Bopcha Blog

From: Diana V Thompson [mailto:diana.thompson103@gmail.com]

Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 9:42 AM



Subject: Off to Istanbul



Hello famıly,



Today was sunny and hot! Startıng faırly early ın the mornıng, I went on a wonderful hıke up the travertınes, through the ruıns of Hıeropolıs, and up onto the hılls above for a spectacular vıew of the entıre area. Absolutely spectacular. It felt good to put some mıles on my tennıes, and stretch my legs a bıt. I would have stayed all afternoon ıf I could but I had to come back for lunch before I faınted from hunger. Speakıng of whıch, though I have thoroughly enjoyed the varıety of Turkısh meals I have had so farö unfortunately my ınsıdes are begınnıng to make defınıte sıgns of protest.... let me leave ıt at that



Anyway, tonıght I have an overnıght bus ınto Istanbul and I am ıncredıbly excıted. Keep your fıngers crossed I keep my connectıons okay. I am a bıt ınsecure on the bus system and ıt seems a tremendous leap of faıth I can exchange the scrap of paper I bought ın thıs tıny town for a 10 hour transport to the major cıty... We shall see!



Love you,



Tory

Writing with clarity is a real skill and I have a ways to go.



I was mystified that Kay thought she needed to pay for a picture of my family. I reread my blog entry and discovered why she reached that conclusion! It absolutely sounded like I wanted people to pay for a copy!!!



No, no, no. All family members will get free copies. The photos turned out OK and the photographer claimed she could take the purple out of my bulging cheek. Sadly, she can't take the bulge out. Noah and Jessica were laughing hysterically during the selection process. Every shot taken seemed to have something in it that triggered their funny bones (mostly making fun of one another). We had dinner afterwards and, as always, I treasured spending time with our children.



The waitress at our restaurant (the Roanoke) carded Jessica, and later came up and asked JB if she had gone to Lakeridge Elementary. Jess said "yes" and it turns out the waitress was Jessica's "First Grade Buddy" when Jess was a 3rd grader. The school paired kids up for a reading program. Anyway, the waitress just graduated with her Master's in Public Health, so I guess Jess is a pretty good reading teacher!



The weather is beautiful again today.



Love,

Dee

From: Diana V Thompson [mailto:diana.thompson103@gmail.com]

Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 12:13 PM



Subject: Pamukkale!



Hello Famıly!



Vıa bus to mını-bus to moped (terrıfyıng) I have arrıved safe and sound ın Pamukkale. My hotel ıs a bıt of a German-ınfluenced affaır, wıth a touch of Reno Nevada -- half tımbered exterıor and ınsıde, my room (upgraded from a sıngle) ıs the honeymoon suıte, complete wıth a red-heart bedspread, red curtaıns, and wıspy red canopy over the bed. Another of the suıtes on my floor has an actual heart shaped bed. Its really quıte a bıt of fun especıally now sınce I am wearıng my (fake) weddıng rıng!



Today on the bus I shared a seat wıth a South Afrıcan, just 29 she has been on the road for almost 7 years, lıvıng one year here, one year there, and so on, as an Englısh language teacher. So far her assıgnments have ıncluded South Korea, Japan, Taıwan, and currently she ıs teachıng ın UAE. I am not sure I could lıve as rootless as she, but she sure made ıt sound fun!! Her bıggest regret was that ıt was ımpossıble for her to keep a pet, and ın South Afrıca she had been raısed havıng cats, dogs, pıgs, cows, ducks, geese, etc all on the property. It made me mıss my Gobı and Turk so much!



Thıs afternoon I wandered up to the famous calcıum waterfalls that make thıs place famous. I was surprısed we are able to walk dırectly on them, though they make you take off your shoes at the entrance. For a tenderfoot lıke me, the fırst couple hundred yards on the pebbles were paınful! Also, I was rıdıculously overdressed ın jeans and a tee-shırt, and just roasted under the mıdday sun. Tomorrow I wıll return (wıth much fewer clothes) and addıtıonally wıll try to tour the ruıns behınd the falls, among them the sıte of the fırst Chrıstıan martyrs. A bıt gruesome perhaps, but excellent way to spend tıme untıl my 1030 pm overnıght bus ınto Istanbul. Thıs town ıs quıte tıny and sleep, and I expect the transıtıon to Istanbul wıll be a shockıng one



Love T

Because our father had glaucoma, I am truly paranoid about it. While in Seattle the pressure in my eye was high and they had me on drops for glaucoma. This morning I had an early morning appointment with Dr. Huffsmith to do an early morning pressure check. The pressure is a little high but she has decided not to put me on glaucoma drops at this time. I have another test set for early January so she can keep tabs on the little peepers.



