Turkey: Images 17

Ah...Turkey...Should I return?

Sculpture in the park in Izmir.

more cats

The ramp to no-where! Or rather, the ramp from no-where.

Boats in the Istinye neighborhood of Istanbul.

Turkey: Images 16

The travertine terraces of Pamukkale.

Sarcophagi in the necropolis of the ancient city of Hieropolis.

Some colomns in Hieropolis.

The ancient amphitheatre.

This hot spring has been a health spa since ancient times.

Verona Euritta Henry Smith

Verona Euritta Henry Smith, 6/23/1939 to 11/07/2009, known to many as Miss Smith, the tough math teacher. Known to me simply as Mammy.

My mother loved flowers. For many years, she was exclusively a rose person. I remember when I was in high school, at one point she had around 100 rose bushes. Then she started rooting new ones by the dozen.

Over the years, her focus shifted from roses to carnations to orchids. I decided to give her a surprise. I told her that I would take her somewhere but would not tell her where. After a 4-hour drive, she found out that I had taken her to an orchid farm. Acres and acres of orchids. She was like a child in a toy store.

It was interesting to watch her pack the orchids in her suitcase. But then she was no stranger to packing unusual objects in her suitcase. One year, there was the marble table top. Another year, there was the chain saw.

I last saw my mother in September 2007 before I set off on my travels. She was the first person to know of my plans to go traveling. And she said that if she were younger, she would have gone with me. I had hoped that next year she could join me for a couple weeks to experience some of the adventure.

I knew when I left, that there was the possibility that someone in the family, maybe me, that someone could pass away before I return. But when I spoke with my mother last Wednesday, just three days before...

Many of her orchids had died. And she talked about going back to the orchid farm to buy replacements. She had just fixed the leaking tank that had caused the cistern to run dry...

We didn't know we were having our last conversation. I wish I had told her I love her. I wish I had said the words “I love you” many more times in the last 37 years.

Last Saturday night, I was at a friend's home in Istanbul, Turkey. At the time, I was unaware of the news. My friend wanted to hear me play my flute. Of all the songs I could have played, I played:

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
A long way from home
A long way from home

The next day, I discovered how true that was. I miss her already.

My mother was a strong woman. In 1989, just a few weeks after we lost my father, my mother and I survived Hurricane Hugo, huddled under a table while the roof of the house was blown off. But she didn't just survive. She prospered – for 20 more years!

She often quoted Psalm 90:10. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. She was 70.

Turkey: Images 15

Capadocia, a landscape unlike any other.

Early Christians lived here. And they carved churches inside the rocks.

As time went by, their paintings got more detailed. You can see the older artwork where the paint peeled off.

It is quite amazing.

They also had underground cities. I would be scared if the lights went out.

Turkey: Images 14

The first thing you see when you arrive in Capadocia early in the morning is a sky full of balloons. The ride is a bit expensive - like 200 Euro - so I skipped it.

But Capadocia is unlike any place I've been before.

This is where we stayed. Inside this rock. The rock, which was formed by vocanic eruptions a long time ago, is very soft. You can carve it with a spoon.

This is a nice hotel. All the rooms are underground.

The grapes here are very sweet. We did not steal any. The people working in the vineyard gave us two bunches.

Turkey: Images 13

Amasra, a small city on the Black Sea.

View of the Black Sea from a cave.

This was a funny scene. There was a little fish in that plastic container. This young cat and a few others didn't know how to get the fish out. Then an older, much more experienced cat came and snatched the fish and ran away. He then played with it until it died and then lost interest in it.

Another view of the Black Sea.

Meet my friend Alicja. She is not muslim. She just thinks headscarves are pretty. Everyone thought she was my wife, and we used that to our advantage in the market.

Turkey: Images 12

Safranbolu is a World Heritage City because of the old Ottoman architecture.

More Safranbolu.

School children in Safranbolu

Puss 'n Boots

We ate grapes straight off the vine, without washing them, and did not get ill.