This is definitely one of those cases when I have to take the good with the bad. There are some things that I simply do not like any longer……and birthdays are one of them. But, if I look at it another way, maybe I can say that my “birthday day” ranks pretty high among the days that I DO like. It means that I am still around to celebrate. And, there is something to be said for that, I suppose. In fact, I hope that I am around to celebrate a lot more of them.

The birthday gift I had this year…..aside from another year on this earth…..was the fact that Fayez came up from Wichita to celebrate the

two weeks….with me. No matter how old I am…..and I am seventy-six, just for the record…..Fayez always manages to make me feel younger when he is around. And, that is a great gift. When Fayez spends his college break time and his vacations here at the Ranch…..you can bet that there will be a celebration….wine, women, and song. Well…..actually, there were none of those! But, you get the idea. There is always something happening from the time we get up in the morning to the time when we fall asleep at night.

Fayez showed up on Monday morning, July 28…..that day that everybody will remember as the day the world received a wonderful gift……the birth of Beryl Darrah. Fayez came bearing a gift…..a gift in the form of a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake. In recent history, the only time I eat Dairy Queen is on my birthday…..so this was a special treat. The ice cream was on the verge to turning into a liquid by the time he arrived. But, that did not discourage me….the sight of Dairy Queen was too much to resist. We ate one piece…..and put the rest of it in the freezer so we could “celebrate” more later.

For the next week or ten days….when we were at home….and when we thought of it…..we would help ourselves to a piece of the cake. It took longer to cut a piece of cake than it did to eat it. By this time, the cake had frozen solid again…..rock hard. It almost required a chain saw just to cut it. But….looking back, this was probably a good thing. If I had been at home by myself……the entire cake would have been consumed in two days….at the very most. When it comes to food…..I have to admit, I do not have a lot of self-control. I solve this problem by simply not keeping any sort of junk food or otherwise unhealthy food in the house. At any rate, we managed to make the cake last for a respectable length of time.

We also did something else that I would never have considered doing if I had been home alone on my birthday. In the afternoon, while we   town, we stopped, and after I looked around to make sure nobody

was looking,  Fayez jumped out of the car and casually took a picture of my name, which was written on a store front window…..as casually he could manage to do something…..which sometimes is not too casually. Anyway, he got back into the car and we sped away….leaving the scene of the crime as quickly as possible.

We headed to T-town….Topeka….where I had a coupon for a free meal at Coyote Canyon. After over-eating, we sat in Terry’s Bar and Grill….our favorite bar in Topeka….and talked for the rest of the night.

                                             

And….thus, that was my birthday celebration! Another special thing I always enjoy and appreciate on my birthday is all the greetings which I receive from my Facebook friends….and from former students and guests. It makes me feel good to know that people still remember me….and care about me….at least, a little bit.

One of the first major projects of Fayez’s visit was the Crestview Community Center Topeka Big Shunga 8K Run……which was held on Saturday, August 2. He had entered the race, hoping to win first place in his age division. I attended, hoping to win first place as the best spectator….whatever that is.

Soon after arriving at my house, Fayez started training for the race. We drove to Topeka to Crestview Park Tuesday afternoon, so he could become familiar with the course….the terrain….all that kind of stuff. It was a warm, humid day. I was dressed in as few articles of clothing possible, and still not be arrested…….And Fayez….my little desert dweller…..went dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a long-sleeve K. U. pull-over…..attire that most Americans would wear in the mid-winter months.

“You are going to have a heat stroke,” I told him. I was hot just looking at him, in all that winter clothing. But, I suppose it is different when you are born and raised on the desert; where running in 100+ degree temperatures is common…..and running in 85 degree temperature must seem rather mild…..maybe even cool. At any rate, I was unable to convince him to remove any of this clothing.

