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

Olive Oil, Deconstructed



Ancient Olive Press, Old Jaffa, Nov 2010




Olives pressed on an ancient press, Usfiya, October 2010

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Brand new at Around the Island Photography -- Photoverse Prints - Faith-Based and Inspirational Custom Photo Art!
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Life is for living

It's hard to sit here, just two days after RivkA's funeral, and blog as if nothing happened, as if we haven't just lost one of our brightest shining stars, but if there's one thing that RivkA taught us it's that life is for living. Each day is a precious gift that should be treasured, not squandered. So yes, I am grieving for the loss of my friend, and no, my world will never be the same without her in it, but at the same time there is a life out there to be lived, a family to love, friends both here and absent to treasure, and a world full of beauty to discover. RivkA somehow always managed to focus on her blessings, not her burdens, and by doing so inspired countless others to find the best in themselves, to be the best that they can be. That is RivkA's gift to me, and I will honor it as I know how - by loving my family and my friends, by telling them - YOU - so as often as I can, and by continuing to seek out and create beauty in the nooks and crannies of creation.

Go Ask Alice

Just messing around a bit on a Saturday evening, carefully ignoring the fact that I have an immensely busy week starting far too early tomorrow morning.

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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!

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If the photo you're wishing for is something you've seen here on the blog which isn't in my etsy shop yet just let me know and I'll happily list it for you.

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Tel Aviv Staircase

Taken on this year's Worldwide Photowalk (textured "wallpaper" added by me in post-processing). Click to enlarge.

Visit Wordless Wednesday to see what else people aren't saying this week, and Wordful Wednesday to see what they are.

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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!

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If the photo you're wishing for is something you've seen here on the blog which isn't in my etsy shop yet just let me know and I'll happily list it for you.

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Rubies for Tuesday

I haven't the faintest idea what kind of flowers these little red ones growing in a formal garden in Portsmouth, NH's Prescott Park are but I quite liked them, they remind me of strawberries.

*ding ding ding* - Ten points to Carletta who just identified this as a Strawberry Fields plant (see, it DOES look like strawberries!), or more officially a Gomphrena Haageana.

Click to enlarge. More rubies can be found here.

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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!

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If the photo you're wishing for is something you've seen here on the blog which isn't in my etsy shop yet just let me know and I'll happily list it for you.

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A Robin in Spring

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Click to visit Around the Island Photography

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No, you're not wrong, there are no red red robins bob bob bobbing along here in Israel. (Well, except for the two-footed, zero-winged, camera-toting, stupid song about red breasts hating because kids sang it to make fun of her variety that is.) This much less neurotic finely-feathered little guy was spotted in Ireland on a breezy early spring afternoon. I'll bet he doesn't have quite so many issues as certain other Robins we won't mention but who lurk around these parts either...
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Visit Skywatch Friday to see what else there is to see when you look up.
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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!
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If the photo you're wishing for is something you've seen here on the blog which isn't in my etsy shop yet just let me know and I'll happily list it for you.
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Tiny Windows

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Click to enlarge

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Actually, I'm not even sure the little holes on this old stone building across the peninsula from Howth (yes, Howth again, what can I say, it was incredibly photogenic) can be called windows, they're more like little air vents, but I figured they'd work in a pinch.
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And if this isn't enough for you, I'm also over here today, and was interviewed here a good while back but completely forgot to post the link. It's all Robin all the time around here folks. You never know quite how or where I'm going to pop up, and of course if there's any doubt you can always find me over at the shop.
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PS We're halfway to the weekend already - have you thought about your Summer Stock shots for this week yet?
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Queen Anne's Lace

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Central Israel, Spring 2010 (click to enlarge)

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

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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!
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If the photo you're wishing for is something you've seen here on the blog which isn't in my etsy shop yet just let me know and I'll happily list it for you.
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Looking up and looking forward

