Purim 2010, and other miscellany

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A few quick snapshots. Today was the day schoolchildren across Israel have been waiting for - the day they dress up in costumes (we had Harry Potter and a fairy, in case it wasn't obvious), mishloach manot (gift baskets) full of hamentaschen and other candy treats in hand ready to trade with their classmates to celebrate the holiday of Purim.

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The actual holiday is on Sunday (and Monday, sort of), which means a three-day weekend and lots of holiday activities, conveniently scheduled for the week my husband is away for 8 days. (Did I mention it's storming and supposed to continue to do so for at least the next four days? You do the math. I'll be busy checking movie listings for tomorrow.)

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In non-Purim news, I won the most wonderfully soft and pampering spa cloths from Purplume during the OWOH giveaway - she packaged them up so beautifully with a little fabric mini lei (look at the photo on her blog - it's adorable) AND a delightful booklet called Blissful Bathtimes - Therapies for Rejuvenating Mind and Body. With Jay out of town and me flying solo all week they couldn't have arrived at a better time, either, I'll definitely be needing all the bliss and rejuvenation I can find. (Normally I'd be showing you my own photo of these goodies but Purim and the storm (really bad light) conspired against me - it was all I could manage to grab the few snaps of the kids you see above. )

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In less happy and infinitely more infuriating news, Facebook is at it again - encouraging the sexualization of women's bodies while forbidding innocent photos of babies being nourished the way nature intended. Where the hell are our priorities as a society?

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And with that it's time to get my own priorities in order and close the computer - the USA-Finland Men's Hockey Semifinals game is about to begin - Go USA!

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Tel Aviv Street Performer

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Taken two weeks ago (coincidentally on a Friday) when the skies were a lot bluer and less rainy than they are right now.
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Visit Skywatch Friday to see more skies from around the world, both blue and otherwise.
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Playin', Playin' In the Band

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Click to enlarge, then visit Wordless Wednesday to see what everyone else isn't saying this week.

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(I am still kicking myself for not getting the names of all the wonderful artisans at the crafts fair so I can give them proper credit - next time I go for sure!)

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Fabric Bales

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Are they called bales? I can't remember. After 20 years of living a bilingual life my English is not what it once was (so it of course makes sense that I work as an editor, doesn't it LOL).
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In any case, there are plenty of reds to be found in these bales/rolls/stacks/heaps/whatevers of fabric for sale outside a Tel Aviv store.
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Maarat HaNetifim - Israel's Stalactite Cave

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After Maya came home from school last week talking about Maarat HaNetifim, Israel's Stalactite Cave, also called Sorek Cave, and asking to go we realized that it had in fact been years since we'd been. The last time we'd visited Maya had been an infant and Itai a young preschooler so obviously neither remembered being there. It was high time for a repeat visit.
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Our hearts sank when we arrived and saw that half the country had apparently had the same idea today but the Park authorities kept things surprisingly well organized. Despite the crowds we didn't wait more than ten minutes for the next tour and once inside didn't feel at all crowded or rushed.
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The cave itself is amazing. It's small (only 5 dunams, just over an acre) but the formations inside are incredibly dense and extraordinarily diverse, rivaling caves many times its size in other countries.
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After a short movie chronicalling the discovery of the cave just forty years ago our group went inside. Once there our guide provided a bit more explanation (and reemphasized the absolutely positively no touching rules) and pointed out some of the highlights, and then turned us loose to move through the cave (via a wooden walkway) at our own pace. Flash photography was strongly discouraged (no loss, it would have given horribly washed out glary looking images anyway) but as you can see I still managed to keep myself well amused by cranking the ISO up high and concentrating on the areas which had their own lighting.
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As an added bonus, the wildflowers were blooming all over the park, making the walk to and from the cave entrance an absolute delight. The cyclamen in particular were really at their peak. I'd never realized how often they sprout right out from a crevace in a rock. The grouping you see below had me utterly beguiled. (And in the interest of honest reporting, lest anyone think I actually know anything about flowers, my six year old had to tell me that these were cyclamen. (Actually she used the Hebrew name - rakafot - I then had to go home and look up the English translation to figure out that these were cyclamen.) Israeli schoolchildren learn about our region's native flowers in school and can identify all of the major wildflowers we see each winter (much better than their mother can, that's for sure!).
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Just 45 or so minutes from home, it really was like stepping into paradise for an afternoon. (Well, except for the little boy who decided that standing directly in front of us was the appropriate place to pee. My husband suggested he find a tree off to the side (yes, little Israeli boys pee on trees all the time, it's considered socially acceptable, but they are supposed to be at least a little bit discrete, and certainly not to pee right on the sidewalk in front of a family on a picnic bench) but the little boy insisted that his father said it was alright. We tried to ignore the fact that he was peeing just a few feet from where we were sitting having an ice cream. A few minutes later he suddenly came back and dropped his pants again, only this time his father saw him and from his reaction he most certainly had not said it was alright and proceeded to yell at him for his "disgusting behavior" (without ever bothering to explain where the child was going wrong or to suggest a better alternative). Sigh...

