One More Photo From Christmas

I wanted to put this one last photo up before I run out of time. This is most of the 39th medical group Mental health Flight on Christmas Eve at the Dwyer's House. Across the front from left to right, you have: Daniel Williams, Dallas Williams (complete with Home Alone pose), me (Patrick Dwyer), Melissa Thompson, and Cameron Thompson. In the back: Keisha Henry, Emily Thompson, Quinlan Creech, Seanna Creech, Seanna's friend, Casey Creech, Karen Dwyer, Joe Thompson (in gray sweat shirt), Wes Williams, Dasha Williams, Angela Williams, and Alicia Edwards.

So, it looks like we will be able to get more pics onto out Picasa site slowly. But I need help. If anyone knows how to reduce the file size of pics, please let me know. each one of mine is 1-2 MB! I know there is a way to get them smaller. I just don't know how.

Karen and I may be able to find out the sex of the baby on January 29th!

See if you can see the photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/patrickjamesdwyer I did get a few in of our trip to Mersin last week. Check out the picture of the Turkish toilet (they are just holes in the ground).

PICTURES FROM TURKEY ! ! !

PICTURES! PICTURES! PICTURES! Everyone keeps asking for pictures. Here they are. I finally have put some stuff on a zip drive so I can put a bunch of stuff up. Pay close attention to the end of this post for important info on pictures. The following our in chronological order since our departure from San Diego for Turkey:

To the left. A terrified Slinky hanging in there. I believe this was taken in Los Angeles because I am still using the soft carrier the Air force wouldn't let us use.

When we were finally able to move into Incirlik housing, we still didn't have any of our possessions. Slinky was still a little freaked out about the whole thing. Damn cat kept crawling up inside the bed! We're lucky they didn't charge us as this is part of the "stick furniture" they lend you.

Slinky decided to immerse himself in things that smelled like "our stuff."

Karen with some people from the Med group shopping in Kahramanmaras during our Mt. Nemrut trip. We call it "K-town" and it is famous for its ice cream. Notice how the man on the left is staring. The locals are fascinated by black people and blond hair. We really stood out.

Also, during the Mt. Nemrut trip. We spent the night in Kahta before ascending Nemrut. These kids were playing right under our hotel window. Once they saw I had a camera they wanted to pose. Extremely friendly.

At the top of Mt. Nemrut. this was very early, right after sunrise. The pictures that follow will give you an idea for how high up we are.

We had already been descending for quite a while at this point. Then the road turned to dirt...with no guard rails. Then we came around a corner in our little bus and saw this. It was so scary all we could do was laugh - the guy behind us kept yelling at the driver, "Yavash ! Yavash !" That's Turkish for "slow." Karen was belly-roll laughing You can see the dirt road we we are on down below. The following shot is several more miles down this road after we descended a few thousand feet.

Here we are several thousand feet down. We are actually walking on a trail at this point. That's a tributary to the Euphrates below. See below for explanation of where we are.

I love this picture of Karen at Park Zirve. This was taken during a Ramadon Iftar. Those are Whirling Dervishes behind Karen. I had the Karen set for a slower speed so it couldn't actually keep up with the Dervishes. But the lights and the blur really made the picture.

This is in Adana. That's Karen and my buddy coworker Joe Thompson. We are up on the roof of an apartment Joe is watching for one of our docs that returned to San Francisco to go to school for a year. I think you call the lake Seyhan. This is in the nice area of Adana just down the street from Park Zirve.

Inside the apartment. Does Karen look beautiful or what?

OK, I was hoping to get a bunch of photos into either Picasa (which is part of my Google/g-mail account) or into Photobucket. it was a little more complicated than I thought as the library won't let me install Picasa. So I may get around to it soon. I have figured out that the photos I post on here are viewable at http://picasaweb.google.com/patrickjamesdwyer . But, if I don't post them in a blog there doesn't seem to be a way to add them unless i have the software and the library does not. Stay tuned.

Hockey Is Back !

Wow ! I haven't had that much fun watching a hockey game since I was a kid in the 70s. 71,217 people watching outside. In the snow! With the retro uniforms and hockey's next great one, Sidney Crosby, winning the game in the shootout. It felt like hockey had a vibe it hasn't felt since the 60s expansion from the original six teams to twelve. I hope NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman sticks with the idea of making this an annual event. Sure, it may not snow every year. But for this year, the first year of the NHL's Winter Classic, it was pure magic.

And how about Sidney Crosby? Did you see that assist? Did you see the turning pivot move? Did you see him stick handle three times consecutively in mid-air? Did you see him win the game in the shootout? Crosby is exactly what hockey needs right now.

The NHL has so much opportunity right now to advance its marketing image. If they played their cards right, they could make The Winter Classic "the" New Year's Day event. The fans absolutely loved it. The only thing I would suggest is considering a larger rink strictly for the large venue outdoor games. It may seem a little weird at first, but adding 10-20 feet on all four sides would make for excellent skating and better viewing in a stadium.

