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Sunday, December 22, 2013

The first 50 years of marriage

Yes it is not a mistake ,we are together 54 years out of them married 50 years….the owner of the place thought it is my 50th Birthday…(I wish)

So many years together It is hard work , a lot of compromising, adjustments,common interests and sharing , it seems that we made it and still having fun.

We have 3 kids ,five grand kids and the 6th in the oven(expecting her in the next month)…what a sex life-every year a grand child…

To celebrate this special occasion we rented a villa next to the Kineret Lake in the North part of Israel that can accommodate 11 people including my mother (92 years old),our 2 kids out of three (one is in Canada) and grandkids.

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The place has a huge heated swimming pool,Jacuzzi and a place where we can all eat together.

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The kids & the grand kids read some of   the blessings they prepared at home ,we even brought up on the net our youngest son and his wife that live in Canada to join us and in this evening

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It was a fun day the smiles on the faces made it even better,we played ,swam,eat (more than we intended) and enjoyed each other.

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There was no moment wasted as the grandkids showed their gymnastic talents in the pool and out side.

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And here are some more unforgettable moments….

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On the way back we took the scenic route along the Jordan river experiencing this beautiful sunsets.

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When it is good,time fly's ,so do it TODAY-NOW what ever it is  and enjoy every minute.

Click on any picture to enlarge.

Monday, December 16, 2013

2014 RV summer plan

It was snowing heavily in the last 3 days,many lost electrical power and some had to spend the nights other than at home as the roads were jammed with snow and stuck  vehicles, at the beginning it was fun to see snow but later on it was cold and stormy.

I was lucky ,I was dry,warm , fed and as long as I stayed at home it was fine,so I called family and friends to see if every one was OK ,read a book ,listened to the news and still had time on my hands-so I prepared our next summer RV plan,the  13th one-unbelievable….

As some of you know we are “full time summer RVers” ,we started in summer 2002 in Alaska and since then we RV every summer for 5 months each trip to different States/Provinces,not more than 2-4 States on one trip.

These are the States /Provinces we have explored:

VisitedProvincesMap        VisitedStatesMap (1)

We hike,work in farms,raft,attend concerts-in short live the place before moving to a new location, the plan is more of guidelines –just as an example ,we planed to stay a month in Newfoundland but we liked it so much we stayed on the Island for 3 whole months….

The end of our 2013 RV trip was in October near St Louis ,so our next States to visit will be Missouri-Arkansas-Oklahoma ending the trip in Colorado Springs.

The stops you see on the map below are  central locations  where  we leave the 5W  and do side trips with the truck till we feel like moving to another central location and do the same.

I use Street & Trips soft ware it helps me locate waterfalls,State Parks,Campgrounds ,it is very helpful and worth the money.

The purpose of me posting the plan is to get suggestions from others what else to see on the route ,don’t forget that we did not visit these States yet,and the plan is based on literature and surfing the net- so please go a head and let me know what else is a must see.

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Thank you, have a great winter and maybe we will see you in the next summer.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Snow in Jerusalem

It might seem strange that I am posting this post especially for people that are used to have this white powder every winter,but for us it is a very rare sight.

Jerusalem is a hilly city so the altitude varies but it is approximately 750 Meters (2,500 feet) above sea level and if it snows in Israel Jerusalem is the first to get it.

Jerusalem on average gets heavy snowfalls every 7 years. It is one of the most beautiful sites to see. The city stretches out, covered briefly with a thin layer of white. The streets are quiet, except for the laughter of children who are experiencing snow-- many for the first time.

Snow 1922 - Copy JERUSALEM IN 1922

 

When it snows or even when it is on the news “that it might snow in Jerusalem” people pack their kids,picnic basket and hit the road to see the “White Magic” fall from the sky,for some it is the first time ever to see SNOW.

The problem is that having only 2 roads to reach the city it creates road jams,cars get stuck and Fun becomes agony, but I guess this is the human nature.

Here are some beautiful pictures from the last days

2013-01-09-12.23.34_WA    מזג אוויר סוער שלג ירושלים  אוליבייה פיטוסי    jslem18shelegeddon20   Snow in Jerusalem   West Wall

Lets hope that the next snow in Jerusalem will be Next year …..

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Celebrating Hanukkah at home

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, Chanukah or the Festival of Lights is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days around late November to late December. The name is derived from a Hebrew word meaning "to dedicate," and during Hanukkah, the Jewish people commemorate the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the "Miracle of The Oil."

The Talmud says that after the Temple had been liberated by the Maccabees from Antiochus IV, only a day’s worth of consecrated olive oil was left to to fuel the eternal flame. Miraculously, it remained burning for eight days, which was just enough time to make more of the oil.

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As usual we celebrated the Festival Of Lights in our house with our children and grandkids,the traditional food is prepared ,candles are lit,songs are sang and prayers are prayed.

The grandkids love to help and stay late to play around.

              P1080856 Zohar showing off her gymnastic skills.

            P1080857 Grandkids helping Grandma in the kitchen

           P1080858        P1080867 Lightening the candles & giving traditional presents.

          P1080875       P1080873   The feast,it takes hours to prepare but it disappears in no time.

        P1080874           P1080878                 P1080879 The Grandkids having fun.

     The tradition is passed from one generation to another and it is always nice to see how the Grandkids are looking forward to these Holidays.

     Happy Hanukkah.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Day trip to Sumeria

We took advantage of a beautiful day in November to visit Sumeria where many holy places mentioned in the Bible can be seen.

Standing next to the place where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him at the Lord’s command is exciting , thrilling and sometimes hard to believe even if the place does not reveille in any way what happened there.

                                                                                                      Mt.Grizim

Looking at Josef alter ,a burial place with a long history backing thousands of years is unbelievable ,but so are most of other places in Jerusalem,Nazareth and the Jordan river.

                                                                                                                   Josef  Alter

The view from Mt Gerizim towards Sumeria valley is outstanding, listening to our guide describing the historical events that took place in this area  really takes you back and when you let your imagination drift away –history can be felt just before your eyes.

Nablus    Balata Nablus   Mt.Grizim

In the summer there is not a drop of rain and the place looks like a desert so even a small spring on the way is a reward, a place to sit and take a break.

                                                                    Sumeria        Sumeria

The Sumerian center was our next stop http://www.sarissa.org/sumer/sumer_rel.php ,we visited the center and listened to the head of the Museum about the interesting history of the people.

Samaritan Center      Samaritan Center        Samaritan Center

No trip is complete without home made tea made from herbs and some wine tasting.

Har Bracha   Sumeria-Tea

We had a great interesting day , it started at dawn…..

                                                                                                        Sunrise

and ended after a great sunset……

Sumeria   Sumeria   Sumeria

This was our first day trip since we returned 3 weeks ago from our 5 months long  summer RV trip in North America (can be seen in the privies posts),we hope to have some more trips during the winter before we return to the US to pick the rig from the place we left it to discover new places and meet old and new friends.

Wish  you all a great winter.