tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49170504831578777942024-03-13T14:07:37.617+01:00The Travelling RubeshesFollowing the travels, triumphs and travails of Kevin, Erin, Jad, Danna and Kyler Rubesh as they travel the globe.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-4677077952534066042014-12-25T22:28:00.000+01:002014-12-25T22:34:05.684+01:00Looking for Angel Footprints<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bPcqQ8CsVw0/VJx_UomR93I/AAAAAAAANE0/iWatReE5HIo/s1600/IMG_4971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Our<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Shepherds' field in Beit Sahour was one of two competing for
the attention of </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">pilgrims from all over the world last night on Christmas Eve.
We squeezed between tourist coaches and rough-hewn rock walls, skirted the enterprising souvenir hawkers, and wandered past groups of
worshipers in outdoor chapels lining the walkway. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Many of these groups
had booked their spots months before, and priests in attendance checked their
printed schedules as Christmas Carols in many different languages filled the
chilly night air. The lights of
Bethlehem glistened on the hilltop to
our east as we settled down on a patch of grass just off the pathway. Across the valley, thousands were starting to
stream into Bethlehem’s Manger Square, but here in the fields, we finally found
a quiet nook, sheltered from the glow of neon angles on top of the light poles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“Somewhere
right around <i>here</i>,” I told our group of kids, “is where it all
happened!” I read the story from the
glow of my trusty BlackBerry:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord
appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were
terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I
bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“What
do you think? Do you think we can find angel footprints in the field anywhere?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">As some of the younger kids started to look furtively around in the dirt, a sage five-year-old
piped up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bPcqQ8CsVw0/VJx_UomR93I/AAAAAAAANE0/iWatReE5HIo/s1600/IMG_4971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bPcqQ8CsVw0/VJx_UomR93I/AAAAAAAANE0/iWatReE5HIo/s1600/IMG_4971.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">“There
won’t be any angel footprints!” “Why
not?” I asked. “Because the angels were <i>flying</i>,
of course!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">She
was probably right. Of course, we can’t
tell for sure that the angels never touched down in the grass next to where we
were sitting. But Luke tells us that when
they were done, the angelic messenger and his heavenly choir went off into
heaven… and it’s reasonable to assume that’s the direction they flew in from as
well! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Delivering a message? </span><i style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">That </i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">they were fine with. Scaring the wits out of a grungy gang of shepherds
and their sheep was kind of their </span><i style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">thing</i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">.
I'm sure they had excellent harmony as well – they certainly got a
lot of practice! But the one thing they </span><i style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">didn’t</i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> do?
Spend a whole lot of time with this group of herders and their
livestock. After all – they </span><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;">wouldn't</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> want to sully their heavenly vestments with sheep doo-doo. Deliver the message and head back up to
heaven – that was their mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Once
their heart rates had returned to normal, the shepherds gathered up their
cloaks and staffs, corralled the sheep and stumbled up the hill toward the lights
of Bethlehem. And there in a rough barn,
surrounded by animals and tucked in a food trough, they discovered the start of
a very <i>different</i> kind of mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Prince of Heaven, here with us. To <i>stay
</i>for a while. The “first-born of every
creature,” born in a stable and wrapped in rough cloths. “The word” learning to form his first words
with human lips. Raised by a carpenter
and his young wife. Growing up in a
dusty village, and living under an occupying army. Playing.
Learning. Feeling… pain, comfort,
disappointment, betrayal. The Creator of
the universe, spending a season of time not only with His own creation, but <i>as </i>his own
creation. Jesus wasn't content to fly around </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">in the sky and
scare shepherds – staying safely removed from the odd mess that
humankind tends to be.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> He wanted to </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">lay down
footprints on the very same dusty trails as us.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> To help Earth be close to God again. To c</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">lose the gap between God and man.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Immanuel</i></b>. That's the miracle of Christmas. “God <i>with</i> us.” In the words of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM1XusYVqNY">our favorite Christmas video
this year</a>, “They won’t be expecting <i>that</i>!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Signing
off at the close of this Christmas season from the Shepherds’ fields – just a frantic midnight run away from
Bethlehem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Kevin
– for the Rubesh Family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-9696056053802245322014-01-11T16:57:00.002+01:002014-01-11T16:59:26.192+01:00Exploring the Galilee<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With two rare days off from work turning a normal weekend into a "Jad and Dad Birthday getaway weekend," we packed up the minivan and headed to "The North." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First stop was the <a href="http://www.batyaar.co.il/content.php?id=9" target="_blank">Bat Yar Ranch</a> in the heart of the Biriya Forest in the mountains above Galilee. Driving up mountain roads through the pine forest, we felt a little like we were back in the Pacific Northwest. Advertising paintball, horse riding, ropes course and "forest bowling," the place looked great on the web. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What the website didn't mention is this important fact. All of the above: closed during the winter. Undeterred, we explored the grounds to see what we were missing. Perhaps a summer visit would be a little more fun, but given the thick layer of disuse covering just about everything at the place, we had our doubts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So - we settled for lunch in the very tasty restaurant (you can choose to eat inside or in a covered wagon) and a spent couple moments whispering to the horses before continuing our journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our home in the North was the <a href="http://www.inbar.co.il/" target="_blank">Kibbutz Inbar</a> - a family friendly inn with basic accommodations, a hearty vegetarian breakfast each morning, and (most importantly), friendly tree-climbing dogs to play with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Dogs in trees!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Inbar is within convenient spitting distance of the Sea of Galilee and the northern Mediterranean coast, so we "spat" a lot - with day trips to Akko (Acre), Tiberius and spots in between.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of our favorites was the Crusader Port city of Akko, where we explored a tunnel built by the Templar Knights, an ancient Citadel, a fascinating marketplace and cannons to climb on!</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The ancient harbor where crusader knights disembarked in the Holy Land</span></span></i></div>
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We finished up the day in Akko with a fabulous feast of a dinner with friends at a restaurant overlooking the ocean as the sun went down.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The girls explore the tide pools</i></span></span></div>
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Lots <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/AkkoAcre?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIy0gpShwKPkZQ&feat=directlink" target="_blank">more photos of a fabulous day in Akko here</a>.<br />
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After Akko, the next day's visit to the town of Tiberius on the shore of the Galilee was a disappointment. It had the feeling of a "tourist town" which had seen much better days. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dv4l6zhRefQ/UtFi4C6NCII/AAAAAAAAMTM/Vp3sD_6X59o/s1600/IMG_4275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dv4l6zhRefQ/UtFi4C6NCII/AAAAAAAAMTM/Vp3sD_6X59o/s1600/IMG_4275.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A great intro to the "North" - I can't wait to go back!</span><br />
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-69213740794757373462014-01-11T15:44:00.000+01:002014-01-11T15:44:15.740+01:00Tomb Raiders<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you've ever had a hankering to play a real life Indiana Jones, exploring dark and dusty crypts and catacombs, the <a href="http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~448735891~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=445632585" target="_blank">Bet She'arim National Park</a> may be just the ticket for you. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FcVijGCsT-0/UtFICmR5MQI/AAAAAAAAMMY/H3ILph63hOM/s1600/IMG_4332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FcVijGCsT-0/UtFICmR5MQI/AAAAAAAAMMY/H3ILph63hOM/s1600/IMG_4332.JPG" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This place was downright spooky in places. The park marks the spot of the ancient Jewish town of Bet She'arim from the second century AD. After a popular Rabbi and head of the Sanhedrin was buried here, it became one of the most important burial grounds in the region.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cautioned not to "roll stones" and to "beware of snakes and scorpions", we headed underground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The original marble sarcophogi have long since been pillaged, but carved stone ones remain...</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRBN6-gOxu0/UtFIqEA9n_I/AAAAAAAAMM4/Nh3-l9uJ6Z8/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRBN6-gOxu0/UtFIqEA9n_I/AAAAAAAAMM4/Nh3-l9uJ6Z8/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">... along with a body or three in one spot</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zwtne4o5QN4/UtFJYukiIkI/AAAAAAAAMNg/N7ZOcs1ZEEw/s1600/IMG_4330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zwtne4o5QN4/UtFJYukiIkI/AAAAAAAAMNg/N7ZOcs1ZEEw/s1600/IMG_4330.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we explored deep into the largest of the underground caverns, the outside world faded away and the dim light from the entrance made for great "scare your family" opportunities.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j-jzPGxMWF8/UtFI8iwwf3I/AAAAAAAAMNI/w-WTQF7aYHw/s1600/IMG_4324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j-jzPGxMWF8/UtFI8iwwf3I/AAAAAAAAMNI/w-WTQF7aYHw/s1600/IMG_4324.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5967628715847908529" target="_blank">More photos here</a> if you're interested. Oh, and in case you're keeping count, this is park #6 of 66. </span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-3912431583859767042014-01-11T15:25:00.000+01:002014-01-11T19:05:27.098+01:00Where swine fear to tread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7v9pDyYBUe0/UtFGHJeakjI/AAAAAAAAMLY/enmgHO2OLxg/s1600/IMG_4286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7v9pDyYBUe0/UtFGHJeakjI/AAAAAAAAMLY/enmgHO2OLxg/s1600/IMG_4286.JPG" height="408" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="text Matt-8-28"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That cliff look familiar? Perhaps not... but you may have <i>read </i>about it before. Here's how the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A28-34%2CMark+5%3A1-17&version=NASB" target="_blank">a<span id="goog_497951618"></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A28-34%2CMark+5%3A1-17&version=NASB" target="_blank">ccount in Matthew</a><span id="goog_497951619"></span> goes:</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="text Matt-8-28"><sup class="versenum">28 </sup>When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.</span> <span class="text Matt-8-29" id="en-NASB-23375"><sup class="versenum">29 </sup>And they cried out, saying, “<sup class="footnote" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-23375a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A28-34%2CMark+5%3A1-17&version=NASB#fen-NASB-23375a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]</sup>What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before <sup class="footnote" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-23375b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A28-34%2CMark+5%3A1-17&version=NASB#fen-NASB-23375b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]</sup>the time?”</span> <span class="text Matt-8-30" id="en-NASB-23376"><sup class="versenum">30 </sup>Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them.</span> <span class="text Matt-8-31" id="en-NASB-23377"><sup class="versenum">31 </sup>The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.”</span> <span class="text Matt-8-32" id="en-NASB-23378"><sup class="versenum">32 </sup>And He said to them, <span class="woj">“Go!”</span>
And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed
down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.</span> <span class="text Matt-8-33" id="en-NASB-23379"><sup class="versenum">33 </sup>The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, <sup class="footnote" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-23379c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A28-34%2CMark+5%3A1-17&version=NASB#fen-NASB-23379c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]</sup>including what had happened to the demoniacs.</span></span></i><br />
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<span class="text Matt-8-28"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~352845344~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=445632585" target="_blank">Kursi National Park</a> is one more checkmark on our list of Israeli National parks to visit (5 down, 61 remaining). The hilltop, with a commanding view of the Galilee, is the place where some believe the herd of swine mentioned in Matthew took their final swan dive into the Sea of Galilee below.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text Matt-8-28"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were fortunate to happen across a group of student tour guides who volunteered to "practice" on us. Back then, they told us, they believe the shores of the Galilee were a good deal higher than they are today. This is now hosts the remains of one of the largest Byzantine monasteries in Israel, complete with mosaics and the ruins of an ancient chapel.</span></span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-8-28"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMcezlrVhMc/UtFE9yDzBGI/AAAAAAAAMKo/KWOlOtT_l2Q/s1600/IMG_4279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMcezlrVhMc/UtFE9yDzBGI/AAAAAAAAMKo/KWOlOtT_l2Q/s1600/IMG_4279.JPG" height="266" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span class="text Matt-8-28"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-32669095323516854602013-12-28T21:53:00.004+01:002013-12-28T21:56:04.648+01:00Exploring the trenches of Castel<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today was a "plan C" weekend. Plan A? Go see "Frozen" with the kids. One website said it was in English. Another said it was dubbed in Hebrew. The theater staff told us to call back today to find out. Answer? Hebrew. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Plan B? Pack a picnic and head to the <a href="http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~843045515~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=254910435" target="_blank">En Hemed National Park</a>. We got as far as the gate, which was closed... with a mysterious sign in Hebrew explaining why. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So - to Plan C - the nearby <a href="http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~354934586~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=254910435" target="_blank">Castel National Park</a>, which was also officially closed. When in Israel, though, do as the Israeli's do. After a picnic lunch at the playground below the park, we followed weekend hikers through a gap in the fence up the hill. The view from the top was impressive. Which would explain why this hill has been a strategic military outpost for centuries. Guarding the road to Jerusalem, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_National_Park" target="_blank">Romans, Crusader nights, Arabs and Israelis</a> have all used this fortress to control travel into the Judean hills.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iw3HAkCk2dE/Ur76xLUOFUI/AAAAAAAAMFc/qKLNiGaVeKs/s1600/CastelPanorama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iw3HAkCk2dE/Ur76xLUOFUI/AAAAAAAAMFc/qKLNiGaVeKs/s640/CastelPanorama.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today, there's nothing much left of the fortifications except for trenches and bunkers left behind by the Jewish <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmah" target="_blank">Palmah </a>commandos during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A great spot to take in the view, and explore the trenches (best explored while wielding a wooden sword or bow & arrow, of course). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <i>A bronze relief map and plaque describing the fortifications</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Three generations of Milligan women in the fortifications</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In case you're counting, that's <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parks.org.il%2Fparks&ei=zTq_UpsqxtrgBJzFgYgJ&usg=AFQjCNH7vndJeRxbDO1VjW_UOZL1TMzhSQ&sig2=7EudLceAnJIRq1pYgDO6ag&bvm=bv.58187178,d.bGE" target="_blank">four parks</a> explored, 62 left.</span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-43057357275136047222013-12-24T15:24:00.004+01:002013-12-24T15:29:28.466+01:00O Little Town of Bethlehem<!--[if !mso]>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We sang Christmas carols
in the minivan as we drove to Bethlehem the other night. And it struck me
how different the Bethlehem of today is from the one I’ve always envisioned
during the Christmas season. Maybe you dream of the same place every
year? You know, the little town lying still beneath the darkened sky.
