This post has no purpose other than showing pretty pictures. The first, thanks to a visit to the Legation garden by Europa Nostra. Europa Nostra is a Netherlands – based group dedicated to the preservation of historic buildings. As you can see in the background, we have plenty of restoration work to do at our Culturally Significant Property, but at least our garden now has an orange tree in each of the four parterres around the central fountain. Along with the clivias. Very peaceful.
The bright orange flowers may be gone by the time I return to Tangier – they only last a matter of weeks. Clivias were unknown to me before my arrival in Morocco, and I note that there is an American Clivia Society. At first skeptical about these large, fat plants, I was enchanted by their bright blooms. I will await patiently until they blossom again next spring.
Washington too will have to wait another year until it's Cherry Blossom time again. My arrival here last weekend coincided with the annual parade, with locals and tourists alike relieved that it was not cancelled by a feared Federal Government shutdown. The show went on.
I caught the last of the blossoms on Lafayette Square, across from the White House. Glad to see that the Marquis is properly honored looking over the Square to la Maison Blanche.
Gerald Loftus
