View from Ein Gedi

Click to enlarge

.

Ein Gedi, looking down at the Dead Sea

.

.

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

.

Impersonating a Traffic Signal

.

A bunch of people asked for a photo of my newly undrab hair last week, and since I found myself scrounging the bottom of the old red barrel for this week's Ruby Tuesday I decided to oblige. It's actually the same red it usually is, but the first week is always shockingly, traffic-stoppingly bright. I actually quite like it, it's a shame it fades so quickly into a more sedate auburn.

.

Oh, and ignore the late night, no makeup, grotty old sweatshirt and weird light reflecting off the bathroom mirror. Self portraits are not my forte LOL.

.

Rock Hyrex in His Den

Click to enlarge

.

These little guys were not shy at all this weekend. Here's another one peeking out from his den. Cute little furballs aren't they, though if you enlarge the photo you'll get a look at some very sharp looking little teeth.
.
More of our desert oasis weekend can be found here, including a full color shot of one of this guy's relatives.
.
Visit Monochrome Maniacs for more black and white goodness.
.

It just doesn't get much better than this

.

.

We're back from our weekend down in Ein Gedi, where we celebrated music and life in general on a beautiful deck overlooking the shockingly blue water of the Dead Sea (it really is a shocking deep blue, with a color that rich it seems almost scandalous that it is not in fact refreshingly sweet clear water) and looking across at the mountains of Jordan.

.

.

(Notice the tent is "staked" to the benches - necessity being the mother of invention and all that)

It was a weekend where everything just seems to come together perfectly - good friends both old and new, good music, campfire singalongs that go on until the wee hours of the morning... A weekend so wonderful that minor annoyances like missing breakfasts just seemed to work themselves out almost of their own accord.

.

The days were hot and sunny, with temperatures up into the eighties - perfect for exploring Ein Gedi's magical waterfalls and lazing around in the sun too.

.

.
. .
We even had a few encounters of the small and furry kind. We didn't get close to the ibex this time (turns out they were right by the entrance to the kibbutz where we were staying, but we weren't able to pull over quickly), but we got a real kick out of this little guy that we found along the trail. He's a rock hyrex and cute as a button.
.
.
Don't ask about the nights, it was the desert after all. We froze our proverbial patooties off, and after a windstorm blew through the second afternoon and nearly collapsed our tent with Maya inside it we decided it would be prudent to move it - so the second night we actually camped INSIDE a giant quonset hut right by the indoor stage. It worked out perfectly - the first night we were outside just a few feet from the main stage, and the second night the kids were able to go inside to bed out of the cold while the adults made a racket outside, and then by the time the cold chased us inside as well they were sound asleep and not bothered by the music being played just a few feet away.
.
Heck, they even made some music of their own before heading off to bed. Yes, my kids actually got up on stage and performed in front of about ninety people. They practiced for two days before making their big debut. Itai sang the theme song from their favorite cartoon (Huntik) while Maya danced. (They'd originally both planned to sing, but he managed to convince her that the act needed a dancer. They were by far the youngest performers there and they brought the (albeit quite indulgent) house down.)
.

.
All in all a wonderful weekend. We can't wait to do it again. Stop by during the week for more photos and stories from desert adventure, or better yet, join us next year.
.
(Yes, I realize there are no photos of the actual performances here. I didn't want to put anyone's pictures up on the internet without their permission. Rest assured I've got lots.)
.

Goin' down, down, down...

We're heading down to a music festival at the Dead Sea in a few hours. Back Saturday evening. Should be some great music, great friends, and great photo ops. Boy can I use a weekend like that right now!

Catch you on the flip side.

PS It is utterly obscene how much crap a family of four needs to camp out for two nights - even though nearly all of the food will be purchased there!

Wild Purple Iris

Click to enlarge

.

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

.