The comfy stable back behind a busy inn, filled with sweet smelling hay.
A mysterious star guiding strangers from afar, and strange happenings
among the shepherds in the fields just down the hill. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our minivan slips right
through the 8-meter tall “security wall”, past armed soldiers and border
checkpoints. Without the benefit of diplomatic license plates on their
donkey, though, Joseph and Mary would have found it quite a bit harder to enter
Bethlehem today. A complicated discussion about ID cards, “Area A” and
citizenship would have certainly delayed their arrival at one of the few hotels
in town. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bethlehemblogger.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/bethlehemgate.jpg?w=600&h=394" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://bethlehemblogger.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/bethlehemgate.jpg?w=600&h=394" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We pass under the
observation towers and inch our way up what used to be the main road connecting
Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Reduced to about a lane-and-a-half by concrete
detours of the wall and security checkpoints, it’s just about wide enough to
let us squeak by a line of tour buses returning to
Jerusalem. When impatient taxis try to jump the queue by driving up
our side of the road, we seek refuge on the sidewalk. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Driving through the
center of town, past “Nativity Square”, Bethlehem is decked with lights and
decorations. Santa and his reindeer compete with the baby Jesus and
his family. Vendors hawking “genuine Bethlehem handicrafts,” vie with
restaurants and stores lining the narrow streets. Christmas carols blare
on tinny loudspeakers, and crowds of pilgrims and tourists jostle for entrance
to the church where the original stable may well have stood. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/12/24/article-2252956-16A5091C000005DC-907_634x422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/12/24/article-2252956-16A5091C000005DC-907_634x422.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I suppose the chaotic,
crowded Bethlehem of today is similar in many ways to the chaos that descended
on Bethlehem 2000 years ago, when all in “the line of David” returned to their
ancestral home to respond to Caesar's census decree. Swap out Palestinian
Authority policemen for Roman legionnaires, honking taxis for braying donkeys
and crowds of tourists for throngs of census takers and you’ll probably
get a good idea of what the “little town” of the carols really felt like that
busy season </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We ate dinner
overlooking a field where shepherds once watched their flocks by night.
On the hilltop in the distance, the lights of Bethlehem twinkle, but here
in the field, all is quiet. The stars shine bright in the dark sky above, and I
can well imagine why the shepherds were terrified to see a “company of the
heavenly host” appear out of the darkness. As we walk the same dusty
paths trod on by the wisemen, shepherds and Holy Family of the Nativity, amid
the turmoil that is the Middle East, I can’t help but wonder that the “Prince
of Peace” was actually born <i>here. </i>In <i>Bethlehem</i>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a town caught in
conflict between the two sons of Abraham. A town divided not only by
concrete barricades, but also by barriers of violence, mistrust, and hardened
hearts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A small town in a small region
of the world that seems so far from being peaceful today. As we celebrate
the coming of the Prince of Peace 2000 years ago, may the peace He promises be our guiding light!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">O
little town of Bethlehem</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">How
still we see thee lie</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Above
thy deep and dreamless sleep</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">The
silent stars go by</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Yet
in thy dark streets shineth</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">The
everlasting Light</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">The
hopes and fears of all the years</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Are
met in thee tonight</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="color: red;"><b>Merry Christmas from the Rubesh Family</b></span></i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Celebrating the good tidings... in the land where it all began!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKKPC5lNrpk/UrmYWQoHsDI/AAAAAAAAMDU/o6vIsXfXlY4/s1600/Rubesh+Christmas+Card+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKKPC5lNrpk/UrmYWQoHsDI/AAAAAAAAMDU/o6vIsXfXlY4/s400/Rubesh+Christmas+Card+2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<![endif]--><br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-85563079805724539162013-11-03T14:41:00.002+01:002013-11-03T18:28:23.308+01:00Herod was one bad dude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've read and heard the stories hundreds of times: the journey to Bethlehem. Wise men visiting from the East. A king named Herod with a little jealousy problem. When you actually visit the places where these stories took place though, they take on a personality you never quite noticed before. Kind of like actually tasting something you've only read about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just under seven miles away from our apartment, a volcanic cone looms over the dusty hills of Judea. Only it's not really <i>volcanic</i>, and it's almost entirely man-made. King Herod the Great commissioned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodium" target="_blank">Herodion</a> as a family retreat of sorts - a vacation spot about 12 miles south of the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem. The palace on top of the mountain and the grounds below included a royal theater, Roman baths, and luxurious accommodations for Herod and his family. (If you have Netflix, check out <a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/National_Geographic_Herod_s_Lost_Tomb/70107609?trkid=2361637&leid=534" target="_blank">this documentary</a> for lots more details.)</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rpn66HdL16Y/UnSsq1fRWzI/AAAAAAAAL1s/nALr45oM51E/s1600/IMG_3916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rpn66HdL16Y/UnSsq1fRWzI/AAAAAAAAL1s/nALr45oM51E/s400/IMG_3916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's not much left of the place now, but the excavated ruins give you a glimpse of what it must have been like. You can imagine King Herod the Great, standing in one of his towers at the top of the mountain, surveying his domain. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-32yn2kpcHU4/UnSsYw2VH3I/AAAAAAAAL1c/apCeEhgyEgQ/s1600/Bethlehem+Panorama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-32yn2kpcHU4/UnSsYw2VH3I/AAAAAAAAL1c/apCeEhgyEgQ/s400/Bethlehem+Panorama.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just north across the rugged terrain of the Judean desert sits the town of Bethlehem, where 2000 years or so, something unusual was developing.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oIzTYh0qUh4/UnSruEWAdaI/AAAAAAAAL08/waHdiFDnDhk/s1600/IMG_3906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oIzTYh0qUh4/UnSruEWAdaI/AAAAAAAAL08/waHdiFDnDhk/s400/IMG_3906.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, there was that odd star. And then the visitors. Learned men from the east, bearing strange gifts. Perhaps those wise men even stopped here at Herodion to chat, (king-to-king, you know) as they chased the star across the sky. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i><b>Bethlehem?!</b></i>" I can almost hear Herod exclaim as he glared across the valley. "A new King, born in <i>Bethlehem</i>? That little town over there in the shadow of my Herodion?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the same guy that had two of his sons and several of his wives killed to prevent threats to his rule. When the visitors refused to play along, stop by for tea and spill the beans on the way out of town, Herod flipped. There would be no new King from <i>Bethlehem </i>usurping his throne! Matthew 2 picks up the narrative:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<span class="versenum" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">16 </span><span style="background-color: white;">When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After giving the orders, he may well have retired to luxury royal box seats of his private palace to enjoy the latest in Roman theater. Maybe he chilled out in the bathhouse, or enjoyed the fountains on the palace grounds. No doubt about it, Herod was one pretty nasty dude.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The old bible story hasn't changed... but flavored with the smell of the dust wafting up off the hills, squinting in the midday sun under a bright blue sky, and surveying the same rugged mountains that Herod himself admired, the story resonates in a way it's never done before. And that's what living in the Holy Land does to you.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly0EVu4l6t8/UnStSpAQINI/AAAAAAAAL2g/79LZkiC_vaw/s1600/IMG-20131027-00420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly0EVu4l6t8/UnStSpAQINI/AAAAAAAAL2g/79LZkiC_vaw/s320/IMG-20131027-00420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Ancestors of Herod's Donkeys?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>By the way, that's three <a href="http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~984422214~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=499646934" target="_blank">parks</a> down, 63 to go!</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5941562366227395697" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ie-5W-SzwR0/Ukg9zQztrBI/AAAAAAAALoQ/lGEV5CKblH8/s1600/photoAlbumIcon.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More photos <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5941562366227395697" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><span style="color: #776644; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-37253717504320076852013-10-26T23:29:00.003+02:002013-10-26T23:29:47.450+02:00Dining at the shrine of The King<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We visited the shrine of The King a couple weeks ago on the drive back from Tel Aviv. No - not King Solomon, or King David or any of those biblical kings. I'm talking about <i>THE </i>King... of Rock n' Roll, of course. Elvis Presley. Right here in Israel. I'm all shook up! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you're not looking for a 16-foot tall golden status of Elvis, you might well just drive on by this gas station in Neve Ilan - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps?sll=45.48464029951803%2C-122.80580648524275&sspn=0.2342329694882961%2C0.6471046720915179&t=m&ll=31.80363939999999%2C35.09235659999998&q=gas+station%2C+near%2C+Neve+Ilan%2C+Israel&spn=0.008872110154559543%2C0.013919389032013429&output=classic&dg=opt" target="_blank">about 10 miles West of Jerusalem on Highway 1</a>. We happened to be looking for the place after stumbling across the place on a random website... and still drove right by it. But after getting directions from a couple of kids up the street, we pulled a u-turn, came on back and there it was, tucked in behind the gas station: <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/travel-in-israel/tourist-tip-of-the-day/tourist-tip-205-dining-with-elvis.premium-1.513983" target="_blank">the Elvis American Diner</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7bmXOm3dF8/UmwtmO84_-I/AAAAAAAALy4/G05NK3z44uE/s1600/IMG-20131014-00385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7bmXOm3dF8/UmwtmO84_-I/AAAAAAAALy4/G05NK3z44uE/s400/IMG-20131014-00385.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You gotta admit that the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is probably one of the last places you'd expect to encounter a 50's diner playing Elvis on the jukebox, but there it was. Graceland transported to the Middle East. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i6RHB_mazpM/UmwtpSVADXI/AAAAAAAALzA/1ZJRkR7s46A/s1600/IMG-20131014-00386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i6RHB_mazpM/UmwtpSVADXI/AAAAAAAALzA/1ZJRkR7s46A/s400/IMG-20131014-00386.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The place was just about everything you'd expect an Elvis Shrine / Diner to be. Wall-to-wall Elvis memorabilia, photos, statues; booths with big vinyl "comfy chairs" a soda bar with gleaming chrome bar stools; and, of course, hummus on alongside the cheeseburgers on the menu. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L89lEqcilJ4/Umwt42Ia4rI/AAAAAAAALzg/yCFdoMF_bHY/s1600/IMG-20131014-00390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L89lEqcilJ4/Umwt42Ia4rI/AAAAAAAALzg/yCFdoMF_bHY/s320/IMG-20131014-00390.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We opted for the cheeseburgers - which come in two sizes. Large (for the kids) and larger (for the big kids), with a hearty helping of fries on the side.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MrJ-QTj96xo/UmwuEr2HtCI/AAAAAAAALz4/Ip9smFPa4Bs/s1600/IMG-20131014-00393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MrJ-QTj96xo/UmwuEr2HtCI/AAAAAAAALz4/Ip9smFPa4Bs/s320/IMG-20131014-00393.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the mood for something different than your standard Middle Eastern fare? Put on your blue suede shoes, head on down the highway and stop in at the Elvis Diner! </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JOnHq6axlM0/UmwttCLH41I/AAAAAAAALzI/ynr5J4QzgVE/s1600/IMG-20131014-00387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JOnHq6axlM0/UmwttCLH41I/AAAAAAAALzI/ynr5J4QzgVE/s320/IMG-20131014-00387.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s31BBh9Eio8/UmwtxHCQdoI/AAAAAAAALzQ/64FhncYSfKI/s1600/IMG-20131014-00388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s31BBh9Eio8/UmwtxHCQdoI/AAAAAAAALzQ/64FhncYSfKI/s320/IMG-20131014-00388.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-30316110894493024082013-10-19T17:35:00.003+02:002013-10-19T17:35:56.100+02:00Mountain Biking - Exploring the Aminadav ForestMy mountain bike hasn't seen much in the way of unpaved trails for a while, so I thought I'd do some exploring around the neighborhood this afternoon. Within minutes of our lofty perch on Holyland hill, I was rocketing down a dusty dirt trail, dodging rocks, and grinding up long inclines surrounded by pine trees.<br />
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I was in "exploring mode," so didn't really know where I was until I returned home and consulted Google Earth. The <a href="http://www.kkl.org.il/eng/tourism-and-recreation/forests-and-parks/aminadav-forest.aspx" target="_blank">Aminadav Forest</a> lines the highest hills in Jerusalem - peaking at over 2700 feet. On a clear day, they say you can see the Mediterranean, glistening about 40 miles away to the West.<br />
