Israel Trip: April 2006

KESSOUS FAMILY TREE or how to negotiate around and among the Israel 2006 Pictres

Mother of the Tribe - Ruby - Eli Father of the Tribe (Deceased) They have 8 Children:
1. Mordechai marries Georgie - They have 4 Children: Tali, Galit, Yoney (Groom), Ronit
2. Laurette marries David - They have 2 Children: Ofer, Lea (not at weddiing)
3. Shlomo marries Clairey - They have 4 Children: Nadav, Aviyad, (Eran and Efi not at wedding)
4. Haim marries Sherril - They have 2 Children: Rachel, Jeremy (not at wedding)
5. Avraham marries Leorka - They have 4 Children: Dafna, Yael, Yoav, Bosmat
6. Yehuda - He has 1 Child: Ayellet
7. Aliza loves Gidon - She has 2 Children: (Yael and Karene not at wedding)
8. Yosey marries Smadar

Ruby has two brothers. One, Yehoshua (deceased) and Maurice Sebag who marries Nicole


First Shabbat Dinner at Ruby's house,(as per Blog on 4/8/06 Entitiled On the Seventh Day..... Oh the Polyglotness Of It All)

Haim, David, Maurice Singing Blessings: "Baruch Atah Adonai..."

Nicole and Georgie

Ofer Donning his Kessous-Style Kipah

Mordechai and Ruby
Georgie, Ofer, Yael, Mordechai

Always spirited conversation

If This is the Sat Shabbat afternoon meal...so this must be Chamin (chick peas and more)

Yael (who doesn't love having her picture taken) and Smadar

Haim (Ruby's brother,Yoshua's son) and David

Smadar, Ruby and Yosey

Restaurant Salvador on the Outskirts of Beersheva...."Taim M'od"....Very tasty.

L to R - Laurette, Georgie, David, Simona, Ofer, Mordechai, Ziko, Haim

Every Thursday is Bedouin Market in Beersheva.

Even a roller coaster found at the Bedouin Market

And now for a FELAFEL before Passover starts

Scenes of Omer on a Sunday afternoon walk:

Kids eating pizza after school outside of pizza place.

Small local supermarket

Corner of Rotem and Tamar (type of tree and Dates)

Self-Service for Workers (ATM)

We drove from Beersheva to Hertzeliah to stay the night of the wedding.

Our hotel in Hertzeliah and a walk along the Mediterranean shore.

Me and My Shadow in the Sand


Along the Mediterranean Coast

And Finally The Wedding..Ruby Greets Guests, as Ofer looks On

Rachel Alongside Her Grandmother (Meme)

Laurette, Yael and David

Dov, Haim, Shlomo and Clairey

Sherril (Sharona), Alizza and Leorka

Galit and Family

Laurette, Ruby and Aliza

Ruti, Dov, Yael, Avraham, baby, Bosmat

The Chuppah is in the Middle of this Gorgeous Pool

Bride and Groom Approaching Chuppah

Flower Girl is Neta, Tali's Daughter (Groom's Neice)

Tali's Blond Curly Hair, Galit and baby

Just After Glass was Broken

A Beaming Proud Mother, Georgie and Maurice & Nicole

Nadav's Girlfriend, Nadav, Aviad, Yael and Rachel

Bride (Galit) and Groom (Yoney)

Rachel and Ronit

Ronit and Moran

Brotherly Love

Rachel, Ayellet, Haim and Ayellet's Fiancee

Bosmat and Rachel

Mother of the Groom and Groom

JERUSALEM OF GOLD

Rachel, David, Laurette and Ofer

The Kotel, Otherwise Known as The Western Wall and also The Wailing Wall

Tzedakah

:

I stand here by the Western Wall... Maybe a little of that wall stands inside us all

I shove my prayers in the crack...I've got nothing to lose, no one to answer back

All these years I've brought up for review...Wasn't taught this, but I learned something new

And to answer the distant call...At the Western Wall

I've got a heart full of fear...And I offer it up on this altar of tears

Red dust settles deep in my skin...I don't know where it starts and where I begin

It's a crumbling pile of broken stones...It ain't much but it might be home

If I ever loved a place at all...It's the Western Wall

I don't know if God was ever a man...But if she was I think I understand...Why he found a place to break his fall

Near the Western Wall

The Old City of Jerusalem as Entered by the Jaffa Gate

The Old City is Divided Into Four Quarters
This Being the Arab Quarter



Rachel and Merchant - The is where we bought the SheshBesh (BackGammon) game for my son, Jeremy

Tower of David

That night we stayed with Haim's nephew, Yoav, in his home up in the hills surrounding Jerusalem. We took the bus down to the city and the next few pics are taken from the bus as we wind our way down.