So, off we went. He….running the approximately 5 miles course…….and me…..walking from Crestview Community Center to Gage Blvd and back…..a little bit over one mile. When I got back to the Community Center, I was hot, sweating…and very much in need of some shade so I could sit down and rest. I found a bench in the shade and sat down to rest and wait for Fayez to return……probably hot, sweating, worn out…..and probably wishing he had not worn so many clothing.

About ten minutes later…..here came Fayez, suffering no apparent ill-effects of the heat. In fact, when I caught up with him, he was barely out of breath….. I am going to take a wild guess and say that Fayez is probably in much better shape than I. And he had cut his time from an eight minute mile down to around a six minute mile. This was probably due to a combination of a couple factors: He is in better shape now; and he probably pushed himself just a bit more. At any rate, prospects for the Saturday race were looking good.

I can imagine that there was a time….way back in my ancient history….that I could have beaten…easily beaten…..Fayez in a one mile race. But….those days were in the distant past. Now I more or less live vicariously on Fayez’s success.

On Saturday morning, we arrived at the race site….the Crestview Community Center….. at around 7:00 A.M. It was a beautiful morning….plenty of blue sky and the sun had just been turned on….and was still warming up. The temperature was in the low seventies. Perfect weather for a race. I don’t know if Fayez was nervous or not. Even if he was, he probably wouldn’t have admitted it.

In my life time, I have been to hundreds of cross-country races. I wasn’t nervous….but I was certainly optimistic….and anticipating that Fayez would do well. We looked around….or at least I did…..and tried to assess his prospects. He would be running in the 19 – 26 age group….a difficult division, for sure. How many would be in his age group? Did they look like runners? Of course, it is difficult….if not somewhat impossible…..to know this kind of thing with any certainty. But, I was confident that Fayez would do well. And…..in a worse case scenario….even if he didn’t place, it was still all good. This was his first race; he would get some valuable experience; he would get a T-shirt; he would have fun participating; it would give him an incentive to work harder for other races.

While Fayez was off doing his race thing, I more or less drifted around…..just trying to make time go by fast. And….it did. The first runner arrived back at the finish line all by himself….all alone. Wow….this guy blew everybody away! He was a skinny, wiry runt….and probably didn’t weigh much over 100 lbs. But, he had powerful legs…..and apparently powerful lungs, too. It was at least thirty seconds…..probably more…..before the next runner appeared. After that, the slow trickle of runner steadily increased to a virtual stream of runners.

I tried to watch to see who the early finishers were. After a while, it became a rather impossible venture. And…of course, once the first runner came across the finish line, I started to anxiously survey the runners for Fayez…..especially when the time was approaching the 34 minutes mark. I knew that Fayez was probably going to run somewhere around a 7 minute mile…..and, of course, I was hoping for something better. Finally, in the distance I spotted Fayez….wearing the Valley Falls shirt that I had given to him….. He was in a tight race with two other runners…..until the last 40 yards or so. Then he had hit his peak……and the other two runners easily out-distanced him. But….in the long run, it made no difference. They were in a different age division.

Fayez was in pretty good shape when he finished……much better than I had envisioned. After explaining how to spell his name to the official time keeper…..well, actually he ended up typing his name for her…..he said, “Come on….let’s go.”

“No, let’s stick around the awards ceremony,” I said. And, I am glad that we did. The race director began calling off the winners…with their times. As soon as I heard him call the third place winner….with his time……I knew immediately that Fayez had placed….either second or first. Then the name of the second place winner was called…..it wasn’t Fayez. That could mean only one thing: Fayez had taken first place…in his age division. Then the race director called off another name…..It wasn’t FAYEZ….but it was close enough! Actually…..he was the only runner from Saudi Arabia there that day! Surprise….surprise. Fayez had won first place in his age division….with a time of 36 minutes 55 seconds.

So…..Fayez took first place in his age division in the very first race he had ever run. And…..this race wasn’t too shabby, either. There were at least 200 runners who participated.

