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THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available. Enjoy!

THE STORY OF MY LIFE Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording stories from my life in my words for my grandchildren, because you never know how much time you have left. If this story blessed you, please feel free to share it with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed.

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed.

STORY-TIME WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording these classic fables, tales, myths, folklore and other wisdom stories for my grandchildren. If they have blessed you, please feel free to play them for your little ones and share them with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available. Enjoy!

STORY-TIME WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording these classic fables, tales, myths, folklore and other wisdom stories for my grandchildren. If they have blessed you, please feel free to play them for your little ones and share them with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

STORY-TIME WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording these classic fables, tales, myths, folklore and other wisdom stories for my grandchildren. If they have blessed you, please feel free to play them for your little ones and share them with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available. Enjoy!

June 8, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 51; Tuesday, Madrid We stayed in the most amazing city last night. Badajoz, kind of right on the border with Portugal. Never heard of it before. It’s halfway between Cádiz and Madrid. When I went out jogging this morning, I discovered a whole series of running paths going through beautiful landscapes. Some were gravel paths and some were paved. You just never know what you will find. This morning I found beauty. As professor Clasby at UM says, “You should seek out beauty every day and cherish it.” You are correct my friend. The drive to Madrid was fun. Madrid seems to be a really large city, with a lot of open spaces surrounding a totally congested downtown, so I had three hours of highway driving Zen peacefulness followed by a half hour of nightmare terror downtown honking please let this horror end. Don’t know what we will do for our next leg. There are four options. I’ll list them from my first to least favorite: 1, Fly - two hours, 2. Train - I’m not finding this option, although there must be trains to Paris., 3. Private car - 13 hours, and 4. Drive - two nights driving six hours a day. If we send all the gifts home we should get down to flying weight. I’m voting for that. Madrid is an interesting city The Hard Rock is near Lavapies, a great area for tapas, so count us in…Roz isn’t feeling the Hard Rock, but I sure am. mañana June 8, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 52; Wednesday, Madrid and Toledo To take an excursion or not take an excursion: that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fellow travelers, or to take up arms against a sea of troubles and create an excursion of your own. We aren’t talking about a cooking class, we’re talking about a bus tour We booked one to Toledo, a place I always wanted to visit. We should have known better. We were told to meet at one locations at 8:15 or another at 8:45. We opted for the earlier one. There were about 20 - 25 people there. At 8:30 tour people showed up and walked us 15 minutes to the second location. There were hundreds of people there, going on multiple excursions. Its was a CCF! They walked all of us to a third location and buses started showing up. People became maniacal, jockeying for the front of the line to get the best seats. Then fate dealt itself a hand. The aggressive people at the head of the line were at the wrong bus. The people at the end of the line got on first. Jesus was right. The first will be last and the last will be first. At this point Roz bailed and headed back to the hotel. She shouldn’t have. It got much better as soon as the bus took off. The tour guide was informative, the trip was interesting and what we saw was spectacular. They took us places I couldn’t have figured out on my own, that made the trip really cool. You always have to weigh things in the balance. mañana June 9, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 53; Thursday, Madrid Madrid doesn’t have runner friendly streets, so this morning I took an exploratory hike over to this large park called Retiro. It’s a runner’s paradise. Tons of paths. It’s my jogging path for the next few days. We shipped a third of our souvenirs, gifts and t-shirts home today via DHL. It cost almost 400 euros! Ouch! We are going to try the Spanish Postal Service next. And then, after deciding we want to limit what we ship home, we discovered a line of old book stores next to the botanical Park. I bought several children’s books for Arlo in Spanish. Huckleberry Finn, The Three Musketeers, The Legend af King Arthur, Moby Dick and some Shakespeare. Hopefully Lucy or Abuela will read them to him. Well worth the shipping… I walked to Brew Wild Pizza for lunch. As I told Tom, beer guys find beer places. Doesn’t matter where. Great beers. The pizza was wicked delicious. Pesto, provolone and sesame seeds on a very thin crust. I eavesdropped on the brewmaster having an in depth discussion with an American on the beer scene in Israel. I would like to get up close and personal with that scene someday. The American did go off the rails a bit and put down the Madrid tapas and cerveza scene, as well as Estrella Dam and Mahou. I love them both; Microbrewery and traditional. It’s a big world. There is room for many beers. Don’t be a snob. Be a beer guy! I also went to Chinaski Lavapies fBrewpub or a quick double porter while Roz went shopping. Great beer. I was the only one in the place. mañana Continued in the comments

STORY-TIME WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording these classic fables, tales, myths, folklore and other wisdom stories for my grandchildren. If they have blessed you, please feel free to play them for your little ones and share them with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available. Enjoy!

THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording stories from my life in my words for my grandchildren, because you never know how much time you have left. This one has music. If this song blessed you, please feel free to share it with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available. Enjoy!

June 3, 2022: I don’t see my narrative from last night, so I must not have entered it. Here goes: Captain’s log: star-date 47; Friday, Cadiz, Spain We slept in today. Getting back to running tomorrow. Sometimes discretion is the better part of…bravado… We must be extra tired. This morning at breakfast, Roz asked if I had cheese stuck up my nose. I thought she was making a joke, but I had somehow gotten cheese in my nose without realizing it. I mean, it was the cheese I was having for breakfast, so it wasn’t like day old cheese or anything. Worse than having beans in your ears, right? I am so glad we are back in pork-town. I missed bacon, ham, sausage, you know, everything pig. They even have a supermarket here named “el Jamón.” I’m buying stock in that company! And beer. It is so much easier to be a drunk here. They don’t shame you. But, do you know where they do shame you? Roz went into a farmacia for some Alka-Seltzer Plus They told her she needed a mask to enter the store, which was kind of in the open air. She didn’t have one and they said she had to buy one. Pfizer would not have as much power as they do if virtue signaling plebes like that did’t push unfounded crap. We left and found one less repressive. The world is back. Read the memo. It’s funny. In Morocco, the world is back to normal. You’d see the occasional tourist in a mask, but very few. I realized, when we returned to Spain, that there are many more westerners who are buying into the masks forever dogma. It’s a scary world. You can’t avoid all diseases, no matter what that Fauci guy says. Take your “I’m better than you!” Bumper sticker off your face and let us see you smile. Unless you don’t have a smile…then keep your sour puss masked up…do us all a favor. We are back to driving for just a few days. We tried to get a driver to Cadiz and there were none available, so it made sense to rent a car, because we have an extra bag filled with “treasures” for our home. The downside is I had to drive the car onto an elevator to park it at garage level -2. I guess that would be cool if it wasn’t almost as small as the car. That’s some scary sh*t Yo! Cadiz is a beautiful seaside city. There is surf, tapas, vino and cerveza. They also are holding their carnival late, maybe because they knew we wouldn’t be here until now. Weird; New Orleans had theirs on time. Not complaining. Glad they postponed it… mañana June 4, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 48; Saturday, Cadiz We slept in again this morning. I had a queazy stomach the last two nights. I waited until this afternoon to do my run. Boy do I feel good after just a two mile jog. We took the Hop-On-Hop-Off-Pop Bus today. Fun. Did one in Miami too, even though we lived there. Great way to see things. Roz and I did it with Yves Bien-Amie and his wife. It was fun. The city is beautiful and very rich in history. It was founded by the Phoenicians in the 12th century BC as a colony outside the Pillars of Hercules. The Romans took over at some time, and built it into a regional power. They traded with Venice and inherited Carnival from them. In Venice they wear masks and dress extravagantly. Here they dress comically and it is built more on sarcasm and wit. We lucked out in that they had to delay Carnival this year, so it is happening now. People are all over in crazy costumes and the cerveza is following. The sun is just setting at 9:30 and the festivities have not yet started. We are not night people, so we won’t be partying the night away. I guess we’ll check out the floats in the parade tomorrow. mañana June 5, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 49; Sunday, Cádiz I got back to running in the morning today. The water is so different before the sun comes over the buildings and turns the water aquamarine. It takes me on a trip down memory lane. The ocean looks like JAX Beach early and then turns very Miami-ish later. I actually ran down onto the beach this morning and collected some shells. I could live here. We visited the Cádiz Museum today. It’s kind of like three museums in one. There is an archeology part, a sacred art part and a modern art part. Roz was blown away by the jewelry they made and I was fascinated by the tiny pottery. I don’t know if it was functional or just cool. There have been chairs and barriers set up all day along the street we are on, and people are dressed in all kinds of costumes, but we have no idea when the parade starts…Oh, it all just changed. It started around 8:00 PM, so it is going on into the night. Strangest thing. It’s dark out and the only lights on are street lights. It’s rocking, though. mañana June 6, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 50; Monday, Badajoz, Spain Last night’s parade ended at 11:00 and when I went running at 6:30 this morning, it was all broken down and cleaned up. Pretty amazing. The world reeks of Fabuloso! At the beginning of the pandemic, our neighbors on Santander Avenue had a grocery shopping ritual. The man would go out for groceries in a jumpsuit and face shield. He would return and place the grocery bags on the front step and individually “sanitize” each item, passing it in to his wife, who wore rubber gloves.He would then disappear into the back yard and reappear several minutes later in different clothes. At Publix the checkout person was required to spray the conveyor belt between customers. The Air BnBs, ryads, taxis, private drivers, Ubers and especially hotels all smell of Fabuloso and other horrible odors. It’s disgusting. It’s like spreading that Purell crap on your hands. You are not eliminating germs. In fact you are spreading them. Stop lining the pockets of corporate America for producing worthless “eye dressing” products. Verizon sucks. We set up an overseas plan before leaving the states. I keep getting notifications that we owe them money. We don’t. I’ve been on with them three times and each time they said they straightened things out. They didn’t. Got another notice today. Fourth time is a charm? I bet it isn’t. The bad news is AT&T sucks too. Enough wining. The ride up here went along sunflower field after sunflower field. The roads were planted with various colorful bushes. When we went up in elevation it alternated between high plains and mountains. This is a place we never would have visited. We are here because it is halfway to Madrid. But it’s a cool place. The hotel is great. There is minimal Fabuloso smell. When we got here there was a panhandler who directed us to a parking spot and then demanded we give him money for his services. The problem is the hotel provides a parking garage. The guy was pretty aggressive. I told Roz I may have to go Jolly Coppers on Parade Kenzo on him. I explained that at 68 years old that will throw him off balance for about 15 seconds, as I get up in his face and aggressively ask him if he knows whom he is f*cking with; after which he will realize he can just kick my ass and will commence doing so. I said, “As soon as I start getting in his face, run and immediately get help, unless you want to complete this trip solo.” Luckily, the step forward made him retreat and I didn’t have to play the whole thing out (and possibly bleed out next to my wife and a rental car). It’s funny. In Madrid I am going to shoot a video called “Point Breeze Avenue,” about when I learned this move; well the Philadelphia PD version of it. I can’t wait to tell it. mañana June 7, 2022: No captain’s log

