ITSATIMSLIFE

The Old Homestead

2009-11-08T11:06:00.001-06:00

You may remember that the last time you saw our house it was a kinda dirty gray because of the concrete sheeting ... that replaced the yellow look of the house wrap ...that replaced the brown look of the plywood ... that replaced the blue look of the foam insulation ... that replaced the blue look of the masonite siding.

And now we are adding the mesh material in preparation for the stucco...

Rosana has been the main "stuckie" rolling on the glue that will hold the mesh...It has been a challenge to put it in place...Sometimes it doesn't stay when you least expect it...But she always comes up smiling...I don't know if it is because she is enjoying her work or it is finally happening, or both!Then comes applying the stucco which has the consistency of oatmeal...and you know how much I like being alone on the top of a ladder!!!!!But the days have been nice as of late...and Rosana's flowers have been beautiful, that is the late ones like this Dahlia....and the Morning Glory (those are her Mums in the background).We are under constant survelliance by the neighborhood, and the pesky creatures that abound....But we have finished the front and at least half of the south side. Incidentially, the color change is due to a change in the Base Coat tint we were not aware of. Not to worry, the Finish Coat will all be the same color!

Also, we wanted to share a fine view (albeit upside down) out of our bedroom picture window of our colorful backyard....could be one of the main reasons why we added the huge windows....Trying to get everything done while the weather cooperates. Wish us luck and good weather.

Relaxing Drive

2009-09-13T07:17:00.001-05:00

It's always nice when one can just sit back and enjoy the ride. :-) Rosana has been coming with me of late as I stroll around the country side of North Alabama on inspections.

We were headed home after a long day that had taken us from Huntsville, to Decatur, to west of Cullman, to Arab, and east to Crossville at the end of the day.

The sun was setting as we crossed Guntersville Lake.

I couldn't take my eyes off the peacefulness of the boat docks along 431 north of Guntersville. :-)

Nice way to end a long, busy, and enjoyable day with some pretty good company! :-)

Justin's Big Night

2009-09-04T07:57:00.013-05:00

Justin had a birthday about a week ago (too much activity to get the shots posted until now, sorry). But it was a BIG family gettogether at the Foroughi Fun House and Resort!

He got some great presents... but one of the very bestest ones was obviously one that took the least room....CASH!!!!
The winning present appeared to be a liquid-fueled rocket that was assembled in the Foroughi's rocket preparation chamber, I am sure much to the delight of the facility manager (Diana) - Ha!

once assembly was complete, pre-launch preparations and fueling continued down range, i.e., just off the back porch in front of a throng of onlookers.

Countdown was not too accurate, and the photo staging area was a long-way off due to the potential of lauch debris striking the camera and photographer...and the recovery crew of brothers and uncles and had a great time.

As the evening wound down, we all retreated to the launch complex lounge for family silliness, and togetherness.

It is pretty much guaranteed that there will be more such happy gatherings:-)

Some More Little Buddies

2009-09-03T15:38:00.005-05:00

I frequently send Jameh and Taleh these images as I travel around from farm-to-farm, and I just wanted to share the little delights with y'all.

Guess which one Jameh liked best...and I thought it a little freeky that the butterfly was looking at me while I was looking at him looking at me........

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Hummingbird

2009-08-16T07:21:00.007-05:00

I just wanted to share with you other images of the Hummingbird outside our bedroom window.
Nice screensavers. :-)

Ramblings

2009-08-13T15:20:00.007-05:00

We've been out on the trail for a few days...all a little short of the stucco work...but we'll get to that in the next few days certainly. Anyway, this week we all put in a 15-hour day going thru Jasper, Alabama near the far-side of Smith Lake...

and then off to Millport, Alabama which is in really rural Alabama a stones throw from Mississippi. R was driving so fast to keep me on schedule that I couldn't get the shot of the huge, three-story Antebellum mansion with the lake in front, the Cedar Tree lined curving cariage way up to the second-story portico entrance, and the blond-tressed carriage horses roaming around inside the four-rail gleaming white wooden fence (not to mention the huge 24-row pecan tree orchard next door, and the little road-side lemonade stand, 5-cents a glass!) R and Lucia didn't see it!

About mid-day we went back across country to Gordo, Alabama and back home.

Once we got back, there was some great news for the FAM...Calling Dr. Nurse Tyson....Calling Dr. Nurse Tyson....

In recovery now from the big road trip, and waiting for another one this week, trying to rest my weary eyes on some of R's flowers in the back yard...

There was a wonderful surprise visitor this morning!

So I can only hope that we have more pleasant surpirses as we finish off a long, long week.
Speaking of "fly away, fly away" (re: Seals & Crofts, "Hummingbird" visit pandora.com), Brian comes home from Ecuador on Monday, and Lucia leaves for Slovakia in about 8 days or so.

Tuna, Chickens, & Burros

2009-08-08T06:49:00.006-05:00

Friday was an interesting day in my farm-visit exploits (aka, the part-time farm inspection gig). I started very early...

it was a very beautiful sunrise driving across the mountain top roads south of Huntsville (well, they are "North Alabama Mountains", anyway), and a pleasant temperature at dawn.

One really neat agricultural item of interest that I haven't seen in North Alabama was this hedgerow of Cactus and flowers...more reminiscent of what I saw during our family trips Mexico in the '90's.

As I took pictures and studied the colors and the Tuna (that's what the flowering fruit on top of the Cactus is called), the sun burst into the morning and I could feel the penetrating heat on my back - it was only 6:30 so I knew it would be a rough morning...

and as I wound down my lengthly stay (the poultry/cattle farm covered quite a large area and I walk most of it), I made new friends along the way by talking to the animals...

I must admit that I was a little suspcious of these guys, they always strategically positioned themselves this way, as if they were saying, "OK, I'll take the left leg, Jorge you take the right one, and Manuel, you flank him and we got'em!"

I escaped the stable area safely...to ride herd on another farm another day. :-)

Back on the job(s)!

2009-07-01T06:07:00.004-05:00

It has been a few days since we arrived home from pilgrimage and our seemingly endless flight (stop overs at JFK and Detroit). But we're back in the swing of things.
One of the jobs I do around here is to survey properties, and the bigger jobs are in surveying farms. This job gets me out of town and into the countryside which is a very peaceful way to enjoy work.

I get to see a lot of interesting things. The road workers in Guntersville must have told their boss they would be really thirsty!

Yesterday was a very beautiful day and a little cooler (in the low 90's). It wasn't like the 100 degree days we've had since we came home and the landscape is still lush from all the rain while we were gone. This is the Tennessee River about 1/2 mile from our house in South Huntsville. In some places around here it almost seems sub-tropical.

Wrapping Up Day

2009-06-16T23:21:00.003-05:00

Hello, everyone. We are all packing frantically - kinda - more like a controlled burn! Yesterday we did get around a little...up to the site of a future House of Worship and we enjoyed saying prayers with a wonderful couple from Arlington, Texas.Then we went out to the Druze Village for a quick stopover. Maria and Jeremy had their farewell at the Shrine with their pilgrim group and down the Terraces one last time as a Pilgrim.

Today we will have a luncheon, a last visit to the Shrines, and catch the train for Tel Aviv in about 10 hours (it's 7:30am here). We don't want to leave, but there are things that have to get done at home.

Getting Closer

2009-06-16T00:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a work-day for our service in the Archives, spending a little time walking through the Gardens and lunch with one of Geoffrey's work associates.
For me, I am trying to prepare myself for the departure on Wednesday.
Last night was our next to last night in Haifa. We all were up on the mountain for a group meeting of the pilgrims (this is a fairly regular event for those who know about the pilgrimage schedule).
The weather has turned to summer but the nights are glorious.
Here is a picture of the Shrine of the Bab at night with the Haifa Bay in the distance.
Today, we are going on a little outing to the top of the mountain, and then out to the Druze Village.
This will be exciting (humm) just to watch Rosana bargin and haggle for some stuff. We'll see what the banker has to say (usually not much).

Quick Visit to Akka

2009-06-14T23:10:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was one of our last opportunities, maybe the last this trip, to visit Akka (Geoffrey was working :-(.

Maria and Jeremy were visiting the house occupied by Abdu'l Baha and his family inside the prison walls. We met them there and then took a stroll around the city. The white building in the background is the House of Abbud where Baha'u'llah lived for a short time before living outside the prison.
I will leave you for today with a pleasing shot of Bahji.:-)

Dinner with the new relatives

2009-06-13T02:20:00.008-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful evening meal with some of our newest relatives Tuesday, the 13th... Faeghe and Khosrow Rezai (Munib's aunt and uncle, Melanie's aunt and uncle-in-law: thus we're related - Thanks, Maria! :-)

Faeghe was just a whirlwind racing around to make sure we could eat before going to the teaching center for a talk.

