A CAT & A DRUNK IN PLOVDIV
-‘Charleton Heston’ [Drunk] here had bits of leaf in his hair & 3 words in English: “Bill Clinton (I made a kiss face) “George Bush” (I spat) and “Bourbon?” (I said No thank you.) I told him he looked like Moses. He bought me 2 coffees & was still trying to get me to join him w/a bourbon when I left at 11:00 AM. Plovdiv-[Cat] I’m drawing this filthy little charmer with a tight tummy, which is how I left him after a trip to the fast food place across the street… sight… hope he finds another cat sucker soon…5/2008
ZDRAVKO
A freezing sunny day – My favorite cafe in Plovdiv -13 February-2008—–This kid, like so many others in Plovdiv, was waiting tables before heading for college in England. I hope he’s had a happy life.
BABES IN PLOVDIV
The fashion: Bulgarians seem to be pulling away from the detestable tight-ankle boot – Best fashion accessory of the day: black grosgrain ribbon bows on the back of the boot. Cute as lace pants! – Only saw one woman with this look- white leather & white &apricot fox- looks dated to me – Baby Boris Karloff from Book 19’s name is Nikolay.
-Drunk on the trees! Gloriously natural as God made them-I sit on a hard wall with freezing feet in the sun here in Plovdiv. A few dirty looks; dunno if it’s my sitting on the wall or my Russian hat.-Izdrafko – Zdravko
SHRIVELED STONE WALL
-Golden sandstone – I don’t know how old this wall is, but they just told me in the history museum that Plovdiv goes back to 6000 BC , a lot longer ago than this wall’s probable builder, Philip of Macedon—–Having drawn dozens of walls since, I now think this one is a mere five or six centuries old. Philip of Macedon more likely built its foundation. I drew it because of the way the sandstone blocks are actually shrunken in their frames, like really old people.
HISARKAPI LAYOUT
On several successive Plovdiv runs, I tried to get this Byzantine gate in Oldtown. This one, I drew the wall too high– then tried to fix it.
HISARKAPI STUDY
This one looked good but I ran out of time. I did get get it, in the next book. Because I like you, I’m also including it here.
HISARKAPI!
Hisarkapi, in the middle of Oldtown, is on ancient Greek and Roman foundations, with fabulous gabled wooden houses built onto it a couple of centuries ago by wealthy Ottoman Turks.
OPERA SINGER
Opera singer Ceyhan Tekellioglu at Coffee World in the Spice Bazaar—–And a 16th century window above him.
FATIH
A girlfriend’s boyfriend.
ALI’S FRUIT STAND
Many Istanbullus love this drawing, as it reminds them of their own local store. It was between Çesme Restaurant and the huge ruined hamam in Kadirga, near Kucuk Ayasofya, around the corner from my first apartment. For years, I shopped there for fruit and vegetables. Ali has since retired, and now there’s a huge market every Wednesday in the parking lot next to the Hippodrome Sphendone.
BROTHERS AT PEKAR MARKET
Şahin & Can at Pekar Market & Helper -Sultanahmet ’08—–When I moved to Sultanahmet in 2004, Can was 20, just out of the Army, youngest of the five Pekar brothers. The store had a tiny wall-mounted TV. One winter night, when I owned no movies and had no Internet, we watched the end of Gladiator together, tears in our eyes. The little kid, who I called Little Big Man for his insistence on carrying huge water bottles, is all grown up now.
SULTANAHMET WEST
Drawn while I lived there. Can and Little Big Man are to the left of Küçük Aya(sofya) and I’m at right, behind the Boukoleon Palace, with my five cats, roommate Ida, and friend Kubilay the Painter above.