The Blue Voyage

I grew up in Texas and spent many memorable summer days with my friends at the Gulf of Mexico. I often do not remember everything from high school, but those carefree days at the beach are some of the most vivid.  The smell of salt and sand mixed with coconut suntan oil are still just as vivid as laughing so hard I could cry or pee my pants - or both.  These smells and the sound of me and my friends singing to Def Leppard, Poison, or our favorite classic rock tapes from the 60's and 70's are what I most often recall.

Just about 15 years ago I stepped foot on a random gulet boat in southern Turkey for a day trip near Bodrum.  Enter my second love affair with the sea.

Turkish Gulets in Bodrum, Turkey

Deep Blue Sea
Bodrum, Turkey

I can still remember being in awe of the water and how blue, clean and cool it was.  It's blue was so hypnotizing I could not stop looking at it.

Since then I have taken several of these trips called mavi yolculuk, or blue voyages, by day or for several days with friends.  The smells are similar - salt, sea and sunscreen.  We still listen to our favorite music, but now on iPods instead of cassettes.  We still laugh very hard until we cry, or almost pee our pants - well, I can't speak for everyone on the boat, but we laugh a lot.

I always bring a book, but I honestly am never able to read much.  The sea is so blue I can only stare.

Yes, the water is that blue, and there are that many fish.    Bodrum, Turkey

There is still a lot of untouched nature to experience from a Blue Voyage.
Bodrum, Turkey

Good Day Sunshine!

Back from a very long holiday.. not necessarily because it was a long time off.  Stuff happens and life throws curve balls in your travel plans.  However, there were still many good things about the trip.

It was good to not have internet connection for 2 weeks.  With the exception of the phone a few times, it was a good time to disconnect and focus on what matters and the day to day simplicities of life.  

While the little bumps in the road do make me crave for the next much needed holiday, we still had a good time and Turkey was still beautiful.

Sunflower, Turkey 2013

Yellow

         

Cat under the Macro

I have writers block.... I think its largely because since I came back from Istanbul last month, I have spent a lot of time watching the protests in Turkey.. watching and waiting.  So much to say, but yet nothing that hasn't already been said.

We are gearing up for our annual summer pilgrimage to Turkey.  In just a few days we'll be in the land of pomegranates, olives, pide, blue skies and sea, and street cats.

Here is one of my little street cats.  Megan.  When we found her she was malnourished.  Only ears and eyes on a stick it seemed.  She is now 13 or 14 years old and quite the happy, sweet girl.  Most Turks that meet her are surprised she came from the street - probably due to her newfound roundness and cleanliness of being an inside cat.