Last night I took a nighttime pill to help with my sinuses, and it did help me sleep better. This morning I got up and out and had a good work-out, walk, and stretches.
I taught 4 units today: 10:00-11:30 and 3:00-4:30. Each session was with an individual student, the first in Slovakia, and the second in France.
We ate again at Greg. This time, I looked more closely at the menu and found that they had קפה קפוא לייט kafe kafu lite ("Lite Ice-Café"), so we ordered those instead. This reduced the carbohydrates that David needed to give insulin to cover, and it means less calories for both of us. While we were at Ice Park & Mall, we walked all the way around several times and so got some exercise, as well.
This evening, we went for a somewhat shortened walk around the neighborhood. The weather was again very pleasant. An interesting thing happened as we were nearing home. A boy whom I've never seen before came up to us and asked politely, in good English, if we needed any help in the neighborhood. We told him we didn't but thanked him for asking. Now, wasn't that a nice thing for him to do!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
30 October 2012
I didn't sleep very well last night; I kept waking up and turning over. In the end, I think I got enough sleep, but it wasn't as continuous as it should have been. As a result, I got up late. Also, I had a bit of a headache and felt just generally a little achy, so I didn't go out for exercise at all.
I taught 7 units today: 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:00, and 5:00-7:15. Interestingly, all three were individual students at level 5, the first in the Czech Republic, the second in Slovakia, and the third in France.
We tried out the falafel place at the Ice Park & Mall for the first time today. It was good, though not exceptional. Then, we treated ourselves to churros (yes! really!) from the shop right next door. In fact, they made them fresh just for us, and they were delicious. I thought it was a little funny when the guy asked me what רוטב rotev ("sauce", or "dressing") I wanted, but when I heard that one of the choices was maple, I went for it immediately (the other two were Nutella, a chocolate spread, and ריבת חלב ribat khalav, literally "milk jam" but usually translated (really to Spanish!) as dulce de leche). Anyway, the churros were delicious, and the maple syrup went nicely with them, too!
That whole section of the mall is quite interesting. There are: an ice cream shop, a pizza and pasta place, a burger place, a NY pizza place, the falafel stand, the churros stand, an east Asian and sushi place, and Cinnabon (in that order, if I'm remembering correctly!). Talk about mixing things up!
We talked again to David's sister in Ohio this afternoon. They had already gotten some snow from Sandy, and I suspect they're going to be in for some more nasty weather before it moves on out. Of course, Ohio will NOT be as hard-hit as Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
This evening, we went on our usual walk, although I made a long detour to the local pharmacy while David waited on the bench in the green strip. It was hotter today and warmer out this evening, too.
I taught 7 units today: 9:00-10:30, 10:30-12:00, and 5:00-7:15. Interestingly, all three were individual students at level 5, the first in the Czech Republic, the second in Slovakia, and the third in France.
We tried out the falafel place at the Ice Park & Mall for the first time today. It was good, though not exceptional. Then, we treated ourselves to churros (yes! really!) from the shop right next door. In fact, they made them fresh just for us, and they were delicious. I thought it was a little funny when the guy asked me what רוטב rotev ("sauce", or "dressing") I wanted, but when I heard that one of the choices was maple, I went for it immediately (the other two were Nutella, a chocolate spread, and ריבת חלב ribat khalav, literally "milk jam" but usually translated (really to Spanish!) as dulce de leche). Anyway, the churros were delicious, and the maple syrup went nicely with them, too!
That whole section of the mall is quite interesting. There are: an ice cream shop, a pizza and pasta place, a burger place, a NY pizza place, the falafel stand, the churros stand, an east Asian and sushi place, and Cinnabon (in that order, if I'm remembering correctly!). Talk about mixing things up!
We talked again to David's sister in Ohio this afternoon. They had already gotten some snow from Sandy, and I suspect they're going to be in for some more nasty weather before it moves on out. Of course, Ohio will NOT be as hard-hit as Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
This evening, we went on our usual walk, although I made a long detour to the local pharmacy while David waited on the bench in the green strip. It was hotter today and warmer out this evening, too.
Monday, October 29, 2012
29 October 2012
I got up a little late this morning, having not slept quite as well as I would have liked. Still, I was able to walk to the gym, swing my legs a bit, and do my stretches in a sunny spot on the way back home.
This morning, I took the form that the eye doctor completed together with 2 passport pictures of David over to the city welfare office so that the social worker, Bat El, can apply for a t'udat iver (certificate of blindness) for David.
I had 8 units of Berlitz today, although one class was a late cancellation, so I only actually taught 6 units (but will be paid for 8): 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30 (the late cancellation), 3:30-5:00, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate at Chooka, an Asian place in the Ice Park & Mall, today. We had hot and sour soup (quite good) and vegetarian sushi (VERY good!). It was not too expensive, and we really enjoyed it.
This evening, we went for our usual walk around the neighborhood. The weather here now is absolutely PERFECT!
This morning, I took the form that the eye doctor completed together with 2 passport pictures of David over to the city welfare office so that the social worker, Bat El, can apply for a t'udat iver (certificate of blindness) for David.
I had 8 units of Berlitz today, although one class was a late cancellation, so I only actually taught 6 units (but will be paid for 8): 10:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30 (the late cancellation), 3:30-5:00, and 7:00-8:30.
We ate at Chooka, an Asian place in the Ice Park & Mall, today. We had hot and sour soup (quite good) and vegetarian sushi (VERY good!). It was not too expensive, and we really enjoyed it.
This evening, we went for our usual walk around the neighborhood. The weather here now is absolutely PERFECT!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
28 October 2012
I got up quite early today and got good exercise. I did my stretches in the sunny pergola near the big kikar instead of in my usual spot which is now shaded by one of the tall buildings at that time of morning. It's cool enough in the mornings now that the warm sun felt better than the cold concrete.
This morning I discovered that we had no hot water. It wasn't just that cold water came out of the hot tap. Oh no! Instead, NO water at ALL came out of the hot tap! So I had to call our landlord, and he came over within an hour or two. By mid-afternoon we had hot water again, although he still has to fix a problem with the water supply to the kitchen sink. He said he'd do that tomorrow, and I'm confident that he will.
We ate lunch again at Greg. David had tortellini with mushroom cream sauce, and I had their "Home Fries Salad". It's kind of an interesting combination: hot potato cubes coated with chili matok (spicy hot, sweet) sauce on a bed of greens, carrots strips, cucumber slices, and a few sprouts. The sauce seems kind of Thai (though this is Israel, so it's not that hot), but potatoes are definitely NOT part of Thai cuisine, I think. Anyway, it makes a good dish!
I saw more Muslim women today than I have in a long time. Those who are religious cover their hair in a way that's different from religious Jewish married women, so that's how I know they were Muslim. Other than that, I really can't distinguish Jews from Arabs very accurately. There are some Jews (like me, for example!) who really don't look at all like Arabs (although I have seen some surprisingly European-looking Arabs). But some of the mizrakhi and sephardic Jews look very similar to many Arabs, at least to me. In any case, I would estimate that the majority of the customers at the mall today were Muslim, and this is a city that has only a very tiny non-Jewish minority. The reason for this today? It's a Muslim holiday: Eid al-Adha, the "Feast of the Sacrifice", which began Friday and continues through Monday. Most of these people were probably Arab-Israelis from other parts of the country doing what Jewish Israeli do during our holidays. Some may even have come over from Jordan, although I have no way of knowing much about that. The most humorous thing for me was sitting there watching a young man, presumably Jewish, who runs a kiosk near Greg selling mostly kitchen gadgets, demonstrating one of his products. The product? A cloth to cover ones head, like a maid might do. What was so funny? He was demonstrating it (on a mannikin head) to women wearing Muslim head coverings, who, presumably, know very well how to do such things. In any case, they seemed interested. So, go figure!
