Hiking along the Jordan River

On a beautiful Saturday morning we took off with our hiking group  for a  7 mile hike  along a part of the famous Jordan River (Our Eastern Border),due to the “dry” winter the water was low and in some places the river looked like a stream rather than a river, but we took what was offered  enjoying the day  and the company.

It is one of our last hikes this year ,before we take off to collect our Rig and discover Missouri-Arkansas-N.Texas ending the trip in Colorado Springs (See my Previous Posts).

Our  bus collected us along the route starting at 6M dropping us of at the Trek Head at 8:30M, we had to carry the food and water in our backpacks  because  we will not meet the bus till the end of the trek and it will allow us to  have our meal along the way next to the water.

Our guide stopped at places of interest and explained the history of the area , it also gave us the chance to get the load from our feet and dry the sweat that was running down our backs.

At noon it really became hot ,but the fantastic views compensated us and gave us the drive to go on  sometimes uphill path.

          

As we get closer to the summer  we could see how the grey and yellow colors are replacing the green colors and soon it would be like a desert with not a drop of rain till the next winter.

  A very   nice blue flower is seen at this time of the year for a short period adding to the whole ambiance ,even the bees drop by for their last time this year.

                

The Jordan River runs from North to South entering on the way into our ONLY lake –the Kineret,it is very impressive sight and interesting to see the flow into the lake, it is best seen from the view point at the end of the hike  where our driver was waiting for us with hot tee and treats.

                                                                                 

The high hills on the left are the Golan Heights.

Once I asked a friend rv’er from Minnesota “you guys have more than 1600 lakes in you State ,give us ONE –it will double the number of our lakes in the country and you will not feel the difference”

somehow IT DID NOT WORK…..

Holiday Lunch

Some of the kids have in-laws that would also love to have them next to their table during the “Seder” traditional dinner, so our youngest son and his wife with their beautiful 3 months old daughter went through the “Seder” dinner in their place, but we had a “deal” – on the following day ‘lunch at our place with all 3 of our kids and grand kids.

So on top of the 3 kids we invited my brother ,his wife and my 92 year young mother-4 generations at one place…

 

Woow what an event….they all get along and it was all fun…with Ellie (the youngest) as a center piece.

Happy Holidays.

Passover (Pesah) 2014 family dinner

Every year we have the family traditional dinner in our place,we read the Haggada and the kids are participating through the whole evening telling the “story” ,passing the tradition from one generation to the next one.

The kids love this holiday especially due to the fact that they can stay late as long as they like,they sing ,dance and play till the small ones start to fall asleep followed by the elder ones.

 

History
At every Passover seder, Orthodox, Reform and secular Jewish families alike recite the story of their ancestors' dramatic redemption from hundreds of years of collective bondage. The haggadah, which is read and sung throughout the meal, tells the tale of the Hebrew enslavement by Pharaoh, the chutzpah of Moses (backed by God, of course) asking the Egyptian ruler to let his people go (Moses' name is not actually mentioned in the haggadah in deference to the ultimate sovereignty of God), the Ten Plagues that inundated Egypt when Pharaoh refused and, finally, the last-second escape of the Israelites through the miraculously parted Red Sea.

So fast was their exodus, the Hebrews had no time to let their dough rise. Thus, to the chagrin of many young and old Jews, the week-long festival is observed in part by eating unleavened bread, aka matzo.

Traditions
Despite this ubiquitous flat cracker, Passover is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays, perhaps because it is, like Hanukkah, so family- and children-oriented. The youngest person at the seder traditionally ask the Four Questions, highlighting why Passover is such a special time in the year. And toward the end of the meal, children search high and low for the afikomen, a symbolic bit of matzo that brings out the competitive side of even the shyest of kids.

But adults get their fill, too. The commandment to drink four cups of wine (each of which represents one of the times God promised to deliver the slaves into freedom) results in lively, festive banter.

  Happy Holidays