Stinky Arrival recalls haughty salmon haircut

Darius and tiger August 2015

Why was Darius met by “You Stink!” signs when he got back to Beirut? (And why didn’t he take it personally?) How old should you be before getting your passport? Why don’t they know how to spell ‘color’ in Vancouver? What were the results when a three year old acted as her own hairdresser? What was (one of) Dan’s early career miscues? Read More...

Oui! Seamstress cuts talking hair in waterlogged drought

Christiane, Darius and Tiger August 2015

Who plans a proposal the day before his fiancee flies 7000+ miles away? (And is ‘plans’ the right verb?) Who writes a description of said event and forgets to convey the response? Why is Dan wary of haircuts? Who can say ‘bamboo’ while being stumped by ‘Mama’? And why have the water police surrounded The Martin Family estate in Santa Barbara? Read More...

Fiesta Courts Confetti-Strewn towering engagement

baby doing fiasta things August 2015

What is Santa Barbara’s most romantic place to propose? Will Darius find it? Will Christiane agree? Will The Martin Family turn Melika’s office into a stalker’s paradise? Does the telephone lens work after sunset? And, on different subjects: will the Grand(est)son smash a confetti-filled egg over Dan’s head? Who has the biggest hat?

The Donald Duck Dreams Las Vegas on horseback

Darius and Christiane on horses

It is billionaire week - The Donald and Richard Branson make appearances at The Weekly Letter. Can Dan link them to the family collection of rubber duckies? Darius and Christiane arrive in America - and they’re: “Going to Disneyland!” Well, Disneyland and horseback riding in the California Mountains. Does Christiane have a cowboy hat? Does it matter? (Dan has enough western hats to outfit an entire 1800’s calvary battalion.) Read More...

Watery first Persian word lights blue moon billionaire

at yellow bird music july 2015

Do some languages have intrinsically easier words? More specifically: why did the grand(est)son say the Persian word for ‘water’ before he said the English word for ‘Grandfather’? And, should Nazy gloat about this watery fact? Is it fun to hum ‘Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star’ with a baby? (Can you hear yourself hum over the din?) Who in family decided that the best way to enjoy California’s Mediterranean climate would be to move to the Mediterranean Sea? And, what is Richard Branson doing with a rubber ducky? Read More...