This evening we had an appointment with the eye doctor for David. The doctor needed to fill out the form from the welfare office so that they can submit David's application for a t'udat iver (an ID card to show that he is blind). It will be a long process, but it can't start without this form, so this was an important step.
After that, we found a place that does passport photos, and both of us got some made. David needs two to submit with the form the doctor filled out, and we'll both need some once we finally get around to applying for Israeli passports, I'm sure.
Finally, we drove up to Yotvata and treated ourselves to ice cream. We still have several 2-for-1 coupons that they gave us when we toured there back in the Spring. They're valid until the end of the calendar year.
This morning I discovered that we had no hot water. It wasn't just that cold water came out of the hot tap. Oh no! Instead, NO water at ALL came out of the hot tap! So I had to call our landlord, and he came over within an hour or two. By mid-afternoon we had hot water again, although he still has to fix a problem with the water supply to the kitchen sink. He said he'd do that tomorrow, and I'm confident that he will.
We ate lunch again at Greg. David had tortellini with mushroom cream sauce, and I had their "Home Fries Salad". It's kind of an interesting combination: hot potato cubes coated with chili matok (spicy hot, sweet) sauce on a bed of greens, carrots strips, cucumber slices, and a few sprouts. The sauce seems kind of Thai (though this is Israel, so it's not that hot), but potatoes are definitely NOT part of Thai cuisine, I think. Anyway, it makes a good dish!
I saw more Muslim women today than I have in a long time. Those who are religious cover their hair in a way that's different from religious Jewish married women, so that's how I know they were Muslim. Other than that, I really can't distinguish Jews from Arabs very accurately. There are some Jews (like me, for example!) who really don't look at all like Arabs (although I have seen some surprisingly European-looking Arabs). But some of the mizrakhi and sephardic Jews look very similar to many Arabs, at least to me. In any case, I would estimate that the majority of the customers at the mall today were Muslim, and this is a city that has only a very tiny non-Jewish minority. The reason for this today? It's a Muslim holiday: Eid al-Adha, the "Feast of the Sacrifice", which began Friday and continues through Monday. Most of these people were probably Arab-Israelis from other parts of the country doing what Jewish Israeli do during our holidays. Some may even have come over from Jordan, although I have no way of knowing much about that. The most humorous thing for me was sitting there watching a young man, presumably Jewish, who runs a kiosk near Greg selling mostly kitchen gadgets, demonstrating one of his products. The product? A cloth to cover ones head, like a maid might do. What was so funny? He was demonstrating it (on a mannikin head) to women wearing Muslim head coverings, who, presumably, know very well how to do such things. In any case, they seemed interested. So, go figure!
This evening we had an appointment with the eye doctor for David. The doctor needed to fill out the form from the welfare office so that they can submit David's application for a t'udat iver (an ID card to show that he is blind). It will be a long process, but it can't start without this form, so this was an important step.
After that, we found a place that does passport photos, and both of us got some made. David needs two to submit with the form the doctor filled out, and we'll both need some once we finally get around to applying for Israeli passports, I'm sure.
Finally, we drove up to Yotvata and treated ourselves to ice cream. We still have several 2-for-1 coupons that they gave us when we toured there back in the Spring. They're valid until the end of the calendar year.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
27 October 2012
I got up, got out, and got a good walk and a good work-out this morning.
The big thing for today was a trip to the Small Makhtesh, located in the northeastern Negev. It's about a 2.5-hour drive from here. From the parking lot, I walked about 20-25 minutes to get to the viewpoint, but the view was really great from there. This is the smallest of three makhteshses (craters that are NOT of volcanic or meteoric origin) in the Negev. This one is by far the hardest to get to, since paved roads go right THROUGH the other two! But, in a way, this one is the easiest to comprehend since it's small enough to really see it in its entirety from one spot. Of course, I took a lot of pictures, and I'll try to post some of them in my old blog in the next few days.
We got a fairly late start, so we didn't get back home until nearly 5:30 this evening. David took a short nap because he was exhausted from the trip (even though he did NOT hike with me but instead stayed in the car listening to a Wikipedia article). After his nap, we talked for a while with his sister and her granddaughter in Ohio.
The big thing for today was a trip to the Small Makhtesh, located in the northeastern Negev. It's about a 2.5-hour drive from here. From the parking lot, I walked about 20-25 minutes to get to the viewpoint, but the view was really great from there. This is the smallest of three makhteshses (craters that are NOT of volcanic or meteoric origin) in the Negev. This one is by far the hardest to get to, since paved roads go right THROUGH the other two! But, in a way, this one is the easiest to comprehend since it's small enough to really see it in its entirety from one spot. Of course, I took a lot of pictures, and I'll try to post some of them in my old blog in the next few days.
We got a fairly late start, so we didn't get back home until nearly 5:30 this evening. David took a short nap because he was exhausted from the trip (even though he did NOT hike with me but instead stayed in the car listening to a Wikipedia article). After his nap, we talked for a while with his sister and her granddaughter in Ohio.
Friday, October 26, 2012
26 October 2012
I woke up a little late this morning, so I only walked to the big kikar, did my stretches, and walked back. Still, I DID get some good exercise and also enjoyed the wonderful morning air!
I taught 3 units today: 9:00-10:30 and 1:00-1:45.
We continued our tradition of lunch on Fridays at Il Pentolino. I had my old stand-by, the "Palermo" sauce, but David was adventurous and tried a new sauce, with olive oil, basil, and pine-nuts. It, too, was delicious.
Both of us have been feeling a bit better the last few days since I came up with an idea to help keep David from being so bored. Here's how it works. First, he chooses a topic he'd like to learn more about. Then, I go to the Wikipedia article on that topic and highlight all the text of the body of the article. Next, I choose a menu option (in the browser but actually a service provided by the Mac OS) that "reads" the text into a audio and puts it into iTunes. After I have done this for several articles, I sync his iPhone and transfer these audio files onto it. Then he can listen to them when he wants. He has been enjoying this quite a bit, and I feel more content seeing him happier. We'll certainly continue to do this, and to give thanks for the text-to-speech technology that makes it possible!
This evening, after we had made Shabbat, we took a nice walk around the neighborhood, stopping to sit on benches in the green strip a couple of times, and just generally enjoying the lovely cool evening!
I taught 3 units today: 9:00-10:30 and 1:00-1:45.
We continued our tradition of lunch on Fridays at Il Pentolino. I had my old stand-by, the "Palermo" sauce, but David was adventurous and tried a new sauce, with olive oil, basil, and pine-nuts. It, too, was delicious.
Both of us have been feeling a bit better the last few days since I came up with an idea to help keep David from being so bored. Here's how it works. First, he chooses a topic he'd like to learn more about. Then, I go to the Wikipedia article on that topic and highlight all the text of the body of the article. Next, I choose a menu option (in the browser but actually a service provided by the Mac OS) that "reads" the text into a audio and puts it into iTunes. After I have done this for several articles, I sync his iPhone and transfer these audio files onto it. Then he can listen to them when he wants. He has been enjoying this quite a bit, and I feel more content seeing him happier. We'll certainly continue to do this, and to give thanks for the text-to-speech technology that makes it possible!
This evening, after we had made Shabbat, we took a nice walk around the neighborhood, stopping to sit on benches in the green strip a couple of times, and just generally enjoying the lovely cool evening!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
25 October 2012
I got up early enough this morning to get a good walk and a short work-out in. I felt good about it.
I taught 5 units today: 9:15-10:45, 1:00-1:45, and 6:00-7:30.
We again ate at Greg and Ice Park & Mall, but we had to leave before the ice-dance show due to some problems David was having.
We again talked to his sister in Ohio, and enjoyed a nice conversation with her and her husband.
