The day the war started was the final day of my parents' visit. We'd taken them down south to visit the Joe Alon Center, a living history museum celebrating the culture of the region's Bedouin tribes. On the way there we noticed quite a few planes flying in formation overhead. That's odd for a Saturday, I thought to myself. I wonder what's going on.
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Turns out we arrived at the museum just about the very moment that Israel began its bombardment of Gaza. Blissfully unaware, we had a lovely time visiting the museum and learning a bit more about Bedouin culture.
.The kids particularly enjoyed the miniature Bedouin tent. Maya spent quite a long time pretending to be the mommy and serving typical Bedouin food to her "children". I bet you didn't know that Bedouin eat spaghetti - with chopsticks!
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.Mom (the real one) particularly liked the fact that they had a kids' play area set up right in the middle of the museum, with miniature Bedouin tent, puzzles made from photographs of typically Bedouin scenes, and even this strangely incongruous (but ruby red!) ride-on moose.
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.It wasn't until we left the museum and headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch that we learned what was going on. So much for our lovely, peaceful visit. Reality returned with a vengeance.
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36 comments:
The red rocking horse is adorable :)
Happy Ruby Tuesday!!
What a sharp contrast between your shots and your narrative!
Glad you could enjoy that visit to the museum. The rocking... horse?with 3 legs is cute and adorably red.
Stay safe...
One never forgets things like that, it must have been a terrible shock.
It's a good thing you did not know until after the visit.
I love the rocking moose!
I'm so sorry for whatis happening in your country, Robin. Let's believe in men'will of peace. We're so worried.
Funny Ride on Moose for Ruby Tuesday.
cute moose and how nice to have one last moment of unawareness - still praying
I don't think that I've ever seen a red rocking moose. I would have expected a rocking camel!
For you...this will be a memory etched in your mind forever...kind of like my remembering where I was, and what I was doing the day the shuttle exploded, and of course the Gulf War and Sept. 11th.
A rocking moose! Way cool. Looks like a wonderful museum. I hope the violence ends soon and that you and your family stay safe. Makes me so sad to see this happening. Be well.
I must say that a ruby red moose is strange for a Bedouin museum. But hey! What do I know?
I keep thinking of you as this war goes on. All the best!
Sadly Libby, I've got a whole string of those defining moment memories - the first Gulf War I was sitting in a sealed room wearing a gas mask, 9/11 I watched horrified from my office in Tel Aviv as I frantically tried to locate all of my friends who were living and working in Manhattan, the second Lebanon War, the War in Gaza. Attacks on so many sides.
Enough.
Israeli children are singing a song craving peace this week, a song written for them entitled "Let us live quietly", a song which cries out "don't teach us war". What are their children being taught?
For sure kids love those kind of play toys.
so sad about what's going on over there--i'll be praying that you and your family and friends stay safe. hope you all had a cozy christmas! best wishes for 2009! :)
A moose in the desert seems as out of place as a rocket in the suburbs.
I hope this conflict is settled quickly and without the spilling of innocent blood. On either side.
Holding good thoughts for you and your family.
Found you via Scribbit. Love the nose ring on the moose. Hope all is peaceful in your home, at least.
Love the red moose.
It's such a good reminder for all of us to hear your every day stories instead of what's filtered for us via "news" here in the States. I look forward to returning to your blog to catch up on what's really happening in your world. Thanks for letting us be a part of it.
Peaceful blessings to you and your family.
I'm glad you had a nice visit but sorry it was soured when you learned the news of what was happening.
I'm glad you had a good visit, before the news. Both of your photos are great for Ruby Tuesday. I particularily like the top one.
I love that they have this tent in the center of the museum. How fun for your family, esp. with your parents visiting. And, I loved that "mom, the real one"quote! Like you are not???? But I know what you mean!
Some thoughts I've been having... Carl Jung said that for a person to really grow, spiritual, emotionally, and mentally, they had to be able to hold the tension of opposites... And this is what your posts hold for me. Extreme opposites. My personal belief, I do not think war solves anything. But that doesn't change what you and millions of others are experiencing right now. So Robin, I so appreciate your showing me the range of your world, of what you are experiencing. The joy of your family, the bliss of having an afternoon of play, and the realization that many around you are suffering so.
So I appreciate sharing in what you can share, when you want, what you want...
And yes, I did know Bedouin's eat with chopsticks, but not spaghetti!!! XO
Love your post for today! Love the red moose and the tent! It's a reminder of how things could be and I think we all hope the horror goes away quickly. Sorry if the news took away from the joy of your trip. Thank you for sharing!
I hope your children feel warm and safe. It looks like a splendid museum. Glad you had a nice time with your parents.
Be well, be safe, great post.
How surrealistic. Just like life in general, in this crazy country.
Just added you to my blogroll! I can't believe it took me so long! (when I saw you yesterday, I realized that I had not added you yet!)
No worries, I realized I'd never added you either. All taken care of now :).
My blogroll is horrifically out of date. I keep meaning to clean it up, but then I think I should change it to one of those smart ones with the latest post listings, and that seems complicated, so the whole thing gets shoved onto the back burner again until I think of it again two months later. Rinse. Repeat.
Anyone out there know how to do that smart blogroll thingie?
That's one cute rocking moose, and probably more befitting of a Swedish museum than a Bedoin one;)
//Peaceful greetings from Sweden
Very cool hands on exhibit! I really can't imagine what it's like to be in the middle of war. I've never been in the firing line of war before. I have lived in very volatile neighborhoods (street gangs, etc.) and a little too close to Watt's one night during the Watt's riots but that's the extent of "war type" of danger. Stay safe and I hope that something resolves for the better soon...
I love that tent! The rocking moose - um, a little odd. :)
Prayers that you and your family and loved ones will remain safe.
I heard on the news last night -'the first war of 2009' - a defining moment I could have done without.
I remember when the planes hit the twin towers. We were on vacation and didn't watch TV or listen to the radio. We didn't find out until after a ride through the sequoias what had happened. I'm thankful for that blissful train ride, because life was different after that.....thank you for sharing!
That red moose rocks!
Seriously, we watch news in the US and the events over there we see but with a bit of detachment. Yet for you, the events in real time are real. I hope that the IDF can force the end of the random rocket attacks. The best to you and yours, and as a fan of Israel, the best for your land.
the red moose is adorable Robin
hope you had a peaceful night
The "smart" blogroll should be just an option on your Layout tab unless you'r using the "classic" template. that template might not support the latest post option, but assuming you're using the current one, it should just be a matter of selecting the options you want (title, last post date, last post headline, ordered by latest post... thta kind of thing.)
Cool, thanks Jazz.
How much fun for the kids to go to a hands on museum!
I just saw this link on another blog.....and am sending it to you just for the power of the photograph.
http://www.nocaptionneeded.com/?p=1733
Kinda sorta relatedly, I just started a new meme on the Markeroni blog. It's called the history nugget, and it's a round-up of posts and photographs about history or historic places. If that sounds interesting, I'd love it if you could give me a shout out and better still take part yourself. :)
The link is below.
Hugs,
L.
Dear Robin,
One's got to take care of the children, try to provide them with some good memories, no matter how harsh "real" life is.
What you photographed is also real life.
Never you forget that.
Your children are lucky to have such a loving, considerate Mom.
I'm praying for Israel.
From Felisol
That is indeed a very powerful photograph, and would be no matter which side of the conflict that child lived on. Both sides have too many pictures like that.
Maybe the moose came up from Egypt. there is a nice blog for kids called Da Moose is Loose at
http://mstroud.blogspot.com/
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