KOURA!

When I'm not in Denver, I miss this nut a lot:

I love having a dog in the house and I've missed not having one while I've been abroad and living alone. Koura is a GREAT dog -- and buddy!

Koura and I also really like the new floor tiles in the bathroom!

Mosques, Madrasahs, and more in Bukhara, Uzbekistan

The sights to see in Bukhara!! Wow. Wow. Wow.

Kalan Mosque - in the center of Bukhara:

The historic center of Bukhara:

The tower structure shown above is the Great Minaret - Kalyan Minor - and was built in 1123.
Reading about this minaret (click the link on the name above), it is also called Tower of Death because criminals would be thrown to their death from the top. Ghengis Khan even ordered the tower to be spared when all surroundings were destroyed - apparently because he was so impressed by the tower. Wow!

I think this is the Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah within the Lyab-i Hauz area:

Arabic calligraphy and beautifully detailed tiling:

Sudoku break!

THOSE TILES! Samarkand, Uzbekistan

The blue tiling on the mosques and madrasahs throughout Samarkand are incredible.

The dark and teal blue mosaic pieces create intricate details on walls, entrances, and domes.

The amazing turquoise domes on the Tilya Kori Madrasah within the Registan:

Arabic calligraphy with the decorative tiling:

TILES - Maria Louisa Park, Seville

I love, love, love the tiled benches throughout the Maria Louisa Park in Seville, Spain!

Each bench is uniquely tiled.

I want a bit of each one in my future house... or yard... or something!

(Yes, I was the weirdo... walking around the park, pausing at each bench to stoop over and take a photo!)