We are now leaving all the windows of the house open all day and all night, and it's very comfortable the whole time. We even took a walk around the neighborhood at noon, and it wasn't too hot. Great weather to be having!
I taught 5 units today: 9:15-10:45, 1:00-1:45, and 6:00-7:30.
We again ate at Greg and Ice Park & Mall, but we had to leave before the ice-dance show due to some problems David was having.
We again talked to his sister in Ohio, and enjoyed a nice conversation with her and her husband.
We are now leaving all the windows of the house open all day and all night, and it's very comfortable the whole time. We even took a walk around the neighborhood at noon, and it wasn't too hot. Great weather to be having!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
24 October 2012
I got up quite early this morning and had a good walk and work-out. It was cool enough that I decided to wear a t-shirt instead of just a tank top.
At 9:00, we had an intake appointment with the social worker at the municipal welfare office. Her name was Bat El (which means "daughter of God"), and she was very nice. She spoke English quite well, which was very helpful for us. She gave us a form that an eye doctor must fill out. We must get that done and return it to her, together with 2 passport pictures of David, and this will get the process started for getting David a teudat iver (a certificate that he is blind). This is important in order for him to receive many services for the blind, and it will not be a quick process. She also put in a work order for someone to visit him and help him with mobility and other issues in dealing with being blind and trying to achieve more independence. She said that this also will take time.
Although things are slow here in Israel, there is an important positive difference. In the U.S., when one applies for help from nearly any government agency, one nearly always gets the feeling that one is somehow suspect. The silent assumption in the States is that EVERYONE is surely just dying to receive welfare benefits, and the job of the workers in all agencies is to make sure that there is absolutely NO cheating. Here, on the other hand, their attitude here in Israel is always that it is their job to HELP you get the benefits that you are ENTITLED to! This difference is perspective makes a WORLD of difference to someone in David's situation, believe me!
In the late morning, just before noon, it was not too hot out, so David and I went for a nice walk around the neighborhood. There was just enough warmth to make it feel really great.
I taught only 2 Berlitz lessons today (3 units): 1:00-1:45 and 7:00-8:30.
After my first lesson, we went again to eat lunch at Greg and again watched the ice-dance show. Today's show was one that we had not yet seen and was based on songs from the musical "Grease". I think it was one of the most impressive I have seen them do here.
At 9:00, we had an intake appointment with the social worker at the municipal welfare office. Her name was Bat El (which means "daughter of God"), and she was very nice. She spoke English quite well, which was very helpful for us. She gave us a form that an eye doctor must fill out. We must get that done and return it to her, together with 2 passport pictures of David, and this will get the process started for getting David a teudat iver (a certificate that he is blind). This is important in order for him to receive many services for the blind, and it will not be a quick process. She also put in a work order for someone to visit him and help him with mobility and other issues in dealing with being blind and trying to achieve more independence. She said that this also will take time.
Although things are slow here in Israel, there is an important positive difference. In the U.S., when one applies for help from nearly any government agency, one nearly always gets the feeling that one is somehow suspect. The silent assumption in the States is that EVERYONE is surely just dying to receive welfare benefits, and the job of the workers in all agencies is to make sure that there is absolutely NO cheating. Here, on the other hand, their attitude here in Israel is always that it is their job to HELP you get the benefits that you are ENTITLED to! This difference is perspective makes a WORLD of difference to someone in David's situation, believe me!
In the late morning, just before noon, it was not too hot out, so David and I went for a nice walk around the neighborhood. There was just enough warmth to make it feel really great.
I taught only 2 Berlitz lessons today (3 units): 1:00-1:45 and 7:00-8:30.
After my first lesson, we went again to eat lunch at Greg and again watched the ice-dance show. Today's show was one that we had not yet seen and was based on songs from the musical "Grease". I think it was one of the most impressive I have seen them do here.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
23 October 2012
Last night I had trouble going to sleep, so it wasn't surprising that I wasn't able to get up early this morning and thus got no walk.
I had only 2 classes today (3 units): 9:15-10:45 and 1:00-1:45.
We went over to Maccabi after my first class, and both of us got our annual flu shots. If you haven't gotten yours yet, it's time, and you should!
We ate lunch again at Greg and watched today's 3:00 ice-dance show. It was the one based on "Hair" that we had seen before, but it was fun to watch it again.
After that, we came home and talked to David's sister in Ohio. Finally, we took a drive around the short loop beginning at about sunset and returning home around 6:30.
Monday, October 22, 2012
22 October 2012
This morning I got up quite early and had a good walk and work-out. There was no more water running in the nakhal, of course, but it was still wet enough that I could see where the water had been running last night. This morning, the sky was clear, but it clouded up again in the afternoon, and we even got a few more drops of rain but nothing more than that.
I taught 3 Berlitz lessons today for a total of 5 units (one of them was only 1 unit): 9:00-10:30, 1:00-1:45, and 6:00-7:30.
We ate lunch again at Greg. David had tortellini with the tomato sauce (which he didn't like as well as the cream sauce), and I had a Spanish omelet roll, which I had never tried before. It was pretty good but will probably not become one of my favorites.
Just as we were paying and getting ready to leave Greg, they started another ice-dance show on the ice rink! This one was set entirely to Abba songs and was quite fun to watch. The only down side is that I now have Abba songs running around and around and around and around in my head. Oy!
I took David to his second video conference appointment with his diabetes doctor his afternoon. We were in a different room this time, and they used a smaller, more mobile set-up. It quite amazing that we can sit here comfortably in the Maccabi center in town and have a good appointment with the doctor (who, based on his accent and command of English, is an American-Israeli) sitting in Tel Aviv!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
21 October 2012
Today, I woke up late and simply was not motivated to get up and exercise. Oh well!
I did get some chores done today, at least. I swept the balcony (which it badly needed!), took the trash out, took the plastic bottles and bags to the recycle cage, and did some laundry.
For lunch, we again ate at Greg, but only after wandering around the Ice Park & Mall several times trying to decide where to eat. We barely managed to avoid the temptation simply to have a Cinnabon for lunch!
Afterwards, we went to the market, and I did the grocery shopping while David waited in the car.
The big news today in Eilat was --- <BIG drum roll!!!!!!> --- RAIN! Yes, really! And lightning, and thunder! It all started just after sunset (kind of ruining the photo ops). There was water running everywhere, of course, but the place to be was on one of the bridges over Nakhal Shakhamon (especially the first one!). Even I had to stop and get out of the car to see water running in the dry stream bed and heading for the 12 tunnels that go under the road there (I sure it didn't actually go through all 12 of them, of course). This is the first time I have see ANY water at all running there! Big excitement!
I did get some chores done today, at least. I swept the balcony (which it badly needed!), took the trash out, took the plastic bottles and bags to the recycle cage, and did some laundry.
For lunch, we again ate at Greg, but only after wandering around the Ice Park & Mall several times trying to decide where to eat. We barely managed to avoid the temptation simply to have a Cinnabon for lunch!
Afterwards, we went to the market, and I did the grocery shopping while David waited in the car.
The big news today in Eilat was --- <BIG drum roll!!!!!!> --- RAIN! Yes, really! And lightning, and thunder! It all started just after sunset (kind of ruining the photo ops). There was water running everywhere, of course, but the place to be was on one of the bridges over Nakhal Shakhamon (especially the first one!). Even I had to stop and get out of the car to see water running in the dry stream bed and heading for the 12 tunnels that go under the road there (I sure it didn't actually go through all 12 of them, of course). This is the first time I have see ANY water at all running there! Big excitement!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
20 October 2012
I got up very early this morning and was out of the house just after 5:30. I walked down to Sheshet-HaYamim Street which I followed all way across the nakhal to the road that goes up towards where the gym is. Then I walked through Canada Park (a nice green park area whose infrastructure was donated by various communities throughout Canada) up to the gym. I worked out a little, and then walked home, stopping to stretch near the big kikar.
