welcome to our world...

First of all, my deepest apologies to all of our regular viewers for the incomprehensible gap since our last entry. Yes, those damn shoes! Believe me when I tell you that I am as sick of them as you are.

Anyway, we are back.

So: this is our shower curtain. It is supposed to be clear, and it was, once, when we first arrived in Togo. But at this point in its life, after nearly a year of use -- and we did try cleaning it (and when I say "we" you all know I mean "she") -- it is a splattered and grungy mess of a world, never to be clear again.

Fortunately, a replacement is on its way. Shower curtain, that is. For contemplation while toileting, nothing beats a colorful planet fluttering over the bathtub.

Maps have an important place in our life, and not only in the bathroom. We always have one or two worlds taped up on our walls. And a beautiful National Geographic atlas has pride of place in our living room, sitting on its own hand-carved wooden chair.

They help us figure out where we have been, and where we might go next.

Note to self: next time you decide to photograph a shower curtain, do it when someone is actually in the shower!

Lomé, Togo, November 2007.

Rolleiflex 3.5E2 Xenotar, Neopan 400.