with them for a while and enjoyed the snow.
Christmas and the day after
Tolga and Elif’s new house
Today I took photographs inside the house (too cold to go out, too slippery too!) The first series will show you their living room, as seen from the dining room area; their dining room seen from the living room area; and their newly renovated kitchen.
The second series will take you to Mina’s room with her canopy bed. She is very proud of her bed. It is also her play room when she is upstairs. It has her toys, a small table and chairs, and on another corner a giant leaf almost like a tent. I did not get a chance to photograph the leaf, perhaps will add it later on.
The third series is the basement, Tolga’s office, the large play room, laundry closet, Elif’s corner for her computer and crafts, and a large storage area that Sophia the cat loves.
They are off to a good start, new furniture is modern and practical. They need a few photographs on the walls (hints to self), and other small odds and ends.
Living room, dining room, kitchen
Mina’s room and Mina in her play tunnel
Tolga’s office, play room, Elif’s corner
Mina in her Annie Hall outfit
With a make-shift lighting setup I photographed Mina and Elif today. Mina wore her Annie Hall outfit with a vest and a matching hat. She interacts with her mother so nicely, I got a chance to photograph them as they horsed around. The coat she is wearing is one Elif made for her. I enjoyed photographing them, I hope that you enjoy viewing them.
Mina Goes to Christmas Concert
Today we went to a Christmas concert at the Abravanel Concert Hall by the Utah Symphony, a first for Mina. Mina put on her concert outfit (!) and look the part of a lady going to a special event. To make parking easier, Tolga drove us to the parking next to the Olympic stadium and we took the “track” to downtown. Another first for Mina, she enjoyed riding on the train.
In the lobby of the concert hall, there was a small concert put on by the children, which Mina enjoyed watching. The kids did a very nice job and look very serious as they performed. After a sneak peek at Santa, who was seated in his chair in the lobby, we went up to the balcony where our seats were. From that vantage point, we could see the hall and the orchestra very nicely. Later, we found out that our seats were on the side of the balcony, very near the orchestra. That made the view even better.
Mina behaved like a real lady and watched and listened to the performance. Towards the end, Santa came to the stage and told all the kids how they should behave and what kind of cookies to leave for him on Christmas eve (chocolate chip, no nuts in the cookies). The music was very enjoyable, it put everyone in the mood and the Christmas spirit. Below are some photographs from this outing.
Mina Goes to Christmas Concert
December 2008, Salt Lake City
We are in Salt Lake City to be with our children Mina, Elif, and Tolga for the holidays. It has been snowing steadily for several hours now, it’s all white outside. But, even Rhode Island is expecting snow maybe more than what we are getting in Salk Lake City.
This year Elif and Tolga moved to their new home with a big window looking out to the street. I enjoy sitting next to the window and watching outside. It is a dead-end street, so there is not much traffic. But the snow and the trees look very nice. The new home is very nice, clean, sound, and roomy.
I have been taking photographs, no surprise there, a little at a time at different times of the day; documenting the daily life. Again, as you may suspect, Mina is in the starring role. I am posting several groups of photographs to share with friends and family.
Happy Holidays to you all.
Mina and Elif Dyeing the Silk Squares
At the Table
Mina Shaking her Head for Joy
Mina Decorating her Christmas Tree
Mina’s Good-Natured Cat, Beaner
Mina, Nana, Mama, Baba
Mimi, Mama, Baba
Mina calls herself alternately Mina and Mimi. Her mother is Mama and father is Baba. This entry is for the three of them horsing around, baking, doing dishes, enjoying the bookstore.
Love to you all kids,
Dede (that would be me!)
Great Salt Lake & Spiral Jetty
Today I took a helicopter ride over the Great Salt Lake to see the famous landmark Spiral Jetty. The trip was extremely enjoyable and the view, most impressive. The lake is so large that it feels like the sea, but the feeling of vastness quickly takes a back seat to the color and the texture that is an integral part of the lake. Depending on the depths, sometimes no water at all, and the type of bacteria and algae growing in various parts, the color of the water varies from red to blue and many shades in between.
My pilot Simon was the most pleasant guy who moved to this country from New Zealand. He seemed to enjoy flying and seeing the nature equally well. As my surprise birthday gift was planned by my wife, and my daughter and son-in-law, we drove to Ogden airport where Simon met us. We later found out that we could have started the flight in Salt Lake City. All in all, the whole experience was truly a great birthday gift. Thank you Jan, Tolga, thank you Elif for organizing it and driving us to Ogden in heavy traffic. Of course, thank you Mina for being such a good sport during the whole long day. Thanks to all of the above people, I have a truly memorable birthday, my 65th. Below are a very preliminary selection of photographs with minimal to no editing, the nature speaks for itself.
Preview
Visit to Salt Lake City
I arrived at Salt Lake City on August 4, 2008 primarily to see my daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law. This time of the year, the mountain sides are extremely colorful with bursting wild flowers. The following are a few albums from this visit.
Mina and Elif in the fields
Mina and Cemal Dede and the rest of the day
Wild flowers near Alta, UT
Wild flowers near Alta, UT part 2
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