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Little did I know that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Kennedy" target="_blank">Jerusalem's Kennedy Memorial</a> was just a mile or two away from my route. I'll try to take that in next time.<br />
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After about 5 miles of dirt, I hit the blacktop of Highway 3877. A couple miles of gentle climbing brought me to the top of the ridge near the road down to the Hadessah Medical Center, where I finished up the loop with a long descent on blacktop back home.<br />
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-70729510020940909082013-10-19T17:31:00.002+02:002013-10-19T17:31:39.557+02:00A few sights in the Old City of JerusalemOne thing about living in Jerusalem is the diversity. You just never know what you'll see while out and about. <br />
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I was heading out of the Old City when I came across 3 sights that stopped me in my tracks:<br />
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1st sight--- a limo parked inside the Old City! Since driving into the Old City is restricted, I just had to know how a limo got there and whose it belonged to. So, I asked the friendly pomegranite juice vendor (only $3 for a glass of freshly squeezed pomegranite juice--- oh so yummy and healthy!!!). It was the limo of the President of Israel, Shimon Perez. Wow...right there is the car of Shimon Perez-- cool!<br />
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2nd sight-- while exiting Jaffa Gate I heard some music and lo and behold...a lady wearing white was playing a harp while sitting in a nook of the gate. Stunning!! And the music wasn't bad either (but I don't know much about harps).<br />
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3rd sight-- I will never tire of seeing an Arab man in his long flowing robes. So very distinguished looking and cultural!<br />
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I'm already wondering what I'll see next time I venture into the Old City! Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01490159872346828406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-46111646176501594142013-09-29T16:55:00.000+02:002013-12-28T19:20:04.014+01:00Shloshing around in the Gan HaShlosa<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">National park visit number two this week was to the springs at the <a href="http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~100949808~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=466258966" target="_blank">Gan HaShlosha National Park</a> just west of Bet She'an. To get there, we descended out of the Judean hills toward the Dead Sea, and then headed north on Highway 90, past Jericho (yes, <i>that </i>Jericho, where the "walls came tumbling down"). We pulled into the park after about an hour and forty minutes of easy driving on nearly deserted roads. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!4m18!3m17!1m1!1sJerusalem%2C+Israel!1m5!1zR2FuIEhhU2hsb3NoYSBOYXRpb25hbCBQYXJrLCDXky7XoCDXotee16cg15HXmdeqINep15DXnywg16LXntenINeR15nXqiDXqdeQ158sIDEwODAwLCBJc3JhZWw!2s0x151c59110b11543d%3A0xb0430957fc06c321!3m2!3d32.507101!4d35.44552!3m8!1m3!1d569707!2d35.2597706!3d32.1581881!3m2!1i1325!2i1012!4f13.1&fid=0" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_rbWPqMsHkY/Ukg60x4noAI/AAAAAAAALng/gG9VpkEgf6A/s400/Jerusalem,+Israel+to+Gan+HaShlosha+National+Park,+%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%A7+%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA+%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%9F,+10800,+Israel+-+Google+Maps+-+Google+Chrome+9292013+52614+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The main feature of the "Park of Three" (Hebrew) or "The Hot" (Arabic) is the series of three natural pools that stay at a constant 80 degrees or so, year around. On a warm September day like today, they just felt "refreshing." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There's a kids' wading pool, and two larger pools, with waterfalls connecting them all, before the stream that feeds the pools runs past an ancient mill and carries on its merry way out of the park. The waters are clear... which gives you a clear view of all the trash at the bottom of the pools. We caught plenty of "plastic bottle fish", along the occasional "platefish" or "forkfish."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The pools' real-life fish are very inquisitive (though much too fast to catch with our assortment of kids' toys) and give you a gentle pedicure if you'll let them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Green lawns and lifeguard stands surround the pools. Barbeque grills dot the park, and there's a restaurant if you forget to bring your lunch along.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A great spot for a lazy day of lounging by the poolside! Two parks down, 64 to go!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">More photos <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5929050286477686193" target="_blank">here! </a></span></span><br />
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com1Gan HaShlosha National Park, עמק בית שאן, 10800, Israel32.507101 35.4455199999999886.9850664999999985 -5.8630740000000117 58.029135499999995 76.754113999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-48834452777607899362013-09-28T21:12:00.000+02:002013-12-28T19:20:29.894+01:00Excursions in Israel - Bet Guvrin Maresha National Park and the Bell Caves<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We're officially "wheeled!" Our van is finally here, licensed, registered, insured and road-ready. We hit the trails this week with our first trip out of Jerusalem - to the <a href="http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~131474600~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=466258966" target="_blank">Bet Guvrin Maresha National Park</a>. Just 45 minutes away from our perch in Holyland park, we headed down out of the hills of Jerusalem, descending through Ein Kareem and winding through the valleys to the flat plains of Maresha below. The same plains where King Asa of Judah met and defeated an invading army from Ethiopia (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles%2014&version=GNT">2 Chronicles 14</a>). </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.google.com/maps?sll=32.15863208306365%2C35.25977059999998&sspn=1.1772701838153203%2C1.821474500301954&saddr=Jerusalem%2C+Israel&t=m&output=classic&daddr=Gan+HaShlosha+National+Park%2C+%D7%93.%D7%A0+%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%A7+%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA+%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%9F%2C+%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%A7+%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA+%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%9F%2C+10800%2C+Israel" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iz1IYAJ3hPk/UkcjTtCQ9KI/AAAAAAAALk4/wlSPJuTTkkE/s640/Google+Maps+-+Mozilla+Firefox+9282013+94141+PM.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">No Ethiopians anywhere in sight today, but we did find plenty of interesting caves to explore.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This area has been known for centuries for its mines and quarries - the top meter or so of hard surface rock gives way to softer chalky rock beneath. The bell-shaped caves resulted from the top-down mining techniques common to this area. The miners "cracked" the top shell, and then dug down into the softer chalk, widening the caves as they went deeper, and pulling the quarried rock (and hopefully the miners too, at the end of the day) up through the hole at the top. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The entrance to the Bell Caves complex today is via an arched doorway, leading to the cool shadows of the caverns beyond.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ancient chisel marks were still very much in evidence as we explored the cave complex - a linked collection of several former bell-shaped caves, now accessible via well-maintained trails throughout the park. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hixx3Oj9tI4/Ukcefa3QKpI/AAAAAAAALhE/VjKWdq9Q4AM/s1600/IMG_3697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hixx3Oj9tI4/Ukcefa3QKpI/AAAAAAAALhE/VjKWdq9Q4AM/s320/IMG_3697.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqhL-ajg9ME/Ukcd6oOtRqI/AAAAAAAALgc/M4M09896l_0/s1600/IMG_3685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqhL-ajg9ME/Ukcd6oOtRqI/AAAAAAAALgc/M4M09896l_0/s320/IMG_3685.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xF40-awILk4/UkceDquUEJI/AAAAAAAALgk/vz7lC_9ZX7k/s1600/IMG_3689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With the chimney-like entrance holes some 50-60 feet above our heads, the chiseled walls curved above our heads to form natural archways. Pockets of harder rock left behind by the miners formed fascinating formations along the walls, and far above our heads, a colony of bats squeaked and rustled in dark corners.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After exploring the Bell Caves, we headed back up to the surface before driving a short way to the remains of the Biblical city of Maresha on a Tel (hill) to the north of the caves. Several more caves to explore here: the burial caves prompted the kids to go searching for mummies, and strike their best "Zombie" poses.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Our last stop on this trip was a scrabble up the side of the Tel, and then deep underground into a deep cistern complex.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's all for this update... <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5928739417567023729" target="_blank">lots more photos of this trip available here</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With 65 more National Parks to visit, and a brand new National Parks pass in hand, there's plenty more yet to see!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-1617454468568155942013-09-26T21:21:00.000+02:002013-09-26T21:23:22.635+02:00Are You Religious?<h2>
"Are you religious?" </h2>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That was the question posed to me by my son's friend who came over to play yesterday. I paused, longer than necessary, since I didn't know how to answer such a potentially loaded question. What did this 10 yr old mean by "religious"? Do I not use electricity or push any buttons on my smartphone during Shabbat? Am I that kind of "religious"? Do I make sure I face a certain direction before I pray? Am I that kind of "religious"? Do I not eat beef because I believe it is from a sacred cow? Am I that kind of "religious"? These type of questions raced through my head while this boy looked at me, waiting for my answer. Apparently I wasn't fast enough for him since he interrupted my brain dialogue with another question, "I mean, do you believe in God?" Ohhhhhhh.....that is a WAY EASIER question to answer! (Whew---dodged a bullet!! ) I was able to reply in a timely manner, "Yes, we believe in God and in Jesus." The conversation then carried on like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>10 yr old:</b> Oh, so you go to church?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>me:</b> Yes we do. We attend on Saturday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>10 yr old:</b> Why? Aren't you suppose to go to church on Sunday?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>me:</b> Well, in most countries yes, but not here. What about you? Do you believe in God? (<i>Please note: I didn't ask him if he was religious!</i>) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>10 yr old:</b> I'm not atheist. I believe in God, but I don't go to church.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>me:</b> Well then maybe you can come sometime with Jad and us to church.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>10 yr old:</b> Hmmmm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Honestly, I do not like the word 'religious'. I prefer the word 'relationship'. I have a relationship with God. I talk to Him, I pray to Him, I meditate on Him, I thank Him, I praise Him, etc. It is not a one-sided relationship, and this is the hard part-- it takes time and effort to <u>listen</u> to God, to <u>read</u> His Scriptures, to <u>obey</u> His teachings. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.destination360.com/middle-east/israel/images/s/old-city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://www.destination360.com/middle-east/israel/images/s/old-city.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If a 10 yr old boy had asked me this question in Prague or Costa Rica or Oregon, I'm sure I wouldn't have taken so long to answer. But living in Jerusalem, the focal city of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism (alphabetical order...nothing political here), has made me re-evaluate my view of the word "religious". Maybe it isn't such a scary word after all. It is a powerful word that has been used to throw stones, ignite misunderstanding, and build impenetrable walls. But I am discovering that it can also be a word that builds bridges, encourages mutual respect, and fosters peace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span class="text Matt-5-9" id="en-NIV-23244"><span class="woj">"Blessed are the peacemakers,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-9"><span class="woj">for they will be called children of God." </span></span></span></i><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Matt-5-9"><span class="woj"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Matt-5-9"><span class="woj">The Gospel according to Matthew chapter 5, verse 9</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Matt-5-9"><span class="woj"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Matt-5-9"><span class="woj">Oh dear God, please help me to be a peacemaker, no matter where I am.</span></span></span></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01490159872346828406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-36262184357527949992013-08-30T12:31:00.000+02:002013-08-30T12:31:55.578+02:00How to Explore in an Arab neighborhoodToday I had no reason to stay home--- no shipment delivery, no electricians nor handyman to wait for to fix something, no landlord to talk to about issues with the apartment, nothing! So I decided before our shipment arrives and I'm tied to the house unpacking boxes, I would go exploring. And why not explore in one of the Arab neighborhoods, such as Beit Safafa.<br />
<br />
So, with my 6 necessary items (wallet, phone, keys, sunglasses, water bottle, and map) I head off in the direction of Beit Safafa. It takes about 45 min to walk there and along the way I discover several playgrounds, a bike path, and the tennis center. I keep walking and finally I am in Beit Safafa! Yay! So where should I go? Where can I go and practice my Arabic? Where to Arab women hang out? Ahhhh....the hair salon/beauty parlor!!! Yes! That's the place I want to be.<br />
<br />
So I keep walking and I find 2 older ladies waiting for the bus. I approach them and we start chatting in Arabic. Of course, they want to know where I'm from, why do I speak Arabic like this, etc, etc. (By the way, they are waiting for the bus to go to the Old City to pray at Al Aqsa