                                                          

We celebrated by going to the Golden Corral to eat breakfast…..and then to the Farmers’ Market. It was the first time I had ever been to the Saturday morning market…..and probably the last time, too. Fayez thought it was rinky-dink….compared to the markets that are held in his home town in Saudi Arabia. And, I also thought it was rinky-dink…and I think it was the first Farmers’ Market I had been to.

Another highlight of Fayez’s visit was our trip to Pleasanton to visit Sam….a friend of ours. Sam doesn’t actually live in Pleasanton……but he does own land there…..a farm, I suppose would be a proper name for it. Sam’s “farm” is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill farm. He doesn’t raise cattle or pigs or chickens…..or camels, for that matter……nor does he cultivate corn or soy beans. They certainly don’t call Kansas the Wheat State because of his farm. You are not going to find such mundane crops growing there.

Sam’s farm is basically devoted to growing pecans, chestnuts…..the kind you find at Christmas time….roasting on an open fire. I am certainly not an expert on chestnuts trees….or any kind of trees, for that matter. But, he has planted probably somewhere around two hundred little trees so far….with more yet to come. Some day, he will be able to harvest a lot of chestnuts. In the meantime, he spends a lot effort keeping them watered….and attempting to keep deer and other herbivorous predators from using them as a midnight snack.

Actually, I never knew anything about chestnuts until Sam started growing them…..other than the Christmas song I mentioned earlier. But, apparently when they first appear on the tree, they are encased in green outer layer covered with prickly little spikes. As they begin to ripen, the outer layer bursts open…..and the actual chestnut is revealed. And, the part about roasting them “on an open fire” is not merely poetic…..it is true. Before eating the chestnut, you must take a sharp knife and cut a slit in the shell…..put them into a heated place and wait for the shell to open. When I am by myself, I put them into the microwave for about a minute…take them out….remove the shell….and eat them. When Fayez is here, he puts them just inside the door of the wood stove and “roasts” them there. And, actually they taste better this way than they do putting them into the microwave. Of course, Fayez had more patience than I do, and he doesn’t mind getting a pair of tongs to carefully put them in……and then use the tongs and carefully take them out…..without getting burned. For me…..the microwave is the best….and simplest….option. Either way…..chestnuts could be described as an “acquired taste”. But….I like them.

It is rather strange. I want to attract deer to my property. One time I even set out salt blocks to entice them onto my property. Sam would probably do almost anything to keep the deer off his property. If it were possible, I would gladly bring all of them to my house. There is absolutely nothing they can destroy here……and maybe they would make good “lawn mowers”.

Sam’s farm is a combination of rolling hills, wooded land with a stream running through it, and some flat land, which is well suited for growing crops…..in this case: chestnuts and pecans….and other incidental crops. We took a short drive into a wooded area to look at some chestnut trees that he had grafted together…..joining one little branch onto a mature tree. I had never seen a freshly grafted tree before, and I must admit….it was somewhat different that I had visualized it. It is amazing to me how it works…..or that really does work at all. But, there was real-life evidence that is successful. Yeah…..I know, my explanation does not sound very scientific….and, of course, it isn’t. But, those people who know me would never expect a scientific account from me. And, in fact, they would be certain that I had plagiarized it if I had given one. But….if you ever have the opportunity…..check it out. It is interesting

The farm is a beautiful setting, and it would be an ideal place for building a rustic home, hidden away in the trees, with expansive green lawns with flowering shrubs and trees, a shady patio, some yard swings…..maybe a hammock strung between two trees. But…..someday, Fayez and I are going to buy it…..or something very similar….and turn in into a charming and delightful golf course. It has all of the necessary and desirable prerequisites…..flat land for fairways and greens, a pond and a stream as an ideal water hazard, and rolling hills and wooded areas to make it challenging. And, there is plenty of space to construct a comfortable club house…..all in a peaceful, graceful rural setting.