After breakfast, we drove down to the Dolphin Reef. Because of David's disability card and the fact that we are now official residents of Eilat, we only had to pay 17 shekels to get in (actually, that was just for me -- David's entrance was totally free!). We found a nice little table in the shade and enjoyed being at the beach, including a couple of drinks. I even went into the sea a couple of times and swam around a bit, my first time (believe it or not!) swimming in the Red Sea. It was really nice! There were no waves any bigger than in a swimming pool, and the temperature was about the same, too. The difference was that I floated better (due to the salt water) and that I actually saw some little fish swimming around. David didn't go into the water, so he didn't get to enjoy this outing as much as I did, but I think he had a fairly good time anyway.
After that, we drove over to the Ice Park & Mall and ate lunch at Greg. David had papparadelle (wide noodles) in a mushroom cream sauce, and I had their "toast salad". We both enjoyed large ice-cafés.
This afternoon, we enjoyed a nice conversation with David's sister in Ohio and her granddaughter.
I posted another of my mom's letters to her parents today. This one was dated 27 October 1951. You can read it by clicking here.
This evening, we went for our usual short walk and stopped at our usual benches to rest and enjoy the lovely evening.
After breakfast, we drove down to the Dolphin Reef. Because of David's disability card and the fact that we are now official residents of Eilat, we only had to pay 17 shekels to get in (actually, that was just for me -- David's entrance was totally free!). We found a nice little table in the shade and enjoyed being at the beach, including a couple of drinks. I even went into the sea a couple of times and swam around a bit, my first time (believe it or not!) swimming in the Red Sea. It was really nice! There were no waves any bigger than in a swimming pool, and the temperature was about the same, too. The difference was that I floated better (due to the salt water) and that I actually saw some little fish swimming around. David didn't go into the water, so he didn't get to enjoy this outing as much as I did, but I think he had a fairly good time anyway.
After that, we drove over to the Ice Park & Mall and ate lunch at Greg. David had papparadelle (wide noodles) in a mushroom cream sauce, and I had their "toast salad". We both enjoyed large ice-cafés.
This afternoon, we enjoyed a nice conversation with David's sister in Ohio and her granddaughter.
I posted another of my mom's letters to her parents today. This one was dated 27 October 1951. You can read it by clicking here.
This evening, we went for our usual short walk and stopped at our usual benches to rest and enjoy the lovely evening.
Friday, October 19, 2012
19 October 2012
This morning I woke up quite late and stiff, so I didn't go out for any exercise at all.
I taught just one class today (2 units): 9:30-11:00.
Before the class, I took a quick walk down to the local bakery to buy challot and some pastries for Shabbat. After the class, I drove over to the supermarket to buy dairy products. Our refrigerator had quit cooling properly last weekend, and, as a result, we had had to throw away a number of containers of cottage cheese and even a full liter of milk. Then, because we didn't have the cottage cheese for several days, we had been eating more yogurt at bedtime in place of it. So, I bought 3 liters of milk, 3 containers of cottage cheese, and a couple of 8-packs of yogurt.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino again, which has become a sort of Friday tradition. David had penne with roquefort sauce, and I had whole-wheat spaghetti with "Palermo" sauce (fried vegetables).
After making Shabbat this evening, we went for a somewhat longer walk around the neighborhood, getting all the way over to Ein N'tafim Street. We stopped and rested on park benches both times that we crossed the green strip. At the first stop, we saw Karen and Liz walking their dogs. We had seen Karen not too long ago, but it had been some time since we had seen Liz. It was nice to see both of them, and we enjoyed a short chat, as well!
I taught just one class today (2 units): 9:30-11:00.
Before the class, I took a quick walk down to the local bakery to buy challot and some pastries for Shabbat. After the class, I drove over to the supermarket to buy dairy products. Our refrigerator had quit cooling properly last weekend, and, as a result, we had had to throw away a number of containers of cottage cheese and even a full liter of milk. Then, because we didn't have the cottage cheese for several days, we had been eating more yogurt at bedtime in place of it. So, I bought 3 liters of milk, 3 containers of cottage cheese, and a couple of 8-packs of yogurt.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino again, which has become a sort of Friday tradition. David had penne with roquefort sauce, and I had whole-wheat spaghetti with "Palermo" sauce (fried vegetables).
After making Shabbat this evening, we went for a somewhat longer walk around the neighborhood, getting all the way over to Ein N'tafim Street. We stopped and rested on park benches both times that we crossed the green strip. At the first stop, we saw Karen and Liz walking their dogs. We had seen Karen not too long ago, but it had been some time since we had seen Liz. It was nice to see both of them, and we enjoyed a short chat, as well!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
18 October 2012
I got up a little late this morning, so my work-out was very short. But at least I did get over all the way to the gym and back, and the walk was very good.
I taught 3 classes (6 units=4 hours) today: 9:15-10:45, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30.
I went shopping again today. First, we went to the old mall (Mul HaYam = "Next to the Sea"). David walked around with me a bit at first, then sat in the food court, and finally asked me to take him back to the car, where he sat while I did some more shopping. I found some good stuff, too: 3 pairs of pants, 3 T-shirts, and 2 pairs of short pants. The warm colors, which I like and which generally look good on me, seem to be more in now than sometimes, so I tried to get them while they're available!
When I returned to the car, we decided to drive over to the new mall (Ice Park & Mall) and eat there. Just for variety, we ate at Café Café there (it's quieter there than at the old mall because there's MUCH more space) instead of at Greg. David had pizza, and I had Italian shakshuka. We didn't do any more shopping there.
I taught 3 classes (6 units=4 hours) today: 9:15-10:45, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30.
I went shopping again today. First, we went to the old mall (Mul HaYam = "Next to the Sea"). David walked around with me a bit at first, then sat in the food court, and finally asked me to take him back to the car, where he sat while I did some more shopping. I found some good stuff, too: 3 pairs of pants, 3 T-shirts, and 2 pairs of short pants. The warm colors, which I like and which generally look good on me, seem to be more in now than sometimes, so I tried to get them while they're available!
When I returned to the car, we decided to drive over to the new mall (Ice Park & Mall) and eat there. Just for variety, we ate at Café Café there (it's quieter there than at the old mall because there's MUCH more space) instead of at Greg. David had pizza, and I had Italian shakshuka. We didn't do any more shopping there.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
17 October 2012
I got out of the house just after 6:00 this morning. I was a little tired but felt more rested and relaxed. I had a good walk and a good work-out.
This morning, we decided to return to Hai Bar, a sort of small zoo located near Yotvata. It particularly features desert animals. This was our second visit there. We walked through the exhibits first, and then drove through the large areas where the animals can roam free.
I had only one Berlitz class today, and it was only 1 unit, 2:00-2:45.
After my class, we went again to Greg for a late lunch. Just as we arrived at the mall, they were starting the 3:00 ice dance show, so we stopped to watch it before going over and eating. It wasn't the Olympics, of course, but it was good and fun to watch. We also decided to stay at the mall until the 5:00 show so that I could take a video of it with my iPhone. It was a different show, using music from "Hair". I was hoping to upload the video for you here, but I got an error when I tried to do so, so something must be incompatible.
Both before and after the second show, I did some shopping around the mall. David went with me part of the time, but mostly he sat and rested. I saw a lot of interesting clothes and even tried a few on, but I didn't buy anything because nothing was really perfect for me. It was fun anyway!
This morning, we decided to return to Hai Bar, a sort of small zoo located near Yotvata. It particularly features desert animals. This was our second visit there. We walked through the exhibits first, and then drove through the large areas where the animals can roam free.