As we walk down Strauss street in the new city of Jerusalem, we come to the corner of Strauss and Ha Nevaim and I felt a complete sense of deja vu; the buildiing in front of us was ever so reminiscent of the place I stayed on my first trip to Israel at age 16, in 1968. I was with a group called "The Bar Mitzvah Club", so called because it was given as a Bat Mitzvah gift to me in lieu of a big party and it occured three years after the Bat Mitzvah (it was supposed to be two years after, but world events sometimes get in the way. 1967 was the year of The Six Day War.) In six weeks we travelled the breadth and depth of Israel, but always returned to our home base in Jerusalem, a place I thought I remembered being called Zev Hospital. This reminded me exactly of that. At the time, in 1968, it was not operating as a hospital, but rather as the home base of our group. As it happens this was Ziv (not Zev), but today it is called Bikur Cholim Hospital. If the Blogger gods are with me, I will post the pics from here in 1968.

A LOOK BACK...

Sherril on Ziv Terrace, 1968

View of Bikur Cholim Then Called Ziv Hospital and the Home of the 1968 Bar Mitzvah Club

The Four Jerusalem Nymphs, circa 1968

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What I remembered well, when trying to decide if this was the same place, was this little shop where we would buy gum and ice cream and other such necessities. It was across the street and down the street just a tad. When my daughter and I came upon this kiosk, I was 100% certain that I was "home"! When in my frenzy of nostalgic excitement, I explained to the proprietor why I was taking pictures in front of his kiosk, he told me that this was here in 1968 and so was he!!!
Kiosk - 1968 Wonderful nostalgia.
Kiosk - 2006

A touch of Italy in the middle of Jerusalem!

Another View of Jerusalem

Security Post Close to the Dung Gate into The Old City

On Road Toward Dung Gate

The Dung Gate into The Old City

Stalls on the Other Side of The Gate

The Gold Dome of the El Acqusa Mosque or The Dome of the Rock is Ever-Present

The road to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The other two quaters are the Christain and Armenian

The Jewish Quarter

Note the Montefiore Windmill on upper left of picture.

PASSOVER SEDER APRIL 12, 2006 OMER, ISRAEL

Mordechai carries the traditional Seder Plate, holding it above the heads of the bride and groom

and the rest of the Seder participants, as Yoney and Galit look on.

Zeke has the best seat in the house

Neta sings the Four Questions, as her proud Abah (daddy) looks on.
Ma-Nishtana Ha-Layla Ha-Zeh....Why Is This Night Different Than All Other Nights?

Have accordion will travel. The family can always count on Gidon to bring music and song to every occassion. The songs went way beyond Dayenoo and Ma-Nishtana. It was a delight.

Near the end of our stay we went to the Museum of Bedouin Culture.

Outside of the Museum were Caves from Hellenistic times, before and beyond.





Bedouin Hospitality





On the road again
It is hot and dry in the desert A Forest in the midst of the desert Gas is twice the price of what we pay in the US

A Bedouin Mosque on Our Drive in the Negev
The UBIQUITOUS Symbol, Even Here in the Negev Desert
We arrive at our second destination, MAMSHEET, an Archeological Dig

Also a Bedouin Market








Hey, Diane, this is the man who sold me your wood camel. The Peace Plate is from the Jerusalem Old City Market






A more modern Bedouin Dwelling
And back to Omer

Neta became my good pal.
Laurette, Smadar, Ruby - Last Shabbat Meat at Ruby's

First Day of Passover - Meal at Georgie and Mordechai's House...of course!











At last a chance to rest; right? I can rest now, yes?




While conversation inside the house continues...politics, religion, war, peace, agriculture, water, ...all subjects, nothing barred.


THE KESSOUS FAMILY

THE END OF AN INCREDIBLE WEEK OF DINNERS, A WEDDING, MORE DINNERS AND LUNCHES, HOSPITALITY BEYOND COMPARE, LOTS OF LOVE and HARD WORK.... SLEEP WELL MORDECHAI (and YOU TOO GEORGIE!)
THE END

Originally posted on 6/26/06 on Sherril's Myriad of Musings

The March of the Gates In Central Park: Feb. 2005

Near the end of February 2005, I spent the day walking around Central Park in NYC, surrounded by varying shades of saffron and orange and watching the light change and glimmer as the sun played with these pieces of fabric. The biggest delight was in being amongst New Yorkers and others who were in the City to see this orange phenomenon, a gift given the city by the artists who made them, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who had no other agenda but to give delight to the people of New York City. And according to the cab driver who took me back to Port Authority, The Gates did just that. He said he had not seen so many smiling people in a long, long time. He said he's going to miss The Gates when they come down in just a few days and he's going to miss the atmosphere they helped create. What a colorful and wondrous day!

By the way...there were over 4 million visitors to NYC while The Gates were up and generated an estimated $254 million in economic activity. To read more about it

Lining up like little orange soldiers...





They zigged....



They zagged throughout Central Park.





