Bringing Bahrain to you through a few photos . . .

The interior courtyard of the Grand Mosque. Jamie and I toured the Mosque last week. If you’ve read Found Art, you know that this is a very special place for me. We did not have Fatima as our tour guide this time, but I was told she still leads tours once a week, so I hope to track her down and give her a copy of Found Art. Won’t that be a meeting of two worlds.

The gorgeous hand-blown French bubbles floating overhead throughout the entire Grand Mosque.

The impressive exterior of the Grand Mosque against a blazing blue sky. The temp that day was right around 117. Because it’s Ramadan, we had to wear long sleeves and long pants in addition to the black abaya and head scarf. HOT!

An excursion to the spice souq is always an aromatic experience, but so much more so in this heat and humidity. I absolutely loved these pyramids of color and flavor and aroma — a feast for every sense.

I loved these giant cinnamon sticks bundled with twine and resting in wooden boxes. If I were ever on Project Runway, I would want to go to the spice souq for inspiration. The organic textures — found right in nature — are truly art themselves.

Again, if you’ve read Found Art, you know that the Tree of Life has a bit of lore attached to it in Bahrain. Legend has it that this is the only tree on the entire island growing from natural irrigation. It’s most amazing because it lives right in the middle of the most arid stretch of nothing desert — a beautiful metaphor.

I have always been drawn to henna, and regretted never getting it done when I was here in 2003-2004. I like how it’s beautiful, scandalous, and exotic all at once.

Lane got a bit of henna, too. I love this picture for two reasons: (1) the pretty pink “paint nails” and the darling little butterfly AND (2) Lane’s chubby little two-year-old foot that still has a baby-ness about it.

And, finally, a shwarma and juice from our favorite roadside stand. Yes, it is brave to eat meat off the spit from anywhere in “Shwarma Alley,” but it’s oh so good.

These are a few of our adventures to date. A place can have such a profound influence on us if we will let it under our skin a bit. What is a special place to you? What do you remember most about that place? OR What picture did you most resonate with above? Why?