I had only one Berlitz class today, and it was only 1 unit, 2:00-2:45.
After my class, we went again to Greg for a late lunch. Just as we arrived at the mall, they were starting the 3:00 ice dance show, so we stopped to watch it before going over and eating. It wasn't the Olympics, of course, but it was good and fun to watch. We also decided to stay at the mall until the 5:00 show so that I could take a video of it with my iPhone. It was a different show, using music from "Hair". I was hoping to upload the video for you here, but I got an error when I tried to do so, so something must be incompatible.
Both before and after the second show, I did some shopping around the mall. David went with me part of the time, but mostly he sat and rested. I saw a lot of interesting clothes and even tried a few on, but I didn't buy anything because nothing was really perfect for me. It was fun anyway!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
16 October 2012
This morning, I got up and out of the house just after 6:00 even though I was feeling a bit tired. I walked to the gym, did a little exercise there, and walked back home, stopping to stretch on the way. The morning breeze was very refreshing!
I taught 2 classes today (5 units): 9:15-10:45 and 6:45-9:00. The second one was a 3-unit level 1 class.
We got our car washed this morning, which it badly needed. We hadn't had it cleaned since our adventure getting stuck in the gravel in Nakhal Paran in the middle of the desert. Now it looks great once again!
After getting the car washed, we went over to the Ice Park & Mall. It was still a little early for lunch, so we walked around some and we just sat and chatted for a while. Finally, we had lunch at Greg. David had a toasted bagel and I had an egg sandwich. Both of our meals came with small salads, and we also drank ice-café with our meals.
This afternoon, we had a nice conversation with David's sister, Joyce, in Ohio via Skype.
I taught 2 classes today (5 units): 9:15-10:45 and 6:45-9:00. The second one was a 3-unit level 1 class.
We got our car washed this morning, which it badly needed. We hadn't had it cleaned since our adventure getting stuck in the gravel in Nakhal Paran in the middle of the desert. Now it looks great once again!
After getting the car washed, we went over to the Ice Park & Mall. It was still a little early for lunch, so we walked around some and we just sat and chatted for a while. Finally, we had lunch at Greg. David had a toasted bagel and I had an egg sandwich. Both of our meals came with small salads, and we also drank ice-café with our meals.
This afternoon, we had a nice conversation with David's sister, Joyce, in Ohio via Skype.
Monday, October 15, 2012
15 October 2012
I felt very tired when I woke up this morning for some reason, even though I had slept quite well. So I didn't get up until quite late and didn't go out for a walk at all.
Today was a VERY busy Berlitz day! I taught 5 classes (10 units = 7.5 hours): 9:00-11:30, 12:00-1:30, 2:00-3:30, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30. Obviously I did pretty much nothing but teach today.
We HAD to eat lunch at home, since I had no break longer than 30 minutes anywhere near lunch time. We had vegetarian hamburgers and cheese and ketchup in sandwiches, with Chinese-style vegetables on the side.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
14 October 2012
This morning I got up quite early and was out of the house by just after quarter to 6:00.
My main goal for today was to get the 60,000-kilometer service done on our car. So, I headed over there as early as I could. They took the car in right away, and I was out of there within about 2 hours. I consider that quite good.
For lunch, we again went to Greg at the Ice Park & Mall. There weren't that many people there today, so it was easy to get a table. I picked one over by the railing so that I could watch the people skating below. Our favorite waiter, Ronnie, talked a bit with us (we only learned his name today). David had pizza with feta cheese, olives, and mushrooms. I had their breakfast (omelet, Israeli salad, guacamole, cheeses, cream cheese, bread, and butter). We both had big ice-cafés. The music that was playing there today was very relaxing, sort of post-new-age, post-piano-jazz. I actually didn't want to leave.
I did the grocery shopping after that (David waited in the car).
A common thing here in Israel when people can't do something right away (for whatever reason, really) is that they'll do it or it will happen אחרי החגים akharei he-khagim "after the holidays". Although there are many holidays throughout the year, the big clusters are in the Spring and in the Fall.
In the Spring, it begins with Purim, which is REALLY big here, then continues with Pesakh (which is a month later, but, with all the frenetic cleaning it might as well be right after Purim), Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaAtzma'ut (2 days in succession), and Shavuot. These are actually spaced somewhat, but, you know, we can't really expect anyone to get anything serious (or otherwise!) done between them.
In the Fall, it's Rosh HaShana (which comes on the heals of the regular summer vacations, of course), Yom Kipur (9 days afterwards), and Sukot (only a few days after Yom Kipur and lasting for EIGHT whole days!). Again, one couldn't possibly do anything BETWEEN these closely spaced holidays.
So, now we are finally akharei he-khagim, and, of course, now there is a HUGE overload of work to be done. Actually, though, it may STILL have to wait until "after the holidays" -- while at the market today, I saw sufganiot, the jelly donuts that are the hallmark of Khanukah here, which is only about 2 shorts months away... Oh dear!
My main goal for today was to get the 60,000-kilometer service done on our car. So, I headed over there as early as I could. They took the car in right away, and I was out of there within about 2 hours. I consider that quite good.
For lunch, we again went to Greg at the Ice Park & Mall. There weren't that many people there today, so it was easy to get a table. I picked one over by the railing so that I could watch the people skating below. Our favorite waiter, Ronnie, talked a bit with us (we only learned his name today). David had pizza with feta cheese, olives, and mushrooms. I had their breakfast (omelet, Israeli salad, guacamole, cheeses, cream cheese, bread, and butter). We both had big ice-cafés. The music that was playing there today was very relaxing, sort of post-new-age, post-piano-jazz. I actually didn't want to leave.
I did the grocery shopping after that (David waited in the car).
A common thing here in Israel when people can't do something right away (for whatever reason, really) is that they'll do it or it will happen אחרי החגים akharei he-khagim "after the holidays". Although there are many holidays throughout the year, the big clusters are in the Spring and in the Fall.
In the Spring, it begins with Purim, which is REALLY big here, then continues with Pesakh (which is a month later, but, with all the frenetic cleaning it might as well be right after Purim), Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaAtzma'ut (2 days in succession), and Shavuot. These are actually spaced somewhat, but, you know, we can't really expect anyone to get anything serious (or otherwise!) done between them.
In the Fall, it's Rosh HaShana (which comes on the heals of the regular summer vacations, of course), Yom Kipur (9 days afterwards), and Sukot (only a few days after Yom Kipur and lasting for EIGHT whole days!). Again, one couldn't possibly do anything BETWEEN these closely spaced holidays.
So, now we are finally akharei he-khagim, and, of course, now there is a HUGE overload of work to be done. Actually, though, it may STILL have to wait until "after the holidays" -- while at the market today, I saw sufganiot, the jelly donuts that are the hallmark of Khanukah here, which is only about 2 shorts months away... Oh dear!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
13 October 2012
I woke up somewhat late this morning and didn't get out of the house until about 6:20. I still walked over to the big kikar (where highway 12 goes up out of town), did my stretches, and walked back.
This morning, we filled out our ballots for the U.S. election and put them into the mailbox. They should easily arrive there before November 6.
I posted another of my mom's letters to her parents this morning. This one was hand-written (the others are typed) since she was writing from Portland, Oregon, where she and my dad were visiting his family. You can read it by clicking here.
We ate lunch at Greg again. David had paparadelle (pasta) with mushroom cream sauce, and I had their "Home Fries" salad. I asked the waiter whether הום פרייז should be "Home Prize" or "Home Fries", and so that's how I know which is correct now (it also makes more sense, since the salad has little cubes of potato in it!). For those of you unfamiliar with Hebrew, the letter פ peh can be pronounced as a "p" or an "f". In real Hebrew words, it would ALWAYS be "p" at the beginning of a word (and always "f" at the end, although it's written ף at the end of a word). But of course, this is clearly NOT really Hebrew at all -- it's just transliterated English, which I already knew.