I come matching the colorful spirit of the day...



Over the river and through the woods...





Every aspect of the park was enhanced by shodows, reflections and a myriad of shades of orange.

New Yorkers ice-skating

I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.

Essex House overlooks the orangerie.







The yellow tennis ball was a sign for people to know that here were people who would answer their qeuries and even give them a piece of a saffron gate.








NY kids sleigh-riding







The sun played peek- a- boo behind a gate.


























The cynics asked, what's all the fuss about? The children didn't ask, they just knew.

Queen of the Hill

New York City...among the greatest of cities in the world, as seen from atop the Metropolitan Museum of Art. February, 2005 -



A view of the Gates adorning Central Park from atop The Metropolitan Museum of Art. And what a view it was!!

A hazy shade of winter.

I'm go'n' to ride on a milk-white horse
Down by the riverside,
I'm go'n' to ride on a milk-white horse,
I ain' go'n' to study war no mo'...









I AIN'T GONNA STUDY WAR NO MORE




END TO A PERFECT DAY!


Originally posted on Sherril's Myriad of Musings

Tenacious Tree Hugger

Some people call me a Tenacious Treehugger. You make your own judgements.

Picture taken at Alberta Falls, Rocky Mountain National Park, August, 2004.
Originally published on 9/7/06 on Sherril's Myriad of Musings

Saving Darfur 4/30/06 Washington, DC

You know, I think we Americans are a very fortunate bunch. We do our fair share of complaining, be it about politics, leadership, or lack thereof, about the price of gas and the lack of good public transportation outside of the major cities, about religion in the public domain, too much, too little, about the right to smoke cigarettes and the right to breathe air without second hand smoke, about too much censorship, too little censorship, about too many immigrants, not enough immigrants, about too high taxes, too few social programs. We Americans, as my grandmother might have said, "have what to complain about." But we are lucky all the same. We go to bed at night without fear of our neighbor turning against us, as they did in the former Yugoslavia where the Croats, the Serbs and the Muslims turned against each other, and in Somalia where the clashes occurred between the Hutus and Tutus, and in Ireland where Protestant and Catholic neighbors turned one against the other.

The United States continues to be a work in progress where a huge number of heterogeneous people live, if not side by side, in close proximity and remain united as Americans, be they Black, White, Jewish, Christain, Muslim, Hindu, be they descended from Italy, Germany, Puerto Rico, Nigeria, Poland, Roumania, Egypt, Israel, China, Japan or the Puritans who came over on the Mayflower. We do not see things eye-to-eye and we do fight amongst ourselves, but so far the plan, put in place all those years ago when the founding fathers sat and wrote our Constitution, has continued to work. We do not have ethnic wars. We do not have one group murdering, rapeing and systematically eliminating another group, without fear of reprisal. We live in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious society and though we may not always celebrate the differences, we do always tolerate them and remain one people under the Constitution.

On Sunday, April 30th, I went with some friends to the Rally in Washington DC to "End the Genocide in Darfur." It happened to come at the same time as the large rallies and marches in NYC and around the country regarding Immigration and this, I believe took away some of the thunder of the Darfur rally. Still, it was a memorable day and one which I believe had some influence on our leaders, as can be seen by the actions that were taken shortly after the rally. As of May 5th, a final agreement between the Darfurian rebel armies and the genocidal government of Sudan was reached. The US government had a major role in this plan. And many thousands of Americans had a role to play, as well, in their outcry against the genocide. Let us pray the peace plan is carried through.

I hope these pictures tell the story of the day...

11 AM arrival. Only three hours to wait for the rally to begin!

Our Gang

Port-A-JohnniesMy friend Debbie and Me
Debbie and Shari

How many and how varied the rallies and marches this Capitol Buildiing has seen through the years!

The Maine contingent, organized by Adam Zuckerman, a Maine High School student.

Temple Emanuel from Dallas, TX made these beautiful signs. A man was passing them out and gave one to me.
Dear President Bush: These 500 dolls represent the number of people dying every day in Darfur. Please act NOW to end this Genocide. We must uphold the imperative. "Never Again" Signed Staff of Temple Emanuel of Dallas Texas

Not on our watch. Save Darfur
12 noon...still pretty sparce in people

Rally volunteers. Instead of mourning a genocide. STOP ONE

Our little group

Every generation represented

Photographers and sound men getting ready
..to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of al.. -Elie Wiesel

1 PM Just an hour to go...stretching our legs with a little walk

The upside-down sign reads Stop Genocide in Russian and English. As the gentleman in the blue cap told me, they were a group of Jewish Russian Immigrants coming to DC from Brooklyn

Cornell University Hillel

"Be the change that you want to see in the world."

