Hole in the Clouds

Domes and Domes

Mar 7, 2012

Dusk comes to the rooftops of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Still No Wolf at the Door

Mar 9, 2012

Another visit with the chained beast of Manning Street, at the side door of a dress shop near Rittenhouse Square.

Portugal

Apr 13, 2012

Above the ships at sea and Lisbon's red tile roofs and satellite dishes.

No Fishing

Dec 6, 2012

Fish swim amongst rippling reflections in Yves Saint-Laurent's Moroccan oasis, the Majorelle Gardens in Marrakesh.

French painter Jacques Majorelle designed the gardens in 1924 as a botanical conservatory for desert plants and a celebration of Moroccan style and color. But ever since the 1950s, when Majorelle suffered serious injuries in a car accident and returned to France, the gardens languished unattended. Saint-Laurent, who had a vacation home in Marrakesh, bought the place in 1980 and worked for years to restore it. Per his directive, his ashes were scattered here following his death in 2008.

You Can Hear Me Now

Jan 24, 2013

Wired minaret in Marrakesh.

Where You Gonna Run To?

Sep 12, 2013

Baby Kaspar woke up bright and early–6 a.m.–on his first morning in America. His jetlagged parents were not pleased. No doubt, they hadn't slept quite as soundly as he had during the long flights from Estonia to Chicago.

His grandmother was happy to retrieve him from their room, even at 6 a.m., but Kaspar wasn't so sure about her. He complained. He complained more loudly. So she took him outside for a long walk.

Outside, life was good. Kaspar found pebbles and then some pebbles and after that some pebbles. But back in the house again, where his parents were still trying to sleep, he remembered his distress. His grandmother wasn't his mother or his father. He ran from her.

When she got near, he told her to go away. Loudly. If she came nearer, he ran. This went on till he'd reached the far end of the house, up against the back door, where he could run no further.

There were cushions there on the floor, new pads for the garden furniture, and so it came to pass that Kaspar lay down in the doorway and curled up and went back to sleep.

And his grandmother? "I just sat next to him," she said, "and laughed at this world."

Handyman

May 25, 2014

When last we glimpsed young Kaspar in this space, he was a mere babe, a bit timid and in need of a nap. Now, less than a year later, he regards us with a bold, steady gaze, wide awake and prepared to tackle any challenge. Yes, he's still in diapers, and yes, he's in his jammies, but hey. The man's got tools.

Spring Comes to the Voralpen

Jun 10, 2014

There are places in Switzerland that lack the scenic drama of Alpine crags and cliffs. Still and all, Switzerland is Switzerland, what with the daisies and the rolling meadows and the happy, happy cows. The postcard is complete. There's probably chocolate in those villages off in the distance.

Astride from Land to Land

Nov 17, 2014

The dome and minarets of Istanbul's Ottoman-era Ortakoy Mosque flank the bridge towers at the European end of Turkey's Bosphorus Bridge; to the right is the superstructure of a ship passing through the strait.

Peugeot

Apr 23, 2015

On the sidewalk in Antalya, Turkey.

Women in Bronze #1: The Seamstresses of Trieste

Jun 20, 2016

She sits by the waterfront in Trieste, Italy, apparently texting or checking her Facebook, but actually sewing, or maybe knitting.

Not seen here: the other seamstress of Trieste, sitting and chatting alongside her.

Monday in Cinque Terre

Mar 5, 2018

Not Quite Spring Yet

Mar 8, 2018

Four-year-old Rainer sits on one of the snow-covered rocks in a quiet, slushy cove at the edge of the Baltic Sea near Tallinn, Estonia.

Tidying the Strait

Mar 21, 2018

The two small boats in the foreground of this picture harvest floating trash from the water of the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Local birds seem impressed with the delicacies the boats rake or scoop or claw up out of the shipping lane.