Uncategorized

Our New Parking Spot

December 31, 2012

Merhaba,

This rain is getting old. Of course you’re probably having worse weather, unless you live in New England and like snow. I seem to recall being told that January and February are the rainy months here. We were able to get off the boat for a walk yesterday; maybe that will happen today. No great photos to take today; the colors you see from our pilot house windows are gray and white. Gray water, gray sky, gray mountains…. On a more fun note, a harbor seal swam past our boat yesterday. I was just returning to the boat when I heard/saw a big splash near the boat behind us. Then something larger than the usual fish came up out of the water. It was as long as I am tall…or so it seemed in the flash that it passed by our boat. Now we are parked along the quay just near several restaurants and each morning stale bread is dumped in the water behind our boat for fish to feed on. The fish must have attracted the seal. It’s fun to watch the fish; but it’s more fun to watch the seal so hopefully it will return. Sorry fish.

When we arrived in Turkey back in July our berth was on A dock “affectionately” known as “the back of beyond.” To confuse folks trying to find us, A dock was located after N dock as opposed to being located prior to B dock. The marina promised to move us, and, if it could be worked out, to move us along-side a concrete dock rather than stern-to requiring our awful see-saw passerelle. Not that the passerelle moved up and down other than with the tide. But it was fixed at a sharp angle from our swim platform up to the dock making it hard to get on and even harder to get off. Big boats designed for cruising here in the Med have huge mechanical passerelle systems but we started in Asia where you don’t need any kind of passerelle so ours was a skinny wood plank given to us in North Cyprus by another boat who had upgraded to a real passerelle. Our first move away from A dock was to B dock with the wonderful views at the marina entrance just one or two steps from town! But we were still stern-to. There was a possible space coming open where we’d be along-side but we’d have to wait. While we waited I did get some lovely photos! Some are just a bit enhanced so you can not only see what I was seeing, but see it the way I was experiencing it.

Though the views were wonderful; access on and off the boat was not. Finally, in December, our holiday gift from the marina was a new spot along-side the main quay of the marina. It’s perfect! I think we might be the envy or other cruisers, but much of the marina’s decision came from safety issues. They felt we might be a bit too heavy for one of the lower floating finger docks. They wanted us attached to concrete so our choices were more limited. As for the pecan pie bribes… well who knows. We absolutely do appreciate that they carried through with their promise to take our passerelle concerns into consideration when finding us a spot. We might not have quite so lovely views any longer, but the ease of getting off and on is a relief! Amazingly both times the boat was moved I was off at art group or visiting the horses so our friend Rick helped Randal both times! And the wonderful marinaros make it all go smoothly. I made them apple cake!

Our new spot along restaurant row

Just steps away from Migros which makes emergency trips to the market much easier.

Happy hour at Pineapple restaurant is just steps from Doramac.

Our new water view; I think from our flybridge we can still see town for a possible painting.

Uncategorized

Mystery Lunch December 28th Çınar Muğla Evleri

December 29, 2012

Merhaba

It’s another rainy day in Marmaris. About noon the rain stopped for a bit so Randal and I walked to Aciktim for lunch. Then we strolled over for another look at the art exhibit at the new Culture and Art Center. I really like that place. A small orchestra was practicing in one of the upstairs class rooms and it was lovely to hear. Classical music and art; what a wonderful combination. And there’s a café there too which we’ll have to try one day soon. Hooray for Marmaris for supporting the arts!

Gwen organizes all kinds of activities and trips of various length and variety. Friday was a lunch trip off the coast about 30

minutes from Marmaris. No one is ever told the specific destination on these mystery lunch trips; but it really doesn’t matter as we know it will be all good fun, with food!

Here’s the story.

A bunch of us bussed off for a “Gwen mystery lunch” Friday and the weather actually cooperated long enough for us to leave our umbrellas safely on the bus. Our tables were pushed right up close to the fireplace so everyone was warm, dry and quite content.

