LAURA IN THE LOBBY
Laura from Kapadokya visiting Kybele Hotel, always cause for celebration. Alpaslan at left, Emre, Laura, Mike, Nizam & Tevfik.
AMERICAN HOSPITAL NURSES
Group shot of the nursing staff, 4th look American Hospital, My alma mater home for 2 months last year — Nesibe — Arzu — Ayşe — Esin — Cevliye —— It was really nice to walk out of there that day.
ONE DAY IN RAMAZAN 2001
George Rountree, Texan, Director of the American Hospital where I was a patient so long. Istanbul — Guys working holiday booths in the Hippodrome: freezing cold night, crowds around the braziers. — M Emin —
Ramazan — Doesn’t like Americans — Mehmet—–In California I had kept my leg, which had been in question, & had learned much in the process about how to treat bone infections. But he didn’t seem to care.
THE ROUND WINDOW
Fabulous wall near 4 Seasons. Hope they leave it alone — Serksn —Turkmenistan Restaurant Ramazan 2001 — All the tables set for Iftar—— This was long before the entire Hippodrome was given over to Iftar as the weather warmed.
ANDY & THE RITZ
Andy Bey Demirsü & the Ritz-Carlton Hotel — Bosporus view from The Hilton, Taksim
ELEVATOR BOY
The beautiful boy was probably drawn at Pera Palace and the transom window and geezer elsewhere.
NIZAM IN WINTER
Patronizing “artist” turned calligrapher told me it was a man’s world & then misspelled my name as he lettered it in the front of this book——That’s the smarmy fellow at bottom. Nizam is up top gazing over Hagia Sophia.
LAST DAY OF RAMAZAN
Cafe Sultan View from the doorway – Hippodrome — German Fountain — Cold night — Last day of Ramazan 2001 — At the table next to me a large jolly group of young men are looking at this drawing — we are all smoking hookah & drinking chai.
PRETTY FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
My flight attendants on National coming back from Istanbul pre-surgery 17 December 2001 — Cindy — San Fernando Valley — Shari -I went back to LA for more hospital time, where I understood the culture and spoke the language.
BOOK COVER
I did write a book which I started around this time, called Freefall in Byzantium. I scavenged several stories from it and published them.
VALENTINA
Back in 2001, Valentina from Siberia was watching me draw the sidewalk grille in Kumkapi. I wonder if she is still here in Istanbul. Despite everything, I know I am.
END