Matar's Father's Portrait

My friend in the Emirates, Matar treated me to a wonderful time in the Desert a few years back and I hope to see him in Mozambique this fall. I met his father while seated around a dinner of Baby Camel and other delicacies prepared in my honor and was immediately befriended by him. At the time my hair was long and my beard was a bit unkempt due to my months in the African Bush from which I had been extracated for a little R & R and had ended up in Abu Dhabi. Matar's Father said he took a liking to me because I reminded him of himself when he lived in the desert like the Bedouin with his beard and hair long and wild.
I am honored to paint his portrait. One day I hope to write about a few of his experiences he shared with me while I was there. AP

Moving On

I started this experiment as a way to connect with like minded, barefoot, one-eared, independent types. I realize more each day that we are a vanishing lot. And really.... it is time for us to go. There is very little left to do. The Wild Places are becoming little islands and the water is rising. I watch, read, and listen to those who pull on their explorer uniforms direct from the catalogs and go forth to conquer. But, there is no more conquer, it was conquered generations ago, even before me. I am no frontier forging
aficionado, no not quite. I have occasionally in small wisps of scent filled air breathed a little of what it was like to be the first, but I can really only imagine. I'm not sad or disappointed, no, I remain in my soul one of the ones that would have gone, would have lived a short life to be there, would have died somewhere alone, forgotten to be there. This place of blog, (what a name for something)! This place tried to go hear and there and for the most part has stayed in bounds with the direction. But, I must apologize, for I have ventured into the haziness of the political view and that is not where I want to go with this. Obama and the D.C. Bunch can have it, (Politics that is) they are a waste of time along with the Democrats, Republicans, Independents and the like. From now on I write, share and show what's in my soul, not what hinders it but what it desires. My last Political Post preceded this, hope you all enjoyed it. Remember it's up to US to keep on living it the way our Founding Fathers, Relatives, Friends and Loved Ones wanted us to. We will levitate to greater heights together soon! AP

DECLARE IT!