I can't wait to get back to America and be close to hockey again. They actually had a rink here in Adana, Turkey , but I guess it didn't last very long. In 2002-2003 I managed to reconnect with the sport I love. I played in pick-up scrimmages on Monday nights and got a job at San Diego Ice Arena where I learned to drive the Zamboni. But, in Lancaster there was no ice rink. And now no ice rink in Turkey either. When karen and I return to America I want to live where the guys have a hockey night on TV and there's a rink with an old timer's league. Perhaps we will have a little hockey player or figure skater in the near future.

So 2008 starts out with a huge BANG for hockey! Did I mention the fans liked the event?

All photos from nhl.com

Merry Christmas & Other News

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TURKEY! ! ! !

It has been over a month since I posted - so I have a lot of news. Things are slowly getting more organized at our house. We are having a big Christmas Eve party that's kind of forcing us to clean up quickly. 17 adults and 10 kids are coming...that we know of. Possibly as many as 15 more people. We didn't bring any Christmas decorations but the house actually looks pretty good. Pomegranate martinis will be the theme drink. We will take plenty of drinks...I mean pictures.

Speaking of pictures. Hopefully, soon I will be able to post more. We may not get Internet access at home for a while - if ever. But since the home computer is up, I will be trying to find time to put some pictures on disc and move them to the blog at the library. The only pictures I can access at the library are the ones that happen to be in our gmail. But it's been a while since I posted - so here are some photos from a trip we took in November to Anavarza castle within an hour of Incirlik. It's interesting to visit Turkish archaeological sites. There's no one around to say "...don't touch that." Most sites have never even been excavated, as is the case with this one. Now it may not look like we are high up in some of these photos so I downloaded this one below from off the net to show you how high up we climbed:

A quick description of Anzavara Castle from Mehmet Birbiri who writes a column called "Ask Mehmet" (clever ain't he) in the Incirlik newspaper:

"We have so many historical sites in our neighborhood, but very few know about Anavarza Castle, one of the most striking historic cities, which served as the capital of the kingdom of Armenia Minor for centuries. Anavarza was built by the Assyrians in the ninth century B.C. Built on a sheer rock ridge, Anavarza Castle is actually two structures; an outer fortification and an inner castle. Both overlook the ruins of a Roman city by the same name. Your first view of the castle may be daunting. While driving through the village by the castle, the structure can be seen at the top of the ridge several hundred feet above you. The castle can only be reached by climbing. What first appears to be a route fit only for a mountain goat quickly reveals itself to
be accessible because many steps were carved into the rocks. Still, it takes approximately 20 minutes to make the climb. Just a little way up the ridge you will see the ruin of an ancient amphitheater on your left. Climbing higher still, you see what looks a little like a street map. The actual city of Anavarza was swallowed by the great earthquake of 525 B.C. and has not been excavated to this day. What you are seeing are roofs of buildings and streets that outline a small city buried almost 10 feet below the ground. Once you are near the top of the outer castle wall, you will have a superb view of the countryside to the west. On a clear day
you can see several of the nearby towns and even Snake, Black, Tumlu and Kozan castles a few miles away. Reaching the top, you come to the main wall of the outer fortifications complete with intersecting rooms and underground chambers. For the more adventurous, try walking along the top of the wall. You can almost feel what it was like to be a sentry on that wall hundreds of years ago. This is also a great place for a picnic. As you look north from the main wall, you can see how the ridge narrows and rises with the main castle in the distance. Between you and the main castle are the ruins of an 11th century Armenian castle. Continuing up the gradual rise toward the castle, you will reach a dry moat leading to a tunnel-type building and another dry moat. Watch your guide carefully because he knows all the steps and handholds possible. You may tour and climb the castle by yourself or get one of the villagers who will ask you if you need a guide. If you decide to have a guide, ask how much it will cost before starting the tour. In every direction is a sheer drop of several hundred feet. My advice when visiting castles, ruins and ancient sites; either walk or look, but don’t do both at the same time. Around the right side of the second moat and through a tunnel is the main part of the castle. Fortified on the west and north ends, it is marked by two horseshoe like towers. This part of Anavarza is in relatively good condition. On your way down, the guide should take you along a slightly different route to show you the burial crypts."

Below, we are climbing to the top:

Below, you can see Karen and I having just completed the 15 minute climb up to the top of the mountain where the castle is. That's our friend Corina Gestring just entering the castle. Corina and her husband Ken were kind enough to let us go with them and get off base for a day. The guy is a local Turk. They try to tag along and get paid for being pseudo tour guides. Karen had just found out she was pregnant the day before this trip.