Walking from the bus to the restaurant through the

pine forest that reminded me of the Blue Ridge

Mountains of Virginia.

Pete and Sue, friends from the Karpaz Gate Marina in

North Cyprus who are now at Yacht Marina, Rick and

Mary and Randal and I shared a table.

You can see the fireplace just at the end. It was wide

enough that Randal was sitting right up against it too.

All the usual suspect took part along with Sue, Pete, Heather and Narelle from Yacht Marina.

Putting in our orders: We gave our boat names so the waiters could keep it all straight.

Black & white photos remind me of vacations in the 50s we took around New England.

There were lots of choices on the menu but our table opted for the roast lamb…except for Randal who had 2 roasted trout.

Sue is wearing her lovely new blue scarf which looks perfect! Narelle looks seasonably festive in her red

scarf. I think just about every woman there had on a scarf; they are quite “costume de rigueur. “ And they also keep your neck warm during the damp chill weather. I for one aim to leave Turkey with a whole collection, an especially good idea as I tend to lose one in each country I visit.

Heather snapping a photo…I was only one of many with a camera

Randal liked the wood ceiling and if we ever really do decide to build one last house look for these there…along with Roman mosaic floors out in the courtyard. Some house huh?

There were small alcove seating areas. I might have to paint this …minus the napkin holder. Maybe a Matisse Odalisque should be reclining here. Maybe I’ll paint one in.

I’d describe this as the image of foreign travel, but with so many ethnic restaurants in the US, you’ve probably have been in something similar.

Randal’s roast trout.

My roast lamb…fork tender.

After lunch we walked around the grounds visiting the ducks and geese. Mary had thought to bring the left over bread so we all got to watch the geese and ducks come running, squawking for bread.

This cat wanted a share of the bread we were feeding to the geese

Geese can come up with some of the goofiest facial expressions!

They would take it directly from your hand if the piece was the size of your fist. If it was smaller you risked losing a finger. I tried to take a photo of a goose taking bread from me but that was a bit risky trying to protect my finger and keep the camera steady. I have a photo of me holding the bread and the goose holding the bread, but none of us both holding the bread.

Sue and Pete were here during the summer and they said it’s jam packed. There are small cabins and a larger hotel too.

I took myself for a short walk around the place and up the road and then up the hill by the hotel but was afraid to be gone for too long and miss the bus back. Actually it was a private bus for our group so it wouldn’t have left; but no one would have been happy waiting for me to finally show up. Actually Rick came along and he and I walked part way up the hill on the dirt path behind the hotel. But we knew that was a hike for another day so we returned to join everyone at the duck, goose, cat pond.

We’re waiting to board the bus home. Gwen, our fearless leader, is in the red sweater.

Uncategorized

Irina’s Waterfall Hike

December 26, 2012

Merhaba,

Today was lovely, bright and sunny! (I think many of you might be having rotten weather; sorry.) It was actually warm enough to be T-shirt weather, especially on a hike up the mountain. Irina took off her Christmas hat and glasses and put on her hiking boots and lead us all on a hike to the waterfall.

Irina planned a lovely “day after huge Christmas meals” hike up the local mountain to the waterfall.

It was a lovely day and lovely hike. The weather cooperated spectacularly. The scenery was lovely; but it was Kiefer who stole the show.

Tough going for a baby buggy!

I need to point out Collin with the white hat and pink shirt as somehow this is the only photo

I have of him and Mr. Buttons will never forgive me for that oversight.

Don’t worry; the baby isn’t in the buggy!

Irina in the striped sweater, Joanne who is Grandma, Kathryn, the mom and Kiefer, the baby.

Lots of bees in the forest which translates into lots of honey shops in town.

I’m the shadow on the right! You can see what a bright sunny day it was.

Actually I look like one of those meditation moves from the Christmas Eve buffet.

Irina not only lead the hike, she pushed the buggy. When the road was too rough

and the buggy was left behind (to be retrieved on the way down,) Irina carried Kiefer. Now that’s

a hike leader!