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Click to enlarge

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This old roof frame is part of a 19th century stone building in Sarona, a Tel Aviv neighborhood founded in 1871 by a group of German Templers. These old, dilapidated buildings in the heart of the city were marked for preservation in 2003. The preservation effort involved no less than picking up and moving a number of the crumbling old structures further back from a major arterial street as well as restoring both them and others. A friend and I spent a few hours this morning wandering around the renovations (under construction and not at all pedestrian-friendly, let alone open to tourists, but this is Israel so there was no fence or guard keeping us out. To the contrary, the guard we did see agreed to let me inside one of the sites to photograph as long as I promised to do it safely and quickly without bothering the workers.).
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The wider angle shots of Sarona included far too much modernity, construction equipment and dust for my taste so most of my shoot consists of small details. (So much dust in fact that I ended up processing this image with a nostalgic type texture to compensate for the fact that the sky was dead white - thank you very much North Africa, you can have your dust back now.) I can't wait to go back once it's all renovated though, what a gem this is going to be.

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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!
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If the photo you're wishing for is something you've seen here on the blog which isn't in my etsy shop yet just let me know and I'll happily list it for you.
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Wearing your heart on your... sky?

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Fence detail, Howth, Ireland (click to enlarge)

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You'll all be amused (and hopefully smile ruefully but empathetically) when I tell you that I spent an enormous amount of time trying to smooth out the mask of the heart element to avoid those little jagged bits on the inside before I finally realized that they weren't sloppy masking - they were paint drips from the last time it had been painted! Like with actual paint and a paintbrush! Sheesh...
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And if you'll permit me to be a bit of a pest a little while longer, have you starred my Artists Wanted portfolio yet today? Yes? Thanks! No? That's okay, there's still time to do it now :). (Look here if you haven't heard about the incredible photography contest I'm participating in. To "vote" for me all you need to do is click on the appropriate star (hint: the one on the far right is "fantastic"). That's it, it only takes a second, no registration or identifying details required, and will be very helpful in getting my portfolio in front of as many industry buyers and bigwigs as possible. Thanks so much for your help!)
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Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies from around the world.
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Following in the footsteps of John the Baptist

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After talking about it for half of forever, yesterday my family and I FINALLY had the pleasure of meeting up with the lovely Dina from Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo for an afternoon's ramble around her beautiful Jerusalem Hills. Dina graciously took time away from her computer vigil (she's waiting for some VERY special news!) to show us some wonderful local sights, including the fascinating and very picturesque Monastery of St. John in the Wilderness. We all had a great day and can't wait to do it again soon.
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This Franciscan monastery is located on a cliff overlooking the Ein Kerem valley, where tradition says Elizabeth “felt life” when she met her kinswoman Mary, and where John the Baptist was born and raised. The monastery is built around the grotto where John and his mother are believed to have lived and the still-bubbling spring from which they drank.
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This beautiful fountain sits peacefully in the center of a pool of brightly colored goldfish just outside the entrance to the grotto.
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Click to enlarge

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This image and many others are available for purchase as high quality photographic prints from my etsy shop. Please stop by for a look today - I may have just what you need for that empty space on your wall or that perfect Mother's Day gift you've been looking for.
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Thank you too to everyone who has stopped by with words of comfort and encouragement the past few days. I appreciate you all more than words can say.
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It's a one of these

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Click to enlarge

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I'm not quite sure what it is either, other than to say that it's a detail from a blue one of these (mucked around with a bit by me):
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Whatever it is I liked its shape, it's got great lines. There were several of them, in various colors, scattered around the Dead Sea's Ein Bokek beach. Looking at them, they appear to be air vents, but for what I'm not sure. Maybe a bomb shelter? (Standard issue everywhere in Israel, no big deal, though usually they don't come with sculpted vent hoods.)

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

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Sending my blog flowers

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I just realized that this is my 1,000th post. I've been doing this since November 30th, 2006. We've come a long way together, this blog and me. I'd tell you all about it if this wasn't Wordless Wednesday (or rather it will be tomorrow morning when I post this link over there), but since it is, I'll just share this:
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Click to enlarge

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But since it's also Wordful Wednesday (see above) I'll tell you that while you're admiring, I'll be packing - I'm heading out Thursday morning for a glorious one night/two day girlfriends getaway to a Dead Sea spa. There will be massages, and treatments, hours wiled away by the pool with umbrella drinks, and a great deal of hilarity and good conversation. Everything you'd expect when eight good friends ditch home and family for a night in the lowest place on earth.
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Have a great rest of the week everyone. I'll be around to visit this weekend.
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Because they're not just for Valentine's Day

