A City Life For Me

  We are expecting our f irst baby in e arly November.

Day 7: Ein Gedi (the oasis in the Judean Desert where David found refreshment); Camel rides at sea level; Masada (the fortress built by Herod the Great, later utilized by the Jewish zealots to fend off the Romans for three years.  Masada pictures will have a separate post); The Dead Sea.   This post will contain only pictures from Masada and the Dead Sea.   Nine members of our group decided to hike up Masada rather than to ride the cable car - all six of the Hamiltons (I was planning to ride up, but I was determined not to be the only Hamilton who didn’t climb), Sam & Tim Wolkowicz, and Andrew Hemingway.  There is a serpentine path, aptly named the Snake Path which winds it’s way up to Masada.  Our guide, Shimon, has climbed Masada in 14 minutes with the army.  From our group, Ben finished first in about 20 minutes, and I came in dead last in about 35 minutes. This is Ben, Meredith, and Evan beginning the ascent up to Masada via the Snake Path. ...

Day 6: Rabbinical Tunnel tour underneath the Western Wall; Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum); Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls Museum); Jerusalem model from the Second Temple Period.     We started off with a tour underground of the Rabbinical tunnel that has been excavated around the Western Wall.  In some places they have gone down to the original road of the Second Temple period.  Here are my feet and Ben’s feet on that road – Jesus probably walked on the same road!   We spent a good part of the day at the Holocaust Museum.  Pictures are not allowed.  They have a memorial to all of the children killed during the Holocaust.  With mirrors and candles it appears as if there are millions of candles flickering – one for each child that was lost.  There is also a plaque for each of the Righteous throughout the garden.  The Righteous are those who helped the Jews escape or hide from the enemy.  One story was of an older man who co...

  I just discovered Windows Live Writer to make blogging easier!  My pictures are inserted in a flash, and they don’t mess up the spacing in my paragraphs anymore!  Plus I can do cool things…like turn this picture of my parents into a polaroid!  Pretty cool stuff…

Day 5: Walked down the Mt. of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Cemetery overlooking the tombs of the prophets; Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem; Via Dolorosa; Upper Room and the tomb of King David; Wailing (Western) Wall;  Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic); Pools of Bethesda; Shopping at Ben Yehuda street at the end of the Sabbath.   This is the view of the Jordan Valley from the top of Mt. Scopus.  The Mt. of Olives sort of has two peaks.  They used to be known collectively as the Mt. of Olives.  Now they are separate – the Mt. of Olives and Mt. Scopus.   This is the view of the Dome of Rock, which sits upon the Temple Mount, from Mt. Scopus.   This is an Aloe Vera plant.  It was huge!  It had to be at least three feet tall.  I took this one for you, Mom.   This is the Eastern Gate.  The Muslims have walled it up, and put a graveyard on the other side.  They think that the graveyard will stop Jes...

I haven't published a Works for Me Wednesday post in quite some time. This blog carnival is now hosted at "We Are That Family". Today I was feeling crafty so I finally put together my placemat purse. I have had the supplies on hand for a little while. And while I was at it, I decided to make it into a WFMW tip. This is the placemat purse. My mom made one for me while I was in college. It has been used as a purse, a Bible bag, and a little bag for miscellaneous items, and many other things that I just can't remember right now. You can make your own placemat purse very easily. Just purchase a placemat in your color of choice, some trim, and ribbon for the handles. Sew the handles and trim on first. Then stitch up the sides, right sides together. You can stitch across the corners to make it stand up better. I got this placemat on clearance for a buck. It took me a half hour to stitch. It is just the right size for my pouchee purse organizer ! (I actually found out abou...

Day 4: Friday, February 27, 2009 - Bet Alfa mosaic synagogue floor; Bet She'an (the city where Saul's armour was put on display after his death); Qumran (discovery place of the Dead Sea scrolls); Jerusalem - traditional blessing at the Western Wall; Bethlehem (Church of the Nativity). The mosaic floor discovered in the old synagogue in Bet Alfa. Interestingly, the mosaic is of the zodiac, which would have qualified as making an image in the synagogue. The mosaic gives the story of the men of the synagogue hiring someone to do the mosaic for them, thus they were not guilty of making the image. Below the mosaic is the story of Abraham offering Isaac on Mt. Moriah. These are some of the ruins of the Roman city of Bet She'an. The ancient city, where Saul's armour hung, is up on the hill (top right corner of green hill in picture - also see next picture). The village of Bet She'an had very high unemployment. Once the hippodrome was discovered, they decided to employ the ...

Day 3: Mt. Tabor (the traditional site of the Transfiguration, although Mt. Hermon may be a better option); Cana and Nazareth; Ruins of the City of Megiddo overlooking the Valley of Armageddon; Baptismal site at the Jordan River. This is the first restaurant I saw as we were walking through Cana. It made me laugh! This is the entrance to the traditional site of Joseph of Nazareth's home and workshop. Constantine's mother, Helena, did us all the favor of marking all of the "holy sites" and placing a shrine or Catholic church on site. There are several caves that have been excavated underneath this church in Nazareth which used to be the dwelling places of the people of Nazareth. It is possible, and even likely, that Jesus may have played in or near these very caves as a child growing up in Nazareth. This is Mount Tabor, visible from the City of Megiddo. This is the Valley of Megiddo. In the New Testament it is called the Valley of Armageddon, and we know it as the pla...