This evening, we took another of our nice walks around the neighborhood, with stops at our usual park benches in the green strip.
This morning, we filled out our ballots for the U.S. election and put them into the mailbox. They should easily arrive there before November 6.
I posted another of my mom's letters to her parents this morning. This one was hand-written (the others are typed) since she was writing from Portland, Oregon, where she and my dad were visiting his family. You can read it by clicking here.
We ate lunch at Greg again. David had paparadelle (pasta) with mushroom cream sauce, and I had their "Home Fries" salad. I asked the waiter whether הום פרייז should be "Home Prize" or "Home Fries", and so that's how I know which is correct now (it also makes more sense, since the salad has little cubes of potato in it!). For those of you unfamiliar with Hebrew, the letter פ peh can be pronounced as a "p" or an "f". In real Hebrew words, it would ALWAYS be "p" at the beginning of a word (and always "f" at the end, although it's written ף at the end of a word). But of course, this is clearly NOT really Hebrew at all -- it's just transliterated English, which I already knew.
This evening, we took another of our nice walks around the neighborhood, with stops at our usual park benches in the green strip.
Friday, October 12, 2012
12 October 2012
I was out of the house at about 6:00 this morning and got a good walk and work-out.
I taught 2 classes (4 units) today: 9:30-11:00 and 12:30-2:00.
We had a late lunch after my last class at Il Pentolino. Both of us tried sauces we hadn't had before. David had Roqueford sauce, and I had a cream sauce with peas and croutons. David really like his (although it wasn't much to my taste), and I liked mine quite well even though I don't think it's as good as the sauce I've had there previously. It was certainly a nice change, in any case.
This evening, we made Shabbat late and were just lazy.
I taught 2 classes (4 units) today: 9:30-11:00 and 12:30-2:00.
We had a late lunch after my last class at Il Pentolino. Both of us tried sauces we hadn't had before. David had Roqueford sauce, and I had a cream sauce with peas and croutons. David really like his (although it wasn't much to my taste), and I liked mine quite well even though I don't think it's as good as the sauce I've had there previously. It was certainly a nice change, in any case.
This evening, we made Shabbat late and were just lazy.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
11 October 2012
I got up and out of the house by about 5:50 this morning. I drove up highway 12, parked the car, and hiked up Nakhal Yoash to its beautiful little valley, a place I LOVE to visit. It's just such a peaceful, beautiful, and unexpectedly little valley! This time, I climbed up to the top of a hill that is located in the middle of the valley. It was a little harder than I expected to get up there, but it gave me an interesting new perspective on the place. I took several pictures, so perhaps I'll write about it and post one of two of them in my old blog, maybe tomorrow or on Shabbat.
This morning, I went into town on a couple of errands. First, I needed to get our prescriptions for the month filled. There were quite a few people at the Maccabi pharmacy, so I had to wait a bit, but I got them filled successfully. Then, I walked across the street to one of the pet stores. We put our 3 cats out on the balcony for the night. The balcony has a roof, but there are cracks between the boards, so it's NOT designed to be water-proof. We figured we should get some better shelter for the cats before it rains. I found a nice wood "house" that will be just the right size for them. Together with the balcony roof, it should keep them quite dry, even if it rains. Of course, there's no forecast of rain here as yet, but eventually we probably will get a few days of rain at some point before next summer, and now we're ready!
I talk 4 classes today for a total of 7 units (one of them was a 1-unit lesson): 12:45-1:30, 2:30-4:00, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30.
David and I took a short walk this evening and rested a couple of times on benches in the green strip. It was a little warmer than yesterday but still very pleasant out.
This morning, I went into town on a couple of errands. First, I needed to get our prescriptions for the month filled. There were quite a few people at the Maccabi pharmacy, so I had to wait a bit, but I got them filled successfully. Then, I walked across the street to one of the pet stores. We put our 3 cats out on the balcony for the night. The balcony has a roof, but there are cracks between the boards, so it's NOT designed to be water-proof. We figured we should get some better shelter for the cats before it rains. I found a nice wood "house" that will be just the right size for them. Together with the balcony roof, it should keep them quite dry, even if it rains. Of course, there's no forecast of rain here as yet, but eventually we probably will get a few days of rain at some point before next summer, and now we're ready!
I talk 4 classes today for a total of 7 units (one of them was a 1-unit lesson): 12:45-1:30, 2:30-4:00, 4:00-5:30, and 6:00-7:30.
David and I took a short walk this evening and rested a couple of times on benches in the green strip. It was a little warmer than yesterday but still very pleasant out.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
10 October 2012
I got out of the house before 6:00 this morning and had a good walk and a good work-out. I even jogged from near the gym to the big kikar on the way back. Slowly, I'm getting back into better shape.
I taught only 2 classes (4 units) today: 9:30-11:00 and 12:00-1:30.
We ate lunch at Sushi-Mushi at the Ice Park & Mall. We both had Asian-style noodles, and they were quite good. But then we (by which I actually mean "I"!) got tempted by the Cinnabon shop which is right next door. They are so good, and SO sinful -- there may be no atoning at all in this case! LOL
This evening, we went for a short walk, to the nearest bench in the green strip. We sat there for a long time, enjoying the wonderful evening temperatures and the happy sounds of lot of children playing not far away. Many people also walked by, most with children and some with dogs. It was just generally a very pleasant and happy scene, even for David, who couldn't actually SEE it of course. While we were sitting there, our neighbor and friend, Karen, walked by and stopped to talk with us for a while. That was also very nice.
I taught only 2 classes (4 units) today: 9:30-11:00 and 12:00-1:30.
We ate lunch at Sushi-Mushi at the Ice Park & Mall. We both had Asian-style noodles, and they were quite good. But then we (by which I actually mean "I"!) got tempted by the Cinnabon shop which is right next door. They are so good, and SO sinful -- there may be no atoning at all in this case! LOL
This evening, we went for a short walk, to the nearest bench in the green strip. We sat there for a long time, enjoying the wonderful evening temperatures and the happy sounds of lot of children playing not far away. Many people also walked by, most with children and some with dogs. It was just generally a very pleasant and happy scene, even for David, who couldn't actually SEE it of course. While we were sitting there, our neighbor and friend, Karen, walked by and stopped to talk with us for a while. That was also very nice.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
9 October 2012
I got out of the house at 6:00 this morning and got a good walk and work-out at the gym. The weather is still very pleasant out here, especially at that hour.
I taught 9 units today: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30, 12:30-2:00, and 4:00-6:15. So I was busy teaching most of the day.
For lunch we went to the Ice Park & Mall and ate at an Asian place there that we had not tried before. There was a little confusion when, after we had ordered and paid, they discovered that they didn't have tofu and udon noodles. Still, once things got straightened around, we had a couple of very nice meals. I had fried rice, which was better than one might expect, and David had egg noodles and vegetables in a yellow curry sauce. Both were very nice, so we'll probably eat there again sometime.
I taught 9 units today: 9:30-11:00, 11:00-12:30, 12:30-2:00, and 4:00-6:15. So I was busy teaching most of the day.
For lunch we went to the Ice Park & Mall and ate at an Asian place there that we had not tried before. There was a little confusion when, after we had ordered and paid, they discovered that they didn't have tofu and udon noodles. Still, once things got straightened around, we had a couple of very nice meals. I had fried rice, which was better than one might expect, and David had egg noodles and vegetables in a yellow curry sauce. Both were very nice, so we'll probably eat there again sometime.
Monday, October 8, 2012
8 October 2012
I got up early this morning and was out of the house at about 5:35. The weather was beautiful for the walk to the gym and my work-out there. I petted Fluffy, the cat who lives along Harim Road, both on the way out and on the way back. We both look forward to seeing each other!