While we were there, we ate a delicious lunch which Sam had thoughtfully provided.  Indeed it was a mini-banquet served off the tail-gate of his pickup….and eaten while sitting on various upside down buckets and whatever else we could find to sit on. By the time we had finished eating all the food which was available, both of us were full and satisfied.

The time went by quickly….and all too soon it was time to leave. I had a doctor appointment to keep. Before we left, Sam gave us a sack filled with little pears that he picked from one of his trees. We know they were fresh….and we know they were from one of his trees….because he picked them while we were standing there!

I had already decided on the route that I wanted to follow going to Topeka. But, as usually happens, the GPS had a different idea…..and we ended up taking the exact route that I did not want to take…..the route passing through Kansas City. But, Fayez can handle it. And, we reached our destination with no problems.

For quite some time, Fayez had been bugging me to go to Manhattan with him….to see both the town and the college located there. It did little good to tell him that there is really nothing to see there. He was determined that he had to see it with his own eyes…. first hand. Last Christmas when he spend his winter break at my house, we had planned to drive over to take a look. But, bad weather intervened, and our trip had to be canceled. I was being overly optimistic when I thought he would forget about it.

This time, I was left with little choice but to take him to Manhattan. Actually, he drove his own car. I cautioned him that he would have to be careful while driving on the campus of the other college. There is always a danger to hitting a pig, running over a chicken, or having a door smash by a stray cow.

Nevertheless, we made the hour and half trip so Fayez could satisfy his curiosity. We did all the requisite things and visited all the obligatory places…..which, let’s face it, are few and far between. We walked into the nondescript place where they attempt to play basketball….took a quick glance at the football stadium…..and drove past the ubiquitous barns, silos and corrals. We drove down Poyntz Avenue, which I think is the main downtown street. We found the street to be virtually deserted. Not knowing what else to look at…..or if, indeed, there was anything else to look at, we decided to drive back to Topeka. I think that Fayez basically satisfied his curiosity…..and probably won’t be asking to go there again….at least, for a while.

Any time that Fayez comes to stay for a while, he is always more than eager to help me in any way he can. Me being such a weak, helpless old man. Generally, I resist asking him to help with major jobs. I prefer to use the time he is there to relax and have fun. I very much want to avoid using him as some sort of “servant” or “vassal”. But, on this visit, I made an exception…..one to which he readily and willingly agreed, I might add.

I wanted to make some major changes in my office. I had acquired an additional monitor and an additional keyboard….and I rather desperately needed to create some additional space for them. In my office, which is a converted extra bedroom, there is simply no extra space. But, that didn’t keep us from trying. We moved and partially reconstructed the computer desk….hoping to add some additional surface space. This was a heavy…..often dirty….job of moving items of furniture….disconnecting computers and printers and monitors. When we finished, I knew….although I did not want to admit it at the time…..that we had basically gained nothing! But, I tried to be optimistic and to conclude that our efforts had been successful. It would have been rather discouraging to say to Fayez, “Well, all that effort was for nothing. We wasted our time.” And, I must say…..it did help a little….although very little. But, nevertheless, I did appreciate the time and effort that Fayez spent helping with the failed attempt!

Our next project was a success. I switched back to burning wood a couple years ago, after a brief experiment with a wood pellet stove. During that two year period, I have struggled to find a dependable source of fire wood. I had been buying wood from almost anybody who would agree to sell some to me. Consequently, I had an odd hodgepodge of wood from three or four “suppliers”. Some of it was simply not suitable for burning in my wood stove. It was too big or oddly shaped or ….something. In addition, some of the wood was stacked on the front porch….with the remainder of being stacked…..or stored….or scattered…..in the garage. That is where the wood belongs….in the garage…. The problem was that the non-burnable wood was stacked in the place where the “good” wood belonged. That meant that the bad wood had to be moved before the other wood….the wood that was stacked on the front porch and various places in the garage….could be nearly stacked where it belonged. Let’s just say it required moving a LOT of wood.