Mosque.) After the adequate amount of pleasantries, I ask them where I
can find a ladies hair salon. These 2 ladies decide I need to go to Aida's Hair Salon at the top of the hill in Beit Safafa. Could I walk to it? Yes, they say, but don't. Just about this time, Um Munir stops a car that is driving by us. She tells the lady driver that I need to go to Aida's so could she please drive me up the hill. And the next thing I know, I'm sitting in the backseat of a total stranger's car being driven up the hill to Aida's Hair Salon. The driver and I start chatting in Arabic--- how to do you know Um Munir, where are you from etc, etc. And then she switches to English and says, "Maybe you know my father. He has written a well-known Arabic-English dictionary. His name is Omar Othman." Wow....just the week before while dining with some friends, we were discussing a particular word in Arabic and we grabbed Omar Othman's Arabic-English Dictionary to look it up. And now here I was riding in the car with his daughter!??!! What a crazy small world! Oh and look--- we've arrived at Aida's. Ok, yalla bye, thank you for the ride!<br />
<br />
And that is how you go exploring in an Arab neighborhood. Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01490159872346828406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-57169058937785950112013-08-29T07:36:00.000+02:002013-08-29T07:36:17.525+02:00Living without watching the news For the most part, in the past 2 months I have not <u><b>watched</b></u> the news. (Ok, there were the few days we stayed at a hotel in Washington DC and yes, I watched the news on TV.) That doesn't mean I don't know what is going on in the world-- each day I look at the headlines on Google News. Let me just say there is a HUGE difference between watching the news and reading the news.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IrKinF0dosU/Uh7Z60F8bbI/AAAAAAAABNY/myiyS-0iSs8/s1600/LRView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IrKinF0dosU/Uh7Z60F8bbI/AAAAAAAABNY/myiyS-0iSs8/s320/LRView.jpg" width="240" /></a> Yesterday I perused Google News more than usual because it seemed things were heating up. Then I received a facebook message from a dear friend saying that she was going to be saying extra prayers for me and my family to stay safe. This led me to look out my my floor-to-ceiling windows to see how the "news" was affecting life in West Jerusalem. I saw a mother pushing a stroller alongside a little kid riding his plastic Hot Wheels trike. There was another lady in work-out clothes (a modest long sleeved, long pants track suit) walking for exercise in the park. Another person was walking his dog. I saw a guy on his balcony relaxing. Buses were going up and down the street. People were walking on the sidewalk carrying a briefcase or bag. In other words, it all looked totally normal and like any other day in West Jerusalem. <br />
<br />
So as you watch the news and their reporters, remember that they are interested in ratings. They are going to say things that make you think the worst. Then counter that with the view out of my living room window. Life is going on as normal. Not to say that bad things can't happen, but it appears to me that the people in this country are prepared. Queen Elizabeth's advice seems to be the norm here: <i>Keep calm and carry on.</i><br />
<br />
<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01490159872346828406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-87112629096815993722013-08-28T19:36:00.000+02:002013-08-28T19:36:13.396+02:00A Short QuizWe, the Rubesh Family, have moved to West Jerusalem. Here is a short
quiz to gauge your knowledge of life in a Jewish-observing
neighborhood. Decide if each statement is true or false. (Easy-- 50-50
chance of getting each one correct!!) <br />
<br />
#1- Many of the women in our neighborhood wear a head covering. true or false ?<br />
<br />
#2- Many of the women in our neighborhood wear long skirts and long-sleeved shirts. true or false ?<br />
<br />
#3-
Many of the boys in our neighborhood have short hair with 2 long-ish
curls on either side of their head (just above the ears). true or
false ?<br />
<br />
#4- During the Sabbath, the following items are off-limits: cell phones, dishwashers, and Wii /Play Station. true or false ?<br />
<br />
#5- In our neighborhood, it is common for marriages to be arranged by a matchmaker. true or false ?<br />
<br />
And the correct answers are..... true-- all of them.<br />
<br />
Our
neighborhood has nice big sidewalks, plenty of playgrounds, manicured
flower beds and cross walks. (Don't laugh at my list....all of those
things were absent in Costa Rica!!!) Satellite dishes can be found on
all of the roofs. In the evening after the heat of the day has
dissipated, children come out on bikes, scooters, and skateboards to
enjoy the evening. And so here lives the modern with the
ancient....modern conveniences coupled with the ancient laws from the
Torah.<br />
<br />
This is living in West Jerusalem.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01490159872346828406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-19152956713354760202013-08-25T20:54:00.002+02:002013-08-25T20:54:23.325+02:00Shwarma with a view: lunch on the rooftops above the Christian Quarter.<div id="dmd_pano_bNHONU" style="width: 425px; height: 327px;"></div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.dermandar.com/js/embed.js.php?v=88.78.59"></script>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-68721221092407743472013-08-24T23:36:00.002+02:002013-08-24T23:36:41.124+02:00One of our elevators is not like the other<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you happen to live on the 11th floor of an apartment building, Shabbat (Sabbath) can pose an interesting problem. For many observant Jews, operating an electrical device between sundown on Friday and sundown on Saturday would be a violation of one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activities_prohibited_on_Shabbat#The_thirty-nine_activities">39 categories of prohibited activity on Shabbat</a>. It's kind of hard to operate most elevators without pushing a button, and the 11th floor is a rather long way up! </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QIAqW1LNLkc/Uhkbw90ulUI/AAAAAAAALXI/8ydSn3cuNQM/s1600/IMG-20130824-00101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QIAqW1LNLkc/Uhkbw90ulUI/AAAAAAAALXI/8ydSn3cuNQM/s400/IMG-20130824-00101.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fortunately, our building's second elevator is a product of the Israeli Knesset's Shabbat Elevator Law, requiring all buildings with more than one elevator to install a <i>Shabbat Module</i> in one of the elevators.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A9h4utDjsJY/UhkbwHibcqI/AAAAAAAALW8/cvt0q1pvWeA/s1600/IMG-20130824-00096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A9h4utDjsJY/UhkbwHibcqI/AAAAAAAALW8/cvt0q1pvWeA/s400/IMG-20130824-00096.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Being new to Shabbat, my three assistants and I decided to take a ride today to see exactly how our "special elevator" worked. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First step? You stand outside the elevator and wait. And wait. Eventually, (in our building at least) if you're on an odd numbered floor, the elevator arrives and opens up, awaiting passengers. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5BYhK77K_gg/Uhkbvx7ILnI/AAAAAAAALW4/ScM6oxZI8Q4/s1600/IMG-20130824-00097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5BYhK77K_gg/Uhkbvx7ILnI/AAAAAAAALW4/ScM6oxZI8Q4/s400/IMG-20130824-00097.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We walked on board on at 11, and waited through the warning "beep" for the elevator to get on it's way. No need to push a button, because no matter where you want to go, the elevator has a plan, and we were just along for the ride.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmJdUjylm6k/UhkbyXQCThI/AAAAAAAALXQ/eJUKeYNyKvE/s1600/IMG-20130824-00102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmJdUjylm6k/UhkbyXQCThI/AAAAAAAALXQ/eJUKeYNyKvE/s400/IMG-20130824-00102.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apparently ours is a special "odd floor" elevator. After leaving the 11th, we stopped on the 9th, 7th, 5th, 3rd and 1st before arriving at the ground floor, four and a half minutes after starting our journey.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9z_Q9aaBV-I/UhkbyWe6wTI/AAAAAAAALXU/OVaR4jQv5WU/s1600/IMG-20130824-00103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9z_Q9aaBV-I/UhkbyWe6wTI/AAAAAAAALXU/OVaR4jQv5WU/s400/IMG-20130824-00103.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After taking a tour through the bottom four floors of our parking garage, we stopped again on the ground floor before the elevator took us home directly to the 11th. We hopped off and the elevator continued on its merry way. <i>Very </i>impressive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At sundown, our special elevator reverted back to being just another "boring old elevator". And it will stay ordinary. Until <i>next </i>week, when it becomes special once again!</span></div>
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-25487369979056111932012-12-25T06:05:00.002+01:002012-12-25T06:05:23.408+01:002012 - A Year in Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>January
</b>started off with Kevin’s first-ever surprise birthday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weeks of sneakiness, deceit and half-truths
by Erin (all for a good cause, of course) succeeded in keeping the wraps on the
whole thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sneakiness continued
with <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5698074279300026465">Jad’s 9<sup>th</sup> birthday party</a> – starring Ninjas, home-made nunchucks and a complete regimen of Ninja training activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin and Erin celebrated 4 kids, 12 years
and 17 countries at the <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5695378534913520177">Peace Lodge</a> (featured in “Honeymoon
Hotspots International’s” top ten list, and not bad for an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anniversary</i> either).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
then… after years of resistance (and experiments with fish, turtles, bunnies,
hamsters and guinea pigs) we <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5703658792416267505">adopted a “real” pet</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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course a big “QUACK” went out to the Oregon Ducks football team who won the
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Moving
on to <b>March</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As all of you no doubt are
aware, March 1<sup>st</sup> is Dr. Suess’ birthday – an occasion for real-life
green eggs and ham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, a three hour cruise
to Tortuga Island did not, in fact, result in a TV show a la Gilligan, but did
feature a rather large snake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>March was
also our second annual <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5719230073973864513">Boy Scout Family Camping trip</a>, complete with waterfalls,
rock climbing, sugar cane juice and a cow or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “highlight” of the month, however, was
spending a week in the hospital with Danna, whose Nephrotic Syndrome reared its
ugly head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s amazing what a Wii, a
couple dozen friends, and a stack of DVD’s can do to a hospital room
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PARTY CENTRAL at Hospital
Clinica Biblica!</span></div>
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made it home in time for Easter in <b>April</b>, and we went on a sledding trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not on <i>snow</i>, mind you – this is Central
America, after all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grass sledding, on
cardboard boxes is almost as fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
not quite as cold (or expensive).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>May</b>, we celebrated Danna’s <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5737744021666081329?authkey=CL-25Y2z2d_HZA">8<sup>th</sup> birthday</a> – surrounded by friends and their
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and celebrated of the life of Kevin’s grandmother Jane, who died at age 85,
surrounded by her five children.</span></div>
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the time <b>July </b>rolled around, Kevin was able to join the tribe in the Pacific
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Washington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cousins, uncles, aunts,
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<b>August </b>rolled around, we were still in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying the
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breakfast), a parade, and zip lining. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was back to Costa Rica, back to school
and back to work. After a 10 year hiatus, Erin returned to the classroom,
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attend school. </span></div>
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<b>September </b>we celebrated Costa Rican Independence Day and also experienced a
whopping 7.5 earthquake. It was the strongest that's hit the country during our time here, and we definitely felt it! Thankfully, the country escaped serious damage. Our friend, Sophie, came to visit from France which gave us an excuse to visit the
beaches of Manuel Antonio. Jad and Danna both passed their online typing course
and were awarded their own gmail accounts. Thus start their lives on the Internet - oh my! Our hearts sank as we watched the news of the attacks on the Consulate in Libya, which killed of our State Department colleagues. One of the four who died did the same job as Kevin does, which made the tragedy strike very close to home. </span></div>
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<b>November </b>Danna and one of her school friends started volunteering at the
Wildlife Refuge Center, cleaning out turtle habitats, preparing food for the macaws,
and cleaning up monkey poop. We also received notice that our next assignment,
beginning Aug 2013, will be at the US Consulate in Jerusalem. And we celebrated
Thanksgiving with 20 friends at our home in Costa Rica, complete with a
Ginger-Ale basted Butterball turkey and homemade cranberry sauce. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Early
<b>December </b>brings the annual Christmas production at our church. This year all of us were
involved in “The Greatest Gift”: Kevin sang a solo, Jad portrayed Joseph, Danna
was an orphan with a speaking part (she got to hold a mic!), Erin helped
with costumes, and Kyler watched us! On the same day as opening night of the
play, Jad and Danna participated in their <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5819691286451975777">first-ever horse riding exhibition</a>.
