Sandstorms & Clouds

This is really a beautiful time of the year out here—I really don’t think you could ask for a better climate.  The highs are consistently in the 70s and the mornings are just cool enough to want to wear a sweater or light jacket.  There is usually a light breeze.  It’s quite lovely.


With this nice weather, we get dense fog some mornings, sandstorms, and clouds.  We had a really intense sandstorm here about 4 weeks ago.  I really didn’t understand what it was like until I actually experienced it for myself.  Our friends weren’t kidding when they say that sand gets everywhere!  When I had to walk outside, I couldn’t even open my eyes.  When I got back inside, I had sand all over me.  My skin and hair felt like I had been at the beach rolling around in the sand all day.  And the sand finds any and every little crack in your home and slips it’s way in.  I knew that the finishing in our apartment were pretty sad, but we literally couldn’t see some of our counter and desk surfaces after just a day of the sandstorm!

That's my desk at home--it's supposed to be white

That's the base of one of our windows

While the sandstorm wasn’t exactly fun, I couldn’t help but be grateful that it was sand and not the crazy blizzardy weather our friends and family had been having back home.  I really wish I’d gotten a photo of the laborers on the side of the highway shoveling the sand from the shoulders into the median, but at least I did get a photo of the sand that was shoveled out of the way of our entrance at work.  It was so ironic—I’m pretty sure the exact same things were going on back in Iowa, except it was snow.

Entrance to my work building/trailer the day after the sandstorm

I know it’s so cliche—but you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone.  I realized over the past couple of months that i LOVE clouds!  I really think that I went like 5 months without seeing any real clouds.  Can you imagine going that long without seeing those wispy, dreamy clouds?  I had no idea hoe much I missed them until we finally got some and I found myself trying to take photos driving down the crazy highway after work (which is a terrible idea).  Anyways, in case you enjoy clouds as much as me, here are some photos (completely unedited, I might add)

Taken from the Abu Dhabi Country Club (where I go to the gym)

Taken from the Abu Dhabi Country Club (where I go to the gym)

Taken from work

Taken near home