Rawasheen

Al Balad became a thriving port in the 7th century. And because it is less than 50 miles from Mecca, Al Balad was, and Jeddah is, a gateway city for pilgrims. The 650 buildings in the district—now a UNESCO World Heritage site—mostly date from the 19th century; many were built from blocks of coral carved out of the nearby Red Sea, with distinctive wooden balconies called rawasheen (singular roshan).

Many of the buildings are dilapidated and some are in danger of collapsing, as the steep cost of upkeep led to many of the families leaving for the newer, more modern living options in Jeddah's suburbs. The Ministry of Culture has now financed a full restoration project, and the streets were full of construction crews when we were there. The pictures show examples of rawasheen on a building that has been restored next to one that is still waiting its turn.

Let there be light(s)

My cousin, Charlotte Tryforos, has a house, a job, a husband and a toddler, and somehow manages to find the time and energy to write a witty and inspiring blog Living Well on the Cheap. Although I had promised myself that this was the year when I was going to put some money into my apartment rather than take a big trip, I have not made a lot of progress. Charlotte has completely redecorated two rooms of her house while I have managed to replace two light fixtures.

Part of the problem is that I just get paralyzed by all the possibilities. Any other sentient human being who had gazed up at this horrendously huge and ugly ceiling fan every single night when attempting to go to sleep would have replaced it many years before I managed to.

First I needed to paint my bedroom. And I didn't like the first two colors I tried. Then I needed to decide if I wanted another fan or just a light fixture. I looked at hundreds, maybe thousands, of possibilities online. I picked one, I wavered. I picked another one, I wavered. I managed to buy a beautiful Art Deco light fixture that I really loved for my living room, but I didn't have it installed because I hadn't picked out the bedroom light yet.

Finally I decided I was just going to buy the next attractive light in bronze that I saw and be done with it. And Friday the two new lights were installed. Yay! Progress!

Then this morning when I was staggering from bed to the coffeemaker I noticed that the doorknob on my bedroom door was missing. Gone. Disappeared. I don't have a clue how I managed to lose it. It's possible that I somehow pulled it off when I was in the throes of one of my fifteen minute coughing jags, but how would I not notice that I had a doorknob in my hand? And more importantly, wouldn't I have just laid it down on the coffee table or the kitchen counter so I could deal with it when I was feeling better? But I can't find it anywhere.

Just thinking about it makes my brain hurt and I think I need to go back to bed for a while. At least I no longer have to look at that damn fan when I do.