Ah, the ups and downs of life

First, the downs....I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a colleague from the place where I go and help out on occasion. I actually filled in for this colleague for 2 months while she was on leave. My heart goes out to her family and all those with whom she worked. She will be greatly missed.

Second, some of my readers tend to enjoy hearing about everyday kind of things here. I was walking out of one of my fave coffee places yesterday. I had a ways to walk since parking outside is difficult to get. I was in a long sleeve, high necked shirt, and very long loose pants. A man (not well dressed, a bit unwashed looking) made some strange sounds and comments as I crossed the street. Whatever he said, it did not sound good. I'm just thankful it was in a language I did not recognize/understand.

Now, the ups. Well, this isn't really an 'up'. It's just kinda interesting. I would never take a picture of someone I didn't know, but hopefully it's ok to discribe a stranger's appearance. With that being said....

I had to go into town and was at a valet parking stand (yes, valet is kinda norm in the region). There was a small group of three ladies waiting for their car (all in their 2o's?). The first lady was in Western dress - tight shirt, tight jeans, very high heels - all very designer label type stuff. The second lady was in a beyond elegant abaya but no head covering. She was also in high heels - very designer label looking. The third lady was in an abaya and her face was fully covered by a veil. But, you could tell by the way she carried herself, she was a lovely lady. Peeping out from under her crystal covered abaya was a pair of very high heeled leather boots - the kind you usually would only see between the pages of Vogue magazine. The three ladies climbed into a very expensive black SUV with highly tinted windows and drove off. Talk about a glimpse into another world.....

Peace.