August 24, 2025
Johngo let out a few barks in the middle of the night while roaming the property which we need to get used to. Fortunately, no crazy noises from a wild boar signing. As soon as the sun comes up the light pours into the windows of our little cottage so there will be no sleeping in unless the boys are truly exhausted.
Our first full day in Balıklıova and it got into full “swing” first thing in the morning. We arrived in the dark last night so couldn’t really see our surroundings well. The morning light showed as the hills slopping up, away from the water, covered with olive trees. The ground was hard dirt covered with loose rocks.
The boys were keen to get on their new swimsuits, Mehmet brought them from the US for us, and explore. They walked around the property throwing rocks and fighting on and off while I yelled at them to stop from a distance. I saw them start to play fight, Lenny with a large stick and Ollie a kayak paddle. I started to walk toward them to make them stop but before I could get there Lenny hit Ollie’s hand with the stick which ended the “play” fight. Ollie smashed Lenny in the face with the kayak paddle whose nose then erupted with blood. I could not see the blood as they were tucked behind the parked cars but I saw Ollie drop the kayak paddle and run away in a panic yelling to himself something like “my oh god, I’m in so much trouble…”
Before I could see Lenny’s bloody face I saw him take the stick he was holding and try to throw it at Ollie with all his might. Ollie was long gone in his panicked run so the stick smashed into Eileen’s car, somehow not causing any noticeable damage. I saw Lenny come running to me around the cars dripping blood, what’s on his shirt wasn’t the half of it. I thought he lost teeth and at this point Kayleen saw him through the window and came running thinking that his face was cut open from a fall.
Kayleen and Eileen cleaned up Lenny and figured out the source of the injury was just his nose with no cuts on the outside. He bounced back quickly and laughed about the blood drops scattered all over the place. Ollie remained in our cottage with Kayleen and I taking turns talking/yelling at him while he migrated from crying on the bed to hiding underneath it. The boys really know how to make an impression on our new hosts!
Kayleen went into town, about a 5-minute drive, to get fresh bread with Mehmet for breakfast. They stopped at a few bakeries to get some cookies as well that are only made in Balıklıova. Also made sure to get cheese for Len, the Turkish string cheese he loves.
Upon their return we were treated to another amazing Turkish breakfast. The fresh bread with butter and various homemade jams, peeled tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, various cheeses, olives, tea, etc…
We explored the property a bit more with all the olive trees, some right outside our window, and olives drying in the sun on our porch. There are beds everyone for when the house is truly full. We have the little cottage that can sleep four but since it doesn’t rain in the Summer there are beds outside too. Mehmet sleeps on the lower porch where we eat and Eileen out on the dock or on the second-floor porch!
We hit the water once we heated up with the sun out. The shoreline is rocky but no sea urchins, they said their used to be hundreds but long gone once people discovered how delicious they can be. The long concrete dock is rough and there is a little broken glass here and there so watching where you step is important but we got the hang of it. There were loops of jumps off the dock, swim to shore, come down the dock, and repeat. Where we jumped off the dock the bottom was sandy and it was easy to see the bottom even when 15 to 20 feet deep. Ollie was thrilled to repeatedly throw the round tube off the dock and then jump through the hole in the middle while yelling “Stick the landing!!!”.
We eventually broke for lunch which was Turkish Soutzoukakia, similar to Romanian Mici, along with stuffed peppers, tomatoes, and artichokes with beans. All prepared by Mehmet’s Mom, Nil, and sisters with much love and care. Denise even got all the blood out of Lenny’s shirt in-between cooking somehow!
Their guard dog Johngo is actually very sweet. He is only tied up during the day because he is MASSIVE and a puppy, only 1.5 years old. When he wants to play, I have to put all my strength and focus into not letting him topple me over. The kids, and maybe even Kayleen, would end up on the ground. He weighs about 140 pounds and his head is the size of a medium watermelon.
I headed into town with Mehmet for some beer and ice but most importantly to get Ollie’s suitcase! It had been delivered to a store in town by the airport which was a relief as originally, we were told we would need to drive back to Izmir to get it. We were also able to find some fishing lines on a plastic wheel so I could try fishing off the dock.
On the way back to the house, the road from town follows the coast, I saw a tube that looked a lot like one we had been playing with far out in the waves. Upon returning we learned the story that it had blown away from Lenny and Kayleen had tried to rescue it. Kayleen made a valiant attempt but when she got close it would blow further out. Eventually she realized how far away she had gotten and how tired she was so safely made her way back. She said Lenny was visibly concerned about how far she had gone out.
The rest of the afternoon was spent attempting to catch some fish with bread and snails without any luck, a few shows on the iPad, and a short nap for those who needed it. After one last swim we showered and played some games before dinner. Mehmet had gotten the boys a Penn State jenga and matching game which we all took turns playing.
For dinner the normal chefs, lead my Nil, made stuffed eggplant which was delicious. We enjoyed the Balıklıova cookies for desert and the boys asked to be put to bed after a full day of swimming and sun. I think it gave everyone in Mehmet’s family some joy to see their home tire out the boys in such a nice way.