Time to leave the buggy behind… Not something to do in other countries, but we knew

the buggy would be here when we walked back down the mountain. That’s Grandpa Dale

on the left in the white shirt.

The sign says Hunting Isn’t Allowed: it doesn’t say shooting holes into the

sign isn’t allowed.

Jane picked and ate one of the wild olives and it turned her tongue purple

which Rick found amusing.

Lunch break , Joanne and her grandson Kiefer

Lee and Zehra relaxing in the sun

Irina looking for a short cut to the waterfall… but there was none

While the rest of the group relaxed over lunch, this group walked

the trail down to the waterfall: Jane, Irina, Mary, Rick.

Notice Mary’s spiffy, blingy new jeans!

Our fearless leader pointing out the waterfall .. that you can’t see in this photo.

You can see it here, sort of; lovely but kὒҫὒk..(small.)

But as did Ithaca; the waterfall gave us the reason for the journey.

Irina carried him up and she carried him down!

A sleeping baby is a happy baby….or is it only puppies that’s true for?

Jeff, Kiefer and Kathryn

And they all lived happily ever after: The End.

Uncategorized

Christmas Eve Lunch Buffet Hosted by Netsel Marina

December 24, 2012

Merhaba

Merry Christmas Eve. Ours certainly has been. Randal and I started the day with a walk around town with Mary and Rick to prepare us for the huge buffet at 1 pm. We were definitely ready for it.

It was lots of fun and now I’m writing it up while Randal is off at Scorpio Bar listening to one of the cruisers perform. I was just too pooped to go and needed some quiet time. There are more festivities tomorrow! The sun is cooperating and we have a few days of sunshine. Hope you all are enjoying time with family, friends, and loyal 4 legged pals!

Buffet hosted by The Netsel Marina: prizes from marina area merchants.

Roast Turkey and dressing and the lovely fragrant

rice were the stars of the show. The vodka punch

with chopped fruit wasn’t bad either!

The Usual Suspects………

Randal and Irina led the parade.

Turkey and rice, this plates for ME. Yum !

The real star of the show is the chef from the

Netsel Workers’ Canteen. We have often eaten

lunch at the canteen and are never disappointed.

The entertainment was as good as the food: the

Black and White seemed to capture his personality and

the lively classical pieces he’d selected to play. He even played

“If I Were A Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof and Hava Nagila

both interesting choices for a Christmas buffet in Turkey.

There were friends….

And families….

Joanne and her daughter.

Son-in-law and grandson who had just arrived from

Scotland and who was dealing wonderfully well with jet lag and lots

of strange faces.

If your number was drawn, you won a prize; and everyone won!

I won 50 TL towards a rental car and Randal won a really nice leather

belt with anchors on it. All of the prizes were donated by shops at the

marina.

Between Alex and Diana they had the winning number

For the grand prize; a gift basket of goodies.

Guess… Wrong!

Guess again…probably wrong again unless you do meditation.

We had a demonstration from a woman who offers classes

in meditation.

I did learn one thing from this demonstration; looking upwards

as a way to stop inappropriate hysterical laughter does not work

especially after both a glass of vodka punch and a glass of white wine.

And finally, there were even left-overs that folks could take home!

Maybe a gift for kitty?

Uncategorized

Marmaris Ladies Bazaar

December 22, 2012

Merhaba

This weekend the Marmaris Ladies Bazaar is being held in the shopping mall that borders the marina. Several of us went early this morning as rain was predicted for the afternoon. It felt good to support the local charities. I bought some rather odd candles and a piece of carrot cake to give to the security guard at the marina entrance. He looked a bit lonely when I walked by so I thought I’d bring him a treat while giving a bit of money to one of the local schools that had a baked goods table.

There were several Netsel ladies there shopping; the men made one pass through and were done in no time. It was good fun for a good cause.

