Orchid

Not only is it not at all dead, it has FOUR, count 'em FOUR flowers this year! Yay me!

Tap tap tap... Is this thing on?

So, uhh, ummm... How exactly does one come back from having forgotten to blog for 3.5 months? It wasn't even a conscious decision, it just sort of happened, and then the longer I was away the harder it was to come back.

Everything's fine, I was just crazy busy with work and I guess I sort of lost my blogging mojo. Let's try again and see if it comes back. I'm game if you are. Assuming of course that there's anyone still out there after all this time. Is there? Are you?

So where have I been? Well, there was a trip to Provence with my husband way back in April. It was wonderful, everything a trip to France should be despite the fairly lousy weather. One of our hosts told us we're not crazy for thinking that it rains in Europe every single Passover/Easter week - it really does. Sort of the way it always rains on Purim here in Israel. Still, you really can't go far wrong in France, whatever the weather. Don't you agree?

Les Baux de Provence

Cassis Harbor

Van Gogh's Courtyard in St Remy

Goat cheese for sale at the Cassis weekly market

After France there was the usual flurry of spring - getting out into nature, our annual trip to the folk festival, the beach, the pool, and so much more, but I'll save some of those for another post.

Right now we're in the midst of the annual end of year insanity - an elementary school graduation, end of the year sports events, all the birthday parties for all of the kids with summer birthdays - you name it, it's probably happening. It's all good, but more than a little exhausting to keep sorted. It's a good thing I've only got two kids and two adults to keep track of - any more and someone would be leaving the house without their underwear for sure.

So that's me in a nutshell, with a few photos thrown in for fun. What have you all been up to these past few months?

Wild Anemone, January 2013

Winter here in Israel means wildflowers, and one of the most prolific and best loved are the anemones, most often seen in a rich, vibrant shade of red.

Wild Anemone, Elad Forest, January 2013

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Oleander

Bring some fresh spring color into your winter blahs - here in the Eastern Mediterranean the oleander is in full bloom! This one is blooming on a tree (bush?) in Cyprus - and on a variety of throw pillows, phone cases and prints as well ;).

So what reds are popping up in your world this week?

Where on earth...

... has Robin been?

View this image as a framed print in my Society6 shop

We took the kids and headed off to the nearby island of Cyprus for a much needed Hannukah getaway! Just a 40 minute flight away (a wow in and of itself!) the weather was pretty much identical to that of Israel - some days were gorgeous, some days it stormed all day, and once up in the high mountains we even saw snow, to the utter amazement of my Israeli kids - much less so to their American-Israeli parents who had to drive the tiny, windy, rock-strewn slippery mountain roads in it... Driving adventures aside though it was a fantastic trip. We saw quaint villages, hiked up green mountains, saw modern cities, beautiful beaches, ancient ruins, Byzantine churches and goats galore, and so much more. Far more in fact than I'd dreamed was there, even in the off-season - we're already plotting our next trip.

This particular image, conveniently offering both a quaint window and a few red roof tiles lying on the stairs (a future renovation? a past one?) was taken in the wonderfully picturesque village of Omodos, in the Troodos Mountains. Famous for lace and the oddest carob-flavored breadsticks I've ever tasted. I've heard the views from the village are also lovely but with the weather that day we didn't see much of them. Next time...

In the meantime, visit my Facebook page and Society6 shop for more images from Cyprus (with more to come shortly).

Pomegranates

Pomegranates for sale at Jerusalem's Machaneh Yehuda market.

See products featuring this image in my Society6 shop

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Scavenger Hunt in Jerusalem's Nachlaot Neighborhood

What fun! This past Friday I had the opportunity to join another of Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts' wonderful events - this time for a scavenger hunt in Jerusalem's fascinating Nachlaot neighborhood.

