February 28, 2021 We arrived to Beirut on February 15, late afternoon, after a very long and tedious trip from Ecuador with scales in Atlanta and Paris. The city remains under lockdown; most businesses are closed and to go out one needs to get a permit from a government web site, indicating when you are … Continue reading Back in Beirut: lock-down, vaccines, and climate change
February 8, 2021 Because of the time difference with Beirut (-7h), my wife Natalia has to get up early several days a week to participate in virtual meetings; sometimes at 3:30am, often at 4 or 5am. I wake up when she does and can’t always go to back to sleep. This means that we have … Continue reading Casa Blanca: Clock Reversion
January 28, 2021 We are still here in Casa Blanca and will likely stay put for another two weeks. Beirut remains under a lockdown, apparently the most stringent in the world. We are in the mist of the rainy season. The skies are gray and heavy, the days humid and hot, and there are plenty … Continue reading Casa Blanca: Missing opportunities for the local economy
January 11th, 2021 We have been here in Casa Blanca for almost one month and it is likely that we will stay for yet one more. The reason is that Beirut is, again, under lock down; a severe lock down with all business closed. It seems the Lebanese partied hard during the holiday season and … Continue reading Casa Blanca: good times, delayed return
December 20, 2020 Natalia, Marina (who came from Washington DC), and I are back in Casa Blanca. We arrived Tuesday early afternoon after a 5.5h drive from Quito. The journey from Beirut was long but uneventful. This is supposed to be the rainy season yet we haven’t experienced much rain and the hills surrounding … Continue reading Casa Blanca – Same – Ecuador
December 6, 2020 We had a fine Thanksgiving with a few friends who came over for lunch (the lockdown started at 5pm so we couldn’t do dinner). I was in charge of the Turkey, gravy, the stuffing and the selection of wines. This time I cooked the stuffing separately, in a casserole. I filled the turkey, … Continue reading TG, Arm, Shouf Biosohere (Cedar Forest), Deir El Qamar, Mast, Fiestas de Quito
November 8, 2020 The last several weeks, particularly after October 12, have been very difficult; a struggle. And not because of the situation in the country, not because of the explosion and personal losses. I will only say that relationships are sometimes complicated and require infinite patience and perseverance to make them work. Things … Continue reading Beirut: A new place, a new beginning, the start of the race, update
September 5th, 2020 Yesterday marked the first month since the day of the explosion in Beirut. It seems longer, not because the memories are starting to fade but because of all the things we've done, or had to do, since that day. After Corsiga we “had to” spend a few more days in Paris to … Continue reading Washington DC after a Short Stay in Beirut
August 15, 2020 Natalia and I are discovering parts of Corsica. It was never a place I had planned to visit but now it could become a potential sailing destination. From Paris we flew to Bastia, a charming town, ocher color, on the north Cape, built on a cliff in the middle ages by … Continue reading Bonifacio Corsica, Near the End
August 6th, 2020 Natalia and I could have died two days ago in Beirut. By chance, we traveled to Paris the morning of the day of the explosion. We were walking through the city when the news reached us. Our building and apartment are completely destroyed and several people died. If we had stayed in … Continue reading Paris: Alive after Beirut´s Explosion
