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A Pleasure Garden in San Francisco
In 2006 I was asked to draw up a design for friends for a small garden behind a Victorian house that was under major renovation in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. Â I wound up backing out as...
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The Next Adventure
Column in Parque Guell in BarcelonaAs I've mentioned before, I leave Portland, Oregon every winter for someplace that is the stuff of my dreams, and that is hopefully warmer. Â The Mediterranean is not...
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Parc Guell and its amazing tile mosaics
Wall at the front of Park GuellRoof of the Pavello de ConsergeriaWindow on the Pavello de Consergeria at the entrance to the parkPark Guell is one of those emblematic places in Barcelona that was...
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Tarragona, Spain A legacy of stone work
Stones from a mix of different eras form a wall in TarragonaI just spent 3 days, from December 17 to the 20th in the town of Tarragona, southwest of Barcelona, an hour and a half by train.  I was drawn...
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The Botanic Garden of the University of Valencia
A Lush Desert Garden in the Botanic Garden of the University of ValenciaJardi Botanic de la Universitat de ValenciaBotanic Garden of the University of Valencia, SpainI have a thing for botanical...
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The Alcazaba of Malaga
View of the Alcazaba from the lower rampartsThe Alcazaba is a Moorish citadel built on a spur of a hill overlooking the harbor of Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. Â The site was formerly a Roman...
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A Photography exhibition: Le Maroc Excentrique
I am very excited to announce that I will be having my first ever photography exhibition in the Volubilis Gallery in the Kasbah of Tangier, Morocco. Â The opening will be on February 3rd, 2012. I have...
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Tragically Magic Tangier, Morocco
A film poster with Calla Lilies in the Cinema RifIts Friday the 13th of December and I have been in Tangier for a week now. Â The prankster spirits were out in force today, and I made the mistake of...
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The Koubba El-Badiyn
Looking up in to the interior of the Koubba El-BadiynMarrakech is a city rich in history and architecture. Â The city was founded by the Almoravid people nearly 1,000 years ago on a plain near the...
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Morocco and my work
A Pebble Mosaic Carpet I built in a garden in Los AngelesI am in Morocco again for the second of what may be a continuing series of trips to discover and revisit all that is wonderful about this...
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Chefchaouen Blue
A view of Chefchaouen, MoroccoChefchaouen is a small city in the Rif mountains of Northern Morocco known for its climate, blue houses, and kif, or marijuana that is grown in the surrounding mountains....
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Melilla, an architectural gem on the Moroccan Coast
Palacio de AsambleaMelilla is one of two Spanish enclaves on the Moroccan coastline that are remnants of Spain's occupation of parts of North Africa. Â The other is Ceuta near the city of Tangier, which...
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A labor of love
I am about to post the most laborious essay I have written to date for this blog site. Â I've been wanting to do it ever since I revisited the Alhambra in Granada, Spain last year, but hesitated to do...
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Tales of the Alhambra
The Alhambra viewed from the Generalife"Everything here appears calculated to inspire kind and happy feelings, for everything is delicate and beautiful. The very light falls tenderly from above,...
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The Generalife
This essay is a continuation of the last one about the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Â In that essay we accomplished the equivalent of two days exploring the citadel of the Nasrid Emirs. Â We will now...
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A lecture on April 10 in Eugene, Oregon
I will be giving my presentation called 'The Pleasure Garden' in Eugene at the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Hardy Plant Society on April 10. Â Eugene is my home town, so it is a pleasure to bring...
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Happy Arbor Day
Hundred year old magnolias planted as seeds or cuttings in the Bishop's Close Garden in PortlandArbor Day is a national holiday in the United States that falls on the last Friday of every April. Â It is...
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My Work
A carved stone niche in the First WallLately I have been a stone mason. Â There is a line in a song by the band Cake that we listened to today with the line; Â "The Stonemason does all the work". Â Stone...
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Garden Altars
A candle illuminates a Khmer Buddha in a niche in my gardenGanesha peers from a moss encrusted niche in my gardenWinter in the Pacific Northwest tends to be wet. Â It rains a lot, so I leave my lovely...
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Fantasy becomes reality in my garden
This afternoon on October 29, photographer Scott Belding came to my garden to capture images of two belly dancers, one who has become a much loved friend named Nagasita, and the other an instructor...
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