Below, preggo Karen looking fine at the top of the castle:

A black and white of Karen and I at the top:

Climbing inside a tower:

It's surprising to find sheep way up there when you get to the top. As you can see, they are very sure-footed and walk the stairs and edges without problems:

Baby news! We did have our first ultrasound and we were able to see an image of the baby and see the baby's heart beating. We still don't know the sex. We have another appointment on 7 January. We know we will be going to Landstuhl in Germany in mid June. I will try to get there in June as well. Karen is currently due 18 July. And the great news is Caroline Haley plans to try to come out and stay with Karen. Also, Karen's boss from Edward's NAF, Tom, has offered to put us up in his home in Germany and maybe even take us to Paris. Karen is excited.

Work is a whirlwind. There are only five mental health techs here including me. I will lose 3 of them between Feb and June with three new ones coming in. Wes Williams is leaving us for Canon Air Force Base (AFB) in New Mexico. His replacement will be Jennifer Hoag from Korea. Then we lose Seana Creech who is getting out. Her replacement will be Kanisha Carson from The Azores. I was Kanisha's supervisor back at Sheppard in 1999 and look forward to seeing her again. Then we lose Joe Thompson to Eilson in Alaska and gain a SrA Thompson from Ramstein in Germany. A Thompson for a Thompson! We also found out last week that our Mental Health Officer-In-Charge (OIC), Captain Edwards, has been promoted to Major. In 2006 she was passed over for promotion but they left one of her performance evaluations out - so she appealed the decision and just found out the Air force agreed and her promotion actually took effect Dec 1st but she is waiting for Congress to take some sort of action before she can wear the rank. And our Psychologist, Captain Henry, recently completed a short humanitarian assignment to The Congo. Our group is a GREAT bunch of people and it is going to be hard seeing us all get broken up.

What's on the way for 2008? More baby news! And hopefully more frequesnt postings. I also have to study for a big CLEP test, complete the Master Sergeant correspondence course, gain 30 online CEUs for my 08 CADAC recertification (drug counseling stuff), and hopefully start on the accounting degree. Once we actually get settled after the baby, we will have less than a year left at Incirlik.

And here is the big teaser for 08. I have a GREAT idea for another blog. It's a unique one. Stay tuned.

NOTE ON THE PICTURES: double click on a picture to get a better view!

Karen Dwyer is Pregnant !

Surprise! How's that for news out of Turkey? Karen was feeling a little off about a week ago. Then she felt queasy. So she took a home EPT test and we had two positives. This past Tuesday she completed a test at the Med Group and that confirmed it. Our first appointment is tomorrow, on Monday. We have talked to a lot of you on the phone. If we haven't, it's simply because we keep running out of time.

In the middle of all of this, our property was finally delivered...on the wrong day. It was supposed to be scheduled for 10 Oct. Then we were told it would be late and they finally scheduled for 12 Nov. That was rescheduled to 14 Nov and that was rescheduled to 15 Nov. So of course on 14 Nov, while I was at work and Karen was getting ready for work, one day before they were supposed to be there - they showed up at our door. The only problem was we had a house full of furniture with all of our stuff in it. "No problem Abla...," they told Karen. They then proceeded to throw all the temporary furniture into the car port while Karen to scrambled to get everything we owned out of the drawers. Clothes were flung, cats were flying, Turks were gobbling - it was chaos. But now our stuff is here....and Karen is pregnant. Yeah. We are very happy.

Names? How does Mehmet Dwyer sound? Sort of a tribute to our Turkish hosts? No, how about Dasher Dwyer since we like Christmas so much? That would be Dancer Dwyer if it is a female. Thanks to Ryan Smyth for the Dasher inspiration. But I think my neighbor here at Incirlik, Wes Williams, has come up with the ultimate male name - Darth Victorious Dwyer! OK, all kidding aside we are leaning towards Noah James for a boy and Katie for a female.

More news to come.

Our Property Has Arrived....NOT ! ! !

So we received a call from TMO (Transportation Management Office) saying your stuff arrived in Adana and we will have it delivered to Incirlik on Monday the 12th. Well all right! We were truly excited. Especially since they are more than 30 days late from the 10 October promised delivery date. But then they called back an hour later, "The Turkish Air Force won't let any carriers on base on Monday or Tuesday. We will have to reschedule for Wednesday the 14th." OK, so we'll just deal with it. Then they called back an hour after that, "The Turkish carrier has no availability on the 14th so we have to cancel and reschedule for the 15th." So perhaps we'll get it then. Oh, they also want to verify that I own a motorcycle. I told them, "No, but if you deliver one I am going to keep it." So we should get our stuff on the 15th...or at least we should get someone's stuff.

Karen started a part time job at the base library and I will start teaching guitar at the end of November.

Hi to The Haley's

Don't have a lot of time this week. Just wanted to say hi to Don & Donna, Matthew, and Caroline Haley. Don has been kind enough to print out some of these post and take them over to Papa Kuhns for us. Don, just wanted to let you know to look at the comments as well. looks like my mother is calling Jim to task on that last post.

Hopefully our stuff will be here by mid November we are now hearing.