Jeremy, Brian and Geoffrey really liked the fare, as did we all, and isn't it great to find family almost anywhere in the world!

It was big hit with me, obviously. Rosana had a great time, too, but she is behind the camera on this outing. And, as always, dear ones, the night time stroll down the Terraces is priceless and magical especially with a full moon.

A Little Catching Up

2009-06-12T03:46:00.008-05:00

Yeah, yeah, I know. What has Tim and Rosana and Brian...and now Maria and Jeremy been doing! Maria and Jeremy are busy getting re-charged with their Pilgrimage... while Rosana caught me recovering in the Pilgrim Reception Center...

Brian is serving in the ITC, and Rosana and I have been doing service at the Archives (that's another story) and then we get to walk across the Arc each day for lunch...

The scene from the Arc, as many of you know, is always changing and tremendous...

And we get out to Bahji as often as possible (an hour by sherout), and yesterday we went out (just north of Akka, Israel for those of you looking on maps). Rosana and Maria went walking in the new development area....

and best of all, we were there to see the Shrine and gardens at sunset.:-)

So there is of course more to tell, but that is another entry. More later (I promise).

Day One

2009-05-24T14:28:00.004-05:00

Whew...Day One flew by in a blur. After arriving seemingly early about 8am at the Pilgrim Reception Center to register with 400 of our newsest closest friends, it was mid-day. The Ferdowsi's from Nashville are here, too!

We had just a little time for Brian to escort Paula, Dustin, Ethan and the three of us (Geo was off on an errand) to the Hadar district for some great falafel (yep, we'll have a lot of that while we're here), and while we waited for the food everyone tried to decompress a little.

The rest of the day was spent in orientation, then quality time at the Shrine of the Bab, read, meditate, say prayers, and rest up at the Pilgrim House adjacent to the Shrine.

Tomorrow will start early with a visit to Bahji...but I get a little ahead of myself. More tomorrow.:-)

Preparing for the experience....

2009-05-23T14:28:00.005-05:00

Today flew by...actually I don't remember too much of it. After the blog entry, I collapsed in bed and didn't wake up until 2! I must have been really, really out of it, and this is from someone who normally gets up at 5:30 and never, never sleeps in.
Geofffrey and Brian came over and Geo chaired our first family planning meeting...
We were then joined on the balcony and just relaxed most of the rest of the afternoon into the evening with the other pilgrims staying at Haddad's Guest House...all from Canada.:-)
This evening Paula Bailey, Dustin and Ethan arrived from Birmingham. We all went out for a generous serving of fattoush salad, meat and meatless hummus, tabouli and enough pita bread to go around. Gosh, it seems like we've been here for days ... and it hasn't even been 24 hours!

:-)

We Have Arrived.....

2009-05-23T00:48:00.005-05:00

Good day one from Israel!

We had the fortune of spending several hours in Cincinnati on the way over ... had brunch with Katrina and Jameh and Taleh, and then happily Nafeh goined us for a while for a wonderful stopover. The flight from JFK was only 10 hours so it was manageable. But we were still pretty wrung out. We had better seats but I still got the middle seat...how does this happen?????
Nonetheless, we arrived in Haifa on what seemed to be an agonizingly slow Sherot drive up the coast but the weather was delightful. We have moved into our home for a month at Haddad's Guest House and we were greeted at the door by Andrew.
There were other pilgrims already here...a small family group from Vanvouver, Canada...and a Baha'i from Botswana.
The view of the Gardens from the balcony was great:

We did a little walk around to the first terrace gate and then by Geo's work place to stretch our legs. A little earlier, Geoffey and Brian had gone out to fine some falafels for us....it was almost worth the flight over. :-)
I awake groggily this morning (R is still sleeping , its 8:45 already) and I opened our little window to the world...such a great temperature for a decompression day! And the morning view is priceless:That "shroud" is a protective covering while earthquake-proof modifications are made to the Shrine of the Bab.
We'll have brunch with the guys (I think Geo is cooking) and then go to the Pilgrim House or the Pilgrim Reception Center, have some Persian Tea, read, relax, and get ready for the Pilgrimmage to start tomorrow.
We wish you all were here, and I will do my best to keep my blog daily.

Serious Business

2008-08-03T10:25:00.002-05:00

Within hours after the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 1008 the government of Iran has issued another lie about the Baha'i in the birthplace of the Baha'i Faith:
NEW YORK — The Baha’i International Community categorically rejects statements by an Iranian prosecutor that seven Baha’is detained in Tehran have “confessed” to operating an “illegal” organization with ties to Israel and other countries.
“We deny in the strongest possible terms the suggestion that Baha’is in Iran have engaged in any subversive activity,” said Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. “The Baha’i community is not involved in political affairs. Their only ‘crime’ is the practice of their religion.”
“The seriousness of the allegations makes us fear for the lives of these seven individuals,” she said.
She was responding to Iranian newspaper reports of statements by Hasan Haddad, deputy prosecutor general for security at the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
Ms. Dugal said that seven Baha’is arrested earlier this year were members of a committee that helped attend to the needs of the 300,000 Baha’is in Iran.
“That is no secret – the government knew perfectly well about the existence of this committee long before its members were arrested, just as the government knows perfectly well that these people are not involved in any underhanded activity,” she said.
Ms. Dugal said the detentions are part of a well-documented, decades-long campaign to stamp out the Baha’i community in Iran, and that the latest accusations follow the same pattern as previous unfounded charges.
“Suggestions of collusion with the state of Israel are categorically false and misleading. The Iranian authorities are playing on the fact that the Baha’i world administrative center is located in northern Israel,” she said.
“The Iranian government completely ignores the well-known historical fact that the Baha’i Faith was centered in Iran until 1853 when the authorities there banished the Baha’i prophet-founder, who was forced into exile and eventually imprisoned in Acre on the Mediterranean coast under the Ottoman Turkish regime. That area happens to be in what is now Israel.”
Ms. Dugal said many Baha’is in Iran – including members of the coordinating committee before their imprisonment – are frequently detained for questioning about their activities. The Baha’is, she said, have nothing to hide and try to answer truthfully whenever they are interrogated.

30 Days in Haifa: Day 1/4

2008-05-29T14:24:00.009-05:00

We arrived at midnight on the 28th and a wonderful surprise greeted us at the airport in Tel Aviv ... Lucia and Roya wisked us away to Bahji in time for the Ascension of Baha'u'llah observance.

It was a spectacular evening. Temp about 70, no breeze, perfect night sky, and a truly wonderful program.

The Wolfe's were also there, but they got away before we could all pose. :-(

Tomorrow, the Terraces!

IRANIAN BAHA'I LEADERS BEING HELD INCOMMUNICADO; GROWING CONCERN FOR THEIR FATE

2008-05-27T07:45:00.001-05:00

Six Baha'i leaders who were arrested nearly two weeks ago are being held incommunicado, without access to lawyers or relatives, and the Baha'i International Community is increasingly concerned about their fate.
"Although initial reports indicated they were taken to Evin prison, in fact we don't know where they are, and we are extremely concerned," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"What is clear is that none of their fundamental rights are being upheld. They have had no access to family members or counsel. We don't even know if they have been before a judge or whether they have been formally charged.
"All we know is what a government spokesperson said last week, which is that they were arrested for 'security reasons,' a charge that is utterly baseless.
"We appeal to the international community, human rights groups, and people of conscience, as well as the news media, to continue their efforts to press the Iranian government so that the rights of these people as detainees be upheld and that they be allowed access to counsel and general communication with the outside -- as a minimum step," said Ms. Dugal.
The six, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Baha'is in Iran, were arrested on 14 May 2008 in an early morning sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Baha'i leaders were rounded up and killed.
A seventh member of the national coordinating group was arrested in early March in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there.
The whereabouts of none of the seven are known, said Ms. Dugal.
"We understood that the six were taken to Evin prison -- the seventh remaining in Mashhad -- principally because some of the government agents who arrested the six on the 14th had documents indicating they would be taken to that notorious place," she said.
"However, in light of the fact that relatives have made repeated attempts to learn more about the fate of the seven, and in all cases have been met with evasion and conflicting stories from government officials, we must now say that we don't know where they are -- and that our level of concern for their fate is at the highest," Ms. Dugal said.
Arrested on 14 May were: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All live in Tehran.
Arrested in Mashhad on 5 March was Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, who also resides in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of Intelligence, ostensibly on the grounds that she was required to answer questions related to the burial of an individual in the Baha'i cemetery in that city.
Last week, Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham gave a press conference at which he acknowledged the arrest and imprisonment of the six. News reports quoted Mr. Elham as saying on 20 May that the six were arrested for "security issues" and not because of their religious beliefs.
Those assertions -- the only public statement by the government about the seven -- were immediately rebutted by Ms. Dugal.
"The group of Baha'is arrested last week, like the thousands of Baha'is who since 1979 have been killed, imprisoned, or otherwise oppressed, are being persecuted solely because of their religious beliefs," Ms. Dugal said on 21 May.