May 30, 2022: No captain’s log June 1, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 45; Wednesday, Chefchaouen Happy birthday to my little girl…Courtney turns ** today. She and Salem went to Denver to celebrate. The sun sets on our African invasion this evening. Good bye and God bless you, Maroc. We have been here almost a month and I never saw a camel. People trying to sell you big ticket trips push “The real Morocco…” out in the desert. I’m sure that is fun, but we found the real Morocco in the people who have made this birthday trip so special. We don’t need no stinking camels. The tourist industry here is suffering from the pandemic related lockdowns. Our hearts go out to the people here and we hope it recovers better than ever. I am leaving a little piece of me in Morocco. There were many challenges for both of us, but they made us closer and stronger as a couple. I finally found a place to buy beer today. It tasted so, so good! Tomorrow we travel to the ferry and backtrack to the Punta Carnero Hotel, where cerveza flows like water! Stay thirsty my friends. jusqu'à demain June 2, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 46; Thursday, Punta Carnero, Spain We did it! We rocked the Casbah and lived to tell the story. Travelled all day. Roz is sick. We are turning in early tonight. I couldn’t jog the last three days because of the steepness of the Medina. The trip will now change in several different ways. mañana

THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording stories from my life in my words for my grandchildren, because you never know how much time you have left. This one has music. If this song blessed you, please feel free to share it with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

