White Baboon

It was time to go. We spent our last day in Lebanon in typical potential peril as we gathered with thousands of others to commemorate the third anniversary of Prime Minister Hariri’s assasination, which, in 2005, had led to a national uprising and the removal of Syrian troops. We sloshed through puddles, fear, skirmishes and dozens of soldiers to get there, but it was worth it. For the first time in Beirut, we were truly “init”.

Us with Inma Director Rob and his wife Harriet–thanks for everything.

Boudreaux skiing above the Lebanese clouds. . .

Finally, the apartment I’ve been talking about for weeks. . .

Michael took this stellar photo of a bullet-holed, disco-no-longer in Hamra, Beirut.

Alice in Damascus. . .

Bearing crosses in Arabic. . .

How many patterns can you find in the picture. . .

Dixie cups with hot fudge. . .

A little further than a flush. . .

When summer meets fall. . .

The colors of overnight delivery–stripped and chipped.

A starry-eyed surprise behind Door #56. . .

Stone, diamonds, dirt and decor. . .

Shades of Rockwell shine through as a backpacker gets a shave–one of many Middle Eastern grooming traditions for males.

Dorm bed at the Haramain Hotel, a centuries-year old home in Damascus.

Mother and children stroll the gritty souk of Aleppo, Syria on market day.

Well, almost colorless. . .this shabby facade, part Hollywood haunted house and part soda-shop-wafer, was everywhere in Aleppo.

The most common site on the Syrian street. . .

Snowflakes in stone at the cathedralic ruins of St. Simeon, an eccentric monk who, after seeking seclusion and then attracting unwanted visitors to leer and peer, climbed and lived atop ever-higher pillars for years on end.

Smiling Syrian children waving at us from the back of a pickup truck. . .

The sheep run EXTREMELY fast in Syria. . .