One of the local highlights is the fall heritage fair at the Qatarra Oasis. Yes, this is a real oasis in the desert with palm trees, a local market and honey bees.

Once past the souq, there are a number of smaller buildings and market areas, all of which line the oasis itself.

One thing that was a surprise to me was the ‘logging’ that they were doing. Palm trees can get very tall and after a certain height, it is a bit more difficult to harvest the dates. So, they often cut the trees down to make room for shorter trees. Then, they harvest the trunks.

I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the oasis is home to an apiary That provides the most marvelous honey.

One fine fall day, we set our Google maps to spin us through the desert. We followed a bunch of farming roads which connect across the desert allowing us to see the desert without taking too much risk of getting stuck by ourselves. Some roads are actually paved …

… while some others are not.

There are some very interesting things out in the desert. Along with the dunes, we found a giant solar panel installation…

… and we came within view of the solar tower from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

We were still quite far from the tower, but it was very easy to notice because of the glint of the reflective tower.

Another great fall adventure was our day at the Hilton Beach Club, which is in the middle of the Dubai Marina Beach.

For a very reasonable price, you can use their beach front facilities including comfy chairs, service to the comfy chairs, restaurants, bathrooms and changing rooms, not to mention we were mere feet from the water.

Check this out!

I didn’t know that they cleaned those spokes, but I guess the spokes must get full of sand. How do they do it???

We also hit our regular beach haunts a few times. I do love the beach!

We also made a few trips in and around Abu Dhabi. Annette did a home sit there and so I popped down for a couple weekends to sight see. We were quite impressed by Qasr Al Watan, the Presidential Palace.

No one lives in the palace. It holds offices and hosts state functions. It includes a giant dining room, a gift wing, and a sizable library. It also has a 3-D poem, written by Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid.

We were also quite busy socializing and just living our lives here in Al Ain. First of all, we moved in August after we returned from holidays. Our new place is a much better location …

… and provides us with a great outdoor space to enjoy the weather.

And we get to read, hang out and celebrate holidays.

Here are few more shots to flesh out a picture of the last few months!