Just like the Old City scavenger hunt I participated in last year Tali and her crew had everything very well organized from start to finish so that all we had to do was relax and enjoy. (So much so that yet again we came in, ummm, not first. Right. Let's go with "not first". It was totally worth our ever so slightly more relaxed pace though - we got to see so many amazing details and learn so many things we'd have missed if we were really cranking up the speed...)  Tali even arranged for the oh so yummy Village Green restaurant to provide bowls of hot delicious soup and freshly baked rolls for us all at the finish line.

 More scenes from the neighborhood...

Two area residents discussing the issues of the day

Window turned wall

I absolutely love this mural (above and below images) by Maayan Fogel, simply amazing

 
I can't recommend Tali and Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts enough (and not just because I just found a photo of myself with Old City teammates Lisa and Myriam in their photo gallery) - having now done two of their hunts my only real question is when is she accepting participants for the new route she'll soon be opening in Jerusalem's Yemin Moshe neighborhood! (In fact, we'll be hosting a bar mitzvah in the family next winter and I'm already planning to arrange a scavenger hunt as one of our key "where to take the visiting relatives" events!)

Thanks again Tali for another terrific time!

Olives for Sale

Olives on sale in Jerusalem's Machaneh Yehuda market

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The most noble and challenging of fruits

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(Grapes are) the most noble and challenging of fruits. 

 -Malcolm Dunn, Head Gardener to the 7th Viscount Powerscourt, c 1867.

Purchase this image from Around the Island Photography

Abstract Pussy Willows

I decided to revisit an old favorite this week, giving this version a more abstract, painted feel. I'm really pleased with this new, updated look. What do you think? This one, or the more realistic original?

This image is available in a variety of formats in my Society6 shop.

Butterfly Series, Monarch #3

(No, you're not imagining things, I did in fact jump from number one to number three - number two just wasn't red (okay, orangey-red, work with me here...) enough for Ruby Tuesday. It will appear on the blog one of these days.)

Click here to see this item in my etsy shop.

Fresh Fish - And Lobsters

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Spotted at a local farm stand.

We're back from the States, deep in the throes of an epic battle with jetlag (I'd be awfully happy to not see 3am, or for that matter 4am or 5am, again for quite a while). We did manage to get the kids off for their first day of school this morning, despite they're having been up half the night last night. (In fact, Maya was so excited to go back - to show her friends her new daily calendar featuring the stars of her favorite show, lest you think she was actually excited to begin academics again - that she burst into our bedroom fully dressed, backpack and shoes on, before my alarm had even gone off! Scared the daylights out of me too I might add LOL.)

I'm in image overload right now - I have so many incredible images to process and share with all of you (not to mention list in my etsy and Society6 shops) that I find myself overwhelmed and a bit mentally stuck as I try to figure out where to begin. I'm just going to have to jump in and begin or it will never get started so watch this space - there will be lots to share as I shake off my vacation mindset and get back into regular posting again.

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Poppy

Click here to see this image as stationary (and more) on my Society6 site. And they've just announced FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE through Sunday! Take a look and see what strikes your fancy :).

Hope everyone's having a great start to the summer. We've got four days of school left and then summertime starts in earnest. In the meantime I'm racing from one end of the year party to another all week long. It's a bit crazy, but at least their various events have all fallen out on different days. Enjoy this red poppy while I dash out to go pick Maya up early from her final art class to bring her to a double birthday party.

Red Flower on a Summer Morning

I revisited this image from my archives today. I knew it had potential, it just took me a while to unlock it. I must say, I'm pretty happy with the results.

Red Flower on a Summer Morning is available in a variety of forms, from print through to iPhone case, in my Society6 shop. Click over and take a look around.

Happy Ruby not-quite-Tuesday :).

Stained Glass Windows, Beaune Cathedral

Stunning stained glass windows from the cathedral in Beaune, France. Click over to the image listing on etsy to see more detail you can't see here on blogger - the detail on the faces is truly superb.

This and many more items are available in my etsy shop. Click on over and have a look around.

Roman Trattoria, Early Morning

A Roman trattoria prepares to open for the day.

No shortage of red for this week's Ruby Tuesday, is there? Ooh, and there are a few quintessentially Roman windows and doors there too!

