A day trip & BBQ

This post is dedicated to all my North American friends that are suffering/enjoying the cold harsh weather ,I hope these sun beams and clear skies will warm you up  a bit.

We all know that we cannot control the weather ,so why waist time and energy on the subject??? just go for it and enjoy the present as it comes.

Saying this, we took a day trip on Friday with our hiking group ,hiking 12 Miles around Jerusalem ,it started in a cold weather and slowly developed into a beautiful day as we pilled slowly our warm cloths .

 

On the next day we had part of our family for a BBQ in the garden,two of the elder Grand kids could not make it ,one was on a school trip and the other with her boy friend (were we the same at 16??)

      

It is hard these days to get everyone together in one place ,but we continue to do the effort and are happy when “most” of them come over .

Our lemon tree got confused and thought that it is April……any for a lemon????

Keep warm my friends…till we meet again.

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.

   

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

 

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

  

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.

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

     

And here are some more unforgettable moments….

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

   

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.

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:

       

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.

 

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

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.

 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

             

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

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.

                                                                                                                         

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.

              Zohar showing off her gymnastic skills.

            Grandkids helping Grandma in the kitchen

                   Lightening the candles & giving traditional presents.

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

                                    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.