My new goal for this site in 2015: post 7 times. For the year. Oh, how far I have fallen as a blogger. Today, a photo update with pictures from the last several months, including a recent trip to Istanbul, Bosnia and Croatia. These photos are not in chronological order.

The Songhoy nightclub has become a favorite of ours in recent months. I love clubs that feel like living rooms, and this is one of them. Cheap beer, exceptional music, lounge seating and a small dance floor. Perfect. Take note of Dramane in the left hand corner. Here, he is playing bass, but he can pick up just about any instrument and blow your mind. Always smiling, too.

The clear air of the rainy season allows for a nice shot of the BCEAO tower, one of the tallest buildings in Bamako.

One of Adama’s daughters sleeps as he drives us up river.

Bintou being a true femme Africaine, walking the hash with water bottle on her head.

This is another shot from Songhoy. Sidy Toure’s lead guitar player came off the stage and brought those soaring Takamba lead lines onto the dance floor.

Sadio Sidibe – sorceress, singer, dancer, incredible performer.

Tabaski. Eid al-Adha. Le jour de la fête. Everyone looks forward to this, the biggest holiday of the year in Mali. Especially kids. This group was representing Maliba Productions, who have their hand in a good part of the rap music produced in Mali.

Chris from Sahel Sounds had been doing some work with rapper/producer Luka Guindo. He invited us along for a music video shoot. Great scene on a residential street of Bagadadji.

Inner courtyard of a house in Nafadji, Bamako.

On my trip through Istanbul and Bosnia, I was traveling with a good friend who I’ve known since grade school. He has recently become a drone enthusiast, and Daphne the Drone joined us on the journey. Here, he is getting ready to fly over Sarajevo. I highly recommend checking out his instagram at @shaudgt.

Bintou and her half-sister on the trails above the national park in Bamako.

I sent all the staff home on the day of the fete. I closed the kitchen and worked the bar myself for the day. Aisha works in the kitchen normally, but on this day she prepared food with her family. In the afternoon, she was nice enough to bring me (unasked, of course) enough food for about 3 families.

Our friend Drissa is an expert welder and chef, a good combination when you want to cook some lamb on a grill made out of an oil drum. He runs an excellent restaurant in Bamako with his wife Jaimie called Bamako Barbecue Chicken.

We went to Le Campement for Bintou’s birthday. Drissa and I tried to chaperone to the best of our ability.

Verdant rainy season landscapes minutes outside of Bamako.

The final destination of my Istanbul-Bosnia-Croatia trip was Dubrovnik, a small town in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. My good friend Katrina got married here. Not a bad spot for a wedding!

My friend Shaud (with the drone) has some great pictures and videos from here. The wedding itself was held in Fort Lovrijenac, which is the “Red Keep” from Game of Thrones. Here is a video he took flying away from the fort with a view of the city: https://instagram.com/p/7bivrSvTni/