As far as we travel we can't escape the more ignoble parts of our culture; still, we find comfort in this familiar Americana.

Speaking of base culture, Dubai, in keeping with it's thousand+ years of being a trading center where east met west, is having its DSF (Dubai Shopping Festival) a government sanctioned city-wide event where the main draw is, of course, shopping. Kara and I must experience this before it ends on the 31st. We leave tomorrow with Gaby and her college-age daughter for a overnight sorée to that big bad town where shopping never stops. The fabulous, Dubai Museum, art galleries, and the textile souk is also on the agenda.