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Almond Blossoms

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Visit Skywatch Friday to see more of the world's skies.

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Magnets at Tel Aviv's Nahalat Binyamin Crafts Market

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I snapped this shot quickly during a shopping trip on Friday and now I'm kicking myself for not writing down the name of the artist selling these wonderful magnets at Tel Aviv's Nahalat Binyamin Crafts Market - I'd love to give them a plug here. If any of my Israeli readers happen to know who it is please tell me and I'll post their details, if not I'll have to try and track them down next time I go.
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Visit (nearly) Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't (or perhaps are) saying this week.
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Nine

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Nine years ago* this past Saturday this small creature made a very dramatic entrance into the world (think Keystone Cops, complete with collapsing beds, broken glass, and more chaos than would be reasonable in seven births...)
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This past Saturday we took advantage of some incredible weather (Israel's in the midst of the longest February warm spell we've ever had - the past few days have been downright HOT) and commemorated that momentous occasion in a style more appropriate to his current age - a trip to the amusement park, where our nine year old showed us that not only is he now tall enough for the big loopdy-loop (how on earth do you spell that? none of the ways I've tried look right) coaster, he's brave enough too, and possessed of the necessary cast iron stomach as well. Under ten you still need an adult escort on the coaster and Jay was foolish generous enough to agree to accompany him (on that and on all the other nausea-inducing rides that I'm no longer capable of or willing to go on) - Itai came off laughing and wanting to go again, quite unlike his father, who bore a striking resemblance to Kermit the Frog...
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Just after a soaking on the log flume and ready to fly a rocket fighter

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I love the look on his face in this one - deciding if he should be thrilled or terrified

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One of those crazy rocking pirate ship thingies

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One of Maya's favorites - she was definitely happier with the tamer side of things

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The swings - one of the few rides the whole family liked.

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We had a great day (I think the kids rode every ride in the park at least twice) and gee whiz, what do you know, we got some great Ruby Tuesday shots too. How 'bout that.

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Happy Birthday Itai! I love you with all my heart and couldn't possibly be prouder of the young man you're becoming.

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* When Itai was born the hospital used these green and yellow blankets for all the newborns. By the time Maya came along they'd traded them all in for white ones after realizing that their rates of suspected jaundice were skyrocketing - the yellow blanket next to the babies' faces were making them all look jaundiced!

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Aaaaaaaaand the winner is...

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The winner of my One World One Heart fine art photography giveaway is commenter #182 - Micki Butler from County Donegal in Ireland!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:182
Timestamp: 2010-02-15 06:44:55 UTC

Congratulations Micki! The 18x25cm print of your choice will soon be yours. Please e-mail me with your photo selection and mailing address and I'll get it on its way.

I hope you've all had as much fun with this as I have. I discovered so many wonderful bloggers and incredibly talented artists through OWOH and now that the giveaway is over I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone in earnest.

And with that, it's time for regular blogging to restart, so pull up a comfy chair everyone, kick your shoes off, help yourselves to a cup of coffee or tea and a snack - there's always room for one more Around the Island.
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Real life is interfering with my blogging

I'm swamped this week. Don't worry, it's not all work, we've got a lot of fun stuff going on too (including the fact that my son is turning NINE on Saturday - unbelievable. How could he possibly be nine already?) but lots of work and lots of play is keeping Robin away from her blog.

Here, go make these in the meantime. We did yesterday (it's nearly Purim again you know) when Itai hosted four other classmates for a "host home" event and judging by the fact that not a single one was left for me I'd say they were a hit.

Back soon.

*swoosh*

(that was the sound of me dashing off on my next set of errands to run)
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Lupine in Bloom

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(Click here if you're looking for my OWOH fine art photograph giveaway)

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Visit Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying this week.

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It's about starting over

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We all face adversity in our lives, but where some falter or fall others somehow find the inner strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other and go on despite the blows they've received.

My friend Joanna is one of those. This amazing woman, who I have the privilege of knowing in real life as well as on the blogosphere, has received more than her share of hits by far and still manages to face the world with grace and a ready smile as she continues to reach for her dreams. She shares her journey on her blog, It's About Starting Over, and now she'd like to encourage all of you to share yours as well. She's created a new blog carnival "to increase exposure for real-life stories about starting over after a difficult event, trauma, or just plain because someone decides they want to make a major change in their life".

