Musandam, Oman
by Garry Craig Powell
Another test: once again, here are the fishermen of Musandam, a peninsula that belongs to Oman, yet which can only be reached through Emirati territory, or by sea. It’s an area of rugged mountains, mostly barren, and fjords. Fishing is the chief industry, though because of the area’s position, on the Straits of Hormuz, close to Iran, there’s a fair bit of smuggling too. It’s very beautiful, and beloved by divers.
Stoning the Devil 
My thanks to Garry Craig Powell for nominating my blog for a Liebster award…and for not giving up on my posting this, since I’m truly horrible about denying compliments of all kinds! Garry’s a professor, writer, and musician whose new book Stoning the Devil (same title as his blog: https://stoningthedevil.wordpress.com/) I am impatiently waiting to see in print. His blog offers connections between his experiences in United Arab Emirates and Oman and the fictional novel-in-stories, which is not biographical…but does utilize Garry’s insights about life in the Middle East. For someone like me, who has never been off the North American continent, it’s a charming way to gain cultural information while also listening to a friend.
In case you’re not familiar with the Liebster Blog awards, here are the basics:
The Liebster is a pay-it-forward kind of award, meaning that once you receive the award, you pass it on to others. The rules are as follows:
Thank the person that gave you the award in a post on your own site
Nominate up to five blogs with less than 200 followers
Let the nominees know they’ve won by leaving a comment on one of their posts
Add the Liebster image above so all your readers know that you are generally awesome
*Note: There is no general committee that bestows this award. It’s just a recognition from one blogger to another for how awesome they are. Kinda like a really big Internet hug!
My apologies for not adding more bloggers to my awards list. Since I’m not sure how to see which blogs meet the 2nd qualification, I apologize if this seems to suggest that you have less than several thousand followers! It took me almost two months to decide to respond to Garry’s post in recognition of my blog. I just can’t handle the pressure of praise.
http://letterspeoplewontread.wordpress.com/ by Amber James—witty, brooding, silly, and engaging series of letters by multi-degree writer, mother, and just plain engaging woman.
http://thechloeeffect.wordpress.com/ by Camilla Shumaker Medders—a solid writer with a bite, whose blog focuses on her thoughts and experiences as a mom to a Chloe *my grandgirl* who is really amazing, smart, funny, and expressive though her cerebral palsy limits her mobility, speech, and ability to eat without a feeding tube. Camilla’s blog is revealing, opinionated, and well-informed–insightful, but never NEVER saccharin.
http://domesticdivamd.wordpress.com/ by –as her blog’s title suggests, she’s studying to be a medical doctor and cooks at home. Her blogs are amusing, quick, and the recipes are pretty tasty.
I’ll admit I feel like I’m sending a chain letter, but I’ve written up the damn thing so it’s going out. Thanks again, Garry.