Round the world in 18 daze.
Watching all types of wings take off at JFK, fixed & feathered. FAA release data this week on bird strikes, JFK Airport listed as worst in U.S.   This is very reassuring as I board soon, flying over the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

London…. Astley’s on Thames. Jon cooked the Sunday roast in the Aga, as he does. A good chunk of my heart belongs to Jude. Check out Judy Astley’s books, Billy Nicholls and Jon Astley’s musical endeavors.

Celebrated my Dad’s 85th Birthday. He’s the greatest man alive!
His secret to long and happy life is wine, cake and chocolate.

Sahara
Waves upon waves of sand conjure up childhood visions of endless dunes, quicksand, an oasis, nomads, and camels. All is realized. The emptiness of the desert is fulfilling. A Nomad with 64 camels offers only 4 for me. We’ll wait for a better deal. Ancient Kasbahs sit in lush valleys of date palms. For the people here, life is without want and need is little.

Fez
Veils of the city are peeled back, layer upon layer, exposing life unchanged for hundreds of years. Young men loiter aimlessly, harassing the tourist with map in hand, lost in the old Medina’s labyrinth. One must hold fresh mint to the nose to survive the smell of the tanneries. Donkeys trot past laden with goods. Fez can steal your heart away.

Surrounds
Storks build giant nests atop the minarets on mosques. Facing Mecca, they await the call to prayer.

Traveling always wakes up the senses. I’ve tried to capture a few glimpses of our first few days in Morocco. Staying in the Medina (old city) in a riad that is impossible to find our way back to once we venture out. Men dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi glide past in the darkened narrow alleyways. Dodging donkeys and whizzing bicycles is all part of the journey.

Tomorrow we drive over the highest mountain ranges in North Africa in a manual car on the wrong side of the road.