People on the Washington mall wore skullcaps, turbans, headscarves, yarmulkes, baseball hats and bandanas. There were pastors, rabbis, imams, youths from churches and youths from synagogues. They cried out phrases in Arabic and held signs in Hebrew. But on this day, they said, they didn't come out as Jews or Muslims, Christians or Sikhs, Republicans or Democrats.

UJA Federation of NJManhattan College

Good Sheperd Sisters

A throwback to Woodstock

Group of Darfurians who escaped and now live in Portland, Maine
The Darfur rally in Washington brought together an unusual coalition, including Jewish groups fighting against genocide and Muslim refugees from Darfur. One of the co-sponsors of the event is the American Jewish World Service.
The Portland delegation's trip to Washington was organized by Adam Zuckerman, a student at Deering High School who's active in his synagogue. He raised thousands of dollars to ensure that local refugees and others could attend the rally.

The rainbow that circled the sun that shone over the people that spoke out for Darfur hate...off love...on

I recieved muh attention because of my sign, even if it wasn't really mine.

At the risk of trivializing the genocide, one has to admit, it is a good sign!
Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world -TalmudSome songs preceded the speakers

Eli Wiesel and Holacaust survivor

Russel Simmons, speaker at the rally

Police on hourseback at the end of the day

Originally posted on May 9, 2006 on Sherril's Myriad of Musings

Travelogue Treats

I am never so happy as I am with a camera in my hand, especially when I am travelling hither and yon. I hope you enjoy the pictures. There are more to come....

The Atlantis Hotel in The Bahamas

New York, New York...What a wonderful town - December 2005

Where else, but in NYC, do they wrap a bulding like a Christmas Present?

Rockefeller Skating Rink

A Lord & Taylor Snow White Window Dressing

Aruba, a place in the sun

Crashing waves on the arid, west side of the Aruban island

Blue tailed and emerald lizards commonly seen in Aruba

Don't worry...Be happy

Aruba's Natural Bridge, which unbelievably collapsed just weeks (9/2/05) after our visit.

Aruba's Ostrich farm

Ubiquitous red flower in Aruba

Sunset over Aruba

If these pictures strike your fancy, come back, there will be more.....

Originally posted on May 4, 2006 on
Sherril's Myriad of Musings

NAPA VALLEY..A TASTE MUCH SWEETER THAN WINE

Here's my recommendation on how to spend the week between Christmas and New Years. Go somewhere you've never been before. I did that this past year, and I can tell you, I wasn't sorry. Well, I was a little sorry, but, I'll get to that in due time. The destination was Napa, CA, located at the bottom of Rt. 29, which is the main drag that runs through the Napa Valley. As you follow 29 north you go through Oakville then Yountville, then Rutherford, then St. Helena then CAlistoga . December is not really the best season to visit, but it has the advantage of not being busy (because most people know better than to go in the rainy season). Rain aside, it was a most wonderful week.

Before I tell you about the great wineries, the lush and luscious scenery and the people, let me offer a bit of advice on what not to do. Consider not beginning your trip on Christmas Eve day, as we did. We rented a very nice and brand new Jeep Liberty for the week and decided to take it a bit off the beaten path our first full day there because the day looked like it might not rain and rain was in the forecast for the next few days. So taking advantage of some sun, we drove to Bodega Bay, in Sonoma County. We thought it might be fun and interesting to see the town where Hitchcock's movie, The Birds was made. The drive was lovely, if not a tad long, but it didn't matter because, hell, we were on vacation. When we finally found Bodega Bay, a pleasant little town with a pleasant man in the tourist building who showed us pictures of and told us about the school from which the children ran in the movie (but that's in the town of Bodega, not Bodega Bay ) and the church that was in the movie (but that's been torn down, so the church there now, is not really the original movie church) and the famous coastal restaurant (which is not the restaurant that is there now, but the one that is there now has very good food) and the famous California Coast (that is the same CA coast that is there now).

This wasn't exactly what we expected, but we snapped a picture or two, took a potty break and decided that was enough of Bodega Bay. The pleasant man drew a map for us to follow in order to see some other interesting sights in the area and we were on our way.

California Coast

One of the interesting sights the guy mentioned was Fort Ross, which was a Russian Fort, which had been restored, and the only outpost of the Czars in the lower 48. It was an attempt by the Russians to supply food and local pelts for their Sitka Alaska settlement. Unfortunately, I was the only one who really wanted to continue up the coast to see it, so instead we veered off the coastal road and headed for the Redwoods. We travelled along the Russian River (the same Russian River that just one week later would become a "rushing" river with water overflowing its banks due to the severe rainstorms). We had no idea where the Redwoods were or how to find them, but with perseverence, find them we did.