Le P'tit Paradis - Beaune, France storefront

Windows, doors, even a little red sign - this image was practically custom-made for a Monday blog post. We didn't stop into this lovely looking restaurant in Beaune, France, but I sure do love its exterior.

Click here to purchase this image from my etsy shop.

Have a great day!

Drawn to the Scent of Spring

Sorry for the lack of blogging - I was away on a much-needed overnight girlfriends getaway (yes, it was as fabulous as it sounds), followed by an art sale at a local music retreat (great fun and quite successful too, so a double win), and then followed that up with the worst migraine I have ever had in my life. Nothing I took made a dent in it, and believe me I took... Jay finally ordered a doctor to the house to make sure I didn't have meningitis or something, it was that bad. I literally hadn't been able to lift my head up from the pillow for the entire day. Eventually an additional pill (and a valium from the doctor) finally put enough of a dent in it that I was able to sleep. Today I still feel like I was hit by a truck (and still have a bad cold, which is not adding to my fun...) but the light at the end of the tunnel isn't hurting my head quite as badly.

In the meantime, here are some gorgeous almond blossoms I was lucky enough to catch between downpours this weekend - conveniently tinged with red.

Pssst... Did you know that Society6 is now offering stationery too?

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Purim, Tel Aviv Style

Last Saturday we took advantage of the beautiful weather to go for a walk along the beach in Tel Aviv. The water was filled with kite surfers zipping back and forth, and sometimes straight up -

And of course it was Purim weekend, a time when you need to expect the unexpected, so...

You didn't know that Superman was a kite surfer, did you?

Visit Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying this week, and Wordful Wednesday to see what they are. Oh, and with a quick albeit belated backtrack to Ruby Tuesday 2 as well. Better late than never. At least it's red.

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Dreamscape

I hope you're not getting tired of anemone shots. The weather has been so utterly craptastic here all winter that opportunities to get out and shoot something new have been few and far between.

On a happier note, I had the wonderful opportunity today to begin helping out a group of Palestinian women who make the most beautiful textiles, combining traditional embroidery with more modern design. They're looking to put out a catalog to begin selling their products internationally and have asked for some mentoring-style help in learning how to photograph the items. 

After an explanation of the program and how it seeks to empower local village women who would otherwise not have very many opportunities to earn a living and support their families, followed by a delicious traditional Palestinian lunch (yellow lentil soup, a type of chicken musakhkhan (I think), and lots of homemade pickles, followed by cookies and a chocolate cake the women in a cooking and baking workshop had made the day before (they also host meals for both small and large groups, if anyone is interested contact me for more details)) we talked some basic photography - composition, natural light, the basic building blocks of a good image. While I'll be returning next week to shoot some of the production process for the most part they'll be doing their own photography using a small point and shoot camera, so I kept the discussion focused on simple methods and techniques they'll be able to implement on whatever equipment they have available. Their textiles are really lovely, and I was very touched when they insisted on giving me a beautiful embroidered bag that was just the right size for that wide-angle lens that was sitting bagless in my camera bag (and then I was completely taken aback when the director insisted on giving me another bag as well after that, what a treat). Of all their projects, one of the ones that stood out the most was a joint effort with an Israeli women's organization to produce desk accessories (memo pad holders, etc.) that combine swatches of Palestinian embroidery with recycled cardboard accessories made by the Israeli women, all in the name of peace and mutual understanding. 

All in all, a really special way to spend a day (once I finally managed to meet up with the friend who'd invited me and head to the village just outside of the city! My GPS went utterly insane when it entered Jerusalem today and sent me on an hourlong wild goose chase all over East Jerusalem, complete with bumper to bumper traffic, competing directions from passers-by, and my ever-increasing frustration as I saw my much needed bathroom break growing farther and farther away! When I finally found the meeting point - an hour late - my GPS was STILL telling me to keep driving, that I'd be there in another 12 minutes!).

Visit Ruby Tuesday 2 for more red images from around the world.

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