May 27, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 40: Friday; Fes We said goodbye to Rabat and took a bus here today. The bus was nice and clean and cheap and had few people on it, but bus stations are bus stations - anywhere in the world. I remember the warning about shady characters at the CocaCola Bus Station in San Jose Costa Rica. But we made it here okay. Getting here from the bus station was another matter. Cabs can’t drive into the Medina here. We knew we would have to walk in from the cab. So the driver started going up this dirt road to a construction site and said “This is it?” Roz thought we were being scammed and were either going to be robbed or killed. I wish I had the wherewithal to take pictures. Some men came to the car, there was a discussion in Arabic and the driver announced we had arrived. A guy with a cart threw our luggage into it and started through the construction site to what looked like the entrance to a mine. I followed willingly, but Roz was apprehensive. It turned out to be an entrance to the Medina and we found our Ryad, after a ten minute walk on cobblestones. We booked a “deluxe suite with bathroom.” What that turned out to be was an attic room on the fifth floor with the private bath on the fourth floor; down a treacherous, steep set of stairs with no balcony. It was totally unacceptable. They had no other rooms available, so we went on booking.com and found another place a ten minute walk away. We set our course on Google Maps and started out. It was all uphill on cobblestones and took us 15 minutes because a “helpful youth” guided us in the wrong direction to try to lead us far enough away that we would have to hire him to take us where we wanted to go. Strange business model, eh? But we were save by Siham from our new Ryad, who called us on WhatsApp and asked if we needed help. I told her where we were and she came over and helped us bring our luggage to her Ryad. Problem solved! Riad Mazar Fes has a small room for us tonight, and then we will move into a larger one tomorrow. We took a cab to Carrefour for some supplies and now we are just chilling after the most challenging day of this trip. I don’t mention the challenges that much, but they are many. We often talk about missing home; even though we are glad we took this trip. Anyway, baking class tomorrow. Tour of the Medina on Sunday. This is the biggest Medina in the Arab world. Everybody says you need a guide because it is so big. jusqu'à demain May 28, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 41: Saturday; Fes This morning I ran to a hiking path leading up a mountain. When I returned I discovered a second door to our Ryad. I rang the bell and a man appeared. He seemed angry like I woke him up. He motioned that I didn’t live there and to leave…then a big grin broke out and he welcomed me in. I told him soon the shoe will be on the other foot… My chance for revenge came quickly. He was outside helping customers find a taxi. I jumped into the doorway and wagged my finger. Revenge is a dish best served cold Monsieur… We took a baking class this afternoon. It was so much fun. Thank you Fatima for a wonderful experience. Meeting you was a pleasure for us. Good luck in your future endeavors. I am looking forward to watching you make your dreams come true on Facebook. We wandered around the Medina the rest of the afternoon. It is the largest in the Arab world and many say it is intimidating, but it only has a couple of main arteries. I went in and out one way in the morning and we went through a second way this afternoon. jusqu'à demain May 29, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 42; Sunday, Fes This morning I jogged back to the scene of the crime, where our Saturday from hell became worse and worse and worse. It was a straight shot; 10 minutes to the Ryad and two more to the entrance we came in. That kid took us pretty far out of our way. I shot a video recreating the crime scene. Still pretty scary. I don’t remember the metal walls leading to the entrance from the other day. We just walked across dirt and rocks and garbage into the abyss. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…I guess. Roz has started giving alms to women on the street, who ask for them. It’s part of the tradition and culture here, but I don’t partake. The last time I saw my son Frank alive he made me promise to never give handouts. It didn’t take any arm-twisting, because I hardly ever do it. He described how the panhandlers in Philly work on their game at night to maximize profit. He was told he needed to look rougher because he came across as a pretty boy. Back in the 1980’s there was a guy with red hair who stood in front of McDonalds on Walnut Street. One day I was doing some research at the Rittenhouse Square Public Library. I saw the redheaded panhandler in there reading the Wall Street Journal. Maybe he just liked reading or maybe he made enough begging to invest his money. I agree with Frank on this. But Roz needs to follow the path she belongs on. jusqu'à demain

STORY-TIME WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording these classic fables, tales, myths, folklore and other wisdom stories for my grandchildren. If they have blessed you, please feel free to play them for your little ones and share them with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available. Enjoy!