One Week To Go

2008-05-20T19:05:00.002-05:00

Seven Days and counting...yep...seven long days until we take wing to visit Lucia, Geoffrey, Roya, Nathan, and a whole host of other friends.

It will be a long week.

Taleh was sad to see us go, but I think she got caught up in another vision...her cute self.

Actually, this image was taken by Katrina way after we saw them last week packing for Cincinnati. She is such a cutie bug!

Iran Govt 'violates human rights' - ABC News

2008-05-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

The Government of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been accused of a systematic violation of human rights.
The Defenders of Human Rights Centre in Tehran has criticised the Government's treatment of dissidents, journalists, student activists, labour unionists and women as well as its increased use of the death penalty.
The condemnation is in the annual report of the group, formed by five prominent lawyers and headed by the 2003 Nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi.
It says the lack of a real and effective observance of human rights deepens the gap between the people and the Government and breaks the pillars of peace, stability and development in the country.

Six Bahá'í leaders arrested in Iran; pattern matches deadly sweeps of early 1980s

2008-05-18T17:49:00.004-05:00

Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison May 14 in a sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Bahá’í leaders were summarily rounded up and killed.
The six men and women, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís in Iran, were in their homes Wednesday morning when government intelligence agents entered and spent up to five hours searching each home, before taking them away.
The seventh member of the national coordinating group was arrested in early March in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there on an ostensibly trivial matter.
“We protest in the strongest terms the arrests of our fellow Bahá'ís in Iran,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations. “Their only crime is their practice of the Bahá’í Faith.”
“Especially disturbing is how this latest sweep recalls the wholesale arrest or abduction of the members of two national Iranian Bahá’í governing councils in the early 1980s -- which led to the disappearance or execution of 17 individuals,” she said.
“The early morning raids on the homes of these prominent Bahá’ís were well coordinated, and it is clear they represent a high-level effort to strike again at the Bahá’ís and to intimidate the Iranian Bahá’í community at large,” said Ms. Dugal.
Arrested yesterday were: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. All live in Tehran. Mrs. Kamalabadi, Mr. Khanjani, and Mr. Tavakkoli have been previously arrested and then released after periods ranging from five days to four months.
Arrested in Mashhad on 5 March 2008 was Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, who also resides in Tehran. Mrs. Sabet was summoned to Mashhad by the Ministry of Intelligence, ostensibly on the grounds that she was required to answer questions related to the burial of an individual in the Bahá’í cemetery in that city.
On 21 August 1980, all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran were abducted and disappeared without a trace. It is certain that they were killed.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran was reconstituted soon after that but was again ravaged by the execution of eight of its members on 27 December 1981.
A number of members of local Bahá’í governing councils, known as local Spiritual Assemblies, were also arrested and executed in the early 1980s, before an international outcry forced the government to slow its execution of Bahá’ís. Since 1979, more than 200 Bahá’ís have been killed or executed in Iran, although none have been executed since 1998.
In 1983, the government outlawed all formal Bahá’í administrative institutions and the Iranian Bahá’í community responded by disbanding its National Spiritual Assembly, which is an elected governing council, along with some 400 local level elected governing councils. Bahá'ís throughout Iran also suspended nearly all of their regular organizational activity.
The informal national-level coordinating group, known as the Friends, was established with the knowledge of the government to help cope with the diverse needs of Iran’s 300,000-member Baháí community, which is the country’s largest religious minority.

Is there a Doctor Present?

2008-05-11T11:55:00.014-05:00

There IS another doctor in the House, joining the ever growing list of distinguished doctors of medicine that it has become our fortune to have married into (joining Mssr's Lameh, Khazeh, and Ghaneh Fananapazir).

The newest Dr. Fananapazir, as he expects the children to call him, is Dr. Nafeh (MY SON-IN-LAW!). He is a doctor of pediatrics. He graduated Friday from Vanderbilt University before a giantic crowd of about 2,000 well wishers there to witness the event (as well as to see the other 900 or more graduates, but they were of lesser importance).:-)

Yes, you are right, that is Nafeh waving on the jumbotron for all to see. Hi, Nafeh, you looked great!

Dr. Nafeh was "hooded" in a medical school ceremony, and true to his nature, kneeled in submission to be knighted (he also had to genuflect or the presenting Dr. couldn't have reached his neck!).

The doctors Fananapazir (Katrina also received her Nurse Practioner degree and was graduated Friday! WhooooHoooo) will now relocate to Cincinnati where Nafeh will begin his residency.

As is the Tyson family tradition, we try to involve as many family members as possible. In that this was an out-of-body experience for some (Lucia, Geoffrey and Roya) who are in Israel rode along with someone their own (current) size, Jameh.

Rosana, Alicia and Brian Green, Amelia, Brian and I, were happy to be a part of the big event, supporting Dr. Nafeh, Katrina, Jameh and Taleh. We know a lot of others wanted to be here and we missed everyone!

We all shouted a loud Huzah three times for Nafeh! (Well, we wanted too, we actually just gave him hugs and smiles. :-)

Please visit the Fananapazir blog for more details of this very exciting day.

So many countries, so little time...

2008-05-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

Let me say how much I appreciate the enthusiasm y'all displayed in my latest poll, "How many countries will we fly over en route to Haifa later this month? The choices were, 30, 15, 3, and 1. 58% percent said 15, 17% said 3, 17% said 1, and 5% said 30. I also appreciate the depth of study that some undertook, as well as some intricate questions (such as, "do we count the departing country AND the destination country, too? and "do we count roud-trip?"). Thanks for all the work. However, the answer is: ONE! “The world is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” - Baha'u'llah.
Good luck on the next poll. :-)

But then again, who is counting?

2008-05-01T08:38:00.002-05:00

OK, it may be that I am getting a little ahead of myself, but to my figuring we (Rosana, Brian and I) have 26 days 8 hours and 20 minutes before we leave for Haifa. So much to do for this mega trip and so little time. The "to do" lists are endless!

Two Days, 10 Hours

2008-04-22T06:31:00.003-05:00

A very bright sun ball emerged this morning in Nashville, welcoming my next-to-next-to-last day in Tennessee.

Spring is here...a lot of the pollen is gone...and Ridvan is blessing all of us.

It Can Get Worse

2008-04-04T11:38:00.002-05:00

Well, everyone, I know that I have been tardy and have not updated my blog in a little while. I will catch up, I promise. In the meantime, this is what it looks like in Lafayette, Tennessee two months after the tornado with the imposition of torrential rains and flooding.

The Walls of Jerico

2007-12-09T10:07:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Danesh, Navid, Dustin, Jeremy, Brian and I went for a long, long, walk into an area of mountainous Jackson County called the Walls of Jerico.

Jeremy took a little time out to reflect on the serenity of it all (I think :-).

Dustin tried to fly off a make believe runway ... he finds them everywhere.

The 'Walls" is a preserve along both sides of the Alabama and Tennessee state lines and good wilderness. Most of the way the trail is single file...

More photos from the 'Walls of the intrepid group are forthcoming. I really struggled climbing out...it was a long walk (did I say this?), very steep down and much steeper coming back up.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-24T12:40:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving 2007 has come and gone.

So, here was almost all of the crowd that gathered at the Foroughi's.

You may know everyone...if you don't, just ask.

It was a good time to get some shots of the grandparentals and at least a couple of the great grandchildren.

Last Vestiges of Fall

2007-11-18T09:06:00.000-06:00

These are truly beautiful days in the Tennessee Valley.
The temperature hovers around 60 degrees ... no humidity ... extremely pleasant ... but there are signs that winter, or something approximating winter, is approaching.
The local insect population is gathering the last of the nectar ... and there has been some color to the end of Fall despite the drought.
How do I know that this could be one of those years when we have snow and ice? The squirrels have all grown thick coats of fur and have built larger-than-normal houses in the tops of the trees.
So, we'll see what kind of climate change we get this year.
Stay tuned.

