Photos are awesome...thanks so much! I'd love to visit Israel someday both from a spiritual viewpoint & for the history. History is one of the reasons I love New England. I had no idea olive trees didn't "pass on"....

Hi narcnh,
You missed the few days of Good Weather !
Nice photos. It would be nice to be able to grow olives and dates!
Maybe we'll get lucky and have some clear and sunny days next week. I know I have a ton of weeding to do. The weeds enjoy this weather about as much as the hostas do.
Take care,
Gata

Great photos! (And I like the way you worded the part about "going into the family business, lol!)

It's always been a dream of mine to go to Israel. There and Constantinople - oops, I mean Istanbul. Sorry, that's the history buff in me coming out and calling it by it's old name.

I'm also grateful that my basement has stayed dry, especially since we are finally in the process of renovating it into living space.

I've been kicking myself because I *STILL* haven't gotten those darn rain barrels I keep saying I'm getting. I just know that as soon as I get them there will be a drought!

:)
Dee

narcnh- YOU are funny!! i too really enjoyed seeing the cell phone shots. so interesting. i grew up memorizing and enacting, with my younger brother, all the routines from bill cosby's 1st album,"Why is there Air?" so your thread title had me spontaneously muttering
"cubit?... what's a cubit?" ( ha ha ha!for those who know the routine)
best, mindy

Very nice photos thanks for posting! DH and I love to travel and Israel is on our list of places to go. I really wish we went a few years ago when it was quiet and peaceful now with things unsettled I am afraid to go. How did you find it (safety wise) traveling there?

Sue

sedum,

I found it to be very safe. Most of the violence these days is in the Palestinian areas and, for the most part, life goes on in its normal fashion. The Israelis take security VERY seriously, as evidenced by the security checkpoints and the abundance of young men and women in military uniforms walking around with automatic weapons. One does not crack jokes about the military, security, etc, in Israel. Still, there are obvious signs of past violence. I stayed at the Dan Panaorama in Tel Aviv, which is right across the street from the disco where 70+ Israeli kids were killed in a bomb blast a few years ago. And, when I asked why they didnÂt build a subway system to help with the horrendous traffic problem the reply was "Security."

As with most of my travel, I donÂt dwell on the risk that my plane will crash, that IÂll be kidnapped, that IÂll be blown up, etc. ItÂs kind of a fate thing. For example, while I was over there, two Palestinians were caught trying to sneak into Jerusalem with a suicide pack, while I also was heading into Jerusalem. Guess it just wasnÂt my time.

To be frank, I think my life is in greater danger, when I zip down I91 trying to get past Hartford before rush hour than it was in Israel.

narcnh

p.s. In the Garden of Gethsemane there are huge hollyhocks growing. As I admired one, my guide said, "Hollyhock." When I told him I had them growing in my garden back home, he couldnÂt believe it. Guess they think the plants are only found in hot climates. So, if you grow hollyhocks, you can say you are growing a plant found on the Mount of Olives.

narcnh - thanks for your traveling perspective. That is a good way to think about it. In fact we traveled to Australia and New Zealand only 3 weeks after 9/11 and I wasn't scared of flying or going so far from home. Our family did try to talk us out going though!

So this year I am growing Hollyhock 'Queenie Purple'. It is my first year growing these. It is interesting to see plants you grow at home in different climates.

Sue

Thank you for the lovely photos. I've seen olive trees growing all over Greece, but I haven't been to Israel yet. I didn't know they lived that long. What an inspirational vacation.