Today is supposed to be really, really warm and my finger is posed over the on button for the air conditioner.



Yes Dee I would like a picture of all of you so tell me the price and I will order one.

Sigh.

Today we have pictures taken for the Church directory and, of course, if you like them you can purchase them.

My face.

It looks like I have one of Bopcha's plums stuffed in the side of my cheek, and that deep purple streak is still running down the side.

I am going to have to do a Whistler's mother pose.



I am quasi hoping the Rav has been totalled. I love the Rav, but the thought of Bopcha getting a new car is sort of exciting.



Tory's travelog is making me want to go to Greece! What a delight! I can't wait to get together with her upon her return.



I can't believe it snowed in Colorado already! We are having a beautiful fall at the moment. It is supposed to get into the 80s today.



Bill and I will be in Vancouver, Washington the night of October 8th because I have an oral argument in front of their Superior Court early on October 9th. We will then head to Corvallis for the Beaver game with the Stanford Cardinal (it is truly singular, not plural).



Love,

Dee

Okay I think we should be done with trouble for the rest of the year. I just happened to be heading for Bopchas when I first saw the cars and police car in a parking lot and didn't think much about it except something exciting was going on. When I got to Bopchas nobody was there so I headed home and then I passed the cars again and thought "that looks a lot like Bopcha's car-think I had better check it out." So it was purely by accident that I was there. I must say Bopcha was a lot calmer than I was and took it all in stride. However, my heart is still beating a little rapidly.



Talked to Joey today and he is bored out of his mind - he dropped his cell phone while we were talking and I was afraid he had passed out. He finally managed to retrieve the phone and confirm that he was okay.



I am heating hot dogs for dinner and the dogs are going crazy. Seems they think it is for them.

From: Diana V Thompson [mailto:diana.thompson103@gmail.com]

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 1:08 PM



Subject: Greetıngs from Ephesus



Hey Famıly!



Today was a beautıful day ın ancıent Turkey. Paıred up wıth an older Amerıcan couple also stayıng ın my hotel, I took a prıvate tour of the ruıns of the town of Ephesus. It was really extraordınary and I can not waıt to show you the pıctures! Our guıde Jon was really cool. He was a Turkısh guy who had studıed Englısh sınce the age of 12 (he was ın hıs 60s). He fılled us wıth tons of facts and hıstory, then took us to a lıght lunch at a cafe near an old cave whıch -- accordıng to tradıtıon -- housed seven men who slept 200 years. After the tour we hung out and drank the turkısh beer called Efes whıch I thınk ıs named after the sıte.



My hotel has made arrangements for my mornıng bus rıde to Pamakkule. The name of the bus company ıs Kamel Koc, and when I heard thıs, I broke out laughıng; ıt was exceptıonally embarassıng tryıng to explaın why the name was so funny to me:-)



Love you!



Tory

I think our "three" things are over:

(1) my face

(2) Joey's hip

(3) Bopcha's car accident



Now we can all relax!

Thank goodness you weren't hurt Bopcha -- what if you had ended up looking like Diana? EEEeeeK!! So glad that Kay was passing by. Love, KC

Yep - we're having our first snowfall this year. It's not sticking, just making things wet. At 35 degrees, it's too warm for a real snow storm, but it is definitely cold enough to make us shiver and turn on the heat for the first time in a long time. Seeing the snowflakes makes us realize that old man winter is just around the corner.

I was in an accident today--I wrecked my car and an Osu student's car. Kay drove by and picked me up and took me home. Of course, one policeman took down information, State Farm insurance ordered a tow truck and had it towed to Wilson Motors, and now I am at home writing this down so I can get lots of sympathy. I was not hurt and neither was the nice OSU f



female driver of an 06 VW. I have a court appearance OCT l4, so until then........who knows. Not the SHADOW!!!!!!



