Ahhhhh, Coffee!!!

At times I feel as if there is a lot to complain about, living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! Traffic is Horrible! The weather is too hot and too dry! It's hard for me to find jewelry supplies! And I miss my family and friends in the States! But the one thing I can depend on here is a ready supply of coffee! French, Italian, Turkish, Arabic, Lattes, Cappuccinos, Espressos, you name it! It's here!
Here are a few of the coffee shops that I see on a daily basis. (No, I don't GO to them on a daily basis..... although it is tempting!)








I haven't tried Coffee Essence or Wayne's Coffee yet, but give me time!

























These two shops are located in parking areas where you can get your coffee on the go!



























(This, by far, is my favorite logo! Yes, it's an obvious play on one of the "big name" coffee shops, but really! I Love the picture! : )

Syrian Necklace

A friend of mine asked me to make her a pair of earrings to match an antique necklace she had bought in Syria. The necklace is absolutely gorgeous and I was honored that she had faith in me to make just the right earrings to go with it. I had been using mostly copper wire, copper sheet, and copper filled silver wire up until that time, but for something this important, I knew I needed to buy sterling silver wire. I also had to find just the right beads to match the necklace. With the turquoise beads especially, I had to match not only the color tone, but the size and shape, as anything larger or brighter would have been distracting. After a two month search, I had found the perfect beads, and had silver wire pulled to the right guage, and Yayyy! I am quite pleased with the results, but more importantly, so is my friend!

Camel's Milk...

Have you ever been tempted to try camel's milk? Well, let me just say that it is creamy, foamy, and delicious! And this bowl was fresh! Still warm fresh! Milked especially for me. And I drank it right out of the bowl! No Starbucks latte could beat the foam on this!

Ye Olde Bling Bling (Antique Jewelry and Coffee Pots)

I love Bedouin jewelry. The intricate designs, and multiple dangles making each movement a musical endeavor. This particular piece is a base metal, rather than silver, rendering it's value to be primarily sentimental.

This is a pair of mukhala, or holders for "kohl", the powdered eyeliner worn even today by many Arab women. What makes this set special is that they are made of bone as opposed to the more common brass ones.

Dillahs. Arabic coffee pots. An Arab host, or hostess, would have a pot of coffee in front of a guest almost immediately upon arrival, along with a plate of dates. This is still true today, but the coffee is more likely to be served in a thermal pot to keep it piping hot, and along with the dates you will find a variety of chocolate or some other sweets.

This veil is ornamental, not actually meant to be worn. It is found in many of the souvenir shops around Riyadh.


Another view of the makhala, along with a brass one for comparison, and the bracelets.

Desert Flowers

It's amazing the variety of flowers and plants one finds in the desert.

I don't know the names. I just know they are beautiful.

Purple, lavender, red, white, yellow......

In the most inhospitable of landscapes, they grow and thrive.

Many are protected by thorns.

Some are subtle and delicate, while others are so eye poppingly bright that they attract attention from quite a distance.

This one looks as though it was just stuck down into the sand, but no, it was really growing just like that.

These grow in clusters on a bush that grows quite tall, and then develop into some type of fruit, but it is inedible.

Look at the size of these thorns! Simply Amazing!

Can't You Read the Signs?

I am preparing for a trip to Khobar for just a few days, but I didn't want to leave without leaving you with a few signs that I see every day around Riyadh. It's funny how logos play with our minds...... because even if you don't read Arabic, "can't you read the signs?"


Any kid in the world will recognize the Golden Arches!
If you drive, you had better know this sign!


Ok, not quite as known as the Golden Arches, I guess, but still an easy sign to recognize.

Hmmmmmm, can you guess this one? The colors should help.


Really, this one is a giveaway, since I left the original logo in English. : )

Hope you enjoy! Have a great week!

Hud Hud

I saw this gorgeous little Hud Hud (or Hoopoe) out in Tumayr a few weeks ago on my way to find the irises. I had a hard time getting a good shot of him as he kept teasing me and stepping behind a bush every time I got the camera in focus! He didn't want to fly away, though, because as you can see, he was enjoying his meal.


The coloring of his feathers is fantastic, isn't it? I love the black and white stripes!

After about 15 minutes, he finally consented and gave me a beautiful pose on a thorn bush. Look at that profile. I couldn't ask for more than that!