This morning, I posted in both my political blog and my mom's blog (her letters to her parents in the 1950s). So, to read about the importance of free speech, the cost- and life-saving value of stopping Iran early, and Druze in the Golan applying for Israeli citizenship, click here. To read my mom's letter to her parents dated October 5, 1951, click here.
We ate at Greg again at the Ice Park & Mall. I had their toast salad, and David had a small pizza (of which he ate only half). We both again had ice-cafés. They are now giving us the VIP discount, which is even better than the discount for residents of Eilat!
After we left there, we filled the car with gas, bought a couple of PepsiMaxes, and headed north. Our destination was a trail that begins at highway 40 just south of Makhtesh Ramon (the Ramon Crater) in the middle of the Negev Desert. When we got there, I parked the car along the side of the road, David stayed there in the car listening to an audio book, and I headed up the trail. To read more about it, and see some pictures I took, you can read by old blog by clicking here.
This morning, I posted in both my political blog and my mom's blog (her letters to her parents in the 1950s). So, to read about the importance of free speech, the cost- and life-saving value of stopping Iran early, and Druze in the Golan applying for Israeli citizenship, click here. To read my mom's letter to her parents dated October 5, 1951, click here.
We ate at Greg again at the Ice Park & Mall. I had their toast salad, and David had a small pizza (of which he ate only half). We both again had ice-cafés. They are now giving us the VIP discount, which is even better than the discount for residents of Eilat!
After we left there, we filled the car with gas, bought a couple of PepsiMaxes, and headed north. Our destination was a trail that begins at highway 40 just south of Makhtesh Ramon (the Ramon Crater) in the middle of the Negev Desert. When we got there, I parked the car along the side of the road, David stayed there in the car listening to an audio book, and I headed up the trail. To read more about it, and see some pictures I took, you can read by old blog by clicking here.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
7 October 2012
Well, of course I didn't get up early this morning after being up late last night! I'll get back to exercising tomorrow morning.
I did the weekly grocery shopping this morning. There were more people than usual on a Sunday morning, but not nearly as many as LAST week, when everyone was shopping for week of Sukkot.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today. We had planned on eating there Friday but had to stay home in order to be here when our landlord came to fix the refrigerator. I had whole-wheat spaghetti with a nice sautéed vegetable sauce, and David had penne with a vegetable cream sauce. I don't think I have EVER had a better pasta sauce anywhere -- this one is absolutely perfect!
This evening we drove the short loop after dark. We stopped at one point where there were NO direct artificial lights visibile in any direction. It was great to see so many stars; I saw the Milky Way, which I don't think I'd seen in YEARS!
When we came back into town, we went over to the Ice Park & Mall and had dessert -- apple pie and strawberry ice cream for David, and a slice of baked cheese cake for me. Almost all the stores were closed (because it's the eve of Simkhat Torah, the last day of Sukkot), but Kakao (where we ate), McDonald's, and the ice rink itself were all open, and lots of people, mostly kids, were out there skating and having a great time. It's nice to watch!
I did the weekly grocery shopping this morning. There were more people than usual on a Sunday morning, but not nearly as many as LAST week, when everyone was shopping for week of Sukkot.
We ate lunch at Il Pentolino today. We had planned on eating there Friday but had to stay home in order to be here when our landlord came to fix the refrigerator. I had whole-wheat spaghetti with a nice sautéed vegetable sauce, and David had penne with a vegetable cream sauce. I don't think I have EVER had a better pasta sauce anywhere -- this one is absolutely perfect!
This evening we drove the short loop after dark. We stopped at one point where there were NO direct artificial lights visibile in any direction. It was great to see so many stars; I saw the Milky Way, which I don't think I'd seen in YEARS!
When we came back into town, we went over to the Ice Park & Mall and had dessert -- apple pie and strawberry ice cream for David, and a slice of baked cheese cake for me. Almost all the stores were closed (because it's the eve of Simkhat Torah, the last day of Sukkot), but Kakao (where we ate), McDonald's, and the ice rink itself were all open, and lots of people, mostly kids, were out there skating and having a great time. It's nice to watch!
6 October 2012
I got up and out before 6:00 this morning and got a good work-out. Again the weather was very nice.
We ate lunch at Greg again. I had their breakfast, and David had pappardelli with mushroom cream sauce. We both had large ice-cafés.
This evening, we went out to dinner with 2 friends, Yonatan and Lisa, who are visiting Eilat from the North. We went to an Asian restaurant (actually mostly Japanese). I had vegetarian sushi, and David had miso soup and an eggroll. We all had delicious desserts. It was a very enjoyable evening, but we are getting to bed about 3 hours later than usual. I don't think I'll be getting out for any exercise tomorrow morning!
We ate lunch at Greg again. I had their breakfast, and David had pappardelli with mushroom cream sauce. We both had large ice-cafés.
This evening, we went out to dinner with 2 friends, Yonatan and Lisa, who are visiting Eilat from the North. We went to an Asian restaurant (actually mostly Japanese). I had vegetarian sushi, and David had miso soup and an eggroll. We all had delicious desserts. It was a very enjoyable evening, but we are getting to bed about 3 hours later than usual. I don't think I'll be getting out for any exercise tomorrow morning!
Friday, October 5, 2012
5 October 2012
I got up slightly later this morning but still got out for some exercise. I decided to drive down to Khativat HaNedev Road and explore the area between there and the coast on foot. It's an undeveloped area of small hills and ravines below the developed areas but above the coastal strip where the naval base and the port are. We drive by there just about any time we go into town, but I had never before gotten out of the car and looked at it a little more closely and slowly. So, it was interesting but not terribly surprising. Mostly, I just got a better feel for the connections in the area.
I taught 2 classes (4 units) today: 9:30-11:00 and 12:30-2:00.
Our refrigerator had begun not cooling as well as it should, so I had called our landlord last night about it. He had said he would come this afternoon, so we really couldn't go out to lunch. Instead, we ate at home. He did finally come, so hopefully we'll have no more trouble with the fridge for a long time.
We made Shabbat at home this evening and then just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
I taught 2 classes (4 units) today: 9:30-11:00 and 12:30-2:00.
Our refrigerator had begun not cooling as well as it should, so I had called our landlord last night about it. He had said he would come this afternoon, so we really couldn't go out to lunch. Instead, we ate at home. He did finally come, so hopefully we'll have no more trouble with the fridge for a long time.
We made Shabbat at home this evening and then just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
4 October 2012
I was up and out of the house before 6:00 this morning. It was absolutely DELICIOUS out there, with a fabulous cool breeze. I had a good work-out and a good walk both directions!
I taught 3 classes for a total of 6 units today: 11:00-12:30, 2:00-3:30, and 4:00-5:30. The last one was a new level 6 group, 3 French people, and its going to be a great group to teach.
Just a few minutes ago, David came in to tell me that our big black and white cat, Pascal, had something in his mouth. As soon as I came into the living room, I was quite certain it was a bird, since I saw small feathers scattered about. When I turned on the light on the balcony and went out to check, I saw that, indeed, it WAS a small bird. I also saw it move, so I knew it wasn't dead. When I looked more closely, it seemed that it might be okay. I finally managed to pick it up and toss it over the railing. I figured, if it was too badly injured it wouldn't make it anyway, whereas, if not, it could fly away. As nearly as I could tell in the dark, it DID fly away, so I hope it will be okay. Of course, all three cats are now FURIOUS with me!
I taught 3 classes for a total of 6 units today: 11:00-12:30, 2:00-3:30, and 4:00-5:30. The last one was a new level 6 group, 3 French people, and its going to be a great group to teach.