This is the part of the story about which I am in fact more than "a little sorry." We found the Redwoods and saw a parking lot, into which we turned a swift right, only to notice these people staring crazy-eyed at us and the jeep. We had seen the sign for entry into The Armstrong Woods Redwood Grove and we entered, but there were other signs we had apparently not seen. Here is the second and perhaps the best advice you will EVER receive. If you visit this park, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT enter into the first driveway you see because if you do, you may wind up with photos like these



And this is what you won't see and will swear on a stack of bibles that you never saw until, well, until it was simply too late

However,being a California State Park, there is always a friendly helpful hand .....The Ranger.

One advantage to having to wait for AAA to come tow your car, is that it gives you at least 45 minutes to walk the path of the Redwoods grove.

Haim

Mordechai waiting for ...........................Sherril

As luck would have it, and despite the run of bad luck we'd recently encountered, the one taxi service in Guerneville, which consisted of one driver/owner (at least for that evening) was available and happy to take us back to Napa and accept a Christmas "gift" of $200 for the priviledge. That's him above...nice guy.

Also, as luck would have it, the restaurant across the street from our inn was open (River City) and never was a meal, glass of wine yummy desert, comfortable chair and welcoming holiday environment more welcomed than it was that night after our day of woes.

YUM-YUM !!!

The next day was Christmas Day and everything was pretty much closed up, but no matter; we had not a car to take us anywhere, anyway, leaving us to our books and camera to take pictures of our humble abode.

Our Villa




Their Villa

We dined Christmas night at Brix Restaurant north of Yountville; not without some car-less headaches., but, still we toasted and dined in good cheer.


Next day we taxied our way back to Guerneville. This time our driver was named Otello and he provided us with abundant information and names of wineries not to miss. He was bellisimo!

Whirring by countryside in car driven by Otello on way to Guerneville.

Finally ready and more than willing to visit our first winery, we decided to start where fate brought us and thus begin with sparkling wine, better known as champagne. Korbel Champagne Cellars is on River Road in Guernevelle. We toured the facility, got some history of the Korbel family (quite a feisty family and of champagne making We brought home two bottles of Moscato Frizzante (finished off one on New Years Day at my sister's party). I don't particularly like champagne, but this was VERY good. We sent home 2 bottles of Natural and 1 of Brut Rose and 1 Sec.

Actual size of glass & bottle-which were used for the Millenium....2000!

Fermented in the bottle as it still is, Korbel's American Champagne is gaining international acclaim

Korbel's Vineyards

Tour stated here, building originally a train station

Circle of Trees

From Korbel we were off to discover this private little winery recommended by Otello. It took us a while to find; however, finding it and being able to taste their wines are not the same thing. I found the owner home, but, on his way out and closed for the season. Still, pictures could be taken. LOOKS REAL, AY?

REVERIE WINERY

WE CAME....

WE SAW.....

WE DID NOT TASTE!

Feeling a tad disappointed to find noone to show us around Reverie, we decided to move on to a Sure Thing. And, anyway, we were hungry. Next stop V. SATTUI WINERY, famous not only for its wines, but its DELI AND PICNIC Facilities.

Haim, Sherril, Georgie and Mordechai picnic at V. Sattui

GRAPES OF THE VINE

Our bellies full with food and wine and champagne, we were ready to take a siesta, so we returned to our Riverpointe Suites. The next morning (Tuesday), we ventured on to Cakebread Cellars Winery in Rutherford. We were welcomed to over 30 years of family winemaking tradition.

The Cakebread family has always believed that wine and food belong together and offer hands-on cooking classes. We did not take the classes, but we did get a few recipes and tasted 5 wines from Sauvingon Blanc, Napa Valley to Cabernet Sauvignon. Though we considered purchasing their 2002 Merlot, Napa Valley at the renowned price of $230/bottle, we decided instead to send home 2 bottles of the 2003 Pinot Noir, Carneros (just south of Napa & one of Napa Valley's newer appellations) at $44 a bottle because we were simply "beguiled by its complex display of aromas of smoky black cherry and fig fruit with intriguing floral and Asian spice tones. In the mouth, the flavors were juicy and mouth-filling, with a pleasing tea-like spiciness in the long, rich finish. And, though delicious now, this lovely Pinot Noir will develop further complexity with several years of additional bottle age". AND if all that weren't enough it cost $44 a pop, instead of $230. Of course price had absolutely nothing to do with our decision. It was definitely decided ON THE PALATE alone!!!

\

Next stop on our SIDEWAYS adventure was a really special small winery that the San Francisco Chronicle called, "One of the prettiest tasting rooms in Northern California". I would agree. Peju Province Winery is family owned and operated. It is known for complex robust Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet, Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Carnival & Provence. It is located in Rutherford. I believe we took home a few bottles of Syrah and also purchased chocolate with cabernet and a few posters that I really liked, one from the Napa Valley Mustard Festival held anually . We enjoyed the art work there as well as a little self-guided tour.