Baby Visit

2007-11-07T15:10:00.000-06:00

For all too brief a time, Jameh and Taleh came by for a visit at the end of last week. Everyone took turns with the babes...here is a selection from hundreds of shots.:-)
Amelia was able to share some moments with us...as did the Ms. & Mock kiddies.

Where was Katrina?:-(

Just a nice stroll in the woods...

2007-11-04T07:50:00.000-06:00

Last weekend (sorry it has taken so long), we packed up who we had and grabbed Maria and the boys, and ex-officio family member Dustin, and headed up to Huntsville Mtn.

It was a beautiful day...'cept Amelia was already tired and really not up to us getting lost first thing on the newly designed trails...fortunately a guy wandered by and told us we were already going down the mountain before we had started up!

We even saw a car that apparently had been deposited in the woods from the 1989 Airpport Rd. tornado (our guess anyway).

It was grueling, legs burning, lungs pumping, and a darned good thing it wasn't Colorado!

But we found our way

and had a picnic lunch, finally getting to use the expensive picnic backpack I bought for Rosana's March birthday in advance of our eventual wanderweg trek in Switzerland.

Everyone recovered.

(photos courtesy of Jeremy.:-)

Water, Water .....

2007-11-02T07:34:00.000-05:00

What a contrast global climate change brings on the same day. Areas within 50 miles northeast of Huntsville are absolutely running out of water, while other areas in Mexico are submerged.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21590403/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21582319/

http://maps.google.com/maps/mm?q=Orme,+TN,+United+States+of+America&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=34.71904,-86.550293&spn=2.022725,5.108643&z=8&om=1

's been a busy time

2007-11-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been very busy since coming home from Ohio. Getting caught up back in the flow of things.

One of the first events to get me back-adjusted was the Birth of the Bab observance.

As a part of our Book 4 study circle group, we put on a story telling program hosted by Ruhi. She gave us an inspiring brief talk about life in Shiraz as a girl and how it felt to grow up in the spiritual and historic birthplace of this religious Cycle of human history...

we were graced by a performance from Semina, too.

Our study circle presented a part of the story of the Bab's early years. Following brief narratives from Rosana, Diana and Maria, I took on the portrayal of Shaykh Abid, the Bab's school teacher and told the story of his first years in school (see pages 50-51 of The Dawn Breakers). It was a moving and enchanting performance (once you get past the period costume...you kinda have to guess about the period) to be sure.:-)

Then, the "sister act" performed an unforgettable ahhhhh-kapella ...

Jessie Wolfe presented a wonderful rendition of a poem...

and Darren presented a brief talk on the Titles of the Bab, with Carolyn leading us all in song at the end.

The food, as always, was plentiful and good. Our guests seemed very pleased.

'twoo Blave......wins!

2007-10-19T10:15:00.000-05:00

The polls have closed and I see a growing tendency that my viewing habits are a little predictable. 52% thought that I would watch A Princess Bride over and over again, 35% thought it would be Lost Horizon, 17% thought the Lord of the Rings trilogy would keep me entranced, and I have a deep suspicion it was Navid's lone vote that I would be spell bound by King Kong (the original version). The vote for King Kong was the first vote cast!

Hummmm, could be a difference between those voters who know me now, and those who know the deeper inner me (indeed, a scarry place to dwell).

I think that, perhaps, I would watch Lost Horizon for ever by myself, and A Princess Bride with people. Lost Horizon kept me glued to the set when I was a kid, and the intro to the book says it was one of the first anti-war books and subsequent movie of last century. King Kong, the original, is one of my favorities and I watched it and Lost Horizon once a year, several times a weekend, when KCMO TV in Kansas City played it like Turner movies plays the same old movie back-to-back. My mother could plug me into a chair or with a blankie and pillow on the floor and there I would stay all weekend.

And, LoR is certainly a favorite when watching with a crowd.

So thanks for the interest and I will query you further on matters of extreme importance later.

:-)

Marathon Runner for AT

2007-10-14T07:02:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of meeting Tim, Michelle, and Colton Borland at breakfast Saturday morning at the B&B in Findlay (daughter Kailey was still sleeping). Tim is running across the nation, doing a marathon a day! He is trying to help draw attention to the childhood disease Ataxia-telangiectasia.

He is currently on day 39 of his tour, and his is also being followed by a documentary crew filming his efforts. Look for his appearances on Good Morning America, CNN, and others as he makes his way to the New York Marathon in a few weeks.

B&B at its Best

2007-10-14T06:48:00.000-05:00

Here are some views of the extremely restfull B&B I found in Findlay, Ohio...the Red Cottage B&B.

It is just west of downtown Findlay. It is a very old re-worked home but it is a very quiet place.
For someone my age, it is exactly what your grandmother's home felt like.

The side entrance to the B&B also presents a very restive view...and is reflective of the overall nature of the place.

The living room is divided into a reading room and a room where all the old dolls live...they know you are there because they are always staring at you.

Making My Way Back Home

2007-10-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

Whew...it has been a busy week closing down my part in the Ohio disaster. What a quick week, and I am finished after coming here Aug. 25! I am in Findlay, Ohio at The Rose Gate Cottage B&B and I want to tell you that I have not slept this well since coming to Ohio. You have got to try it. I will post some pictures later today. It is a blast from the past!
Well....gotta get on down the road to Columbus and fly home tomorrow. I have some historical and hysterical stories to share...so stay tuned.

Climate Change & Universal Interdependence

2007-10-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided the strongest non-aligned assessment of the impact of global warming on the planetary systems we depend upon for most of our existence. In additional to the sheer strain on daily physical life, there are certain spiritual ramifications to this potentially catastrophic situation.

My weekend whimsical trip to Kelleys Island, Ohio was certainly a stark reminder for me about the current dramatic conditions in the Great Lakes area. Some folks making the trek with me thru the heavily wooded nature trail part of the island stopped to look for treasures along the shore. A year ago they would have been looking for things six feet back toward the shore line.

On the southeastern shore, the images were also dramatic. Last year the water line was at the grass line.

Erie Underground

2007-10-08T10:06:00.000-05:00

En route to my destination Sunday I happened on a little historic footnote that I think we'd all find interesting.:-) R suggested I take the picture along the wharehouse row along Lake Erie in Sandusky and I am happy it turned out so well.

Waldo on a Whim

2007-10-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

There is more forthcoming on this story, but I whimmed to Kelleys Island, Ohio today.

It is another "one-size-fits-all" peddling adventure (see the Put-In Bay story below), but much a more ergonomicaly designed machine...and a much bigger piece of real estate.

Where is Waldo (ah, today?)

2007-10-06T11:47:00.000-05:00

This has been a busy, busy deployment. On a "normal" day, I check on my media contacts in Mansfield, then drive the 15 miles north to Shelby (their newspaper doesn't have an effective web site that carries their articles, thereby hard to monitor from afar), thence 15 miles to Bucyrus (where I can check almost all of my areas newspapers at one gas station), thence 20 miles to Marion, thence 20 miles to Upper Sandusky, thence 5 miles to Carey, ten 15 miles to Tiffin, and all the way back.

This is not an every day routine, but most, depending on regular weekly radio interviews in Mansfield, Bucyrus, Marion, Upper Sandusky, and Tiffin.

It all gets crazy when the Columbus or Cleveland TV stations come into the area...like the morning this Columbus crew showed up and I had to roll back to the county courthouse in Bucyrus for the interview.

BTW, Bucyrus got its unusual name this way: the founding guy wanted to name the town like no where else, so he combined the word "beautiful" with Cyrus The Great, thus Bucyrus. Now ya know.

Have a nice day.

Whim en Roam

2007-10-05T05:42:00.001-05:00

When finally given the chance to have a day off from the grind of working with the media in the Ohio disaster for more than a month, I did my logical rest routine: Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. But, both are small and it was clear I had to find a way to fill last weekend with more activities.

So on a whim, looking at the map, one couldn't miss the obvious presence of Lake Erie and its

islands about an hour away...so thusly, I set out on a quest for Put-In Bay.

I decided not to take my car to the Island (via ferry) but I would rent a bike on the Island. It was a 12-mile Ferry ride and it was very pleasant. The Island itself is a well-used weekend and summer retreat.

It is also the site of Commodore Perry's defeat of the English Navy to end the War of 1812.
The 30-story tall monument "downtown" is the only International Peace Monument in the US (the peace between the US and Canada.

The public can ride an elevator to the top, but you first have to navigate a very tight circular corridor up about 30 steps inside. I tried but could not do it. I became clostrophobic in the corridor and had to retreat...sorry Commodore (in my best Jack Sparrow voice)!

I had a great time on the Island. The weather was just right. I asked a group of students han ging out on the waters edge to take my picture. I must have been pretty relaxed.

