Jericho with text

Not sure what happened to the text on yesterday's post.  It seems to be a draft problem.  I got the pictures up all at once and ran out of time to put text.  Next day, I tried to edit post but blogger would not allow so here is an explanation of pictures.  I suggest you get 2 different windows up so you can see yesterday and today at same time... that is if you are really curious about the sites and the words together.


Picture #1 is our arriving at Jericho after winding through half-finished road construction supported by the good people of America.  As you may already now Jericho is said to be the oldest, continuously lived in city in the world.  Some say 10,000 years old.  Twelve years ago, Carl and I were able to visit this part of Jericho and were disappointed because it was a pile of rocks with no context.  This time we were happy to signs explaining what we were looking at and we were impressed.  Like the most ancient staircase ever discovered.  A concern is that it won't be around the next time we come? because the site is totally out in the open and the wind seems to be blowing everything away.


Picture #2 What really made the visit memorable was a class of university students from Al Quds University in the city of Abudecs who were visiting the site as well.  I think what interested them first was Margaret--that is before it was made known that Chad was her husband!  They were interested in using their English skills on us.  The young man who talked to us most was a Palestinian who was born in ... US.  Was it Tennessee he said?  Carl asked him about all the students who were smoking:  "Don't they know how bad it is for them?"  His reply, "They know, but they don't care, but I care and I don't smoke.  They are stupid."  He gave us his email and I intend to see if I can decipher the writing enough to send him a note.


Picture #3 and 4  We swam at the most beautiful swimming hole you have ever seen.  It is all natural, rocks, spring, rolling hills, etc.  This is what all those would-be Las Vegas type pools wish they looked like.  The water felt so good because it was such a hot day and we had been in the busy city for two days and we were ready for the water.  The name of the place is Ha Shalosha.


Picture #5  Margaret and Chad are ready to head from Nazareth to Kibbutz Lavi on what is called the "Jesus Trail."  You can get more info on the web:  www.jesustrails.com.  It was a good thing that they are experienced cyclists because the markers along the trail were not that clear and they did a number of retracings, but still made it by the end of the day as we picked them up in Lavi, dirty and tired.--Picture #6


Picture #7 This day their desire was to see WATER! so we headed for the coast off Haifa.  Chad was looking for a surfing spot.  The spots off in the distance are para-gliders attached to surfboards.  It was amazing to see.  However, Chad was looking for an ordinary long-board so we kept wandering down the coast.  Enroute we found a great place for another felafel and chowed down.  Picture 8.


Picture #9 The man and the board at last together... for the moment at least.  The waves beat the daylights out of him, but he was a happy man for having had the experience.


So now you have the rest of the story... at least THAT story.  

Jericho

M & C Arrive

We knew they were going to Spain.  We didn't know they were BIKING across Spain.  Because we hadn't heard about when to expect them other than the initial reservation... I decided to check C's blog!  Aha!  There it was in full color.  They were going on the El Camino De Santiago.  

 The blog also revealed the extreme biker had purchased a bike just for this very trip. 

That then becomes this:

And then this:

Pretty amazing, if you ask me.  My next question was: What is M going to ride?

Never fear, he always takes good care of her. 

But that looks like a pretty rough ride (or push) to me!

So now we are waiting to see when they and the bike will arrive.  Where are we going to put that bike.  I think we brought to much of our own luggage.  Oh, dear!  Is it Madrid or is it Barcelona from which they are coming?  4:30, 5:00, 5:30.  I simply have to excuse myself for a few minutes.  Wouldn't you know it!  I missed their arrival.  But they are here and we are happy to see them.  Off we go for two days in Jerusalem!

True, this isn't what you usually expect when you say Jerusalem, but this is one of my favorite views from inside the Jerusalem Center.  We have to go here before we can go there... into the Old City.

This is more like what you would expect, right?  The Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock.

This is our favorite mural in the Old City.  It is in the "cardo"  area.  Recently it was discovered with several columns remaining from the Roman period and this mural was painted to give a feel for what it must have looked like then.  Those shoppers in front look pretty eager, don't you think?

 

The day for Bar Mitzvah's at the Western Wall.  Quite a sight!

 

Our first felafel which became a daily MUST!  Notice the tall guy in the middle of the German contingent enroute to the Greek Orthodox? ritual.  Don't ask me how he got there...

This was a highlight for us all to visit the Tower of David Museum.  It gave an historical view that included all the periods relative to the 20 different sieges on Jerusalem. 

One of my favorite pieces of art in the museum was this painting of what the Second Temple must have looked like.  The staircase has been a recent discovery.  More about this on another entry.

We didn't realize that we could go on the Temple Mount because of tensions always present, but a happy encounter with someone who did know directed us to the spot where we could enter at a time that it was open for the amount of time we had left.  We counted ourselves very fortunate.  

I'd say that was enough for this entry, but it wasn't the end of this day even so....

May into June

A lot of great adventures need to get blogged! So here goes--  

Piano lesson for Marina.  She speaks Spanish, I speak poquito, but somehow we make it through.  We both enjoy the interaction and as usual Carl loves to take pictures.  What is that little black thing on the blouse?  Good grief!  He did it again.... more videotaping when I wasn't aware!

RS Work meeting.  Packets for the Women's Crisis Center.  

Can you believe our good husbands with needle and thread.

Our next opportunity was to go with a local school class to see the ways high school students could support the environment.  Here Moti is demonstrating how barn owls are able to keep down the rodent population by being housed close to an area where pesticides, rodenticides, insecticides have been stopped so that natural predators can take care of need.  Carl, of course, on the camera to record so that it can be used by students to put together data as part of their experience.  We are listening to an instructor on the moshav discussing why rotating groups, using fish ponds, avoiding pesticides, developing new businesses is just good business.

Last day of choir before vacation starts.  I tried to teach "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree."  They love the actions, but oh, those English words.L

This was a record day.  We welcomed another branch and tour group along with our regular attenders.  Every single chair was taken upstairs and down.   

The weekend ended with an invitation to hear the University of Utah Singers perform in a marvelous church with fabulous acoustics.  As our courtship began in the University of Utah A'capella choir, we knew we HAD to attend and we were glad we did.

Next episode:  Arrival of M and C