If you have a story to share please consider participating - your stories deserve to be heard, and they could be just what someone out there needs to make their own new start.
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Nectarine Blossoms

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I love this shot. So similar to an almond blossom, but yet so different. Both bloom in January, around Tu B'Shvat, both bloom before they get leaves, both have similar flowers, with similar coloring (though the nectarine's are much pinker where the almond blossoms are predominantly white) and still one ends up providing a juicy fruit where the other gives a nut.
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Sometimes you just have to gaze in silent wonder at what Mother Nature can do. It's not a Valentine, we don't do those here in Israel, but it certainly says love and beauty to me.
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Apricot Orchard

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If you're looking for my OWOH fine art photography giveaway click here.

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Visit Monochrome Weekend for more black and white images from around the world.

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Busy as a...

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Looking for my OWOH photo giveaway? Click here.

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The butterflies weren't the only ones enjoying all those almond blossoms - there were more than enough for the bees as well.
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Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies from around the world.
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Nature's Own Sepia

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Click here to get to my OWOH fine art photography giveaway.

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When I first looked at this shot I thought it might be a good candidate for sepia but it quickly became apparent that nature had already done the job for me.

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I'm back from an exhausting but invigorating two-day conference. It may take me some time to catch up though, I'm hoping to crash early tonight and will be in Tel Aviv half the day tomorrow getting my boobs squished for a baseline mammogram (and ultrasound, but that part shouldn't involve any squishing). Consider this your public service announcement ladies - are you due for yours? Yes? Don't put it off, get yourself an appointment today. For the rest of you - have you done your breast self-exam yet this month? It only takes a few moments and could be the most important five minutes of your life.

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The Magic Carpet is Ready to Take Off - Get Your Ticket to Ride

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Comments on my OWOH giveaway are now closed. Thank you to all 270(!!!) of you for participating here, and to everyone who offered giveaways of their own. I've had a blast. A winner will be drawn and announced in a new post just as soon as I've packed my kids off to school.

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There is something magical happening in the blogosphere this month. The 2010 Global Blog Event One World One Heart is off and running, or rather flying, it is a Magic Carpet ride after all. Created by Lisa from A Whimsical Bohemian this event brings bloggers from the farthest corners of the globe together to share their worlds and their creations in one giant month-long giveaway extravaganza.
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I have no idea how I missed this in years past but I'm so glad to have heard about it now since it meshes so perfectly with what blogging means to me - the chance to connect and create a shared community with bloggers from around the world, to recognize and celebrate our shared humanity. To remember, and to remind ourselves, that what unites us is far, FAR stronger than what divides us.
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Here, around my island (no, not a tropical island (wouldn't that be nice) - my kitchen island, where my life happens - you can see it, right up there in my header) I use photography and writing to create those shared connections, to share with you my life here in Israel - as a woman, a wife, a mother, a photographer, and of course a blogger.
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Now that you're here grab a chair and make yourselves at home, there's always a fresh cup of coffee and a place around the island for friends both old and new.
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And in the spirit of One World One Heart, what could be more appropriate to offer than an olive branch, symbol of peace. I'd like to give one of you an 8x10 inch (18x25cm) print of my fine art photograph The Ancient Olive Tree, seen below, or any of the other fine art and nature photographs offered for sale in my etsy shop (one print in total, to be selected by the winner).
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The technical blah blah:

• To enter, simply leave me a comment here on the blog.
• One entry (one comment) per person please.
• It's not a requirement for entry but if you do know which image you'd choose if you win I'd love to hear it.
• You don't need to be a blogger to win, but do make sure I have a way to contact you if you do.
• Comments on this post will close at the end of the day (Israel time) on 14 February to give me a chance to name a winner on 15 February 2010.
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Good luck, and don't forget to click on the Magic Carpet button on my sidebar to visit all the other giveaway participants.
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Anemones - Spring can't be too far behind!

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I'll be away at a conference for the next few days so it will take me a few extra days to make the rounds this week. Enjoy this little taste of Israeli almost-springtime while I'm gone.
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The sun finally returned and the wildflowers are in full bloom. Better yet, a friend and I played hooky last Thursday and went on a whopper of a photowalk in the fields near her house. We found these anemones (kalaniot in Hebrew, and much beloved), this dandelion, and of course the star of the show, these almond blossoms.
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And if you haven't already, after you're done here don't forget to pop by my One World One Heart giveaway for a chance to win an 8x10 of any of the images in my etsy shop.
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Then, when you're done with that, head over to Ruby Tuesday at Mary's place for lots more ruby red goodness.
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