OK…..this is where I needed help. And….this is where Fayez “volunteered” to help. Get rid of the bad wood…..and stack the good wood in its place. Not being able to give the wood away….which I would have gladly done……we decided that we could use this wood to burn in the fire ring on the patio. So…..with the help of a wheelbarrow, we loaded it up and stacked it outside. With this job completed, we brought the good wood inside and stacked neatly where it belonged. For the first time in more than a year, I now have enough room to drive my car into the garage…..which, I think…..is its intended purpose.

With those two projects completed, we devoted the remainder of the two weeks to fun and games…..and eating. We are always searching for good places to eat….and good bars where we can sit and talk at night. And, let’s face it…..Topeka is not the gastronomical capital of the world…..or the USA….or even Kansas. However, we did discover a home-owned Mexican restaurant in Topeka called Tacos El Mexicano. I am not very discriminating in my choice or expertise when it comes to food. But…..Fayez was impressed. He thought is was a good choice. And, if Fayez was satisfied and gave it his stamp of approval…..then so do I.

After the race, we ate breakfast at Coyote Canyon….something I have never done before. And. Something that I probably will not do again for a while. No, no….the food was great…..and plentiful. That is the problem! I do not need to frequently eat breakfast any place where the food is plentiful. But….it was a reward for Fayez for doing so well in the race. And for me? Well…..I am not sure what my excuse was…..aside from the fact that it sounded like a good idea at the time.

Of course, we ate at our old stand-bys: The Golden Corral and the Royal Buffet. On a Sunday afternoon we continued another tradition: We ate at the Alladin Cafe in Lawrence. The Alladin Cafe is a Lebanese restaurant that serves a buffet for Sunday lunch. Maybe you are starting to see a pattern here. Probably not a very healthy pattern either…..but one that will probably continue indefinitely. Yes…..these places are all-you-can-eat restaurants. We justify it by maintaining that they are obviously the best values….places where you get the most for the money.

 

 

Having patronized all of these restaurants……by far the best place to eat is at home. I will assert without any hesitation that Fayez prepares better food than any and all of these places. It is really too bad he aspires to be a doctor…..because he would make a terrific chef.

The bar scene in Topeka…..in my judgment…..is dismal. I admit that I am looking for something different in a bar than most people. A lot of people, I suppose, like bars with loud blaring music. Maybe it adds to the illusion of excitement or the adventure of being inside a bar. Maybe the loud music and the noise helps a person to relax and forget about their problem. I am sure that the noise and clamor certainly would help drown them out……or it drives them temporarily insane causing them to forget almost everything.

As for me…..I like a bar that is…first of all….safe. Yes….I have often thought it might be exciting….or at least interesting…..to be inside a bar during a fight. I saw plenty of them when I was living in South Vietnam. The Australians….and the South Koreans…..seemingly had adopted bar room fighting as one of their favorite past times. But, now, in my old age, I want to go to a place where there is no drama….and no bloodshed.

Second…..the bar must be relatively quiet. Quiet enough to carry on a conversation without shouting. Don’t get me wrong. Background music is good. It not only helps drown out extraneous noise, but it makes it possible to talk without the conversation being heard by everybody present. In other words…..some background music creates a shield of privacy. I really do not care what other people are talking about….and it nobody’s business what I am talking about.

Third….give me a bar where the prices are fair and reasonable.

And fourth…..it certainly doesn’t hurt to have some TV screens which telecast K. U. football and basketball games.

Through a process of elimination, Fayez and I have come to agree that the only bar in Topeka that meets all of these criteria is Terry’s Bar and Grill. It is a friendly neighborhood bar, with a regular clientele of mature people. It is a comfortable place to merely go and sit and talk.

On this visit, however, we decided to check out the Brass Rail Bar and Grill….and investigate its possibilities. I think we simply went there on a bad night. It was karaoke night….. And what can be worse that loud recorded music? Yes…..you guessed it. Karaoke. The Brass Rail is undoubtedly a neighborhood bar in the classic sense of the word. It was obvious that everybody in the bar knew each other…..everybody, but us, that is. And…..this is good. We were warmly welcomed…..no doubt about it. And, if that would have been the extent of it……it may have become one of our staple bars. But….Oh! The karaoke.