Then to start off the Christmas break from school, Jad spent 2 days at Hospital
Metropolitano due to an “asthma crisis”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was released in time to <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116694195573547015137/albums/5825378773750780913?authkey=CNWD8Nbn99WoIQ">welcome his grandparents (Kevin’s parents) toCosta Rica</a>. They’re celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us for
the first time since we’ve had children!</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yZEDEgoDUTU/UNkwsZn5jYI/AAAAAAAAKjg/Px-cQFYKDjs/s1600/2012+Christmas+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yZEDEgoDUTU/UNkwsZn5jYI/AAAAAAAAKjg/Px-cQFYKDjs/s400/2012+Christmas+Card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Which brings us full circle on another year. From the Rubesh family in Costa Rica to you and your family, wherever in the world you are this year, warm greetings and a very Merry Christmas! </span></div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-69091442239951739492012-01-07T06:07:00.002+01:002012-01-07T06:07:52.258+01:00How to use printers... to collect water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.fire-sprinkler.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sprinkler_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fire-sprinkler.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sprinkler_4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 12pt;">I
got a special "Christmas Surprise" just a couple days before Christmas
this year - month-long renovations in my office were just wrapping up,
when water pipes in the ceiling burst, drenching the freshly laid
carpet, the ceiling, my co-workers, and much of our
communications equipment. Months of planning, thousands of dollars of
equipment and weeks of work - all washed away in seconds by a massive
burst of water from "on high". <br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 12pt;">As
we poured water out of printers, dried off networking gear, ripped up
sodden carpet, and pulled down soggy ceiling tiles, it occurred to me
that a guy named Joe experienced a somewhat similar Christmas surprise a
couple thousand years ago. In case you don't know this particular
story, Joe was a carpenter, plying his trade in Nazareth. He was
engaged - to a lovely young lady named Mary. I'm sure he and his family
had spent months of planning, and thousands of shekels (?) for his
upcoming marriage. Dates were planned, the reception hall booked, the
caterers hired (OK, permit me a bit of creative license here, OK?) When
all of the sudden... unexpectedly... from on high, he got a rather <i>shocking </i>message.
In Joe's case, it wasn't a gush of water, but rather, a heavenly visit
from on high. His fiance... pregnant! The baby? A Messiah! Talk
about a dramatic change of plans! The news must have hit him... well, a
little like a burst of highly pressurized water from a fire sprinkler
main.<br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 12pt;">It
can be a little hard to feel the Christmas spirit while ripping your
newly renovated office apart. No doubt Joseph found it hard to stay the
course when angelic messengers dropped a messianic bombshell his lap.
But that's the wonder of Christmas. In the midst of the chaos of
Bethlehem at census time; ensconced in the squalor of a stable; sought
after by shepherds and wise men from far away, the <i><b>Prince of </b><b>Peace</b> </i>was born. <br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">May
you and your families experience the peace of Christmas this season -
whatever your circumstances, and wherever you happen to be calling home
this year.</span><br />
</span></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-46445190812401774402011-12-24T18:50:00.003+01:002011-12-24T19:03:04.173+01:002011 - A year in the rain forest<br />
Another year has flown by, and it's time for an update on what the Rubesh family has been up to for the past twelve months!<br />
<br />
Kevin continues to enjoy his job managing the computer and communications systems of the US Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica. Erin keeps busy as a full time mom, chauffeur, entertainment coordinator, culinary specialist and Chief Operations Officer of "Rubesh Inc." Jad's almost nine, a tall (where does he get that from?) third grader who enjoys computer games, drawing, legos and his most recent hobby, horseback riding. Danna is seven and is loving second grade, hanging out with her friends, playing with her pet bunny and riding both horses and her bike. Kyler turned four, and started preschool this year. This is a good thing because he's also is rapidly becoming master of odd questions. Where better to ask them than in school?! We're thankful for a more settled year this year in Costa Rica - good health for all of us, and a great new school for the kids.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-03Ahpa9WYvs/TvYO41Bcf_I/AAAAAAAAH5Q/_eTMxEbZUwE/s1600/2011-Jan-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-03Ahpa9WYvs/TvYO41Bcf_I/AAAAAAAAH5Q/_eTMxEbZUwE/s400/2011-Jan-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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2011 begin with Erin and the kids ringing in the new year with a trip to Miami - now famous for beaches, manatees (Jad's absolute favorite marine animal), "Tayta and Jiddo" (Erin's parents) and cousin Cory (thought the last two probably won't turn up in any guidebooks!) Jad turned eight and Kevin followed suit by turning 38. No igloo building this year, but it was nice to see the sun come out after the long months of Costa Rica's rainy season.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nRWx2F9XGRg/TvYPApGO6AI/AAAAAAAAH5c/YOBro5I4juA/s1600/2011-Feb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nRWx2F9XGRg/TvYPApGO6AI/AAAAAAAAH5c/YOBro5I4juA/s400/2011-Feb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In February, we said goodbye to Kevin's grandpa Fred Miller, aged 87, and Kevin joined his family in Oregon for a celebration of his life. We'll always picture him with either a
well worn Bible or a greasy rag and wrench in his hands... oh, and a
cookie to go with the ice cream for dessert. Meanwhile in Costa Rica, Jad changed schools, which meant no more uniforms, and we filled out the rest of the month with curry parties, trips to the beach and a "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e302dqZYwr0">Problem at Outpost 25.</a>"</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2RK-eIZoaNU/TvYPPCMvdeI/AAAAAAAAH5o/FTtuV3yl6Ls/s1600/Jenna%2527s+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2RK-eIZoaNU/TvYPPCMvdeI/AAAAAAAAH5o/FTtuV3yl6Ls/s400/Jenna%2527s+Cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In March, Kevin visited the Nation's Capital for some training, and while there, "Murphy's Law of Absent Husbands" struck and Kyler added a "Harry Potter Scar" courtesy of a table corner at a cafe. Fortunately, the owners of what's now our favorite cafe in town rushed "Harry" and Erin to the hospital for a quick stitch-up. Kevin got back just in time to go to <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/BoyScoutCamp">Boy Scout Camp with Jad</a>. We said goodbye to our good friends and neighbors from Sweden (boo hoo), but welcomed our first friends from home for <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/ManuelAntonioApril2011">a visit to Costa Rica</a> (yay!) Oh - and Danna made her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsIn7JkHQdE">first music video</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcN-S23iaSw/TvYPXGz6cOI/AAAAAAAAH50/HmjCXSvis8Y/s1600/Irazu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcN-S23iaSw/TvYPXGz6cOI/AAAAAAAAH50/HmjCXSvis8Y/s400/Irazu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For Easter vacation, we headed to Costa Rica's <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kevin.rubesh/NicoyaPenninsula?feat=directlink">Nicoya Peninsula</a>. Five minutes from the end of our five hour drive there, one of Costa Rica's famous potholes beat one of Germany's
tires. CR roads: 2, Tires: 0. Our first trip to <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/IrazuVolcano">Volcan Irazu</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_YX_gfiPyI">movie production day</a> at Jad's new school rounded out the month in good style. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DWVGqtDPgKc/TvYPfxRq7BI/AAAAAAAAH6A/wbzr3xIuF2s/s1600/2011-May.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DWVGqtDPgKc/TvYPfxRq7BI/AAAAAAAAH6A/wbzr3xIuF2s/s400/2011-May.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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May featured Danna's <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/DannaSSeventhBirthday?authkey=Gv1sRgCLa2tIufwKGRwgE">seventh birthday</a>, her <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/SwimMeet">first swim meet</a>, as well as a visit from "Tayta". Jad's first ever entry in a Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby brought home the 1st place ribbon for his troop.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nPo_aZ-Ic2k/TvYPqtFLyaI/AAAAAAAAH6M/b0Z2EsnHVEs/s1600/2011-July-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nPo_aZ-Ic2k/TvYPqtFLyaI/AAAAAAAAH6M/b0Z2EsnHVEs/s400/2011-July-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We headed back "home" in June to furnish our new home in <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/PortlandSummer2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOyzq5DB7cv9lwE">Portland, Oregon</a> for the summer. In between furnishing a house, running to swim lessons, library visits and Vacation Bible School, we did manage to squeeze in lots of time with friends, family, as well as soaking in <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/PacificNorthwestSummer2011">the natural wonders of the Northwest</a>. Danna's kidney biopsy showed that the treatment she's been on for the last 2 years is on the right track. In July, Kyler celebrated his fourth birthday, and we took in a real life fourth-of-July fireworks show. Kevin took the 2 "big kids" down to Medford to visit with "Grandma Jane" (Kevin's grandmother) and his mom before heading back to work in San Jose. Erin and the kids enjoyed another month in Portland with Tayta and Jiddo before returning to Costa Rica.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8qxRwkLRFqI/TvYP1-3ppVI/AAAAAAAAH6Y/vBVndoXjZwo/s1600/September.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8qxRwkLRFqI/TvYP1-3ppVI/AAAAAAAAH6Y/vBVndoXjZwo/s400/September.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
After a great summer in Oregon, we settled back into a routine in Costa Rica again. All three kids started up the school year at the same small school. With Kyler joining the ranks of "school kid", Erin found herself with 3 1/2 'kid-free' hours each morning for the first time in eight years! <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/LaborDayWeekend">Labor day</a> was the perfect combination of a day off from work for Kevin and a regular school day for all three kids. Great excuse for a "date day" hiking up in the hills above San Jose! Danna started horseback riding lessons, and immediately fell in love with all things "horsey/" Costa Rica's independence day brought out a lot of red, white and blue.<br />
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By October, the rainy season had started in earnest... and we discovered that a tree growing in your primary drainage pipe really doesn't mix well with heavy rain shower. Interior floods resulted... until we finally got to the "root" of the problem. The resulting dry floors were perfect for indoor camping as the rain forest did what it does best - rain. We adopted two bunnies, and of course, almost immediately made them stars of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6yUyG7PVgk">(very) small screen</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AFkxd971Xsc/TvYQlFP6VuI/AAAAAAAAH6w/OIBW2CXkfGM/s1600/November.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AFkxd971Xsc/TvYQlFP6VuI/AAAAAAAAH6w/OIBW2CXkfGM/s400/November.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We made our first <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/PlayaPuntaUva">trip to Costa Rica's Carribean coast</a> - oceans apart from the busy, touristy Pacific, and enjoyed a long weekend away with some good friends. Jad took up horse back riding as well, and Kevin and Erin got all "fancified" for the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F311FgcA4vs/TvYQvFrpetI/AAAAAAAAH68/-5dFe3OiQw0/s1600/December.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F311FgcA4vs/TvYQvFrpetI/AAAAAAAAH68/-5dFe3OiQw0/s400/December.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Which brings us all the way up to December - a month full of preparations for Christmas! Erin (costume designer extraordinaire) and Kevin (video greenscreen magician) both played key behind-the-scenes roles in the International Baptist Church's annual Christmas production - helping to bring "<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/19084726">The Jesus App</a>" to life to an audience of over 1,000! Jad and Danna played roles as a Wiseman and a Dove, respectively. Not a lot of lines, but a tremendous amount of wing-flapping and regal bearing required. In between play practices, costume fittings and Christmas parties, we carved out time to visit <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116694195573547015137/2011Thanksgiving">Volcan Arenal's natural hot springs</a>, and welcomed Erin's parents back to Costa Rica in time for Christmas.</div>
