Rhodes, Greece. October, 2011

In my wanderings (OK, I got lost), I came across this park, the walls of which were spray-painted within an inch of their life, as you can see. In a pristine, regulated, geared-to-tourism island such as this, I can only imagine that officials try to curb teens’ enthusiasm for tagging by allowing it only in this park. I like the idea. And I like that I got lost enough to find it, far away from the tidy tourist center.

Rhodes, Greece. October, 2011

Two things there are a lot of on this small island: stone and wrought iron. And lots of places have both. Like this government building, graceful in its arches, forbidding in its gated fence.

Rhodes, Greece. October, 2011

Colors and textures, light and shadow. A quiet alleyway far from the midday throng on this sunny touristed island. And look at that sky.

Watertown, MA. May, 2013

Independence Day parades don’t mean as much to me as those on other patriotic holidays. I love our town’s Memorial Day parade. One reason is that it reminds me of the parades of my childhood. How we’d all run to the corner and wait, then thrill to the marching bands, wave at the marching firemen, etc. So in 2013, when this troupe from Miss Maria’s School of Dance came trotting by, I remembered that back in Springfield, NJ, in the late 1950s, it was Miss Bunny’s School of the Dance that marched in my childhood parades. Probably the same routines, just different music. Which one, by the way, do you think is Miss Maria? Could it be the young woman, hands raised, assuming the pose of one of the figures in Caravaggio's Deposition?

Ephesus, Turkey. October, 2011

I’m a dog person. Jay is a cat person. He has better luck when we visit Roman ruins, even if they’re not in modern Rome. They always seem to have a thriving feline population, eager to receive a little human affection. Or at least check out your hand for any possibly concealed treats.

Kuşadası, Turkey. October, 2011

See? You can understand Turkish if you need to. Any questions?

Off Rhodes. October, 2011

Yes, yes, I know. Greek yogurt is all the rage now here in the States. But this Turkish yogurt that I bought (by the pound in a Kuşadası delicatessen) was the thickest, richest yogurt I’ve ever tasted. Let the Turks and the Greeks battle it out about borders, politics and all the rest. The Turks win the yogurt competition hands down.