Spanish Dance

Tenderness Floor Dance

The Rose on Pointe

First piece

Each level came and did a short warm-up in their leotards.

Preparing for the recital

Stuart used the recital as an opportunity to make some money.  He ordered 120 roses from a flower distributor.  They then had to have the leaves cut, thorns removed and wrapped individually in plastic.

He sold flowers and brownies and did very well!  It was well worth the effort.

Meanwhile, Maddie was back stage stretching and warming up.

Talent Show

Maddie tried out for the Middle School talent show.  Only six acts were able to perform and she was one of them.  She combined some of her ballet routines from class to fit a popular song that she likes.

A New Spot

We headed up to one of our favorite beaches, but this time, we left the sand, put the SUV into 4x4 mode and headed over the rocks.  We found our own secluded beach.  Can't get better than this on a February day!

Friday Morning

We went to Al Wakrah for a little outing in the morning. It used to be a tiny fishing and pearling village.  

I believe this may be a Western-Reef Heron

The daily catch had been sorted and put on ice.

These traps are used to catch the Hamour fish.

 After the noon prayers, everybody in the village (or at least most of them), drove out to the end of the jetty, where there was a cul-de-sac and then they returned.  Not sure what the purpose was?

A little chilly for swimming, but nice clear water for wading.

Steel Cup

Stuart has been participating in an ice hockey tournament over the last few days.  Today was the final game.  His team came in second place.  Stuart was put in the penalty box only once for tripping.

The dignitaries were in attendance including the sponsors of the tournament as well as the Canadian Ambassador.

Before the game.... official puck drop

 Receiving his trophy

Team photo with the sponsors

Cinderella

There was a visiting group from the Moscow State Academic Dance Theater, performing Cinderella. We had a girls' night out to see the performance. Our seats were only 4 rows back from the stage so we had great viewing and Madeline particularly enjoyed examining the arches in the dancers' feet when they wore their pointe shoes.

Geology Excursion

Madeline and I went on a geology excursion, led by a few experts that focus on the landscape of Qatar with Exxon Mobil.  We headed out with around 20-25 other vehicles into the desert.  Along the way, we had the different rock formations explained to us.

The first stop included a general introduction of the time period we were focusing on  (18-22 million years ago)

The rich red color of iron oxide in the sand.

Gypsum crystals found only here and in Sicily, Italy.

Plant life exists in the sand.

A stromatolite formed by colonies of photosynthesizing cyanobacteria. 

On a high lookout for our lunch stop.

Passed by numerous camel (sometime with a shepherd, sometimes not)

Found sea urchin fossils

Stopped by a camel farm... these are from Saudi.

These are fossilized dugong (like a manatee) rib bones..