Throwback Thursday: Tehran 1978

Another slide from November 1978 Iran. Here my son is 6 and my daughter is 5. She was still often unsure of where we were after only two years out of the orphanage and a move from Thailand to the US and then to Iran.  I loved that pine linen press from England as it had served me well as wonderful storage for all sorts of kitchen items.  It made it back to the US in 1979 but was later stolen by a tenant. I often wonder if I will see it in some antique store.

At this time in Tehran, despite what was a start to a revolution, we were naively in the process of moving our children from the large American school to the smaller British school but instead were evacuated a month later.  Yes, those were interesting times.

AAM Monday: Back in 1979, Not Quite Everyday

The layout has the short version of the story.  Here is the longer one.

My children and I had been evacuated from Iran the first week of December 1978. My then husband remained while I, our three children and two cats went to live with my mother and her ancient chihuahua in Maryland. In early February, we heard that my husband and some other men might be returning from Tehran after Valentine's Day.  My mother, who loved our house at the Delaware beach, said she would take the three children there for the long President's Day holiday. I stayed home in MD just in case.

When the blizzard hit, my mother eventually took the 3 children for a walk to the beach. The ocean was frozen, a sight my mother had never seen. Unfortunately, the camera was still back at the house and she knew there was no way they could repeat this trip for a photo. No cell phones much less portable phones with wonderful cameras.

When we have big storms as we did this winter, I sometimes think of that weekend. Them at the beach, me housebound with aluminum awnings over the front and side doors. Climbing up on a ladder in the snow to try and shovel off some of the snow from the front awning after the side one collapsed from the weight of the snow.  Reading, wondering if and when my husband would ever get out of Iran, and why he did not choose to return with the group that did come that weekend.

It was not quite like everday at all.

Flashback Friday

My kitchen in Tehran, 1978 or early 79. The children and I had already been evacuated and my then husband took these polaroids of all the rooms for probable insurance purposes. It was a big kitchen, as was the whole apartment, and we had just stocked the fridge and got a full tank of 'gaz' for the stove. How about that classic avocado green! I loved that pine linen press that we bought in England, ditto some original bentwood chairs round the oak kitchen table.

While our household goods did get shipped back to the US, despite the Iranian Revolution, many of these things were stolen by US renters of our home in the states. Funny twist of fate, eh?

Flashback Friday

The memory that usually comes back sometime in October. We were evacuated from Iran in December 1979.

On My Desk...October 15th

Lord...I almost wrote August. It IS almost summer weather, the Indian summer kind of day in the mid to high 70s. Three desk areas to work with today.

Here the primary project is to get the dregs of some aerosol glue off the cutting board. Then perhaps some ATC work and finalize some postcards. One package to mail later in the week.

Here I have all the contacts from BlogHer to sort thru and my terrible notes to read. I am sooo out of notetaking practice, sigh, and wished I had taken a notebook of my own, other than the little one from my bag. I started to and then decided not to. Mistake. Also big reminder to make/get BlogCards...the mini Moos look great and feel great. I often forget how important the tactile is to me.


Finally...IRA rollover paperwork to finish and absentee ballot to fill in. The IRA stuff has been in progress for a while so it isn't directly related to the current economic crisis but I sure wish it had been finalized in June! I'm sorry we won't be IN the voting booth this year, but la dolce vita calls. ;-)

Now the rest of Wednesday's desks are over inside that On My Desk link on the right. Amazing how Kirsty can keep them all neat and tidy inside that button, isn't it...

World Blog Day...oh ...yesterday

I only saw this later in the day yesterday so Belated Happy World Blog Day everyone.

The point was also to list 5 very interesting new-to-you blogs. I am usually so easily led down the yellow brick tangent that is the internet, that it would have ordinarily been quite easy.

But I was caught up in the mixture of my own memories and the delight of intertwining them with lovely Maryam of My Marrakesh .

Wouldn't you know we're riding on the Marrakesh Express
They're taking me to Marrakesh
All aboard the train, all aboard the train
Thank you Graham Nash.
While her adventures regarding the starting of their own boutique hotel were interesting enough, it was her memories of her own life abroad that triggered my own. Seeing the little chai glasses is enough to take her back to Iran (me too) and the fact that her purchase was in my last Middle Eastern foray, Mamama, was that second click for me. She is now just another friend I've yet to meet in person.



If the idea of summer ending is depressing you or if you are still in the end of winter, have a look at Maryam's lush ever-summer world and also take time to read her Secret. It will round out the picture. If our dollar ever rises vis a vis the euro, I'd love to stay in her Peacock Pavilions.