excerpt from Eighteen Days from Qatar

I was holding back at our farm in Jaipur because of the monsoons, which was okay. It gave me time for, among other things, closing the books on the summer wheat crop. I had also just finished preparations to export three full shipping containers of garments, borrowed jewelry, and concealed gold jewelry back to the States.

With just a few papers to sign at Customs  I still had a plane to catch in Delhi, but then I was gone. More than that, I was looking forward to escaping these seemingly perpetual monsoons and spending the rest of the summer at our ranch in Santa Fe.

Autumn in the Land of Enchantment is the best. Add to that those trinkets now off for sales through the wholesale shops of the Plaza’s back alleys. Ahh, those Arab vendors, so discreet when commissions are agreeable.

And now, of course, with the alpaca and lamas all sheared, their fleece gone to market, our year is done. Life is too good. Now we can…

• from Eighteen Days from Qatar
• -dp-
• 10-20-25