Love, Bopcha

From: Diana V Thompson [mailto:diana.thompson103@gmail.com]

Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 9:49 AM



Subject: Turkey



Hey family!



I was so sad to leave Greece! But as I was checkıng ınto my pension, I met an exceptıonal group of Amerıcans -- Bonnıe (from Calıfornıa) and a group of her frıends-- all of whom were workıng in nearby Izmir as teachers. Bonnıe invited me to joın them and we hung out in the surf (the second tıme ın as many days I went swımmıng ın tee shırt and shorts -- sıgh) and then went to a cool seasıde restaurant for dınner on the sand. They are a lıvely bunch, and we had a great tıme. Bonnıe has ınvıted me to vısıt her sometıme ın Izmır -- so cool! It ıs hard to ımagıne a better ınvıtatıon to Turkey!



Thıs mornıng I boarded a serıes of 3 progressıvely smaller buses and fınally made ıt to a small town Selkuc outsıde the ruıns of the town of Ephesus. Near my pensıon ıs the hıstorıcal ruın (everythıng here ıs hıstorıcal) tradıtıonally belıeved to be the orıgınal burıal place of the Apostle John. Amazıng! I took lots of pıcs.



There are lots of carpet shops here (no surprıse ) and at every store --carpet and otherwıse -- the shopkeeper ınevıtably asks me to dınner, drınks, to hang out, etc. I could have enough dates lıned up to meet a separate guy every day thıs month! Sweet attentıon, but I thınk I wıll start wearıng my "weddıng rıng" to help fend off the more persıstent of the suıtors



Sendıng you my love!!



Love T

From: Diana V Thompson [mailto:diana.thompson103@gmail.com]

Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 10:54 PM



Subject: Off to Turkey



Hey Family!



If yesterday was a donut it would have been chocolate covered with sprinkles in every color. And cream filling!



Yesterday was the tour of the three islands. The boat's decks were covered with mats and so I sort of staked out a bit of real estate and off we went. Our first stop was to a small island (pop 60), which had a pretty sandy beach for wading. We sailed on, under cloudless blue skies.



After a time we came to a second island, escorted by a pod of dolphins (I'm not making this up!!) The shore was rocky and there was no beach. But the captain anchored us offshore and invited everyone to dive in, while he and the crew prepared lunch. Without further ado, the other passengers started leaping over the railing into the crystal blue water below! I didn't even have a bathing suit, so I contented myself to watch -- but the captain pointed me to the water and would not be denied. So, I lowered myself down the ladder-- a school of fish swimming below me! -- and with a swoosh, I was in the water alongside the boat, tee shirt, shorts and all. What a rush! I tread water like a mad-woman and didn't stray far from the boat but it was such an unforgettable experience, I'm counting the days until I can do it again.



For dinner I ate burritos in the only Mexican food restaurant on Kos island. My waiter invited me out for drinks (had he seen me on the boat, stripped to my bra, discretely wringing out my poor sodden tee shirt??), but I begged the time-- this morning I've got a ticket on the early boat to Bodrum (on the Turkish coastline). Once there, I am hoping to find a laundromat.



Love T

It is so much fun for those of us who are cat people to read about the dog world! I'm not being sarcastic either. I was thinking about the terrier thing and I think KC is right. I used to walk in the mornings with my friend Doris and her miniature australian shepherd. Unlike a terrier, when he saw a big dog, he steered clear. He totally recognized that a fight or other encounter might turn out badly for him. I have another friend who has a little non-terrier and that dog completely ignores other dogs and only reacts to cats and squirrels. Very interesting.



I went to the doctor yesterday just to see if all was well with my face. He said it was, and offered to drain the fluid out of my giant cheek. I enthusiastically agreed. Sadly, the draining didn't work because the bump isn't fluid, it is a giant blood puddle that can only be removed by incision or by the body absorbing it. Naturally, I chose absorbtion. Anyway, it is still hurge, my face is now green, and I still have purple accents. I'll take a photo later today or tomorrow to show you.



All is well here. Noah's wrist is making remarkable progress now that he is using the bone stimulator! I'm so pleased that he will apparently be able to avoid surgery.



Love to all, and blessings on our world-traveler and our broken hipped boy.

Dee