Happy Birthday Karin!!!

Well, this was certainly the warmest birthday I have EVER had! And one that will be very hard to beat!

March 25th dawned bright and sunny - as the last 45 days have done! Les had to work - poor baby - I think he should have had the day off in honour of my 52nd birthday. He did come home at 10 a.m. to take me to the Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna Hotel. It's the very nice, swanky hotel about 15 minutes from us. We've spent the odd day there lazing on their beach and swimming in the Gulf and I love the grass and trees and cleanliness of the place.

I was happily on the beach by 10:30 and man was it hot already. The tide was out so the walk to the water was long and even at the farthest buoy the water was only about knee high. I played in the Persian Gulf for awhile - I had too - when will I get this opportunity ever again! While I walked to find some depth, I watched a sting ray scuttle away from me. Is that what sting rays do - scuttle?? As long as he was moving away from me I was happy, and I've never seen one in an ocean before.

The beach was quiet, the busiest days are Thursday and Friday, so I had lots of peace and quiet as I suntanned and daydreamed. I finally had to move to the pool area as the day just got hotter and hotter. I swam and suntanned the afternoon away. A fighter jet flew over head at one point during the afternoon. He was so low that we could have touched the belly - and really, this wasn't a sight I wanted to see as I was sitting so close to the Persian Gulf!!

At 3:00 p.m. I went back into the hotel for the "special offer" available for residents of the area. This "special offer" was Les' gift to me! I was pampered within an inch of my life for 2 hours. A 60 minute massage, a manicure and a pedicure - Heaven!!! By the time I was done with the queen rituals, Les was back from work. We enjoyed a drink together before going outside to the lawn by the beach. Les wanted a sheesha - I think he was in withdrawal - he hadn't had sheesha since Egypt!!! The hotel sets up a great area in the evenings. It's like being in an oasis in the desert. Tents (without walls) filled with carpets, cushions, pillows, low table - very Arabian Nights! We lounged, Les smoked his sheesha and soon four of his co-workers joined us. Manon, Richard, Jules and Michaela, Les and I had a great evening of wine, laughter, sheesha, chocolate cake (I think Manon, who ordered the beautifully decorated chocolate mousse cake knows me all too well already!!). The entire grounds area between the hotel and the beach are lit up spectacularly. Feature lights on the palm trees, lanterns marking the pathways. It's magical!

I've had a birthday to remember for ever...but...50th in New York City...51st in Victoria, B.C....52nd in the UAE at the Persian Gulf...53rd will be where...?????