I had plenty of time, so I thought I would just peddle my one-size-fits-all bike around the Island. One size does NOT fit all, but it was a good workout for me and I was sure I had plenty of time to circumnavigate the place.

The harbor was very pretty and very neatly kept. All along the harbor are restuarants and tourist stops. This has been a tourist, and summer home, since the 1800's.

What I did not realize by just looking at the map was that this Island isn't like just any Island in the South.

Just past the harbor, at a point of no return (I had fully committed to rounding the Island) there was a roadside historic marker.

The marker detailed how the Island resembled the Island of Gibraltor in contour.

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise it wasn't just the image of Gibraltor from above in resemblance, it also had a good rise too (especially for someone peddling a "crank and go bike") which meant I would be huffing and puffing a lot on the north end of the Island to get to the Ferry to come back!

The West end of the Island was the most scenic with a lot of coves and some cliffs and park areas.
By this time I was pretty tuckered out. Thankful for the exercise, but fully committed to getting a 10-speed when I do the Islands again!

I had first thought that I would stay out on the Island until the last Ferry went to the mainland at 7pm....but on review of my energy expenditure, I decided that 5pm was good enough. :-)

It was a good decision as the clouds rolled in and the sun was going to set early.

It was a very pleasant ride back and a lot of large motor boats and sail boats came back early, too. It was, by my account, a near perfect day. A good adventure...except you all weren't with me!.

Harvest Time

2007-09-23T11:51:00.000-05:00

Harvest Time and Fall color are rapidly coming together in Northern Ohio. The sharp morning sun hit this field just right to bring out all the rich color.

Back On The Road Again

2007-09-19T20:54:00.000-05:00

I'm baaaaaack.....back in Ohio having recovered, somewhat, from the Dawn of a new member of the big family (see below :-).

There is just a lot of quiet scenery to take in, like this Victorian Mansion in Carey, Ohio....

And this placid Corn Row near Marion, Ohio...

Meanwhile, its seasonal change in Ohio as the crops get ready for harvest. Enjoy the scenery.

Our Little Dawnbreaker

2007-09-17T07:45:00.001-05:00

Our little Dawn(breaker), Taleh, and her momma and dada came home today just before noon. The little 6lb 10 oz bundle of joy looks like a big burrito all wrapped up. She is just a sweet little thing, just like her mother.

I am sure all the pictures of little Taleh will proliferate the web as the days do by....

Jameh sweetly and serenely welcomed his new little sister, and the new picture-perfect fair family of four fananapazirs foster fervent prayers for their future.

:-)

Here She Is!

2007-09-15T13:59:00.000-05:00

Introducing, Taleh Maria Fananapazir!

Momma and dada are doing well. Katrina had a natural childbirth. Taleh is Arabic and means, "O, Rising One" (from a Baha'i prayer), and it also means "Dawn". Maria is Rosana's middle name and is a prominent name from her side of the families. The name convention continues a "tradition" by Nafeh and Katrina in naming their children for both families (Jameh's full name is Jameh Tyson Fananapazir ... Jameh means "O, Unifying One" or "One Who Unifies").

And, all the signs are good! Katrina had a natural childbirth and just did soooo well.

And, the parentals are all very happy, too.

We will know her weight and length soon. We are all soooo happy!

We Have Liftoff!

2007-09-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

Katrina and Nafeh ushered a new addition to the Fam at 1p.m. today...we still don't know the name of the little sweetie...more news as it develops.:-)

Katrina - Off To The Races

2007-09-15T07:18:00.000-05:00

In our family, we ARE a village, and thus we are all involved when it comes to expanding our ever-growing circle. Katrina indicated to all that she was going into the early stages of labor yesterday just before noon, and all avaiable members of the 'fam' began the migration to Nashville.

I arrived from Ohio, and Rosana and Brian drove up from Huntsville, and Alicia and Brian drove up from Auburn, and Karen and Lameh headed Tennessee way from Cumberland.

One issue...was Katrina REALLY ready! So to help move that process along, those here went for a walk to a nearby park on a steep walkway for about a mile.

After a nice brisk walk in the dark, we headed back. Jameh wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.

This morning Katrina really hit her stride and about 6:15 headed out for Vanderbilt Hospital. And thusly shall we all shortly.

Stay tuned for news!!!!

The Highway 30 Express

2007-09-12T03:38:00.000-05:00

It has been a long, long two weeks. So instead of the wonders of Day Two...it is now the end of Week Two in Ohio. Thank goodness the State of Ohio four-laned Highway 30 which has become the Tyson Expressway (always at 65mph, and the highway patrol is ALWAYS on hand to make sure I observe the local customs).

I have been the FEMA spokesman for the media in four counties in the eight county Ohio flood and tornado disaster (Aug. 20-28). It has been fairly tiresome...12-hour days for two weeks. But also somewhat enjoyable in that the media folks are good to deal with, professional, and focused on helping their readers and listeners.

This is a pictue taken by a FEMA photog at WXML Radio in Upper Sandusky where I do a weekly radio update.

I drive, almost daily, between the cities of Mansfield, Ohio - to Tiffin, Ohio - and to near Marion, Ohio (for those keeping track on Google Maps)...and points in between like Bucyrus, Carey, Galion, and such. This is Corn Country for Ohio with a lot of wide-open spaces and scenic farm settings.

I have also been over to the other side of the disaster to help out when the events were too numerous for one person to handle. In this FEMA photo I am chatting with the police chief in Blufton, Ohio along with a Community Relations guy and a local reporter. We were sharing stories about the relief effort.

I usually talk to editors/reporters at seven daily newspapers, three weekly newspapers, six radio stations, and a TV station...so I am on the phone a lot, and driving a lot!

This means visiting the disaster recovery centers in the four counties each day, too. I see a lot of people. I think that the victims here are getting the help they need...but a lot of the recovery is just due to how well organized the emergency management folks are here, and how self-reliant the people are. Their attitude reminds me a lot of the attitude on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and in Kansas.

They want just enough help, and then to be left alone to deal with their own issues.

So, it has been intense...unfortunately, none of the hotels have kitchens in the rooms...but other than the creature comforts, it has been OK. More later.:-)

Hello Life, Goodbye Columbus ...

2007-08-28T19:59:00.000-05:00

Is this Day Two? Seems like Week Two! It has been very interesting visiting Columbus this time of year. What little sunshine, clean air, sweet smelling freeshly mowed grass, old hardwood trees and Blue Spruce I have experienced have been very nice.

The Ohio Emergency Management Operations Center is where we have been staging the recovery operations and it is a state of the art facility with large screens and looks a lot like Mission Control in Houston.

I move north tomorrow to be my area of media work, and the rest of the FEMA group moves further NW to set up the Joint Field Office.

So I will get a good look at rural Ohio beginning tomorrow and for the next few weeks as I make my media rounds.

The towns along the north side of Columbus were established in the early, early 1800's and the houses along the roadways are really old and stately...sourrounded by old forests...very neat.

What is also, well, enchanting from an Old American way is the town of Worthington. The main street is a north-south street called High Street. It was named High Street because, well, the east-west streets slope down hill from High Street.

So, in the meantime, I will finish my third episode of Law & Order in a row and then catch some shut eye. So...let's see, where is my blue blankie for nite-nite. Jameh, where did you put it? :-)

OHHHHHHHH....WHY......OH!

2007-08-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

Well, here were are again, back on the street...MR DISASTER. I have currently taken up residence in the Residence Inn in north Columbus, Ohio. But, not for long. As soon as the president signs the disaster declaration, it is off to the races for media assistance...and MR DISASTER moves to the great metropolis of, stand by, yes, it's Bucyrus, Ohio.

So to assist those who are not inclined to look for a pronunciation guide, the town is bew-CY-russ. Or it is either staying in Bucyrus, or Lower Sandusky...or perhaps Mansfield....but not Sulphur Springs (something about an odor).

So, in short day one was committed to letting US Air taking its sweet time trying to make sure I didn't get here until about midnight...and then having to arrive here at the state command center for an 8am meeting...and...and...and...and...

So...let's see what other little known fact about my region I can discover. Humm, well, it floods in Ohio a lot.

Got Those Wednesday Random Thoughts, Do Dah, Do Dah (now try and forget the melody!)

2007-08-22T06:26:00.000-05:00

Well, we have all recovered from Brian coming home...it seems. Brian had little jet lag coming back from Haifa, or so it seems. He has settled into school after one day of classes and work immediately. This morning he will work in the game room, study hard and read Harry Potter! Yep, business as usual.

