Israel
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Wild Red Poppies In Bloom For Passover!
Though the Jewish calender is lunar, and thus isn't static like the Gregorian calender, there is one thing that is a given: Passover must always occur in the Spring, yippee! In order to make this happen we even have to insert an entire extra month some years, and that extra month is always a second month of Adar, which is right before Nissan, the month in which Passover occurs. Why am I telling you this? Because one of my very favorite things to do during the week of Passover is to take some trips around Northern Israel, not far from home, to enjoy the gorgeous topography and to witness fields…
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Red Poppies (Anemones, Actually) In Bloom In Northern Israel
Yesterday when I took a walk with my son in the nearby fields, thinking that I was going to photograph some Almond blossoms, I was surprised to find that our native red anemones, that everyone just calls poppies, are also in bloom, which is so very exciting every time! Dots of red peeking out from new green growth of Spring is so very lovely, and I know so many of you love getting a glimpse of nature here in Israel, up close and in person, so here we go!
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Pomegranates Ripening In Northern Israel
Yesterday evening when I was walking to my vegetable carving class, just a ten or so minute walk from my house, I suddenly came upon a few huge rambilng pomegranate trees full of not quite full size fruit, but getting there. Such an amazing sight that I had to stop and take a few photos to share with you! It is truly special to witness up close and in person the cycle of the fruit baring trees and vines that grow in our neighborhood, like pomegranates, grapes, olives, and of course almonds!
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When Life Is Like A Painting, So Why Not Paint?
I am very blessed to live in an ancient city, one of the four holy citys in Israel, that is packed with inspiration, natural beauty, and loads of really important history, loads and loads. My town also happened to become one of the well known artist colonies after israel became a country in 1948, and it is no wonder, with the fresh mountain air and great light! After living here for almost ten years, with another five year stint before I was married, I have at long last come to the conclusion that simply photographing all this beauty is not enough. I have become inspired to paint! So I'm gathering…
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Remembering Fallen Soldiers And A Six Day War Memorial
Today is Yom HaZikaron, the memorial day for fallen soldiers here in Israel. Today is a solemn day, which is taken quite seriously by the general population, and enforced by the government with mandatory closing of stores and sirens sounding in every city, both last night and this morning. If one happens to be on the road, say in a big city or on a freeway when the siren sounds for one minute, it is really quite a moving experience, as traffic stops completely and drivers get out of their cars to stand in silence. What can I say? Today is a day of such raw emotion for our country,…
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The Gravesite Of Elkana, Father Of Shmuel HaNavi
This Passover vacation we took small trips close to home, and at long last visited some favorite sites that I hadn't been to in at least 15 years, and thus had yet to share with my little ones. Introducing one of my all time favorites, the burial cave of Elkana, the father of Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet)! It is almost hard to wrap one's head around the fact that this site, on the road between Tsfat and Meron, in the Northern Gallilee area called Kadita, is thousands of years old! (!0th Century BCE) As with all historic burial caves, a small building has been erected over the cave, to…
