She’s been “three-and-a-half” for quite some time, and we’ve all been looking forward to the big day. For my traditional birthday gift, I have always given Felicia a collection of books that describe the year. Last year it was Richard Scarry; this year the focus was ballet, dance, and Turkey.

Stories from the Back of the Postcard

Felicia enjoys dance class, playing with Cousin Kiana, and three days of preschool!

Jocelyn plays soccer and piano, enjoys third grade, horses, reading, and handbells.

Karen’s been promoted at Crossbow, plays bells, bakes awesome cookies, and bought a Prius.

David went to Turkey with Rotary, coaches soccer, volunteers too much, and prays for snow.

Wishing you … Peace, Love, and Happiness!

These pictures are also available on Flickr … plus about 28000 more, if you have privileges (mostly available for the asking, so ask!).

As you all know, excellent food is a requirement when I travel to exotic locations, and Turkey did not disappoint! From my first kebap to my last cold meses, the food was excellent and provided an awesome regional flare.

I got an early lesson in Turkish culinary culture when our first night’s waiter objected to the way I was eating my eggplant kebap. Rather than eat the skin of broiled veggies like we do here in California, I was instructed (in no uncertain terms) to scrape out the cooked meat of the eggplant (and the accompanying peppers) and mix it all together to spread on flat bread. The charred skin was summarily discarded, but the result was very, very tasty!

In Sarkoy and Yalova, we were hosted for incredible seafood lunches with shrimp ceviche and lightly fried local fish. The Museum Hotel in Cappadocia was a gourmet experience, with clever dishes with local spices and fresh ingredients. Lamb or beef meatballs could be added to any dish, and saffron flavored rice is awesome. … so are the sugar-drenched desserts!

This is a picture of the meses choices on my last night in Istanbul. I think we sampled the tomato-eggplant, dried mackerel, fava beans, yogurt-garlic, and fresh tuna. Afterwards, we drifted off to another open-air restaurant for some calamari. We were going to enjoy künefe for dessert, but we got to the bakery after closing time (I’m not going to admit what time that was).

Oh, and the Raki ….. outstanding!

This picture is also available on Flickr.

After flying from Ankara to Izmir, we spent the next day exploring the remains of the ancient Roman city of Ephesus, uncovered by archaeologists only forty years ago.

The scope of this city is amazing. It’s believed to have been home to 350,000 people at its peak, and the restored Library of Celsus and the amazing 26,000 seat coliseum were awe-inspiring achievements. The marble and stone required to build the city attest to the amazing skill of its early architects.

We strolled down the ancient marble-paved promenade, walked through original Roman bath houses, and imagined the hustle and bustle of a busy city. By the way, this is the second city of Ephesus, with the original location having been abandoned as a nearby river silted up the low-lying valley.

We also visited the ruins of Temple of Artemis and an impressive museum in nearby Selçuk, but I’m pretty sure that Jocelyn was the most impressed when she heard about my having sat on a camel for this picture.

On Saturday, we left the Cappadocia region for a trip to Ankara and the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state. Although the Ottoman Turks and the Roman Empire have governed the region for thousands of years, the secular democratic Turkish Republic was only founded 85 years ago. The reverence afforded Ataturk is impressive, as is the museum and his official resting place. The modern story of Turkey begins after the First World War, which was lost by the Germans and the allied Ottomans. With the victorious powers set to carve up the country, Ataturk successfully led nationalist forces through the Turkish War of Independence, and become the country’s first president in 1923.

Later that evening, we flew to Turkey’s third largest city, Izmir, situated along the Agean Sea in southwestern Turkey. As a coastal city, Izmir boasts a nice seashore promenade with a fun collection of restaurants and cafes. Our hotel was only a few blocks from the sea, and only 45 minutes from Sunday’s destination, Ephesus.

Original Title:”Most Incredible Thing Ive Ever Seen”

Oh my God! No time to blog …. and the keyboard changed again … but this is the view from my room in Cappodocia region of central Turkey. I am not kidding. This picture doesn’t even do it justice. … more later …..

Cappadocia is an incredible region of staggering geological formations and equally impressive human adaptations of the volcanic rock formations. Centuries ago, early Christians seeking refuge from Roman oppression, carved homes, churches, and entire villages into soft tufa rock layers that had accumulated from volcanic eruptions over time.

We stayed at the Museum Hotel, atop the natural fortress near Urgup. During our two days in the region, we saw the famous (and completely natural) “Fairy Chimneys,” toured an immense underground city, and spent time at a caravanserai along the ancient silk road.

And did I mention the ballooning?

Today’s activities began with a bus ride to a ferry terminal in southern Istanbul, which officially marked my first visit to the mysterious continent of Asia. We crossed the Transcontinental Bosphorus Bridge at 8:25 am EEST.

We rode the ferry across the Sea of Marmara to the city of Yalova, near the epicenter of the 1999 Izmit Earthquake. During my presidency, the Rotary Club of Campbell & San Jose West was an international co-sponsor of a municipal water supply project to replace the original pumping station, which was destroyed in the earthquake. Today we participated in the ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the completed project, which included the provincial governor, Rotary d?gn?taries, and local citizens \in the celebration. We followed that with an amazing lunch of fresh fish, calamari, shrimp ceviche, and Raki.

We’ll be in the Asian part of Turkey for the remainder of our trip, departing Thursday morning for Cappadoccia, where we’ll spend two n?ghts before driving to Ankara for a flight to Izmir and Ephesus.

Since we’re changing hotels, I don’t know if I’ll be able to post for a few days … Check back when you are curious.

Oh boy ?s ?t hot here ?n Istanbul! It was a balmy 36 Celsius today (that’s 96 to you and me), and the humidity was equally extraordinary.

We spent the day touring famous locations ?n Istanbul, ?nclud?ng the Dolmabahçe Palace, Blue Mosque, the Church of Hagia Sophia, the Roman Hippodrome and undreground c?sterns, and the Grand Bazarre.

For dinner we boarded a spec?al Rotary Yacht for a cruise of the Bosporus, which runs through the m?ddle of Istanbul linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, and separat?ng Europe from Asia. D?nner was ?ncredible (lamb!) and the views were awesome, too.

The computer connection is slow, so you won’t be able to see all of the 500+ pictures I’ve taken so far, but it’s a start: Check out the 2007 Turkey Photoset.

Today was our visit to the playground site (co-sponsored by the our family and Istanbul Yesilkoy Rotary), built in rural Ihtebaglari, overlooking the Sea of Marmara in Thrace. The play structure is complete, but work continues on landscaping, volleyball courts, trees, and a basketball court.

Ihtebaglari is a town of 400 people living in 174 households, located in a wine-growing region outside of Sarkoy. The city’s ancient name is Arabli, and Ihtebaglari means “Vineyards of Ihte.” With no place for their kids to play, parents have been working for years to convert government-donated land into a recreational park. Without outside funding, the land would have reverted back to the government. The Yesilkoy Rotary Club has hosted health fairs in the town, and has additional plans to establish a local Rotary volunteer corps to maintain the playground and expand it’s program outreach.

The ch?ldren and parents of the v?llage were very thankful for their new play space. I was particularly touched by one solitary mother who caught my eye, pressed her fingers against her lips and then touched them to a swingset, clearly thanking us for making the playground possible. In addition, we distributed many donated youth soccer jerseys and shoes/cleats for the children.