Everybody in the bar was welcome to perform. They even asked us…..
Fayez and me. No way! But, many of the patrons did perform…..or attempt to perform….over and over and over….. The bad thing was….to us at least….was that most of them couldn’t sing! And, the performers, sadly, were completely unaware of this fact. In fact, the opposite appeared to be true. Most, if not all, of them seemed convinced that they were, indeed, Emmy Award singers. As we sat there, we hoped that the impromptu performances would soon come to an end. But, if anything…..it picked up momentum as time went by. In all fairness, however, let me say that Fayez enjoyed it much more than I did. I am not sure why. Maybe it is because he doesn’t know how to sing, either. Or maybe it reminded him of the sounds that camels make back in his native Saudi Arabia. We will give the Brass Rail another chance, though……and maybe find it on a night when there is no karaoke.

We did two other noteworthy things while Fayez was here. One was go to a movie. Fayez had never been inside a real movie theater….ever. And, it has been many years….probably fifteen years….since I last attended a movie in the USA. So…..it seemed like a constructive way to spend a couple hours. We looked online to see what was playing at the West Ridge Theater. None of the movies sounded very promising…..to me, at least. However, we settled on a movie called “The Neighbors”. At least, I think that was the name of it. It was billed as a comedy….about the only kind of movie I would consider watching these days.

We arrived late…..so they let us in free. And, this, it turned out, was the only bright spot in the incident. We quickly figured out the plot once we had settled in our seats. Really….we could have arrived at any point in the movie and immediately figured out the plot…..because it actually had no plot. The entire movie turned out to be a simple-minded piece of trash, not even worthy for a dim witted moron to watch. We sat and watched the movie for perhaps thirty minutes……then we both decided that we had suffered….or had our intelligence insulted…..enough. We got up and walked out. Now, I think I realize more than ever why I haven’t gone to a movie in the past fifteen years…..and probably won’t go for another fifteen years. If I want to have my intelligence insulted……I can simply turn on Fox News.

The other major action that we took was to visit the newly renovated State Capitol Building in Topeka. This was a “first” for both Fayez and me. It was the first time he had been inside the State Capitol Building…..ever. And, it was the first time I had been inside the building since a major renovation project began about a million years ago. Actually, I think the work started ten years ago…..and was finished only earlier this year.

During this time the building was….well, a visual mess. And, it was basically closed to public viewing. For about ten years, the grounds were covered with scaffolding, barriers, construction equipment, piles of building materials, mounds of earth….and all the other ugly stuff associated with rebuilding and remodeling. Most of the sidewalks leading to the building were closed….as were most of the doors. While it was possible to walk around the building…..it was impossible to walk to the building….especially on the north, east and west sides. For all practical purposes, we had lost access to our Capitol Building.

The project cost somewhere around three hundred twenty million dollars. Yes, that is $320,000,000….more than a third of a billion dollars. Major changes were made to the building, including a new underground parking garage…..for legislators and employees only; significant restoration to both the House and Senate Chambers; the addition of a new visitors’ center on the bottom floor; replacing the copper dome….as well as other technical and modernization upgrades. The original estimated cost of the plan was $108.5 million…..but that figure was lost in the dust long before the project was completed.

Fayez and I entered the Capitol Building through the entrance to the new visitor’s center, which is located on the ground floor on the north side of the building.. Upon entering, visitors must pass through a security check point……much like the one found in airports. Fayez…an Arab….sailed quickly through. No Problem! But….I…..the American, the Kansas tax payer who is paying for the entire project….was stopped by the flashing red light and the alarm on the first attempt….and on the second attempt. Wow! Who is this guy attempting to infiltrate the security of the Kansas Capitol Building? Was it my wrist watch? Take if off. Try again. No….the alarm sounded for a second time. Surely these past-their-prime guards could look at me and tell that this old man with the kindly face, the white beard and winning smile was not a risk to any living thing. “Check your pockets again,” they suggested. Ah….the keys. Yes….they are made out of metal. They smiled and let me pass…..although Fayez raised his eye brows and was still looking at me suspiciously.