Cheryl has joined the local fam. She is into school at UAH and as usual is way beyond her years. Immediately she seems more mature than kids years older. She is a case! She wants to go into journalism. Yep, she picked the right crowd allright!

Maria and the boys (sounds like a rock group from the 70's) have kinda settled in at the Forenghi's. She and Diana and Danesh are looking for a good place to call home (residence) and the battle of wits between Diana and Rosana y Brian has begun (ala Princess Bride) over which school Jeremy should attend: Mtn Gap (booooooooo) or Challenger (yeah!).

Speaking of Maria, she is getting plenty of experience in learning the city by taking Cheryl to school. I make sure I have my cell phone with me at all times so I can give her directions and landmarks so that she can find her way home! hahahahaha Poor little lamb, keeps losing her way.:-(

Brian has surely told you all about his room. We painted it according to previously accepted (multiple) colors and arrangement (lots of trim). Brian has some questions. So, there may be modifications. I'll post a pix of the room shortly.

We finished painting and glorifying the woodwork in the hallway. The woodwork really shines and looks great. Only problem is that with the painting and the intense heat, the doors swelled and now the bathroom door and our bedroom door won't shut all the way...hummm.

I finished the living room front room bookcase arrangement deal. It, I must say, looks fabulous. I am pretty happy how it turned out. It, too, is gleamingly white! It is neat to have built something like a punch-out and bookcase so solid that you (me) can actually climb on it to paint it!

OK....so there is a lot going on indeed. Oh, and Olga (some may not remember her) declared last weekend. She, living in Huntsville, had been attending the Book 1 study circle that Navid was tutoring in Madison. While fulfilling one of the projects from Book 1 to go to a home and have a devotion at the Heiberts, she declared her belief in Baha'u'llah. She becomes the first declaration from the Institute Process in our Cluster. Yahooo. Indeed, it takes a village.:-)

OK...more later.

Calling Nurse Katrina, Calling Nurse Katrina!

2007-08-06T17:57:00.000-05:00

Katrina and about 100 of her newest friends gathered Sunday to gratulate her on becoming a Nurse Practioner (and, well, actually, the rest of the 100 also were so awarded...but they have to get their own blog recognition). That's Katrina on the last row, the last seat, on the far side of the group of graduates (click on the picture to find Waldo, er, I mean Katrina's smiling face).

Katrina received her "Pin" from the Dean which signified that she was one of "them." She has to take a big test later that qualifies her to practice (why do they always say "practice" medicine on patients ... hummmmmm).

She strolled across the stage with a certain determination, style and grace that only a woman so near to giving birth again could do...with a bounce and springy step, lighter than air, except for any slight awkwardness caused by the basketball she was hiding under the dress...

And after she crossed the stage, in characteristic form, she stopped to applaud the next person to cross the (nearly) finish line.

There were a bunch of relatives and friends on hand for the event...and truly a wonderful time was had by all!:-)

One more big announcement, Nafeh has received his MS and is on easy street toward getting his MD and perhaps his PhD...and soon there won't be anough alphabet left!

We all had a great Sunday, getting to spend the day with the Fananapazir's and more photos of those events will follow.

Where The Buffalo Roam

2007-08-06T09:42:00.001-05:00

On my last Sunday in Kansas, I traveled to the Maxwell Game Preserve to catch a glimpse of a buffalo herd. You could actually drive onto the Preserve and that day part of the herd occupied the road. While I could not get out of my car, I could get within inches of these magestic animals.

Right away I learned that these animals can be a little territorial, or they just like tourists in red cars...

Some Buffalo families like to just hang out on a Sunday morning and take turns in the dirt wallow to get rid of the flies....

Others just graze. If you look closely at the face of the guy in the back, he seems to be sharing a little joke with the bigger guy...or maybe the jokes on me, "Hey, Bill, look at the little guy in the cage with wheels...heheheheheh."

There were others deep into the folliage grazing, and I seem to have caught the attention of one young bull who wasted no time clomping down the hill to see what I was about...

His big old face filled my car window...and I was in an SUV! Our conversation ended when some of those flies escorting him took a liking to the cars fake leather interior...

It was getting a little hot, and when it gets above 85 or so the Buffalo head to the shade or go into "no movement" mode. Some get a little testy.....one animal was just getting ready to take their turn for the dirt bath...

Another Buffalo thought they could impose...

Ooops...here I am a few feet away and not only did the bull whirl around, but an even bigger bull just to the left of the wallow gave out a big snort. I kinda thought I had chosen my position poorly...

And the intruder turned to run and wouldn't you know it...here I sat. Thank goodness Chrysler makes cars out of unibody construction. No harm, no foul...I got a good snort from the intruder and it bucked away avoding the car. In the side view mirror I saw the guy who gave the commanding snort seemingly saying, "Ok, you've seen it...now, 'Move along little doggie.'"

The Maxwell Game Preserve was established in the 1800's by Maxwell, the first white child born in that part of central Kansas, south of Salina.

When the Europeans first arrived in the US, Buffalo herds even occupied part of the south Florida everglades. The huge herds receeded about 100 miles for every ten years that the settlers moved west. When the frontiersmen first came to Kansas in the early 1800's, they gave accounts of Buffalo herds 12 miles thick. But, by the time Teddy Roosevelt was President only 23 or so wild Buffalo existed on the ranges of Wyoming.

Today there are some substantial herds. Maxwell's isn't a huge herd, but well cared for.

My Humble Beginnings

2007-08-01T09:59:00.000-05:00

It all started at a home on the range, July 23, 1949. It was a long, long way then on the two-lane K-10 from Eudora to St. Mary's Hospital in Kansas City as I recall. :-), but we all made it.
The farm house still stands and is being taken care by a nice family with a bunch of kids. My room was in the far right corner on the second floor.
I didn't know exactly how old the farm house is, or how old the farm was...back then we also had cattle, chickens, pigs, and we grew a good crop of corn. The current owner has the original deed to the land which shows the land was purchased from the local Indians (I think they were Osage Indians), the same tribe who actually settled the town of Eudora, and the original farm may have been purchased from the village chief.

The barn was built in the 1880's ... gosh, the barn was already 70 years old when we lived on the farm!

Part of the time before I was six or so we lived in town and our home was at 9th & Church. My room was upstairs on the end. We got baths in the kitchen sink, and we had a black and white TV sometime in 1954.

The house was across from the Catholic Church that was started in 1863 and finished in 1864.

There is a lot more to a real travelogue, but it is better in the telling in person.
I was able to swing by Eurdora during my recent month in Kansas.

Prairie Power

2007-07-29T08:31:00.000-05:00

I found (of course, it was not actually lost) the only Wind Farm in Kansas on a trip out to a county fair in Howard, Kansas (pop. about 150) where FEMA was exhibiting building mitigation techniques. This is a huge farm, with huge wind mills, but only an electric company from Missouri currently buys the power. The "whoosh" from the blades was quite impressive. Notice those little dots on the ground...those are cows.

Back in the stomping grounds....

2007-07-29T07:41:00.000-05:00

During my work for FEMA in Kansas for a month (sorry I didn't mention that before-the reason why and how I got to Greensburg), I also went out to Eastern Kansas where the state experienced a 500 year flood. All of Western Kansas was under a declared disaster in January from the massive snow storms...the middle of the state from Oklahoma all the way to Kansas City...was in a disaster declaration beginning May 4...and the rest of the state went under a declaration from the flooding in June. A LOT of cleanup.

Where Did Greensburg Go?

2007-07-29T07:16:00.000-05:00

The forces of nature ruled back in May when one of the most powerful weather forces known, an EF5 Tornado, struck Greensburg, Kansas. The town was almost totally demolished in seconds as the storm, which was headed away from the town, suddenly turned due north. I visited the town on June 23. It had rained on June 22, and the similarities between Greensburg and Pass Christian, Ms after Katrina (the wet rich dirt, almost no buildings standing, etc. were striking.

The Passing of James Mock

2007-02-03T11:38:00.000-06:00

I haven't been able to discuss it much, but my dear brother (in-law) James passed away Jan. 5, 2007.

More may be said at later times, but I wanted to share a few things.

Here is a picture of the flowers from the National Spiritual Assembly, and a display of the headlines in two of the local newspapers on the day before (the Linden paper) and day following James' passing (the Demopolis paper), complete with an Op/Ed piece about how much James had impacted the local community.

Sometime I will tell you how James and I nearly froze to death walking home to his place in Chicago at midnight the year he and I were both delegates to the national convention.

Imagine, Jameh Tyson Fananapazir at One Year Old!

