Duhok: vacant stares
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC December 2021 “And then I felt sad because I realized that once people are broken in certain ways, they can't ever be fixed, and this is something nobody ever tells you when you are young and it never fails to surprise you as you grow older as you see the people in your life break one by one. You wonder when your turn is going to be, or if it's already happened.” - Doug Coupland [from FB post: April 26, 2019] It is taking a lot of time
Federal Triangle
Environmental Protection Agency, Constitution Avenue December 2021 An old love affair gone sour In my childhood seeing the Federal Triangle meant we were just a stone's throw from the Smithsonian Museums. Those massive Greco-Roman columns for me as a kid on a trip to the capital from rural Pennsylvania were awe inspiring. In later years as a college student, I continued to love the severity of those facades. They stood for so much it seemed - democracy and order at the v
the first-timer's view
Exchange Place, Jersey City, NJ October 2008 [from FB post: July 12, 2010] Back from a great day in Jersey City with old college chum...
Riyadh: Tahlia Street
Thalia Street, Riyadh. December 2017 [from FB post: April 18, 2014] I just saw the religious police here arrest two men and take them...
France: Colmar
Old City, Colmar, France. March 1993 On the visit to Strasbourg, France on Matt's First Great German Adventure, we drove south a short...
Duhok: "don't judge"
Ofelia Restaurant and Cafe, Duhok, Iraq. April 2019 [from FB post: April 6, 2019] On the topic of "don't judge too quickly" I was having...
Germany: Danube Gorge
Danaudurchbruch bei Weltenburg, Bavaria, Germany. 1996 On another of Matt's Great German Adventures (the first spawned two more visits),...
Najran: Palace
Amarah Fort, Najran. December 2016 Najran has two old palace/fort complexes, Amarah and Saadane. Saadane was closed to visitors when...
Duhok: a friend's balcony
WMF's Balcony. June 2020 How did I make it through the worst of the COVID lockdowns? Luckily, in Duhok, Iraq there were very few...
Philippines: Mia-gao Church
Mia-gao Church, Panay Island, Philippines. January 2016 Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish Church was actually the inspiration for my...
Kyoto: Daigo-ji
Daigo-ji, Kyoto. January 2012 On our last ever vacation we were in Kansai, Japan and had the rich bounty of Japanese history to choose...
Asir: traditional Asiri houses
Al Masqawi Village, Asir. December 2015 Al Masqawi Village, Asir. December 2015 Interior Painting. Aal Al Jimal Village, Asir. ...
Spain: Carmona
Cordoba Gate San Pedro Church, Carmona, Spain. January 2017 Anyone based in Seville looking for good day trips will come across Carmona....
USA: Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles
Millenium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angles, CA. April 1990 The start of something big Back in the early '90s, law school students from the Ivy...
Australia: Sydney
Harbour Bridge, Sydney, NSW, Australia. January 1993 "Time, time, time - look what's become of me" - Hazy Shade of Winter (Simon & Garfunkel) My first visit to Sydney was tacked onto the end of the Big New Zealand Adventure. That part of the world was very distant at the time (Brian and I lived in New York). Maybe it was a combination of the flight to Auckland being via Sydney, and "will we ever pass this way again?" (if we'd only known in the not distant future we'd vi
Farasan Island: mosque
Mosque, Farasan Island, Jizan. December 2013 [from FB post: December 20, 2013] ... this is the FIRST mosque I have been in in KSA -- it...
USA: Key West, Florida
Biplane ride over Key West. Winter 1990. Aerial Joy Ride I don't know if I can count my first trip to Key West as a true travel memory...
Philippines: Iloilo Riverwalk
Sunset, River Esplanade, Iloilo. January 2016 After Roxas City [see: Roxas City], JRC and I were based in Iloilo for a few days exploring...
a poem
Orchids, Orchard Road. January 14, 2014 [from FB post: April 5, 2018] An Ode to Missing Friends I can't bear to be without you I think...
Najran: Souq Al Janabi
Souq Al Janabi (Dagger Market), Najran. December 2016 Souq al Janabi in Najran is unique in the Kingdom as being one of the last...