We spent an hour or so looking at the exhibits in the newly added visitors center which were prepared by the Kansas Historical Society. We took the elevator up to the main floor to scrutinize the famous murals which are painted on the walls. They are impressive in size and scope……and fairly self explanatory to long-time residents of Kansas. Well, at least to most of us…..if we have ever opened a book to read, paid attention in our school classes or just taken a look around while we were outside. Most of murals were obvious to Fayez….even though there are no camels or deserts in the pictures. Agriculture…oil….tornadoes….cattle…..wheat. Probably the only one that he really did not grasp was the picture of John Brown….the famous or infamous anti-slavery crusader. Just by looking at the mural, I think he got the general idea that the guy was probably somewhat radical….if not just a little bit crazy.

And…..maybe what I find to be so amazing is that he had no idea of who Dwight D. Eisenhower was. To most Kansans he is probably considered to be our “national hero”….certainly our state hero. But, on the other hand, I can imagine that there are many Kansans under the age or 30 or 40 who probably don’t know who he is, either.

We looked inside both the House of Representatives chamber…..on the west side of the capitol….and inside the Senate chambers on the east side. Both of these ornate meeting rooms have been restored. And, in the process of renovation, many of the original features, that had been long-hidden by coats of paint and other disguises, were discovered and returned to their initial, authentic state.

The House of Representatives chamber was open to the public….and apparently visitors were free to walk about and examine the room. Fayez, surrendering to his urge for power, wandered down to the front and sat in the chair of the Speaker of the House. He looked quite natural in this seat of leadership and prestige. As for me…..I was content to take his picture…..and suppress my own delusion of power. The Senate chamber was roped off, preventing people from entering the room. We had to be content with looking it from the doorway.

On the way out of the building, I stopped for an interesting chat with the guards and the volunteer hosts. They gladly explained the history of the restoration project….probably more than I really wanted to know at the time. I am sure they would have gladly talked for another half hour, if I would have had the time. What they had to say was definitely fascinating…..and as a tax payer, very informative. But, I am sure it was much more than Fayez wanted to know. He was impatiently pacing around…..waiting for us to leave and head toward the Mexican restaurant to eat supper.

Only one part of the two weeks met in complete, outright failure. In fact, I feel like I have deprived the PGA….and indeed mankind….of a world of a world-class golfer. I had high hopes that Fayez would ultimately become the first Saudi Arabian golfer to join the PGS tour. And, I was confident that after reaching such a high status, Fayez would give me full credit as the person who first got him started…..his mentor, his adviser, his inspiration. But…..it was not to be. Despite my best efforts to teach him the game, he rejected it….turned away from it. Who knows why? Maybe he simply was not interested in the game; or maybe it was the fact that he was simply no good at it! I am sure that it could not have been the outstanding, expert instruction he received. But….let’s be honest: Some people have what it takes to be a good golfer….and some people do not! 

 

 

 

When Fayez comes to spend his break and vacation time, there is rarely a minute when we are not involved in some sort of interesting activity or enterprise. Whether it is celebrating another in a long string of birthdays with an ice-cream cake….driving down to Sam’s farm…or working out at the “Y”…..or sitting in a bar talking….of fixing supper outside in the fire ring….or getting a hair cut……waiting for Fayez outside his mosque…..or wasting some time looking around the campus of another state university…..or running in a cross-country race……life it always refreshing and invigorating.

Now it is time for settle back into a normal routine…..and get back on a more reasonable diet that will keep my doctors happy…..and my weight down.