Just a few minutes ago, David came in to tell me that our big black and white cat, Pascal, had something in his mouth. As soon as I came into the living room, I was quite certain it was a bird, since I saw small feathers scattered about. When I turned on the light on the balcony and went out to check, I saw that, indeed, it WAS a small bird. I also saw it move, so I knew it wasn't dead. When I looked more closely, it seemed that it might be okay. I finally managed to pick it up and toss it over the railing. I figured, if it was too badly injured it wouldn't make it anyway, whereas, if not, it could fly away. As nearly as I could tell in the dark, it DID fly away, so I hope it will be okay. Of course, all three cats are now FURIOUS with me!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
3 October 2012
I slept just a little weird last night, dreaming a lot and waking up quite late. I also felt a bit stiff. So, I didn't go out even for a walk this morning.
I taught 2 classes today: 10:00-11:30 and 12:00-1:30. For lunch, we just ordered pizza, and it was delicious!
This evening, we decided to travel the small loop after dark. It's really very different from the daytime! A fox ran most of the way across the road in front of us near Neot Smadar, but he apparently decided it was too dangerous, and quickly turned around and ran back. I'm glad we didn't hit him.
I taught 2 classes today: 10:00-11:30 and 12:00-1:30. For lunch, we just ordered pizza, and it was delicious!
This evening, we decided to travel the small loop after dark. It's really very different from the daytime! A fox ran most of the way across the road in front of us near Neot Smadar, but he apparently decided it was too dangerous, and quickly turned around and ran back. I'm glad we didn't hit him.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
2 October 2012
I got out of the house at 5:30 this morning and took a nice hike. I walked over to Nakhal Shakhamon and then up it. When I got to where the main nakhal turns right, I took a steep bike trail that goes up a small tributary stream. I had gone up this trail before, so I knew that just after the saddle at the top is a gas turbine electrical generating plant. It's easy to follow the peripheral road around to the main entrance, and from there there is a paved road over to highway 12 (not very far away). I returned home along the highway.
I taught 3 classes (6 units) today: 9:30-11:00, 12:30-2:00, and 7:30-9:00. Actually, I just started the last one about 10 minutes ago, and, so far, it looks like it's going to be a no-show. We'll see.
We went to lunch a bit late, after my 2nd class. We ate at Greg. I had their breakfast, and David had 4-cheese ravioli with mushroom cream sauce.
Just a few minutes ago, I posted a blog entry in my old blog about the water crossing highway 40 at Nakhal Paran, which we saw yesterday. You and read it and see some pictures that I took by clicking here.
I taught 3 classes (6 units) today: 9:30-11:00, 12:30-2:00, and 7:30-9:00. Actually, I just started the last one about 10 minutes ago, and, so far, it looks like it's going to be a no-show. We'll see.
We went to lunch a bit late, after my 2nd class. We ate at Greg. I had their breakfast, and David had 4-cheese ravioli with mushroom cream sauce.
Just a few minutes ago, I posted a blog entry in my old blog about the water crossing highway 40 at Nakhal Paran, which we saw yesterday. You and read it and see some pictures that I took by clicking here.
Monday, October 1, 2012
1 October 2012
I got up slightly late this morning but was still out of the house by about 5:35. I just walked over to the gym, worked out a little, and walked back, stopping at the usual place to do my stretches.
For today, we had decided to drive up to the Akrabim Ascent (up out of Nakhal Tzin) and continue to the Small Makhtesh. As we drove up the Arava, we were a little surprised to see water in several places. I thought that I had seem some flashes of lightning last night to the north, but I hadn't heard any thunder. Apparently, quite a bit of the Negev got some significant rain. Although the road was not flooded as we were up the Arava, I saw numerous places where it HAD been (I could tell by the dirt on the road which was obviously dried mud). I began to wonder if we would even be able to cross Nakhal Tzin, which is a MAJOR stream in that area. On the road up to it, which follows a rather minor stream, there were several places where rather large rocks had even been washed onto the road. But when we got to Nakhal Tzin, there was no water at all!
Interestingly, there WERE some places with small amounts of water on the road as we went up the very steep ascent and continued as the road followed a valley at the top. All of them were very passable, of course.
We had never taken the turn towards the Small Makhtesh (crater) before, but we took it this time. Although that road is NOT paved, there was no danger of getting stuck. The main difficulty was that it was quite bumpy so we had to proceed slowly. It was only a short drive, however, to a parking area, from which one had to walk to the Small Makhtesh. Since it was the middle of the day and still quite hot and even a bit humid, I wasn't interest in doing that, especially since I was wearing only my flip-flops (I hadn't planned on any hiking, of course). We drove a little further up that road, and I was able to see that the crater was really not very far away, so it will be a nice little hike some time in the future when the weather is cooler.
I had originally planned to return home the same way we went, but it was still reasonably early, so we decided instead to continue to Y'rokham, Sde Boker, Avedat, and Mitze Ramon, and to return home via highways 40 and 12. We ate lunch at the Aroma at Avedat.
One of the most interesting things about the whole trip was what we saw when we got to Nakhal Paran on highway 40. There is no bridge or even pipes under the road there, but there is obviously a major stream. However, I had never before seen any water in it at all. Today, there was plenty. It was still easy enough to drive through it on the road, but it was quite impressive! I stopped and parked after we had forded the stream and got out and took a bunch of pictures -- of the stream in both directions and of vehicles splashing across it. This, by the way, is the very same stream we had driven down 2 days ago (and gotten stuck in the sand. That road would definitely NOT have been passable at all today, probably not even for 4-wheel-drive vehicles!
For today, we had decided to drive up to the Akrabim Ascent (up out of Nakhal Tzin) and continue to the Small Makhtesh. As we drove up the Arava, we were a little surprised to see water in several places. I thought that I had seem some flashes of lightning last night to the north, but I hadn't heard any thunder. Apparently, quite a bit of the Negev got some significant rain. Although the road was not flooded as we were up the Arava, I saw numerous places where it HAD been (I could tell by the dirt on the road which was obviously dried mud). I began to wonder if we would even be able to cross Nakhal Tzin, which is a MAJOR stream in that area. On the road up to it, which follows a rather minor stream, there were several places where rather large rocks had even been washed onto the road. But when we got to Nakhal Tzin, there was no water at all!
Interestingly, there WERE some places with small amounts of water on the road as we went up the very steep ascent and continued as the road followed a valley at the top. All of them were very passable, of course.
We had never taken the turn towards the Small Makhtesh (crater) before, but we took it this time. Although that road is NOT paved, there was no danger of getting stuck. The main difficulty was that it was quite bumpy so we had to proceed slowly. It was only a short drive, however, to a parking area, from which one had to walk to the Small Makhtesh. Since it was the middle of the day and still quite hot and even a bit humid, I wasn't interest in doing that, especially since I was wearing only my flip-flops (I hadn't planned on any hiking, of course). We drove a little further up that road, and I was able to see that the crater was really not very far away, so it will be a nice little hike some time in the future when the weather is cooler.
I had originally planned to return home the same way we went, but it was still reasonably early, so we decided instead to continue to Y'rokham, Sde Boker, Avedat, and Mitze Ramon, and to return home via highways 40 and 12. We ate lunch at the Aroma at Avedat.
One of the most interesting things about the whole trip was what we saw when we got to Nakhal Paran on highway 40. There is no bridge or even pipes under the road there, but there is obviously a major stream. However, I had never before seen any water in it at all. Today, there was plenty. It was still easy enough to drive through it on the road, but it was quite impressive! I stopped and parked after we had forded the stream and got out and took a bunch of pictures -- of the stream in both directions and of vehicles splashing across it. This, by the way, is the very same stream we had driven down 2 days ago (and gotten stuck in the sand. That road would definitely NOT have been passable at all today, probably not even for 4-wheel-drive vehicles!
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