Textiles in Morocco
Richly coloured, beautifully woven, infinite in variety, Moroccan textiles are famous for good reason. From tough camel hair rugs and tent walls on the desert steppe to filmy organza draped romantically over an ironwork bed, these fabrics beg to be touched – and definitely photographed. One of the first and most striking observations a traveller […]Read Post ›
Windows into Morocco
There’s something very romantic about windows in Morocco. Whether they’re covered by intricate and pretty metal work or framed with plain wood, there is always something that catches the eye. A handle, a curve, a curtain… some attractive detail that makes me stop for a moment and admire the handiwork. Click on a photo to enlarge […]Read Post ›
Doors into Morocco
Glorious or humble, shiny and polished or weathered and worn, doors are everywhere in Morocco. Although they exist to block out light and noise, crowds and unwanted visitors, they’re also inviting. Beautiful and enticing, they evoke curiosity and wonder. Who made them? What’s behind them? Most are made by men, not machines. While […]Read Post ›
Arches & Entryways
Tarkanen Ways
It’s like stepping back in time, walking in here. Everywhere you look, there is a still life, waiting to be framed. Floating in here, though, on a boat that needs its hull repaired or painted, it’s all intense action, focus, business. The tide must be high, the captain’s aim straight, nudging the bow right […]Read Post ›
What Am I Doing This For?
With less than a week left before we arrive in the Kingdom of Morocco, the familiar sensation of unease and anxiety creeps into my veins and is waking me at 4 in the morning. Having travelled for over 30 years, it’s a familiar pattern of sensations, but its familiarity doesn’t reduce the intensity. I know intellectually […]Read Post ›
Shoal Bay
With its informative signage, good places to walk and sit down for a talk, this E. Thurlow Island refuge is a relaxing place to tie up or lower the anchor for a day or overnight. The bonus: a gorgeous u-pick community garden, where boaters can, in exchange for a nice donation to the garden goddess fund, forage for […]Read Post ›
Sointula Salmon Days
Last summer I attended the best parade ever, at the annual Sointula Salmon Days festival. It starts down by the cemetery and winds all the way along First Avenue by the sea, past the ferry dock, the Co-op, the bakery, the pub, a few more pretty buildings, then it turns up past the little museum (which […]Read Post ›
Mamalilaculla
The extraordinarily exotic looking white beach of Village Island gleams from a distance, and beckons the mariner to come and explore. But beware! Remember this is not white sand; it is a shell midden from the abandoned village of Mamalilaculla. A midden is by its very definition, a refuse pile of discarded clam and oyster […]Read Post ›
Little Fish in a Big Wide World 