2007-02-03T11:11:00.000-06:00

Believe it or not, my (Rosana and my..., and Lameh and Karen's) first grandson, Jameh, is one year old. The proud parents put together a sweet little party at the Fananapazir spread in Nashville. You can see more pictures on the Nafeh/Katrina/Jameh web site at the link over to your right.

Some Old News, but new picture!

2007-02-03T10:59:00.000-06:00

This is an old mid-1980's historic picture I just rescued for my old friend Bob Harris. Bob was a Counsellor during the last years of our old friend Hand of the Cause William Sears. "Bill" started a national "competition" for the most firesides in a month. Rosana put together a "Firesides-R-US" doll (notice the resemblance to Bill") as the Huntsville prize. Fannie Jude won the contest, and Rosana shared the doll with Bill and Bob in Chicago at the National Convention (I was a delegate from Alabama) just outside the Cornerstone Room. About serving with Bill, Bob said, "Those were great days."

Will Geo do a cartwheel on stage!

2006-12-17T06:49:00.000-06:00

Geo takes a big step today, yep, after all these years (well, four actually) he will strut across the stage in Spragins Hall and graduate! UAH will miss him a bunch (just like they did the other members of the fam)!
Good going Geo, dude, SON!

Egyptian Court Rules Against Religious Freedom

2006-12-17T06:45:00.000-06:00

In a closely watched case that has become the focus of a national debate on religious freedom, Egypt's SupremeAdministrative Court has ruled against the right of Baha'is to be properly identified on government documents.
The decision upholds current government policy, a policy which forces theBaha'is either to lie about their religious beliefs or give up their state identification cards. The policy effectively deprives Egyptian Baha'is ofaccess to most rights of citizenship, including education, financial services, and even medical care.
For more details about the ruling, please visit The Baha'i World News Service @ http://www.bwns.org

The Daily Star Reports on the (Egyptian Baha'i) ID Card Crisis

2006-12-09T07:21:00.000-06:00

In Egypt, you're better off Jewish than Baha'i , an article By Abdel-Rahman Hussein in the Daily Star. Read this and other latest developments on the bahai-egypt blogspot link on the right.

Perky giraffe is star in Ethiopia

2006-12-09T07:09:00.000-06:00

Enjoy reading about a Baha'i Couple in Ethopia that are teaching children virtues on TV.:-)

Iranian Surveillance of Baha'is

2006-11-03T06:20:00.000-06:00

In an ominous move, Iran's Ministry of Interior has ordered officials throughout the country to step up the surveillance of Iranian Baha'is focusing in particular on their community activities.
The full text of the letter giving the order and more on the story, visit the Baha'i World News Service.

Back to the Keyboard.....

2006-10-29T20:04:00.000-06:00

Good evening from B&N....after three weeks helping Danesh with a largese house in the NE with one of the best views of downtown huntsville I have ever seen, it is time to hit the keyboard and do some serious writing.
So you may have some idea of the kind of view I was referring to, here is a sunset from the general location...

We also had the joyous surprise of a visit from Katrina, Nafeh, and Jameh. They dropped by Saturday and took R and Geo and I out to dinner at a fab bar-be-que place where I ate way too many ribs (Brian had gone to B'ham for a visit with a chum). Sunday we all went to Devotions, and then went to Nothin' But Noodles where we ate too much as well.
Tonight, the Fananana Brigade is back in Nashville ... Brian and Rachel are tutoring the LSA on Book 2 and thus R and Geo are there and I am at B&N chilln'.
So, ah, beginning in the morning it is write, write, write.
:-)

OK...Heeeeeesssss Backkkkkkkk

2006-10-15T18:47:00.000-05:00

Howdy, you all. I am fix'n to write a new entry, just wanted to let you know. I have not been able to get into my blog since, well, about more than a month. Stay tuned!

Smooth Sailing

2006-08-30T06:36:00.000-05:00

Every morning at dawn I gaze out from my 10th floor balcony at the normally placid scene of the lights from the shrimp boats dotting the horizon about 10 miles south in the Mississippi Sound. It isn't always smooth sailing however. This lightning storm hit about 4:20 this morning. Quite a show!

Just a little, hummmmmmmmmmmm, Goofy

2006-08-27T13:13:00.000-05:00

I took the challenge from my betters to determine who my Disney alter ego is, and to my surprise, or not, the vaunted personage is (tada!)...

Your alter ego is Goofy! You are fun and great to be around, and you are always willing to help others. You aren't worried about embarrassing yourself, so you are one who is more willing to try new things.
Goofy 100%
Peter Pan 94%
The Beast 88%
Ariel 75%
Donald Duck 63%
Cinderella 50%
Cruella De Ville 44%
Pinocchio 44%
Snow White 44%
Sleeping Beauty 31%

To find out who you tuly are, go to: http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=3049

Another Day...Another, ah, Day

2006-08-27T07:21:00.000-05:00

I awoke this morning, early, to find that old Ernesto had apparently chosen to go to Florida and leave the Gulf Coast alone....so I decided to just chill, sit on my balcony, read, drink some Green Tea, relax...ponder employment possibilities...relax...read my birthday presents from the girlies in Haifa in my birthday shirt from my girlie, husbandie, and Jameh in Nashville...relax...:-)

Another year?

2006-08-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

Yup, I had a birthday in July...and my sweet Rosana came by the Coast to help me celebrate as did my dearest Alicia, general nice guy Brian, Mary Alica and Jose, and the Cooks. No, the cake did NOT set off the smoke alarm.

And then Rosana and I went strolling along the Coast and visited the re-built small craft harbor at Long Beach...

Can you believe she just had surgery just a few months ago!!!!!

Can He Be THAT Busy????

2006-08-26T06:02:00.000-05:00

Oh, OK, so my life is busy (yawn)...or is he just lazy (hummmmm). I am surprised as well that I have not posted for a long, long time. But, nevertheless... I woke up this morning early to learn that my newest friend, Ernesto, may be coming for a visit...

The storm will likely be a Category 3 hurricane by mid-week because the conditions are so favorable...the water in the Gulf of Mexico is very warm, 85 degrees plus, and good fuel for a hurricane...

One of the things that has kept young Ernesto from growing up is his center of circulation, the Eye of the Storm, well, he's looking at us now!

So Wednesday could be the deciding day for me as to whether I stay in Biloxi, or be sent home. Stay Tuned, and check with this website every once in a while!

World Cup Final

2006-07-12T05:18:00.000-05:00

What a surprise, and what an exercise. Who would have guessed when we all sat around the table in Huntsville that science would prevail! At the end of the World Cup, I guess section A, Geoffrey pulled out all the stops and picked the right teams to win, with the right scores. He scored 96 points, edging dada by one point. Next came Brian Tyson and Alicia and Brian tied at 83 and I had a notion that the leaders were in trouble. Poor sweetheart Rosana was last with 71. We had all decided that we would give points for picking the teams that advanced from that first meeting, to aswage the defeats in choosing winners as the tournament progressed. So, I gave 2 points for picking a team to the Round of 16, 4 points for the quarterfinals, 6 points for the semi-finals, 8 points for the third place match, and 10 points for the finals. Who would have thunk that Brian Tyson and Alicia and Brian would end up with having picked the most advancing teams (certainly not I)...we they tied with 153 points each...but the Grand Winner is .... Alicia and Brian Green due to the fact that they are the only ones who picked Italy to win it all! Congrats (lucky duo). The rest of the field went this way: dada 149; Geoffrey 138; Rosana 107. It was a lot of fun...just wait until, ah, 2010!

Catching Up

2006-07-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a busy week, or so, at Beach Woebegone...or woeisyoufornotbeinghere! And a lot has happened.
First, most of the fam came down for a visit for the 4th of July...

It seems we eat a lot when we are all here...but we also toured the devasted areas, like Pass Christian at ground zero for Hurricane Katrina...

And we visited Annie's Restaurant where we had eaten a big Sunday meal with the Coast Families back in July in Henderson Point across Bay St. Louis from, well, Bay St. Louis...

We also took Jameh to the pool at my new digs for his first swim, and boy did he get a charge out of it...we all did too.....

And, speaking of my new digs, on the 10th floor of the Legacy Towers (wahoooo), I can see beyond Ship Island 12 miles out....

I will do more on my new place later today (I kinda promise).:-)

Ok, tata for now.

Sunday Dinner

2006-07-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, Jose and Mary Alice invited me over for dinner at their place in Gulfport. They had minor damage from Katrina, and are adding a slate roof right now. Well, Maria came too, as did Jose's mother (Tom was at a church meeting). Jose is an architect, but he should have been a chef, he is that much of a Cook (inside joke). Anyway, we had Alaskan Crab Legs...really, really, goood, followed with huge shrimp that were more on the order of scampi. Then we watched the World Cup game...a great afternoon, indeed!

