Stars Shining Under A Riyadh Moon

As I write this, I am poolside at the Embassy compound. Its a chill day before we leave for home. And a perfect day it is, but more on that later.

Last night's event (and final show) actually had its roots in 2003 when Al Quada began doing its nasty stuff to US and other international installations here in Saudi Arabia. At that time, because of the dangers, all dependents - spouses and families - were sent back to the US. It is only recently they have been returning and there are many both working for the Dept of Defense, State and private companies. It is the US Embassy's mission to bring a little bit of home to these ex-pats here. It was a music festival atmosphere with American food - cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, corn dogs and such. And the music was definitely US/Western, with the band being the headliner.

Several companies helped sponsor the event including Exxon/Mobil. At sound check I took this pic of one of the table set-ups:

We were not allowed to take pics at the event (I'll tell you all about that when we get back home), but here are some pics of the program and our passes:

There were well over 400 people (mostly Americans) that was just an incredible audience. The band were definitely stars as the Riyadh full moon shone overhead. A perfect event to close out the tour.

We all slept in then returned to the Embassy recreational area to receive some t-shirt gifts and -best of all- some "job well done" challenge coins from Sgt Jeffers of the Marine detachment:

Then a couple of photo ops in the embassy:

Then off to the pool for a seafood fest:

I had a delightful chat with the Ambassador and his wife at the pool:

Its the perfect way to stand down after a rigorous week.

But wait, there's more. This is not my last post. I actually have several more things to share with you once we are back in the US and I think you'll be pleased to see those.

Stick around and talk to you soon,

Jerry