Tales of Arabian Nights & Days - Part 1

Still feeling a need to get things done at home, which coincides with little being seen in the field at the moment, another session of self confinement warrants another visit to the archive. Over the next couple of days I'll post some images of 2 trips to Egypt and one to Jordan, a part of the world that is full of intrigue, history and avian delights. However, having said that a lovely afternoon and evening unfolded which, accounts for the late delivery of this post, which I will have to touch on tomorrow!

 

At the foot of MOUNT MOSES, EGYPT stands the ancient St KATHERINE'S MONASTERY,

 

complete with what many believe to be the Biblical BURNING BUSH, However, there is a bird that resides here that can be found in few other locations in the world.

 

TRISTRAM'S GRACKLE could be described as enigmatic,

 

but easily seen here. Here an adult male

 

and just a little lower in the tree a juvenile.

 

In this desert region there are many sights related to in the Bible such as the SEVEN PILLARS of WISDOM, but again it was the birds I was after. 

A much welcome addition to the World List was DESERT LARK

and while ISABELLINE WHEATEAR had been seen before it would always be a pleasure to see such a bird again. Following the Camel trail up Mount Moses, the next species was going to be at greater altitude but success in finding it would depend on keeping a careful eye on the 'droppings' of those animals.

A much favoured food source of the SINAI ROSEFINCH are the seeds contained in Camel dung

and it wasn't too long before about half a dozen Males were on view

outnumbering Females 3 to 1.

 

 WHITE (Egyptian) WAGTAIL was a good find

  as the Trucial Omen Scouts descended to a lower level to begin searching a more vegetated area and finding

LAUGHING DOVE

 PARASITIC WASP and

 SARDINIAN WARBLER

Norwegian Wood - The Beatles

Another forced day at home but with the artex completed in most satisfactory style (Carl Harmsworth 07971918749 for excellent plastering and artexing) and the photo scanning continuing apace, we again rely on the latter for this post. Out of sight and probably out of mind, work onboard the thousands of oilrigs around the world continues without interruption day and night. I was fortunate to spend the final 20 years of my sea-going career on various semi-submersible installation where I was responsible for positioning, ballasting, anchoring, logistics and communications, to name but a few. One of our most challenging jobs was to re-commission the Dolphin Drilling semi-sub

BORGLAND DOLPHIN after a lengthy refit in Dusavik, Norway. Here are a few close-ups of part of that operation.

Tug secured with a stern tow,

all ship shape and Bristol fashion in the Control Room

with at least one person working

while the audience look on!

Pulling off the snow covered jetty.

In mid-harbour and about to face the North Sea.

Once positioned by 3 ocean-going Tugs, 10 of these 22 ton 'Dolphin (no relation) Flipper' anchors are deployed secured to about 2 miles of the hefty chain cable shown here. The whole evolution took about 4 days.

and A LITTLE TASTE of a RIG CHRISTMAS

The aproned Camp Boss looking after his Catering Team

and look what they produced.

 

Yum, Yum and not an alcopop in sight.

High jinx always followed a good Christmas meal, (Dave Penney a 'birding' mate as well)

these being contenders for our own slant of

THE WEAKEST LINK

while being serenaded by the Catering Crew.

The Final Celebration but not on the rig!

El Paso - Marty Robbins

Continuing our journey across the USA, Lisa and I had left New Orleans, Louisiana far behind and were now in the heart of Bayou Country

 

amid mile after mile of CRAWFISH and SHRIMP BOATS. Heading initially for Baton Rouge the State Capital we then turned west through Lafayette and Port Arthur later visiting

Galveston (oh Galveston), with its flotilla of CASINO RIVERBOATS, Pasadena and and Houston, Texas.

There was only one target as we arrived at SAN ANTONIO and that was The ALAMO which indeed surprised us both. Instead of it being isolated in arid lands, as we had both thought, the city has grown up around it with the fort being just another outskirt.

However, this was the most poignant stop so far as our guide started by saying the only sound she wanted to hear was our breathing. Total reverence is demanded and followed as she told us much of the war torn history of success and failure of both Mexican and US armies to hold on to this strategic settlement.

I was most surprised to find how many different nationalities were represented under the banner of what were to become US Forces. Next 'port of call' was

 Out in the West Texas town of EL PASO
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.
Night-time would find me in Rosa's cantina;
Music would play and Felina would whirl.

 which was springboard for a detour into Mexico.

Crossing the RIO GRAND, which due to the current drought was not so 'grand', we journeyed firstly  to

Ciudad Juarez, to take in their slant on the ubiquitous VW BEETLE. As our 'open' Greyhound ticket allowed for travel in the northern part of Mexico, we decided to venture a little further south and ended up

enjoying a few MARGARITAS in Chihuahua. Little more than a couple of days and it was back to New Mexico then Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona.

At FLAGSTAFF (the 'sharp-eyed' will be able to see the Flag in this shot) we not only joined 'Route 66' but also found the best starting point for our next intended visit. Before the end of our trip we would also touch on the last 4 towns mention in the lyric of that song.

Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino

THE GRAND CANYON

with views of the COLORADO RIVER and a few

CALIFORNIA CONDORs

If I ever want to fly
Muholland Drive
Up in the sky

Hollywood is under me
I'm Martin Sheen, I'm Steve McQueen, I'm Jimmy Dean
You are the star tonight
Shine electric outta sight
Your light eclipsed the moon tonight
Electrolite
You're outta sight

20th Century go to sleep

ELECTROLITE - REM from the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi

The HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME in Los Angeles consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo (epoxy resin) and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry, bearing the names of a mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others. The Walk of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust. It is a popular tourist destination, with a reported 10 million visitors in 2003.

The GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE was the 'end of the line' for me, while Lisa had plans to continue onwards to Seattle and parts of Canada, but what a finale! We walked the bridge from end to end, crossing the 'Golden Gate' which is the opening of San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean with the city of San Francisco and Alcatraz Prison as a backdrop.

Finally, we have received a comparison photograph from Paul Harris who was in the Big Apple a couple of years ago. This early 90's shot of Lower Manhattan, published on the Wednesday post, shows the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre,

while Paul's was taken post 9/11. Both were taken from the top of the Empire State Building.