Paris Parfait

Digging deeper

Musicians - including a blind keyboard player - near the Tibetan Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal. Click photo to enlarge.

 

Amy of ABCDesigns wrote an interesting post about inspiration, blogging content and comments. Her thoughts struck a chord, as lately I've noticed that too many blogs, online magazines and other social media platforms are all style; little substance. Frankly, I am bored by the lack of original content and thought-provoking articles. We all need to dig a little deeper; to tell our own stories. This doesn't mean we should stop shining a light on beauty wherever we find it; to do otherwise would be unconscionable. Perhaps we could be a little more selective and thoughtful in our writing and presentations, giving rise to our own voice; our individual stories. What do you think?

To comment or not to comment?

Having blogged for five-and-a-half years, I've seen my comment count swing like a pendulum. Apparently, this is a seasonal/holiday thing rather than interest in specific posts. As people are engaged across Twitter, Facebook and now Google + platforms, it seems fewer and fewer readers take the time to comment on blogs. So I'm considering closing the comments section here.

I don't take this decision lightly; over the years, reader comments have been a welcome source of feedback, encouragement, commiseration and solace. But I have noticed a dramatic decline in comments and I'd like to ask for your views about this issue. Please let me know what you think.

A gift to yourself

And why not? You deserve it! Check out this delightful new monthly service from Not Another Bill. I have subscribed for six months, because there's nothing like a lovely surprise in the mail to instantly brighten one's day. (I've signed up my daughter in the US for Not Another Bill parcels. Shhh, it's a surprise)!

Summer reading

I've been rereading an old favourite: Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey, as well as reading Margaret Drabble's stories from A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman. For inspiration, it's hard to beat my friend Pia Jane Bijkerk's visual feast My Heart Wanders. And Odo Yakuza Tokyo, a book about the Japanese crime family just arrived. Photographer Anton Kusters has produced intriguing images of a shadowy world of power and criminality. What's on your summer reading list?

Of course, amidst a busy schedule, reading means chapters here and there. On Wednesday I spent nine hours editing photos and adding new ones to my ever-evolving photography site. Meanwhile, deadlines  loom for three articles and two photo essays... Back soon!

A desert adventure

Camels rest at Petra, Jordan. In the background are Rebecca Self (left) and Christine Mason Miller.

The famed Treasury facade in the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, selected one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Yes, the stone at Petra really is a beautiful rosy peach colour, enhanced with swirls of blue, rust and other distinctive shades.

An arched entryway at Jerash, where Roman chariot tracks are still visible, along with the ruins of an entire city. Archeological excavations constantly uncover more and more historical treasures.

Part of the Citadel in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's capital city Amman.

The Temple of Hercules at the Citadel.

A young Jordanian woman in the city of Salt.

Would you like to explore these wonders for yourself? Grab your passport and camera and meet me in Amman on March 1st, 2012! Read all about it and see more photos at Journey to Jordan.

While few pay attention...

Tibetan vendors await customers near the Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal.

...the United States economy teeters on a precipice. Other countries are worried; why are so few Americans paying attention, as Republicans deliberately refuse to act to save the United States from defaulting on its loans? Even normally cavalier bankers like JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon admit a default would be catastrophic, setting off a chain reaction of further economic disaster. Republicans need to stop playing politics, face facts and help avert a looming crisis.

Read more about this situation:

Just what is the federal debt ceiling?

Getting to Crazy

What hope is there for us if America is driven to the brink of meltdown?

US credit outlook downgraded by Standard & Poor's

Moody's puts US credit rating under review

House Republicans brace for compromise on debt

Fun and games

Monks hide their faces in laughter at a monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Boys play a game in a village high in the Himalayas.

Small boys play in sand at a construction site in Panauti, an historic city southeast of Kathmandu.

As always, click photos to enlarge.

No ping-pong table? Improvise.

In Bungamati, Nepal, a little boy plays with a red plastic string.

This little girl refuses to move so I can photograph detail of the bell at the Rato Machhendranath Temple.

The village itself is Newari, dating from the 16th-century. No cars are allowed in the narrow streets, hence the popularity of motorcycles.

Also in Bungamati, this little boy apparently is imitating his favourite movie super-hero.

Unbidden, he makes a series of poses for the camera.

His beaming mother laughs at his antics and tells him to hold the puppy.

Doesn't his mother have a beautiful smile?

At first, the boy hides his face behind the dog, continuing his tough-guy stance.

Then he softens and kisses the dog.

 

Bungamati residents are very open and friendly. Despite our inability to communicate via language, I was made to feel very welcome. I visited the village twice in November 2010 and hope to return. Meanwhile, I'm bundling the pictures of Bungamati residents and mailing them to a local woodcarver with a postal address. He has promised to hand-deliver copies to each person photographed.

Hope your weekend is filled with fun and games!

Arched entrances and courtyards: Moorish influence in Sevilla

An open doorway looking onto a plaza behind Sevilla's stunning La Giralda Cathedral.

Most readers know that I am smitten by Sevilla. I like it so much, I wrote a poem about it. In my Paris apartment, I had a "Spanish wall." I collect antique Spanish tiles and pottery, as well as Madonna crowns, silver crosses and milagros. I'm fond of dry Spanish fino and tapas. I'm mad about flamenco and Spanish guitar.

Since first visiting the city in 2004, I have been back several times, including an extended stay in 2006 to study Spanish. Last summer I spent two weeks working on a photo essay in Sevilla (these images are all from July 2010).  Later this year, I'll be returning to Sevilla to collaborate on a project with a Spanish photographer. I'd be there now, if it weren't for the scorching summer temperatures!

The plaza behind La Giralda de Sevilla, the city's largest cathedral.

The beautiful 15th-century Casa de los Pinelos.

La Casa de los Pinelos is the site of the Academia de las Buenas Letras y Academia de Bellas Artes.

Tiled stairs leading to the second floor, which was closed the last time I was there.

A series of arches cover the pathway to Plaza del Calbido, built in the Moorish style. In this photograph, shutters are closed during afternoon siesta, in a bid to combat the intense summer heat.

On Sunday mornings, vendors participate in a small market selling vintage stamps, posters, books, photographs, military medals, antique coins and other items.

Private apartments, a restaurant, bookshop and antiques store are all part of the complex.

A series of arches at a convent courtyard adjacent to Plaza del Cabildo.

A decorative iron gate leads to a private courtyard.

Palms and plants flourish in this stone-paved courtyard.

Another private courtyard behind an iron gate.

A gated patio at Reales Alcázares de Sevilla.

This arched doorway with decorative wrought-iron Islamic symbols exits into a lush garden, complete with fountain.

Iron gates opening to more palace patios.

The palace's exterior walls were designed by the Almohads, Berbers from the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The walls stem from the complex's original use as a Moorish fort.

One of the arched entrances to the palace. This stone wall dates from when construction began in the year 913.

A workman repairs a fountain in a shaded courtyard framed by a series of arches at Reales Alcázares de Sevilla. Most of the palace's stunning architecture is a combination of designs from the Taifa and the Almohad periods.

A stone walkway is laid in decorative patterns.

Check back soon for more architectural wonders from Sevilla.

Ultra Utrecht

Early 20th-century architecture, Utrecht, Holland.

An arch leading to Dom Square featuring the Dom, the city's most famous church.

The ever-present canals, lined with dock-side warehouses and restaurants.

One of the city's numerous historic buildings, now a private residence.

'Tis the season for weddings.

A window display, shot through glass.