East Meets West

Lord of Letters and Learning Meets Lady of Dreams and Fantasy

I found these two deities- Ganesh the remover of obstacles and Minnie the keeper of dreams- at thrift stores today. One U.S. dollar to remove obstacles in the path of my dreams isn't much.

Window Life

This is my neighbor's courtyard. I look out the window from the second floor of Hotel Lyon, and this is what I see. I feel somewhat guilty for violating my neighbor's privacy, because they use their courtyard for things such as bathing their children, but I can't help looking out my window. I am posting this photo because the two little girls and their mother can't be identified. The mother is braiding her daughter's hair and sitting on a small stool where she sits to wash dishes and cook the family's meals.

Pink is Pink and the Mango Tree

I was surprised at the pink pinkness of this flower. There were many rotting mango fruits near the tree, but my landscaping supervisor in Hawaii thinks the tree is a variety of Mountain Apple. I searched Google images of Mountain Apple flowers, and I agree with him, but I also sent the photo to a national park guide who works at Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica to ask his opinion as well.

Alone Time: privacy is culturally defined

Wow! I have the house to myself for a few sacred hours; the first time this has happened since I arrived in Maroc. I miss Taha, the 4 year-old bundle of energy, just a little bit. That kid mocks my pronunciation of Arabic and makes crazy faces while he does it. When he makes fun of me, I can hear where I went wrong, and I have to laugh at myself too.

Taha is also the light policeman. Electricity here is expensive, and I freely admit that I sometimes forget to shut off the lights. With Taha around, I always have a mini patrolman who helps me see the error of my ways.