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And that brings us up to date for now. </div>
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From the Rubesh family in Costa Rica to all of our friends and family
around the world, a very Merry Christmas! May this be a season of joy
and peace, wherever you may be! </div>
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</div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-11216950090897722862010-12-23T04:46:00.024+01:002010-12-23T18:04:56.189+01:00From Igloos to Volcanoes - a Rubesh year in reviewThree countries, 7200 pounds, lots of suitcases and yet another new continent. Time for a quick review of the last twelve months!<br /><br />They say the third time's the charm, and we proved it in January with our first ever (successful) family ski vacation. The key? Having Erin's parents along to keep Kyler entertained while the rest of us went skiing. The Austrian alps in January? Gorgeous! Hot chocolate on top of a snowy world, before yet another slide back down the hill? It just doesn't get much "besser" than that! Jad celebrated his seventh birthday (and Kevin his... more than seventh) in our little mountain hideaway while we were there. Back home in Prague, we got snow. Lots of snow. Igloo building snow, in fact. If it's going to be cold, it might as well snow, right?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLGgRAk10I/AAAAAAAAG14/0sysbbUi4sM/s1600/Ski%2BVacation.jpg"><br /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRNrnjRUuWI/AAAAAAAAG3o/fOnmmBTafqI/s1600/Ski%2BVacation1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRNrnjRUuWI/AAAAAAAAG3o/fOnmmBTafqI/s400/Ski%2BVacation1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553901092704926050" border="0" /></a>We liked Austria so much that we went back in February. This time via train, and this time, unfortunately, without babysitters. Austria's museums, aquariums, Sri Lankan restaurants and... pharmacies make it a great place to come back to! We've found that a truly "bonding" family vacation is one that starts with one sick kid, and finishes up with three. With a hotel room and pharmacies tying them all together!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLGzIFQzgI/AAAAAAAAG2A/Xnj54hqb0x4/s1600/Ski%2BWeek.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLGzIFQzgI/AAAAAAAAG2A/Xnj54hqb0x4/s400/Ski%2BWeek.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553719872146427394" border="0" /></a>We celebrated Easter on a hilltop back in Prague, and then rounded out the month of April by joining in a truly Czech tradition. A hockey game! We enjoyed watching the action on the ice. But even more, we relished finding one of the very few public places where Kyler could be as loud as he wanted... and not be heard!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLLLfT58SI/AAAAAAAAG2I/FSlbYih6qcU/s1600/Easter.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLLLfT58SI/AAAAAAAAG2I/FSlbYih6qcU/s400/Easter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553724688745230626" border="0" /></a>April was a month of Very Important Visitors. When you work at a US Embassy overseas, the first one was truly a presidential-sized job... yet another visit of POTUS (President of the United States of America) to Prague! No sooner had we bid Air Force One a fond farwell than the real important visitors arrived - Kevin's parents. A little icelandic volcano with a cute name (say "Eyjafjallajökull" three times fast) became our good friend during this visit. The volcanic ash paralyzed flights all through Europe. But this isn't a bad thing when you have grandparents on the ground where you want them to be by the time the flights are frozen!<br /><br />We then put the volcanic ash behind us and headed west - to the south of France, to be precise. Kevin's cousin not only found, but married a lovely French lady, and we got join in the celebrations (by way of a fourteen hour drive)! Danna discovered dancing, and grooved the night away under the disco ball while her brothers snoozed in the playroom and her parents enjoyed the pleasures of French cuisine. France was lovely - but spending time with Kevin's uncle, aunt, cousins and new French extended family was even better. We even got to talk politics... in French (over croissants, of course!)<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLNfUfnfyI/AAAAAAAAG2Q/K6lXmwA2Jwg/s1600/April.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLNfUfnfyI/AAAAAAAAG2Q/K6lXmwA2Jwg/s400/April.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553727228462202658" border="0" /></a>We had just enough time in May to celebrate Danna's sixth birthday before starting to pull up roots in Prague. 7200 pounds was the magic number. The limit within which we're required to compress our lives every three years as we travel around the world. It's nice in a way. Call it a periodic forced "Spring Cleaning." It was our chance to look at what you have, and decide what's really important to keep around (and what's not). We sold, we donated, we tossed... and then we shipped, hoping to see this stuff when we arrived in Costa Rica months later!<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLQIqEZeVI/AAAAAAAAG2Y/teJvSdxGOiw/s1600/May.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLQIqEZeVI/AAAAAAAAG2Y/teJvSdxGOiw/s400/May.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553730137651509586" border="0" /></a>June brought goodbyes to Prague, and hellos to Portland Oregon! June's a great time to be in the Pacific Northwest, and we fell in love with the place all over again. With family in the area, the month was marked with curry nights, trout fishing, real life cowboys, cheese pizza and plenty of "cousin time" with Kevin's brother and his family. Kyler got to meet his great grandparents for the first time.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLSasbYRwI/AAAAAAAAG2g/92OnJdeDD-I/s1600/Medford.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLSasbYRwI/AAAAAAAAG2g/92OnJdeDD-I/s400/Medford.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553732646545671938" border="0" /></a>In July, we headed back east... but only as far as Oklahoma. Yet more cousin time, a small-town fourth of July parade, and Kyler's third birthday - in his birthplace, no less! We also did our part to help the American economy, in preparation for moving back to the 110 volt side of the world. To round off our time in America, we took advantage of willing babysitters and flew to Boston for the reunion of Erin's high school from Amman, Jordan.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLT9l40H9I/AAAAAAAAG2o/S-31qPJDvoc/s1600/Oklahoma.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLT9l40H9I/AAAAAAAAG2o/S-31qPJDvoc/s400/Oklahoma.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553734345597132754" border="0" /></a>August brought our spashdown in San Jose, Costa Rica... where it rained. And rained. And rained some more. For at least 40 days and 40 nights. No arks - but plenty of potholes, floods, landslides and the random cow or two roaming down the street. Lots of changes - new school, work, language, food and culture. Oh, and did I mention the rain yet?<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLVhn0WbUI/AAAAAAAAG2w/zaH2ZuPKlB0/s1600/August.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLVhn0WbUI/AAAAAAAAG2w/zaH2ZuPKlB0/s400/August.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553736064102198594" border="0" /></a>Looking for some excitement in September, we headed to an active volcano, and explored the type of things that bring tourists to Costa Rica - lush rain forest, exotic animals and bridges hung in the treetops.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLW_MgaHxI/AAAAAAAAG24/cb1M5QO2nLE/s1600/Arenal.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLW_MgaHxI/AAAAAAAAG24/cb1M5QO2nLE/s400/Arenal.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553737671678500626" border="0" /></a>October. Let's just skip October for now. Leave it to say we invested heavily in Costa Rican<br />health care and learned fancy Latin words like "pneumonia" and "bronchitis" (maybe they're Greek words?). In between the visits to the doctors offices though, we did squeeze in some more Costa Rican flora and fauna.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLaZssRp4I/AAAAAAAAG3A/GaEHudJkj7E/s1600/October.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLaZssRp4I/AAAAAAAAG3A/GaEHudJkj7E/s400/October.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553741425529694082" border="0" /></a>We finally found the famed Costa Rican beaches in November, when we escaped to Manuel Antonio on the Pacific Coast - only three hours drive away, despite landslides having taken out the country's only highway the month before. Surfing, sand castles and Gallo Pinto at the "beach shack," along with the best gelato in Costa Rica (so far) made for a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLdwtL0m5I/AAAAAAAAG3I/V0AEPL-2UrE/s1600/November.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLdwtL0m5I/AAAAAAAAG3I/V0AEPL-2UrE/s400/November.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553745119333882770" border="0" /></a>So far, December has featured sheep, stars and a chorus of singing angels at our church's Christmas Production. Jad passed his first ever Tae Kwondo exam, and we imported some some wise parents from the north - bearing gifts. Like ham! And M&M's! We can't figure out who's having more fun - the kids or their "Tayta and Jiddo!" (Erin's parents).<br /><br />Which brings us right up to date. To all of our friends and family around the world, a very Merry Christmas! May this be a season of joy and peace, wherever you may be!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLgGEoxh-I/AAAAAAAAG3Q/5eQZaSHPAfE/s1600/2011-Option-3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TRLgGEoxh-I/AAAAAAAAG3Q/5eQZaSHPAfE/s400/2011-Option-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553747685429839842" border="0" /></a>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-12166543725606671992010-10-07T06:22:00.009+02:002010-10-07T16:38:12.459+02:00The daily commuteFor those of you wanting a "taste of San Jose," here's what my daily commute to work looks like. This is one of about 5 different routes in to work, but this one is special. It features the infamous crossing over the "Bridge of Doom."<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Mmb4nPwI/AAAAAAAAGtY/5pSRZBD-nhk/s1600/DSCN2312.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525156541057416962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Mmb4nPwI/AAAAAAAAGtY/5pSRZBD-nhk/s400/DSCN2312.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 0.0</span> - leaving the house on "Rubesova Street." I didn't steal the sign from Prague - I bought it. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Really</span>!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Mmt1FGrI/AAAAAAAAGtg/OKBPGGbePAg/s1600/DSCN2318.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525156545874434738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Mmt1FGrI/AAAAAAAAGtg/OKBPGGbePAg/s400/DSCN2318.JPG" border="0" /></a>Condominios Altos de Escazu.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnKGuPBI/AAAAAAAAGto/bv3piYuv-QI/s1600/DSCN2319.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525156553464626194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnKGuPBI/AAAAAAAAGto/bv3piYuv-QI/s400/DSCN2319.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnaGfQYI/AAAAAAAAGtw/E5fjI-vbJR0/s1600/DSCN2320.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525156557758611842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnaGfQYI/AAAAAAAAGtw/E5fjI-vbJR0/s400/DSCN2320.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 0.25</span> - one of our favorite potholes. This one's been growing for over a month, and is shaping up to be a real car-swallower.<br /></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnsVPuzI/AAAAAAAAGt4/alGMVGgQHj4/s1600/DSCN2321.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525156562652347186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnsVPuzI/AAAAAAAAGt4/alGMVGgQHj4/s400/DSCN2321.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 0.75</span> - I think they ran out of asphalt on this stretch. The lack of pavement makes the dumped building refuse fit right in.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHpfpuiI/AAAAAAAAGuA/x_QXOQgXdc4/s1600/DSCN2322.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525158211158129186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHpfpuiI/AAAAAAAAGuA/x_QXOQgXdc4/s400/DSCN2322.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHhrThAI/AAAAAAAAGuI/rONwQz_gNYk/s1600/DSCN2323.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525158209059521538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHhrThAI/AAAAAAAAGuI/rONwQz_gNYk/s400/DSCN2323.