French Fries

2006-07-01T20:07:00.000-05:00

Wellllll, look at what Geoffrey and the French did! The French "fried" Brazil just as Geoffrey predicted, moving the Geoff into a tie with the "old coach" at 91 points in the Tyson World Cup Challenge. Geoffrey staged his amazing comeback by accurately calling the winner and winning score in Italy over Australia, Brazil over Ghana, and France over Brazil while the rest of us kinda stood on the sidelines. OK, it is on to the semi-finals. Here are the current standings:
Dada 91 points
Geoffrey 91 points
Brian 71 points
AB 68 Points
Rosana 65 Points

My Current Biloxi Digs

2006-06-24T07:36:00.000-05:00

I came to the Coast with the understanding that I would be staying in a Condo on a Golf Course in Ocean Springs...which turned into a two bedroom flat at a golf course north of Gautier 35 minutes away from work in Biloxi. Then I was moved to a "two room villa off the beach." Here is the living room of my "villa" ...

And the spacious delux kitchen...

The bedroom is the same size, different furniture. I do have a wide view of the Gulf, since everything else was claimed by the hurricane...

Came back from time-to-time as I move around. :-)

Round of 16 is on the Pitch

2006-06-24T07:27:00.000-05:00

It looks like the dada would have to go to sleep to fall behind in the Tyson Family World Cup challenge...and it will be a challenge for the prognosticators at 12012 and Auburn to catch up. Good luck (hehehehehehe)! Here are the current standings going into todays matches:
Tim 72
Brian 61
Rosana 53
AB 52
Geoffrey 51

Today is the BIG match!

2006-06-22T06:48:00.000-05:00

So, going into today's big match for OUR side, there are patterns developing for the Tyson family world cup standings. The chief pattern, DADDY IS WAYYYYYYY AHEAD, hahahahahahaha!
Tim 64 Points
Brian 52 Points
AB 49 Points
Rosana 42 Points
Geoffrey 36 Points
Good luck "fam", catch me if you can!

Closing In On The Round of 16

2006-06-20T06:41:00.000-05:00

... Wellllllll, what a day. Rosana and the dada, ironically the ONLY former coaches in the poll...really gained yesterday. Brian picked up some important points, too. But, here are the current "unverified" standings:
Tim: 56 points
Brian: 47 points
AB: 41 points
Rosana: 41 points
Geoffrey: 30 points.

Latest on the World Cup

2006-06-19T07:10:00.000-05:00

OK, family and friends, here are the latest results from the pitch! As of Saturday (the score personage took the day off for Father's Day), here are the current standings with the dada taking his rightful place at the top based on three correct final scores:
Tim 37 Points
AB 29 Points
Geoffrey: 27 Points
Brian: 26 Points
Rosana: 16 Points

Biloxi Blues

2006-06-17T06:54:00.000-05:00

This is the end of week one in Biloxi on FEMA duty. I finally got out to the beach about 5:40 this morning. Sticky, already too warm for this time of year, and a lenghtly drought. But hopefully the old sailors saying might hold true...red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.

A few steps further and I had wandered into a nesting area for the Least Tern...so after a few minutes of being dive-bombed....

... I returned to the relative safety of my little abode...it was, indeed, the Least I could do.:-)

World (Tyson) Cup Update

2006-06-10T16:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a busy, and disappointing week for me at the polls. I will update the standings during today's games. (I promise) :-)
Here are the current standings:
Family Standings:
Geoffrey: 14 points
Brian: 9 point
Alicia & Brian Green: 8 points
Rosana: 3 point
Tim: 3 point

1 pt. for picking the winner
3 pts. for closest score
5 pts. for exact score
Max. 6 pts. per match.

For all you breathless soccer fans, here are the projections for Sunday:
June 11
Match 6 PROJECTIONS
Serbia & Montenegro vs. Netherlands
Geoffrey: Netherlands, 3-1
AB: Serbia & Montenegro, 1-0
Brian: Netherlands, 1-0
Rosana: Netherlands: 2-1
Tim: Netherlands, 3-0

Match 7 PROJECTIONS
Mexico vs. Iran
Geoffrey: Mexico, 3-0
AB: Mexico, 2-0
Brian: Mexico 4-1
Rosana: Mexico 4-2
Tim: Mexico 2-1

Match 8 PROJECTIONS
Angola vs. Portugal
Geoffrey: Portugal 4-0
AB: Angola 1-0
Brian: Portugal 3-0
Rosana: Portugal 3-0
Tim: Portugal 3-0

World (Tyson) Cup

2006-06-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well, con gratulations to Geoffrey for finding some modicum of success that he only slightly lorded over everyone when Argentina got robbed of a goal in the first half and were called errantly off-sides on a goal in the second held against Ivory Coast. Argentina only won 2-1, thus Geoffrey gets more points!

Here are the current standings:
Family Standings:
Geoffrey: 14 points
Brian: 9 point
Alicia & Brian Green: 8 points
Rosana: 3 point
Tim: 3 point

1 pt. for picking the winner
3 pts. for closest score
5 pts. for exact score
Max. 6 pts. per match.

Match 1
Germany 4 Costa Rica 2
Alicia & Brian(hereafter referred to as "AB): Germany 4-1
Brian: Germany 2-1
Tim: Germany 3-0
Rosana: Germany 1-0
Geoffrey: Costa Rica 1-0 (hahahahaha)

Match 2 (Friday)
Equador 2 Poland 0
AB: Equador 1-0
Geoffrey: Equador 1-0
Rosana: Poland 2-1
Brian: Poland 1-0
Tim: Poland 2-0

Match 3 (Saturday)
England vs Paraquay
Geoffrey: England 1-0
Brian: England 1-0
Rosana: England 2-0
Tim: England 2-0
AB: Paraguay 1-0

Match 4 (Saturday)
Trinidan & Tobago vs Sweden 0-0 (no points given)
Brian: Sweden 3-0
AB: Sweden 2-0
Tim: Sweden 2-0
Geoffrey: Sweden 2-1
Rosana: Sweden 1-0

Match 5 (Saturday) Argentina 2-1
Argentina vs Ivory Coast
Geoffrey: Argentina 2-0
Tim: Argentina 3-0
Rosana: Argentina 1-0
Brian: Ivory Coast 2-0
AB: Ivory Coast 2-1

Biloxi Fever

2006-06-07T07:02:00.000-05:00

It is the time of the season (yedda yedda, yedda). FEMA has called me to duty, and thus I will be experiencing the joys of assisting the fine folks of the Mississippi Gulf Coast through service with the disaster agency. I will be going to Biloxi June 11 for a while to help with public information. The blogs should get more interesting, perhaps. You can still find me electronically anyplace I go. Let's all pray that the Gulf Coast is allowed to recover from 2005! There wasn't any room for me in Biloxi or Gulfport, so I'll have to stay in Ocean Springs. They found a nice place with a view.....

More later .....

Da Vinci Code

2006-06-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

Well, it happened, I finally allowed myself to be subjected to the "Code". Diana and Danesh treated R and I to the movies last night at the Rave. I didn't have an issue with Tom H. as the lead as some did...I kinda like actors my own age. :-) But, then again, I haven't read the book (although my Catholic background and parochial school, and study of other religions as a Baha'i, already gave me a lot of history of the Catholic demonination). I was not spellbound by the movie. I thought there should have been more detail of the "Code" and less emphasis on the killing. I know it was not supposed to be a movie about spirituality, but it could have been a lot more. I think the producers cut down on some of the movie to do more in the studio and less on location. Too bad. It was a one-shot wonder for me. In regard to the Rave, I have had more comfortable airliner seats in Business and First ... sorry movie goers! Thanks D & D for the movie...I had a good time, really. Next time, my treat.:-) P.S.A. (Post Script All) Remind me to tell you about my trip to the Da Vinci museum in Milan some time.

Welcome

2006-05-31T19:47:00.000-05:00

Greetings! Finally, after all this time, I have entered the world of letting everyone on the planet know what is going on (publicly) in my life...thus, "Itsatimslife" blog. Welcome, I hope you don't get bored...I frankly find that what all is going on with Tim (and the extended Tyson family), Rosana (and the extended Cook family), Alicia (& Brian Green and the extended Green family), Katrina (Nafeh & Jameh and the extended Fananapazir family), Amelia, Lucia, Geoffrey, and Brian, provides a never-ending source of stories. And then there are the Foroughi's, the Mocks, and a whole raft of characters who will either fall victim to my notorious humor or get their own blog. :-)