Doramac

“December 22 & 23, Saturday/Sunday s Marmaris Ladies Bazaar where home-made sweets and Turkish dishes, arts and crafts are sold for charity.” …from Gwen to Live Aboards.

The Netsel Shopping Mall is all dressed for Christmas and today tables were set up for the Marmaris Ladies’ Bazaar which will be Saturday and Sunday. We went early-ish this morning before things got into full swing. This afternoon when I stopped by, there were clowns and balloon animals being made and the place was really hopping. As the profits go for charities, busy is good! But my battery died so no additional photos…Rats!

The Lions had a table….

This was my favorite. Though I didn’t buy anything; I did go back to the boat and get the clothes I’d put aside to give to charity and bring it back for them to sell. They had racks of used clothes so I hoped my donation would be useful.

Mary and Jane couldn’t resist the “ 60s flower-power” jeans.

Republican Women’s Association had a table, but these women would be Liberals in the US!

"If there is Sharia law in Turkey, the ones who will be buried away in the dark, the ones to lose all the rights gained, the ones excluded from social life, will be women," said Senal Sarihan, head of the Republican Women’s Association, one protest organizer whose ranks have swelled in recent months.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/04/us-turkey-women-idUSL226775020070604

Candles from the Ladies’ Table

I was taken by these funny candles and bought them not realizing I was supporting the voice of liberated Turkish women! Now I especially like them….as goofy as they sort of are!

Gwen making her purchases: she loads up on the baked goods and stores them in containers in her freezer. With Randal’s pie making and cooking we don’t need to store up on any kind of food. We look for people to share it with!

Mary is helping Gwen show off her purchases; angels and wonderful Turkish goodies.

Angels for sale..

Mary modeling her purchases…the flowered jeans go quite well with our carpet!

Jeans and top…less than $20.

Kirsten was shopping with Gwen.

Kirsten, leader of the Wednesday Morning Group, is an artist with yarn. She is helping me with a vest I have started using yarn I bought in North Cyprus. She taught Mary how to knit a wool hat!

Uncategorized

Horses

December 20, 2012

Merhaba

Thanks for all your comments about the garlic painting and photos. I really am enjoying having a group of people to do art with. And it is so nice to have the new arts and culture center. My artist friend Heidi made some suggestions so I will try the garlic again and hope to improve even more. These photos are taken with my small camera. I was so loaded down with a backpack full of hats and gloves and other shoes for walking that I just couldn’t add the camera to that mix. We had some intention of walking the horses a bit to give them some exercise so I wore my big barn boots on the way and carried my sneakers for walking the 6 or so miles back from Yacht Marina to Netsel. Mary and I did stop for lunch at the tiny spot half way that has one restaurant still open.

I wrote this up as a plea our friend Gwen will send out to all of the live aboard folks which includes those cruisers who live at Yacht Marine.

The Lonely Horses of Yacht Marina

Mary and I took the dolmuṣ to Yacht Marine to visit the two lonely horses that live there.

Our friend Kathy whose boat is at YM had made a plea for people to visit the horses as they are pretty much neglected. Kathy would bring them carrots and apples, but as she and her husband were going home to New Zealand for 6 months, she was hoping other folks would take her place.

The horses are fed and watered and their stalls are kept clean, but apparently no one really spends time with them. As Mary and I were horse lovers in our earlier lives, we took the time today to go visit the two at YM.

The box stalls are quite spacious and seemed clean. And the horses did have water. Their coats appeared clean. I have no idea about the condition of their feet but heir manes and tails could have used a good combing. And the horse Mary is visiting had very yellowed teeth. The boxes were locked so we couldn’t go in to visit with the horses. The near horse was a bit rambunctious wanting to nip fingers that only wanted to pat his nose. You really did have to be aware when interacting with him.

But if you took him in hand, he seemed to accept that. Both horses appreciated the apple and carrot treats we fed them.

