Pooh Bear!

For her numerous fans out there, this post is all about Reesie Poo.

Reese is adjusting to Dubai well and has become quite the little daddy's girl. She took a nap yesterday with her whole head inside one of Alex's Teva sandals while he was at work. BUT, Mommy has always been and always will be her very favorite in my opinion!!! :)

She thinks that having to wear a fur coat in this heat is quite rediculous, but she still enjoys her evening walks once the sun goes down. We try to keep her haircut pretty short since it is so hot here right now. We had trouble finding a licensed groomer in Dubai, but were soon referred to a company called Shampooch. They are an American owned and operated mobile grooming service. They are booked 6 weeks out, so we only got an appointment due to a last minute cancellation. Here is the Shampooch van outside our villa while Reese was inside getting pampered.

The lady did a fantastic job with Reese and I really liked her. She is from South Carolina but spent many years living in Colorado so we all had a lot in common right away. It was so nice to hear another American accent here in Dubai!

Here is Reese after her first Shampooch experience. Such a pretty puppy!

Reese made some new friends while being dog-sat a few weeks ago when Alex and I were away for the weekend. A couple of our friends have 2 boys who absolutely loved Pooh Bear! I think she truly met her match with the 2 year old boy who actually tried to ride her around the house. Being a typical toddler, he didn't know what to do with all of his excitement about Reese so he lassoed her with the leash, threw her toys AT her, and pulled her around by the scruff of her fur all while screaming Reese's name at the top of his lungs. Poor Reese didn't know what hit her and even I had never before seen any living thing more hyper than Reesie Poo. It was hysterical and good, chaotic fun!

While hanging out and waiting for the temperatures to cool down Pooh Bear can be found:

Taking a nap...

Retrieving her ball...

Telling me that it's too hot to play ball...

Getting her belly scratched...

Sunbathing...

Or destroying a chew toy...

Alex has a full fledged campaign underway in trying to persuade me that we should get another dog. We'll let you know how that one turns out...

Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa

Last weekend we went to Al Maha, a nature conservancy resort on the outskirts of Dubai (about a 45 minute drive).

When we left Dubai in the morning it was extremely hot and humid. At the resort there was no humidity at all, but it was much hotter! The temperature was 122 degrees when we arrived at 12:30 in the afternoon! It felt like I had a hair dryer turned on high blasting right in my face. It was like nothing I have ever experienced.

The good part is that you don't sweat when it's that hot and dry! I think the sweat must evaporate immediately. Even though it was hot enough to cook your internal organs, it was actually a welcome reprieve from the wet and stickiness of the Dubai humidity.

Al Maha is one of the few places where you can see Arabian Oryx. These animals were hunted to extinction here in their native habitat by the early 1970's. However, in 1962 some folks there in Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Zoo) had a few and starting breeding them in order to keep this rare animal from total extinction. Dubai purchased some of the Oryx from them and have been breeding and protecting them on this conservation area ever since. They now have about 300 Oryx on the property. Al Maha is 225 sq. kilometers and represents nearly 5% of Dubai's land area.

The Oryx is a member of the antelope family with long black horns. It is a stark white color and weighs 150 pounds on average. When viewed from the side, it looks like it only has one horn which lead many to believe this may be where the fabled unicorn came from.

They are able to live in the harsh desert because they not only have the ability to sense rainfall and move toward it, but they can store water in their bodies for up to 2 months! Here is a picture of some of them that were grazing just outside of our bunglalow.

As much as we liked the rare animals and nature aspect of this resort, I think our favorite part was the private pool! Each room is a separate bungalow with its own pool looking out into the desert. Each one has total privacy, you cannot see any other people or bungalows from your own. The hut walls are glass doors from almost every side so the view was just incredible. The entire resort is designed to resemble a Bedouin encampment. Alex and I agreed we have never been anywhere more luxurious though. My heart melted the moment I saw the "pillow menu" on the bedside table. These people knew I was coming apparently!!! :)

The bathroom seemed bigger than our entire house with a full jacuzzi tub surrounded by windows looking out into the greenery and a stone tiled stand up shower with multiple shower heads. Alex took at least 3 pictures of just the bathroom!

Alex also really enjoyed the binoculars they provided. We could look out into the desert for oryx and gazelle. We were even lucky enough to be there for an afternoon thunderstorm with a little bit of rain!

The evening was great with room service on our outdoor deck (it actually cools down at night this far out into the desert) and wine while swimming in the pool. Yes, I know...I'm sure there are some sort of safety rules against that!

It was a beautiful resort and we would love to go back again when the weather is cooler and we are able to enjoy some of the outdoor activities that Al Maha offers.