As with many of the amazing moments we've witnessed here, I forgot our camera Friday when we were invited to lunch at Sarah and Basel's house in Salt. (Sarah works for ACOR and has twin 4.5 year old twins, whom we see every once in a while and who have graciously lent Noah their mega blocks.)
Tucked in a valley in Salt (about 30 minutes from Amman), Sarah and Basel's house is bucolic bliss. Three dogs and a blind cat met us at the driveway as we arrived. As Noah scampered around with Samantha and Tha'ir, we took a hike (bolstered by glasses of homemade, delicious white wine) to see the chickens, fruit trees, vineyards, and thriving garden. The artichokes, iceplant, and the fog in the valley made Salt seem like a little slice of California...in the Middle East. A terrific lunch of boar (that Basel hunted), more wine, and stimulating conversation rounded out the afternoon and we returned to ACOR sated, smiling, and supremely grateful to our gracious hosts for such a wonderful afternoon. (Noah collapsed into a puddle when told him we had to leave.)
Today's outing was meant to be lunch in Fuheis (known for cement and ...well, food - interesting), but the pouring rain and intermittent hail weakened our reserve. Instead we headed to a local restaurant, Reem al-Bawady. Geared towards tourists, but with pretty fantastic food, Reem al-Bawady was the perfect place to warm up and dry out over a cup of strong, sweet cardamom coffee, dishes of dips, and fresh bread.
I'll wind up with a photo from the Children's Museum (a.k.a. Noah and Mama's office) from a trip earlier in the week. This is a shot of Noah and his buddy Marcus competing (sort of) in wheelchair races.