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 1.0</span> - Kyler's preschool "The Kids' University", followed by the local dairy. "Se Vende Leche!" fresh from the cow each morning.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHyPF0nI/AAAAAAAAGuQ/by4to-QaG8g/s1600/DSCN2324.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525158213504586354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHyPF0nI/AAAAAAAAGuQ/by4to-QaG8g/s400/DSCN2324.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 1.5 </span>- One of about four river/creek/raging torrent crossings<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OIT8349I/AAAAAAAAGug/5xOydmFaOUY/s1600/DSCN2326.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525158222554981330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OIT8349I/AAAAAAAAGug/5xOydmFaOUY/s400/DSCN2326.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OIO4clNI/AAAAAAAAGuY/kG9bEBQIBw0/s1600/DSCN2325.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525158221194237138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OIO4clNI/AAAAAAAAGuY/kG9bEBQIBw0/s400/DSCN2325.JPG" border="0" /></a>Mile 1.75 - on the "Main Road" to Escazu. 6:45 traffic ain't bad.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Pol5fqhI/AAAAAAAAGuo/SJZ27e2-u8I/s1600/DSCN2328.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525159876640090642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Pol5fqhI/AAAAAAAAGuo/SJZ27e2-u8I/s400/DSCN2328.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 2.0</span> - Mmm! A "Lunch Ejecutivo" at Tony Roma's would hit the spot!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Po0jTgkI/AAAAAAAAGuw/4GRkmsVu-LQ/s1600/DSCN2329.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525159880573551170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Po0jTgkI/AAAAAAAAGuw/4GRkmsVu-LQ/s400/DSCN2329.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 2.75</span> - Hipermas grocery store. AKA "Walmart"<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Ppfc94-I/AAAAAAAAGvA/EBLsfSeaa8g/s1600/DSCN2332.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525159892089693154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Ppfc94-I/AAAAAAAAGvA/EBLsfSeaa8g/s400/DSCN2332.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHhrThAI/AAAAAAAAGuI/rONwQz_gNYk/s1600/DSCN2323.JPG"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzID3tzDAdL8AZhlx9oufx5EuErhgeIVE-8AeqdsNfEAgnIG3BhYxHU4D0GCgM9g5qCGRQEsM14uoJIPFA-dQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 3.0</span> - The "Bridge of Doom". Jad saw the video, and said "Hmm - that looks like fun!" (much to his mother's horror)<br /><br />[about a mile of very boring warehouses and train tracks]<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Ppq-mYQI/AAAAAAAAGvI/ZQ9Oc_rXh7w/s1600/DSCN2334.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525159895183548674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Ppq-mYQI/AAAAAAAAGvI/ZQ9Oc_rXh7w/s400/DSCN2334.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Mile 4.12</span> - Just another day in Uncle Sam's service.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHyPF0nI/AAAAAAAAGuQ/by4to-QaG8g/s1600/DSCN2324.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHhrThAI/AAAAAAAAGuI/rONwQz_gNYk/s1600/DSCN2323.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1OHpfpuiI/AAAAAAAAGuA/x_QXOQgXdc4/s1600/DSCN2322.JPG"><br /></a><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnaGfQYI/AAAAAAAAGtw/E5fjI-vbJR0/s1600/DSCN2320.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1MnKGuPBI/AAAAAAAAGto/bv3piYuv-QI/s1600/DSCN2319.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Mmt1FGrI/AAAAAAAAGtg/OKBPGGbePAg/s1600/DSCN2318.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TK1Mmb4nPwI/AAAAAAAAGtY/5pSRZBD-nhk/s1600/DSCN2312.JPG"><br /></a>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-69063270102514804282010-09-10T03:19:00.020+02:002010-09-10T06:45:01.395+02:00Volcano, with a side of cow tongue, pleaseOK - so you don't usually run into volcanoes and cow tongues on the same weekend, but there we were, in a hole-in-the-wall hotel/restaurant in the mountain town of Ciudad Quedasa and it just... happened.<br /><br />It was pouring down rain, we had hours left to drive to get back to San Jose, and the guidebook recommended the Hotel Don Goyo's steak (it also said the hotel would make a great Quentin Tarantino movie setting, so we really couldn't go wrong.) We started leafing through the menu (only available in Spanish), and settled on steak looking items and a plate called "<span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" title="">Lengua con salsa de carne</span></span>." Using our excellent Spanish, we quickly deduced that "lengua" was something similar to "linguini" and that a plate of "Spaghetti with meat sauce" would soon appear.<br /><br />What appeared was clearly not spaghetti, but we weren't sure what is <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span>. Danna started digging into it with a gusto - "I've never tasted such yummy meat!" she commented between mouthfuls. And then it <span style="font-style: italic;">clicked </span>- a memory from our honeymoon in a small town in Mexico (our only prior experience in a Spanish-speaking country), where Erin and I found our way to a local church for the Sunday morning service.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TIm2WFU9LcI/AAAAAAAAGtI/wFg1qLBB7g8/s1600/spaghetti.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 290px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TIm2WFU9LcI/AAAAAAAAGtI/wFg1qLBB7g8/s400/spaghetti.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515139709195333058" border="0" /></a>Once we figured out the passage for the day (James 3), we were able to piece together the gist of the sermon - "La importancia de una lengua hermosa" - or importance of a beautiful <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">tongue</span>. Kind of like the tongue Danna was chowing down on.<br /><br />The meal was delicious - the best steak we've had... well almost ever. The meat was fresh from the surrounding high pastureland - and in fact, it may well have wandered right off those pastures directly into the kitchen. And, in case you're wondering, no snappily dressed hitmen visited us during the meal. Delicious tongues on a Tarantino movie set. And that's just at the lunch stop on the way <span style="font-style: italic;">back </span>from the volcano!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImNdD_Mr8I/AAAAAAAAGpw/QLFqm7U0VKI/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImNdD_Mr8I/AAAAAAAAGpw/QLFqm7U0VKI/s400/IMG_8065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515094749117984706" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Tasty tongues aside, a volcano was the real destination for our first trip out of San Jose - an <span style="font-style: italic;">active</span> volcano. In fact, <a href="http://www.arenal.net/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Volcan Arenál</span></a> is listed as one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world - it's been continuously erupting since 1968! About 3 1/2 hours out of San Jose, the <a href="http://www.arenalobservatorylodge.com/index.php">Arenal Observatory Lodge</a> is <span style="font-style: italic;">the </span>place to see it from. Situated on a ridge less than 3 kilometers from Arenal, you really can't get much closer without burning your feet. Getting here involves a 10 Km drive over "native road" - (rough, washed out gravel) after exiting the main road just Northwest of the town of <a href="http://www.fortunawelcome.com/">La Fortuna</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrnTPMNaI/AAAAAAAAGrY/tdwZg4BgDz4/s1600/IMG_8089.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrnTPMNaI/AAAAAAAAGrY/tdwZg4BgDz4/s200/IMG_8089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515127910359119266" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrmwHHJnI/AAAAAAAAGrI/SLGW7C3tyLU/s1600/IMG_8078.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrmwHHJnI/AAAAAAAAGrI/SLGW7C3tyLU/s200/IMG_8078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515127900929992306" border="0" /></a></div><br />The lodge started its life as an observation station for vulcanologists from the Smithsonian Institute, and still retains a bit of the original expeditionary feel. It's no luxury resort - but the rooms are comfortable and clean, the shower's hot and you really don't come all the way out here to watch TV or surf the internet anyway. You come all the way out here to sit on your balcony and watch the volcano slip in and out of the clouds.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImjytgvkbI/AAAAAAAAGp4/FWLb3yb2NDE/s1600/IMG_8071.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImjytgvkbI/AAAAAAAAGp4/FWLb3yb2NDE/s200/IMG_8071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515119310297600434" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImjzZzSqII/AAAAAAAAGqI/6SNGpgifRjg/s1600/IMG_8085.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImjzZzSqII/AAAAAAAAGqI/6SNGpgifRjg/s200/IMG_8085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515119322186557570" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImjyxjZglI/AAAAAAAAGqA/zrYfMJhVVQw/s1600/IMG_8087.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImjyxjZglI/AAAAAAAAGqA/zrYfMJhVVQw/s200/IMG_8087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515119311382479442" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />The restaurant serves up delicious (though a bit pricey for a rustic lodge - $50 for lunch for our family of five) meals as well as a commanding view of both the Volcano and the Arenal Lake at its base. The breakfast buffet, included in the price of the room, is almost worth the price of admission in itself. There's even a buffet set up outside for the tropical birds.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImm4U9Z8TI/AAAAAAAAGqg/ghyzQ4n42Q8/s1600/IMG_8082.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImm4U9Z8TI/AAAAAAAAGqg/ghyzQ4n42Q8/s200/IMG_8082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515122705321029938" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImm4FVrduI/AAAAAAAAGqY/_dntacf-M_o/s1600/IMG_8064.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImm4FVrduI/AAAAAAAAGqY/_dntacf-M_o/s200/IMG_8064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515122701127874274" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImm33K1JnI/AAAAAAAAGqQ/7VEnH7sz6JY/s1600/IMG_8063.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImm33K1JnI/AAAAAAAAGqQ/7VEnH7sz6JY/s200/IMG_8063.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515122697324275314" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />The kids kept themselves entertained while waiting for food by taking up chess on both of the oversized boards. Kyler soon picked up the essence of the game - you use one chess piece to violently knock over another piece, until all the pieces are on their sides. Bobby Fischer he is not (yet).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImu-ENP5NI/AAAAAAAAGsI/Bo0-E3z156Q/s1600/IMG_8069.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 198px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImu-ENP5NI/AAAAAAAAGsI/Bo0-E3z156Q/s200/IMG_8069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515131599996314834" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />What's really neat about this place is that you're really out in the middle of the woods. The woods in this case being real, live rain forest! Every morning, a guide from the lodge leads visitors on a free three hour hike; first over the property's hanging bridge and via paved trails, past trees, bushes and shrubs that are labeled for your Botanic edification. Did you know, for example, that the one of the primary ingredients of <a href="http://www.chanel.com/en_US/fragrance-beauty/Fragrance-N%C2%B05-88109">Chanel N°5 perfume</a> is the leaf of an extremely fragrant tree that is pollinated by bats? I wouldn't have believed it until I sniffed a crushed handful of leaves.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpjv9ZZoI/AAAAAAAAGqo/-cpg7bmcq7k/s1600/IMG_8061-1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpjv9ZZoI/AAAAAAAAGqo/-cpg7bmcq7k/s200/IMG_8061-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515125650326382210" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpkf66L0I/AAAAAAAAGq4/FFqvImIRFNo/s1600/IMG_8070.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpkf66L0I/AAAAAAAAGq4/FFqvImIRFNo/s200/IMG_8070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515125663200849730" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpkBJXRvI/AAAAAAAAGqw/G7dqE1ksHAo/s1600/IMG_8062.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpkBJXRvI/AAAAAAAAGqw/G7dqE1ksHAo/s200/IMG_8062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515125654939977458" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpk4cDk8I/AAAAAAAAGrA/sRNBhO2oRYs/s1600/IMG_8096.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImpk4cDk8I/AAAAAAAAGrA/sRNBhO2oRYs/s200/IMG_8096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515125669782328258" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />The trek then heads off the beaten trail to a waterfall surrounded by green. A great place to break in new rain boots, throw rocks into the rapids and pretend you're Indiana Jones searching for the long lost somethingorother.