Reminds me of an Italian Villa

Yes, those are RAIN CLOUDS, but nothing could stop us. We were on a wine roll. Having been on Rt. 29 all this time, we crossed over to the Silverado Trail on our way to our last winery of the day...Rutherford Hill, located in its namesake. We did not do the typical wine tasing here. Rather the wine seller approached us and asked if we'd like to taste their 2002 Merlot. Well, of course we would! He brought us a few glasses and an open bottle to the middle of the store where we stood and we drank and we purchased it on the spot, along with a few other bottles and a few deliciously smelling bars of soap from, where else, but the Napa Valley Soap Factory, which will come up again later in this story. We waited for the Tour of the Underground Caves, for which this winery is well known.

Here we are walking in the rain from the retail store/tasting area to the caves.

The next day three of the four of us (the fourth was feeling a bit under the weather, which in this case was pretty bad, condsidering the state of the weather), decided to do some non-alcoholic sight-seeing. We wen to see the Petrified Forest, where one can see the world's largest petrified trees. Over three million years ago a volcano erupted and produced a tremendous earthquake which hurled down the giant redwood...fire, ashes, molten lava came out and coursed down the valley in which now lies the Petrified Forest. This same pale yellow sandy ash is the soil one walks on today when you visit the forest.

THIS IS WHAT A PETRIFIED TREE

LOOKS LIKE.

Water laden with silicates in the ash seeped down into the gaps left behind by the decomposing tree fibers; replacing the wood cell by cell with crystalline silica until the entire tree became stone. Some of the silica has agatized into a colorful glass-like gemstone. An ocean covered this area at times druing the last three million years. Inside the Museum here, there are fossilized fish and shells that were found with petrified worms, snails and clams

Charles Evans, in 1871, found the first stump of petrified wood while tending his cows.

As fate would have it, this day was the 5th day of Hanukkah. And to our delight, we came upon

And then there's this Robert Louis Stevenson monument to commemoratte the discovery of the Petrified Forest by "Petrified Charlie" in the year 1871 and Charlie's meeting in 1880 with Robert Louis Stevenson, immortalized in the book, "The Silverado Squatter".
Mordechai ponders

Georgie reads

From The Petrified Forest to CAlifornia's OLD FAITHFUL in Calistoga. The legend about the derivation of the name Calistoga, by the way, goes something like this Its founder, Sam Braman, is said to have ben having a few drinks while comparing the area to a famous spa district of upper New York State. Meaning to predict that it would become "the Saratoga of California,"he apparently actually said it would become "the Calistoga of Sarafornia."The name Calistoga stuck, Sarafornia for California, did not.

Only a few geysers in the wold merit the name "OLD FAITHFUL" Other 2 : Yellowstone and New Zealand

A geyser exists only where conditions deep within the earth are right for it. These conditions include a natural supply of water, a source of heat and a series of fissures, fractures and cavities.

Behind the erupting geyser is bamboo growiing in bamboo groves.

That's me taking a picture of myseilf. It looks like serious busniss, eh? Anyway, this markds the nearing of the end of our trip. We retrurned to our villas after this andthe next daywould be the last day of our voyage. Friday would be solely for travel. On Thusday the two men went off to gamble at the River Rock Casino, which is an enterprise of the Dry Creek Rancheira Band Of Pomo Indians. Haim, our very own resident gambler, came back and reported it to be rather rinky-dink (my word, not his) as casinos go, but it was a casino, so that at least made him feel a little better. I took the opportunity to see CA friends and they know who they are if they are reading this and it turned out to be a high spirited day, with a groovy soda can, a visit to that Napa Valley Soap Factory afore mentioned and which we just fortuitously happened upon in search of a light, and the BV winery (Beaulieu Vineyard). I did the tasting, bought nothing and left feelling feisty and fine. It turned out to be a jocose and jocular day filled with jabberwock.

The Napa Soap Factory

Soap bars on the rack and table.

Soap Family making change Sherril under Pinot Blanc Arch of Ivy

On my last afternoon, a walk I did take.

I followed a path, a fine jog it did make.

Riverwood, I thought my very own lodge.

But alas, it was not, so the place did I dodge.

Napa River it seems has given its name

To most everything to which it laid claim

RiverWood, River City, Riverpointe, that's it mench,

Only then did I notice the Kiwanis Club Bench.

As the path met the street, a sign I did see

It showed just exactly where I might be.

Just a mile or two away from the start

On the corner of Soescol and Trancas, do take heart.

California Dreaming

Mountains to my right.

Pacific Ocean westward

Everything's alright

Movin and a'Groovin

Becomes legality

California Dreaming

Becomes reality

What a way to spend a day Califor-ni-ay

Napa Elks on New Years Eve

Make your reservation now

What's to come, well let's see

What would be good for you & me?

Well, I guess with any lucks

WOW, it's WAlmart, yeah, but WALMART SUCKS!!!

California Cactus

RiverWood.... River City...finally...RiverPointe....Back where I started from

RiverPointe our very own resort living in Napa Valley.