One horse is named Tibet and the other Kartal which means eagle. We were told that by one of the office workers. But she wasn’t sure which horse was which. We were old how and when we could ride the horses…..until we said we were from Netsel and then we were told Netsel Marina people weren’t allowed to ride the horses.

So anyone from Yacht Marina who likes horses, please go visit these two. If you want to ride them, the “groom” will get them ready for you. You just have to ride. Or just visit them. I’m sure they are quite as bored as you would be if all you ever did was stand around in a stall all day with only one view. The horses can’t even see each other which is quite sad as horses are herd animals.

Uncategorized

Garlic

December 19, 2012

Merhaba,

This is the 3^rd and final (?) version of my garlic painting….

The whole painting.

A cropped version….

A more cropped version….I like this version the best.

Uncategorized

Tables test with photos

December 19, 2012

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Netsel Marina

Marmaris, Turkey

Merhaba,

I’m working on learning Tables. A good thing to do when the weather is full of Donder and Blitzen. “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! http://www.bartleby.com/248/27.html Donder and Blitzen mean Thunder and Lightning and as there have been lots of Christmas doings lately I thought that was an appropriate way, if very wordy, to describe the weather we’re having right this moment. My Wednesday Group is to begin in 45 minutes so hopefully this will tire itself out before then. I only have to walk down the dock, but I’d be drenched before I’d gotten half way and my watercolor would be all water and no color!

The one nice thing about rainy weather is the effect dramatic clouds and light have on the scenery. Here are some photos I took the other morning and also some seagull photos I took trying out the zoom lens on my camera.

A dramatic photo made more dramatic switching it to Black and White

The color as it was: the cloud patterns were dramatic!

A curtain of clouds.

The rainy days make for great photos.

Testing my zoom with these seagulls fighting over a piece of fish.

Testing reduction of photo size here

Take off and..

Landing…

Uncategorized

Culture and Art Center Opening

December 18, 2012

Culture and Art Center Opening December 18, 2012

The Culture and Art Center of Marmaris is a wonderful thing! The Center is dedicated to the arts offering a gallery for exhibitions and classrooms for teaching.

Nothing like it exists here and it was a noticeable absence. This afternoon was the opening ceremony and several of us from the marina went to take part.

My inability to communicate with anyone was really sad because it would have been so nice to ask questions about the paintings and classes and who

had pushed for the Center. I’ll go another day and see if I can find someone to talk with. Thankfully paintings speak for themselves; there were several I really liked.

I only took very little time in the gallery because it was too crowded with the celebration of the opening: but I did notice the absence of watercolor paintings.

The scenery of Marmaris screams to be painted in watercolor so it’s surprising no one has. (Actually, I returned the next day when no one was there except Mary and me and I found

three lovely watercolor paintings and used my bit of Turkish and my small dictionary to read the paintings’ titles.)

Lee, Rick, Mary, Joanne, and Zehra

Rick, Zehra, Mary, Joanne, Gwen and Collin

It took me two tries to get everyone; Randal took a pass so I should

have gotten him to take one photo of all the rest of us.

The ceremonies were slated to begin at 2 pm. We arrived about 2:05pm. Everyone else got there before us!

Before the crowd was allowed inside, there were lots of “official” speeches.

This woman made good use of her time waiting. Our group had no knitting so we went off for coffee…

By the time we returned from our coffee folks had already been allowed inside so I suppose we actually missed the “official opening.”

I quite like this by Kaysu Biber

Painting on the left by GὒNFER ERAKALIN : on the right by ZὒLFὒKAR AYTUḠ

(Ken…you know I included the cello player for you!)

I can’t wait to go back and really take the time to look at the paintings.

I think the tall smiling fellow with the badge might be

the gallery director.

There was food and drink!

There were lots of people! But funny enough I caught another cruiser, Davy in the blue shirt who I spoke to,

but hadn’t realized I’d caught him in a photo.

It was wonderful seeing everyone there supporting art!

Had our North Cypriot friend Heidi been here she probably would have known half the people attending and would have arranged to interview the other half!