May 25, 2022: No captain’s log May 26, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 39: Thursday; Rabat I set out on my run this morning to find a laundromat within walking distance. I discovered one that was closed as I passed. When we returned, we found out that they do your laundry for you, like in Latin America. They charge by the kilo. It only cost 700 dirham, or about $7.00 to do a large basket. We had a bad experience at Sol Oasis. They charged us 9700 dirham, $97.00 to do half as many clothes! Roz wasn’t happy, to say the least. We have had our clothes laundered in Guatemala and Costa Rica without any problems. The only problem here is they lost a sock. C’est la vie… Roz went to the Medina to find sneakers, so I finally got a chance to go birthday gift shopping.Pictures will follow on Day 87. We discovered a really cool shop yesterday. I went back because I knew some things she liked there. The owner, Wassim, is such a nice man. He put out coffee for me. And, it wasn’t like I spent a ton of money. Between getting her presents, buying the bus tickets, going to the liquor store called Liquor Store, and getting back to the Riad, I did over 11 miles of hiking. I try to do most chores by foot back home. I’ve continued that on this trip. Being retired, I have time to do it, and with the way gas prices have risen, I have a necessity for walking. jusqu'à demain

TORY-TIME WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m recording these classic fables, tales, myths, folklore and other wisdom stories for my grandchildren. If they have blessed you, please feel free to play them for your little ones and share them with others who may also be blessed. Enjoy!