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Click to enlarge

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I'm still doing the solo parenting thing this week (and trying to squeeze in enough work hours in the midst of a shortened holiday week) so blogging time (and longer posts) remain a bit hard to come by. I couldn't miss Ruby Tuesday though - not with a whole batch of ruby red shots like this one just crying out for their 15 minutes in the sun.
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Hope you're all having a great week, I'll be by to visit as soon as I can.
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And on a not completely unrelated note, since several of you mentioned that you'd hang a shot like this one on your wall I've decided to list it for sale in my etsy shop where I hope it will live happily ever after providing inspiration on the wall of someone's sewing room. We'll call it bolts this time though ;).
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Heading into Day 10 of Sick Kid at Home

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I finally sent both kids off to school today (one or the other has been home sick for the past NINE days - I'm losing what's left of my mind) but we didn't even make it an entire day before I got that dreaded phone call. So much for my happy dance. Maya's relapsed - the fever's back and she's added an ear infection just for a little extra fun. Needless to say she's home again tomorrow. Poor kid has had enough, and it goes without saying that so has her mother.
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I'm too tired to blog. Enjoy this instead while I go heat up her warm pillow, again, and then head over to Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying this week. (And while we're at it, I think this one qualifies over here as well.)
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Click to enlarge

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A burnt orange type of red

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I found this tiny shell on the beach the other weekend. One look at that tiny spiral inside and I knew I wanted to shoot it. It's really small though, and my closeup filters aren't that great (I still can't afford a dedicated macro lens and won't be getting my extension tubes until April), so by the time I was finally able to start playing around this past Saturday I ended up completely frustrated, unable to make the images in my mind's eye a reality. I won't even tell you how many shots went straight into the recycle bin, I'll just say that out of all of them this is the best of the bunch.
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It's not what I was aiming for but I really do like it for what it is. I've still got the shell though so it may yet reappear in a new and improved image later on.
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Click to enlarge

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Oh, and it's not exactly red either, is it?
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Calling all Israeli Bloggers

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Don't forget to register for 26 December blogger meetup being held at the Nes Ziona home of Sara Melamed of Foodblogger fame. Come on, you know you want to. All the cool kids will be there, and we all know that YOU are one of the cool kids.
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The guest speaker will be Jacob Share, the job search expert who created the award-winning JobMob, one of the most popular job search blogs in the world with over 1.5 million pageviews in 2009 alone, and the founder of Share Select Media, a company focused on authority blogging. Jacob is also the driving force behind Group Writing Projects, a great resource for (what else) blogger group writing projects.
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Like this image? Click to enlarge it, and then visit my etsy store, Around the Island Photography, to see more (link in sidebar). Fine art photographs make great holiday gifts and are a terrific (and easy!) way to send a bit of the Holy Land back to your loved ones abroad.

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Lisianthus Bud

And now for something completely different...
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I've been frustrated lately with an inability to make the types of macro shots I want, the ones I can see in my mind's eye, without a proper macro lens so when a photographer friend offered me two magnifying filters to play around with until I can get my hands on a poor man's macro lens set of extension tubes from the States (I'd REALLY love to get the lens but I just can't justify it right now) I jumped at the chance to take them for a spin, even buying cut flowers especially for the occasion.
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Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperative. My under normal circumstances almost bright enough kitchen was dark and dreary, and the work surface closest to the window was completely covered with fresh pasta waiting to be cut. (Photography is my passion, all things dough is my husband's. Yes, it's a tough life.) The vase of flowers ended up stuck in a dark corner between the sink and the refrigerator. Being an impatient sort I decided not to let this stop me and grabbed the camera and the filters "just to see what they can do". Ninety-seven very grainy ISO 1600 images later I finally conceded defeat and decided to try again tomorrow morning.
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Determined to salvage something from the photo shoot I decided to try for moody and brooding instead.
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It's not at all what I was going for originally but I like the way it turned out. It's fun when that happens. I quite enjoy the creative process in and of itself, and all the better when I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone to create something new (to me) and different.
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Click to enlarge

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More monochrome images from around the world can be seen at (the apparently newly renamed) Monochrome Weekend.

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Happy Thanksgiving

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Not quite wordless today...