Until next time.........

Originally posted on Sherril's Myriad of Musings

Newark, NJ Like You Never Knew it: PHILIP ROTH'S NEWARK TOUR - 10/23/05

Back in October, the 23rd to be exact, my sister and I attended a fascinating bus tour of Newark, NJ, basically through the eyes, or better put, the words of the well know author, Phillip Roth. The tour was cosponsored by The Newark Preservation and Landmark Committee and our synagogue, Ahavas Sholom in Newark (which is where the tour begins).







Roth was born in Newark at Beth Israel Hospital on March 19, 1933. He was the son of American born parents and grandson of European Jews who were part of the 19th century wave of immigrants to the US. . Much of what comes off as "place" in his novels comes directly from his years lived in this 2-family framed house from his birth 1933 till 1942.

It was a fascinating day, made moreso by the appearance of Roth himself at his boyhood home to commemorate a plaque in his honor.

The tour can be seen by clicking on title above.

What a day!! Enjoy....

My Trip to New Orleans....Revisited

My Trip to New Orleans....Revisited

In December of 2001, I took my daughter Rachel with me for a New Orleans adventure. I'd been there twice before, allegedly for a Professional Conference, but in reality it was a working vacation, giving me the opportunity to experience this incredible city that offers everything a person could possibly want to satisfy all their senses. After that first New Orleans experience in May of 1994 (when I also attended the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which was GREAT) and the second in April of 1997, I was hooked on this city. My plan was to return again and again. I had no family there, no friends (though every native I met immediately felt like a friend); it was the city itself I fell in love with and like a good lover, I thought it would always be there for me to revive my spirits. Sadly, Hurricane Katrina came and took with it, my lovely, exciting, delicious, extravagant, naughty, funky, live-and-let-live city, a myriad of music, a delicacy of tastes, a profusion of colors and accents and sights and sounds like no other place in the world.

So, I am revisiting the email I sent out to friends and family, after Rachel and I returned in January of 2002. For those of you who know the city, I hope it will serve to refresh wonderful memories, and for those who were not privileged to get to New Orleans, I hope it will give you a second hand appreciation of this most unique and astonishing city.

Our Accommodations were made at a HOTEL, which was THE best buy of the century. Since Christmas time really is the slow time in the Crescent City, we stayed at the rather luxurious Chateau Sonesta on the corner of Iberville and Decatur, with a Canal Street entrance as well, and one block from Bourbon Street at the extraordinarily low price of $79/night. The room was large and the service was friendly and good. I would highly recommend it.

FOOD. Food in New Orleans is not what you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but rather an adventure in eating each and every time you sit down at a table. Having a sweet tooth the size of Canada, the first place we headed on our first day was Cafe de Monde for their world famous beignets (deep fried dough smothered in very white, very powdery, very sweet sugar) and cafe au lait (made with chicory, a root first grown in France that makes the brew taste stronger and smoother). I was determined to not leave New Orleans this time, without eating Jambalaya' (essentially Creole paella...but with sausage or ham...No, I made no attempt to adopt either Kosher or healthy eating on this .this trip), and a Mufalatta (some may say equivalent to a hoagie or sub sandwich, but some would be wrong)....this sandwich with it's incredibly yummy olive salad in it, is far better than any hoagie I've ever eaten; I got mine at Central Grocery (home of the original Mufalatta), while Rachel got her sandwich, which was with turkey, not red meats and was something between a Mufalatta and a Po'Boy sandwich, next door at an even better grocery than Central. Anyway, I could obviously go on and on about the food, but suffice it to say that we ate Rice and Beans (on Monday of course), Rachel took the leap and slurped an Oyster, and we both chanced tasting fried alligator (no distinctive taste..other than the fried covering; yes, it tasted a lot like chicken), Rachel ate gumbo (a seafood stew/soup with among other things crayfish) and we both had some of the best fish we'd ever eaten...blackened, creole style (onions, green pepper and tomatoes makes the sauce and it is usually served over rice), made with sweet potatoes and collard greens (incredibly delicious!!). If your mouth is not watering at this point, well, mine is watering enough for us both. Back to the sweet tooth, I sampled a few Pralines (caramelized and hardened sugar and pecans) before I bought a box to bring home. So, as you can see, the trip was an epicurean delight and believe it or not, eating was NOT the only thing we did.

