Kadıköy, Istanbul. June, 2007

What better place to bid farewell to November (farewell to anyone and anything, really) than in a train station. Think of all the movie farewells that take place in such terminals. Here, a particularly exotic and evocative one across the Bosphorus on the Asian side of Istanbul. From here you travel East to Iraq, Iran, and all the -stans. One night at a meeting in Istanbul, a young man told me that he was taking the train to Teheran the following morning. He would have left from here. And what wonders he must have seen on the way and when he arrived. Oh, to travel.

Watertown, MA. November, 2016

Astute readers of this blog will always be able to tell when its author is on a diet. Most of the entries are about food. And most of those are about food rich in sugar and flour and buttery goodness. Like these baklava espied at an Armenian church bazaar in my neighborhood. It's bazaar season here in Watertown, and my calendar is already marked for the next one on December 2. Why do I torture myself?

Kadıköy, Istanbul. June, 2007

The meze display at Çiya, one of my favorite Istanbul restaurants. Indicate which items you'd like (all of them), and the server will portion out a plate for you and charge you by weight. The plate's, not yours.

Watertown, MA. November, 2016

Well, yes, I'm avoiding bread for the next month. But I still like this photo of one of the ladies at an Armenian church bazaar in my neighborhood. When I asked if I could take her picture, she assented, but reminded me to mention her necklace made from pencils. Done.

Waltham, MA. November, 2016

To me, there are few things more wonderful than a new puppy. Especially someone else's. Meet Betty. Held here by my friend Linda, the little Golden Lab's roommate, who says, "She brings me such joy." Well, yeah. Calm, non-barking and cute as all get out: joy guaranteed.

Watertown, MA. November, 2016

The so-called "Black Friday." The first official shopping day before Christmas. When news media report on feisty women punching each other to be the one to grab a widescreen TV or an X-Box gizmo. Overly tattooed and beefy guys slugging it out over parking spaces. You will not find me anywhere near a mall or a big box store between now and the new year. Instead, I delight in finding vintage (aka "used") items in thrift shops and at white elephant sales. Like this box of clip-on bow ties recently snagged for $3 at a nearby Armenian church bazaar.

Gloucester, MA. September, 2009

So much to be thankful for.