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtrUZ5K9I/AAAAAAAAGsA/Sn2Fa8uJq_U/s1600/IMG_8117.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 86px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtrUZ5K9I/AAAAAAAAGsA/Sn2Fa8uJq_U/s200/IMG_8117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515130178415176658" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtrI1mCYI/AAAAAAAAGr4/eLMXYab715Y/s1600/IMG_8125.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 86px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtrI1mCYI/AAAAAAAAGr4/eLMXYab715Y/s200/IMG_8125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515130175310137730" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtqvoCECI/AAAAAAAAGrw/4dRpUbUjtz0/s1600/IMG_8124.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 86px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtqvoCECI/AAAAAAAAGrw/4dRpUbUjtz0/s200/IMG_8124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515130168542367778" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtqGGZfiI/AAAAAAAAGro/-hnM9E-nStE/s1600/IMG_8122.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 86px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImtqGGZfiI/AAAAAAAAGro/-hnM9E-nStE/s200/IMG_8122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515130157395443234" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />For those without kids... miles more of interesting hikes await - to lava flows, flooded craters and more.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrntusAHI/AAAAAAAAGrg/ZzgiuCCJ_zM/s1600/IMG_8129.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrntusAHI/AAAAAAAAGrg/ZzgiuCCJ_zM/s200/IMG_8129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515127917470548082" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrnDvM5oI/AAAAAAAAGrQ/njva9mVnZEk/s1600/IMG_8083.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImrnDvM5oI/AAAAAAAAGrQ/njva9mVnZEk/s200/IMG_8083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515127906198414978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Of course, being in the rain forest, critters abound as well. The purple flowery bushes buzz with hummingbirds, furry racoon-like critters roam the grounds looking for a handout, white-faced monkeys glare at you from the treetops, and if you pause to look carefully at the plants lining the trail, you find an incredible variety of tiny critters roaming about (pardon the scientific terminology in the above paragraph).<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImu-6d672I/AAAAAAAAGsY/u5KGgdfm3YU/s1600/IMG_8137.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImu-6d672I/AAAAAAAAGsY/u5KGgdfm3YU/s200/IMG_8137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515131614561759074" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImu-rhtJNI/AAAAAAAAGsQ/lCXBDA0Q6Mc/s1600/IMG_8092-1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 111px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImu-rhtJNI/AAAAAAAAGsQ/lCXBDA0Q6Mc/s200/IMG_8092-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515131610551100626" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImvXTKXwHI/AAAAAAAAGsg/2tn9CM2096o/s1600/IMG_8100.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 111px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImvXTKXwHI/AAAAAAAAGsg/2tn9CM2096o/s200/IMG_8100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515132033507508338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">What do you <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>want after a hike in the rain forest? A soak in the hot tub, of course. Being a lodge in the rain forest, you do have to cross a hanging bridge to get to the pool and hot tub, but it's worth the walk!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImyVn-uzhI/AAAAAAAAGso/dAGalbajrT0/s1600/IMG_8059.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImyVn-uzhI/AAAAAAAAGso/dAGalbajrT0/s200/IMG_8059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515135303270977042" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImyWZRPL4I/AAAAAAAAGs4/8gxI14yBe_k/s1600/IMG_8135-1.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImyWZRPL4I/AAAAAAAAGs4/8gxI14yBe_k/s200/IMG_8135-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515135316501933954" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImyV4G_hvI/AAAAAAAAGsw/9Tk8EyBOnaI/s1600/IMG_8060.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TImyV4G_hvI/AAAAAAAAGsw/9Tk8EyBOnaI/s200/IMG_8060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515135307600594674" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />All good volcano trips do have to come to an end, and soon we were back on the road to San Jose - winding up and up the narrow mountain roads, in the rain (they don't call it "rain forest" for nothing!), and eating delicious cow tongue along the way.<br /><br />I get a feeling <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> (and not the litter-strewn, potholed streets of San Jose) is why people come to Costa Rica.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TIm0X9shszI/AAAAAAAAGtA/o027L90vYRY/s1600/IMG_8127.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/TIm0X9shszI/AAAAAAAAGtA/o027L90vYRY/s400/IMG_8127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515137542483194674" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4917050483157877794.post-62840834142147032892010-08-29T04:31:00.007+02:002010-08-29T05:21:02.588+02:00Painting dayOne nice thing about this job? The free housing! Before we even arrive in a new country, a board meets, deliberates, and assigns us a house. Zimbabwe, Oman, Czech Republic or Costa Rica, we're assured of getting something livable to house us for the three years of the assignment. We're also assured that our house will be issued to us with government-standard white walls. Nine years and four houses after we started this Foreign Service life, we've always lived between white walls, and until now, we just haven't had the time, energy or experience to do anything about it. Perhaps being pregnant or arriving with a newborn in hand at each of our previous three posts had something to do with it?<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnIl3_VV5I/AAAAAAAAGn8/PMmqNT9YP2U/s1600/DSCN2257.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnIl3_VV5I/AAAAAAAAGn8/PMmqNT9YP2U/s400/DSCN2257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510656172074817426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnIv1NsEwI/AAAAAAAAGoE/zXRMqIK7IcM/s1600/DSCN2258.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnIv1NsEwI/AAAAAAAAGoE/zXRMqIK7IcM/s400/DSCN2258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510656343128412930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Kyler surveys yet another white-walled bedroom</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Our arrival in San Jose was different - for the first time, we had three walking kids... two of whom started school the week after we got here. Time to bring some color into our lives for a change!<br /><br />Last week, Erin and her capable assistant (Kyler) made a trek down to San Jose's equivalent of Home Depot. Still without wheels, they summoned our new best friends - <a href="http://livinglifeincostarica.blogspot.com/2009/08/taxi-drivers-around-costa-rica-vickis.html">Taxis Escazu</a>. Once the red taxi appears, the next trick is to use our two-week old Spanish to get the taxi where we want it to go. This conversation was about par for the course:<br /><br />Driver: "<span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title="">¿A dónde?"<br /><br />Erin: "Epa, por favor."<br /><br />Driver: "¿Qué?"</span></span><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title=""><br /><br />Erin: "Epa, por favor?"<br /><br />Kyler: "Kapachoowee"<br /><br /></span></span><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title="">Driver: ¿Qué?</span></span><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="background-color: rgb(230, 236, 249); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" title=""><br /><br /></span></span><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title=""></span></span><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title="">Erin, at this point, writes down the name of the store... "EPA" on a piece of paper and shows it to the driver</span></span>.<br /><br />Driver: "Ah! Epa, si!"<br /><br />At least they know how to find their way to our house now, which is more than I can say for Ambulance drivers around here - but that's another story. Anyway - EPA found an English speaking employee to help Erin out, and she came home equipped with paint and the tools of the trad<span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title="">e.<br /><br />After a quick breakfast, we shooed the kids out of the way and started work.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnM80OyQZI/AAAAAAAAGoM/BqxrzicfJeI/s1600/DSCN2259.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnM80OyQZI/AAAAAAAAGoM/BqxrzicfJeI/s200/DSCN2259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510660964249387410" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnNVdaWIxI/AAAAAAAAGos/bTUdKxHdsks/s1600/DSCN2271.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 112px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnNVdaWIxI/AAAAAAAAGos/bTUdKxHdsks/s200/DSCN2271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510661387620590354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnNVI9YxPI/AAAAAAAAGok/dwseIgUoKGQ/s1600/DSCN2268.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 84px; height: 112px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnNVI9YxPI/AAAAAAAAGok/dwseIgUoKGQ/s200/DSCN2268.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510661382130418930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnNU-3wjuI/AAAAAAAAGoc/4le3Oiwhdqw/s1600/DSCN2260.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 112px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnNU-3wjuI/AAAAAAAAGoc/4le3Oiwhdqw/s200/DSCN2260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510661379422457570" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Good thing I'm tall - these ceilings are up there - even standing on top of furniture! Photos courtesy of Danna.</span></span><br /></div><br /><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title="">For newbies at this painting stuff, we didn't do to badly. Managed to keep the paint off the hardwood floors (mostly), the furniture (well, except for that one little spot), the kids (at least one of the three), and ourselves (eh... not really).<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnPTnl78FI/AAAAAAAAGo8/hO97fvwPjbY/s1600/DSCN2275.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnPTnl78FI/AAAAAAAAGo8/hO97fvwPjbY/s400/DSCN2275.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510663555017076818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Walls dry, curtains back up and bed back in the room - all in one day!</span></span><br /></div><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="" title=""><br />By just after lunchtime, we had two of the three kids rooms done. Kyler and I put the finishing touches up in his "new" room by putting up his car, plane and train decals.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnPT-SogPI/AAAAAAAAGpE/LCEWNj9RebA/s1600/DSCN2277.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 253px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnPT-SogPI/AAAAAAAAGpE/LCEWNj9RebA/s400/DSCN2277.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510663561110126834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnPTYx6q9I/AAAAAAAAGo0/p3hvUWn7PPE/s1600/DSCN2273.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 252px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4bpqkRrQTNU/THnPTYx6q9I/AAAAAAAAGo0/p3hvUWn7PPE/s400/DSCN2273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510663551040793554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Yes - the paint was actually dry before he leaned on the wall!</span></span><br /></div><br />Of course, the new base color is just the <span style="font-style: italic;">beginning</span>. Both Jad and Danna would like their rooms to sink into the undersea universe of their imagination. Jad wants a shark staring at him every night. Kyler has asked for "Maskween" (Lightning McQueen from "Cars"). Not sure what's going to eventually appear on Danna's walls - unfortunately, our favorite mural artiste is still in Prague, so Ariel may not make a repeat appearance.<br /><br />But... despite the fact that there's still paint under my fingernails, this stuff is kind of FUN! And really not a bad way to spend a rainy Saturday without wheels in Costa Rica. Who knows - in a couple weekends, we may not have any white walls left in this place!<br /><span id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="background-color: rgb(230, 236, 249); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" title=""><br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04307069025336260195noreply@blogger.com0