May 18, 2022: Captain’s log: stardate 31: Wednesday; Marrakech We took the train to Marrakech today. Beautiful trip up into the desert and the mountains. What a difference a day makes. In fact, what a difference half a day makes. This morning I was jogging along the chilly coast and this afternoon it was 98, as we sat by the pool. This is an actual resort. All inclusive. The food is outstanding. Food and drinks included. This trip has caused me to think about other trips ion the past. In 2011 I went to Guatemala with a UM class. Professor Michelle Maldonado warned us before we went there that we would see people do things very inefficiently, but not to say anything, because they think it is the correct way. Robin Morey went out one day to help four men dig a hole for a septic system. They were already eight feet deep when we arrived. There were four men with two shovels and one homer bucket with a rope. We decided to go buy another bucket. It made sense. We found out three things. 1. There are ferraterias in San Lucas Toliman where Spanish isn’t spoken, 2. It is almost impossible to buy a homer bucket there, and 3. The men didn’t understand why we wanted to ruin a good thing, so they didn’t use the bucket. Why am I thinking about that? Well, there is rubble everywhere in Morocco. When they rip down a building and construct a new one they just pile the rubble next to the job site and that’s where it lives forever. It drives me crazy, but it’s how they do things here. Right outside of this resort there are fields of rubble. jusqu'à demain May 19, 2022: Captain’s log: stardate 32: Thursday; Marrakech Scary run this morning down a rocky dirt road. There were some people walking and riding scooters to work. But then a pack of dogs started barking and advancing toward me from an open field. I started to turn back, and then a woman in a burkha ahead of me whistled and motioned for me to continue forward. I asked, “C’est bon?” She said, “Oui, c’est bon, Monsieur.” I thought maybe she wanted to see me get bit going past them and then again coming back. But she didn’t. It was bon. We went to the Medina today. Interesting, but not Indiana Jones with a wily monkey, whips, Nazis and airplane propellers cutting into bald heads interesting. It was our tourist day. The thermometer hit 107 degrees. Yeah, I know: Dry heat! Boy did that pool feel good when we returned. We had lunch at a Beatles themed Ryad. Tomorrow starts the culture part of our visit to Marrakech… jusqu'à demain May 20, 2022: Captain’s log: stardate 33: Friday; Marrakech We did a cooking class today. It was so much fun. We made famine de poult, a hot eggplant salad and a roasted pepper and tomato salad. I think I could beast Bobby Flay with this. The dadas at Maison Arabe are great. They take you to a classroom in the middle of a garden for the class. They grow a lot of their ingredients. I now know the secret of making Moroccan tea. I will be spilling a lot of it when we get home. Friday night at the resort is party night. Tons more people and kids. Ceremonies going on. Guess we won’t get much sleep tonight. It’s all good. jusqu'à demain May 21, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 34: Saturday; Marrakech We did domestic things and started planning the rest of the trip today. Buying some clothes, etc. We are only booked through Cadiz, on the way home. We have an itinerary and a deadline to reach Southampton, but nothing after June 6th booked. We are considering a ton of outside the box ideas: forms of travel, types of lodgings and, of courses, places to experience. The plan is to hang out at the resort tomorrow and book a lot more of this trip. jusqu'à demain May 22, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 35: Sunday, day at sea; Marrakech This resort is a lot like a cruise ship. Jogging around in circles on the running path. There is an activities director, so there are activities. And of course there is a buffet. Keeping with that theme, today was a sea day. We didn’t leave at all. In fact, we worked on the remainder of our trip most of the day. We were going to head up to Lisbon and Porto on our way to Santiago de Compostela. But we decided to abruptly change our plans (once again) and head to Madrid for a few days and then Into France for a goodly portion of the rest of our time here. We are putting aside some dream come true destinations to take a chance on doing something even better than following a dream. Oh, and we are strongly considering driving the leg out of Cadiz. I know. I’m a glutton for punishment… My phrase is Je n’parle pas bien francais. jusqu'à demain May 23, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 36: Monday; Marrakech Pain in my left arch this morning, the one that was run over by a car, so I hiked around the compound again. No sense in aggravating it while we are on the road. And I am getting plenty of exercise just being a tourist. We let our dirty clothes pile up for a few days and then had the resort launder them. They did a good job and it was inexpensive, but we decided to get back to washing stuff regularly. In AirBnB’s we have a washer and a rack to dry them on. In holets, we can find a nearby laundromat. Like I said yesterday, this place is like being on a cruise, so we are doing our clothes cruise ship style; washing them in the shower and then hang them on the balcony. One reason I like to keep up with it is because I am down to three pairs of USA underpants. The underpants I’ve purchased in Spain and Morocco are horrible and uncomfortable; tight and slippery. I look like Ron Jeremy in them. I would post a picture, but children may see this… I want to wear boxers anytime I’m going to be sitting for a while. Sometimes we recycle old ideas. In early 1974, my girlfriend Joeann and I lived on Makua Beach, Oahu. We didn’t have a house on the beach. We lived on the sand. There were little fishing shacks and we crashed in them; camping I guess. We had very little money. We would buy big cans of fruit cocktail and eat them with chopsticks. We didn’t scoop with the chopsticks, we ate one piece at a time to make the can last. It worked. I’m recycling that idea on this trip. Not because we are poor. The residual effects of chemo and radiation in 2006 and 2007 have made it a challenge for me to eat. Here I am going for small chunks of easy to chew food, eaten slowly, one at a time. I’m getting enough to eat every day and I’m probably losing weight. We finished shopping in the old Medina today. Gifts are all purchased. jusqu'à demain May 24, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 37: Tuesday, day at sea; Marrakech We planned a lazy day by the pool after packing. There was also the little matter of deciding which very expensive but really intriguing option to book. Well, there was no availability on either. They were a river cruises; one through Portugal and the other through France. So we decided to just book a week in Madrid and see what happens when we get there. We have a date certain for the boat back to the USA from Southampton, England. So the itinerary is now: Rabat, Fez, Chefchaouen, Algeciras again for a night, Cadiz, Badajoz for a night and then Madrid. It is fun meeting people on trips. Now with social media you can stay in touch with them. On cruises I usually don’t become friends with other passengers, because they tend to be sanctimonious a**holes, who go on and on about all the places they have “seen.” The staff, on the other hand, are people from all over the world, who are in the middle of making their dreams come true. Often they are supporting families thousands of miles away. I remember one bartender from the Philippines. He married a woman from Thailand he met working on a cruise. She was in Manila with his mom, raising their new baby. His dream was to open an Italian restaurant in Manila. I asked if there was someone named Luigi in either of their families and he said “No, I love Italian food and there is a need for it there.” We met Ross and Sue Sue here. Wonderful people. They are engaged, getting married in November and hoping to work on a cruise ship and eventually emigrate to Canada. I’m sure they will do well and reach their goals. There is also a nice young man named Michael from Casablanca who is a dancer here. Also met some awesome travelers like Sharon and David from England and Martine and John from Paris. I’m sure there will be more as we find our way back home. The destination was Marrakech, so tomorrow we click our heels together and say…and there isn’t. It keeps getting more expensive every day here, and we miss the comfort of our home, the routine of our lives and our family and friends. Now we head back that way. jusqu'à demain

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH GRAND-POP Hi, I’m Frank Clark and I’m reading through the entire Bible for my grandchildren. If these readings bless you, please feel free to watch them and share them with others who may also be blessed. I am reading from The NET Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright 1996 to 2009, Version 9r 0701, by BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. The NET Bible is the Pinnacle of Biblical scholarship. The translation was made by a large team of scholars and is continuously BETA tested as new evidence becomes available. Enjoy!