MUSIC. Though Bob Seeger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" has for many years been a musical mantra for me, at present I would have to say, The times they are a'Changin, because now, especially since New Orleans, the music that most moves me (literally and spiritually) is Jazz, Blues, R&B and Funk or some combination thereof. A guy we met while strolling the Farmer's Market, when asked for some music locale suggestions, proceeded to take our OFFBEAT magazine and rate the contents of the music menu from one to six stars for each night we'd be in town. He made great choices, but I have a feeling that there were no bad choices. We went to Bars called "The Maple Leaf" and "Donna's" and "Le Bon Temps Rouler." At each bar, the music got better and funkier and the environment got smaller and smokier and the number of people crushed in, rocking and bopping to the vibes, grew larger. For the most part, I loved it and stood and bopped with the best of them, though on one occasion you could find me on the other side of the window....that would be outside, to which any other menopause mama would totally relate, given the excessive body heat and smoke inside. We came home with two new CD's and a whole new appreciation for what it means to participate in music as opposed to just listening to it or, God forbid, having it on as background. I will definitely be looking for "blues buddies" to accompany me to New Orleans style clubs in the NYC/NJ area.

So, that's Accommodations, Food and Music. What else? Ah, yes...
SIGHTS and SEEING. We did do our share of that too. We saw the Bayou on a Swamp Tour in which the guide had designed his own boat and made his living completely by giving these tours and Man, was he cute, and a very good guide to boot! There were no alligators to be found as they hibernate in winter, but we did see some herons and other lovely birds and one animal whose name escapes me, but it resembles a beaver. The swamp is surrounded by canopies of Spanish Moss. We watched as the guide caught crabs and fished for fish.

Another outing took us to the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum where we watched an Hour video on Voodoo. We left with out a Gris-Gris bag and perhaps a bit more skepticisim then we had before entering, but it was fun.....Rach thought it was pretty much a bunch of hooey, the museum, that is, not the practice of voodoo, necessarily. We went to the De Gas House and I found that to be fascinating. There is a long, involved history of De Gas and how he came to have this house named after him in the Garden District of New Orleans. It turns out his maternal grandmother was born in New Orleans and the story of his family reads much like a Soap Opera. The house has copies of many of his paintings....17 of which he painted during his brief stay in New Orleans. As it happened, the guide at the De Gas House also gave tours of the city and had a tour scheduled of the French Quarter that very afternoon, to which he invited us. New Orleans is rich in history and the home of many cultures. Though its history is representative of the South in some ways, it is mostly unique because of its diversity and liberal motto of live and let live.

I must mention another of our walks in the French Quarter, where we went to two bars of note. One was, by chance, that we stepped in for a drink and found ourselves to be the only women at the bar. The gay men were more than happy to not only serve us our drinks, but take a picture with us to bring home to my brother, Rachel's uncle Michael. The other bar was a "return trip", as I had been brought there once before on a "Vampire Tour" of New Orleans, called Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. It is dark and dingy and makes THE BEST BLOODY MARY in the world, with some kind of pickled pepper instead of a piece of celery sticking out of the glass. I thought it was well worth the return trip and Rachel agreed.

Creole vs Cajun. The city is a complete blending of Spanish, French, French Canadian, with some Irish added to the mix. . Oh, and by the way, there are two synagogues in the city proper, one of which is called Touro...yes, there is an association with the famous Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI. Also, we met the proprietor of this little eatery near our hotel who, as it turned out was Jewish, from Morocco and knew the name Kessous!!! Small world. Anyway, Cajuns are basically descendants of French speaking people from Acadia, Nova Scotia, forced out of England to Canada and then to Louisiana in the mid 1770s. It says in one of my guide books that a Creole, from the Spanish word criollo meaning colony-born, is a native-born New Orleanian of French and/or Spanish extraction. It seems, however, that there are many, many different definitions of Creole and outlooks as to who is rightly considered one. In any case, the word, Creole, has come to describe almost everything indigenous to New Orleans.

In conclusion, "I have giving you lagniappe." (Lan-yap) meaning "a little something extra." So, you may have asked for just a small taste of New Orleans, but for the same price, I have given you a little bit extra.

My Prayer for New Orleans:

MAY NEW ORLEANS BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE AS WE ALL KNEW IT before the devastation that Hurrican Katrina forced upon it AND MAY ITS PEOPLE FIND SUCCOR AND ONCE AGAIN....

Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!" MAY THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

Sherril

Originally posted on Sherril's Myriad of Musings on Sept. 10, 2005

The Stanley Hotel

Taken from The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where Stanley Kubrick's, "The Shining" was filmed.

Origially posted on June 12, 2005 on Sherril's Myriad of Musings

Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down



Don't let the turkeys get you down.

Originally posted on Oct. 2, 2004

Pictures Please

I am creating this my second blog, sister to Sherril's Myriad of Musings. This will become the home of blogs about my travels and the photographs that tell their story, as well as other "snapshots" of my life. I intend to start by packing up the photos from S.M.O M's blog and shipping them over here. I'm a little bit nervous about doing this. My wonderful friend, Kathy from Kansas City once sent me the picture above. This is what she wrote on the card: "You immediately came into my mind when I saw this wonderful face. She even looks like you! I truly do love your inner and outer child."

So, anyway, good luck to me and may this endeavor be as picturesque as I am hoping it will be.

sherril