R.I.P. Shachar...meow meow.
Happy Birthday Bob Dylan...meow meow...
...meow.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Your Mama Tzfat
Day 3 on the road draws to a close. I am writing this entry from Kibbutz Ein Gev on the on the eastern shore of the Kinneret. It is night and I can see the lights of Tiberius from across the lake.
Before we left Tiberius, Dan and I started the day with toast and a friendly game of checkers. Then we hit the road. We were headed for Tzvat. On the way, we made a quick stop in Capernum. Capernum was an ancient town and it is said to be the home of Saint Peter. Today, what remains are the beautiful ruins of a once thriving city. The house once inhabited by Peter is there - with an enormous modern church of glass built above it. Also in Capernum is one of the oldest synagogues in the world . Most breathtaking is the Greek-Orthodox church that is located just outside the ancient city walls. It sits on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The yard of the Greek-Orthodox Church is full of peacocks, a Christian symbol of immortality. I thought that was a nice touch.
After Capernum, we visited Tagba. Tagba is the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish. Until 1948, it was also an Arab village. Now, Tagba is a Christian pilgrimage site. The small church has been built around a large rock, upon which Jesus stood to bless the bread and fish. There was an enormous group of Christian Indians in Tagba today. They came in a big bus.
Today, I wore pants and a hoodie and so I was allowed to enter the holy sites...something to keep in mind in case you ever want to visit the Holy Land...they don't take kindly to exposed shoulders.
Then we arrived in Tzfat. Tzfat is the highest city in Israel. It is one of Judaism's four holy cities and is the world center for Kabbalah. Because of its deep foundation in Jewish mysticism and magic, the city is built around superstition and magic. Every doorway is painted turquoise or blue...colors thought to ward off evil. The religious women dress in turquoise and even wear turquoise eye make-up. Chamsas and the ever-seeing eye hang in every home and garden.
Upon my request, Dan and I visited every synagogue we could find in the city. We also visited the artist quarter where we got to talk to some local artists. It was a great chance for us to practice our Hebrew away from the kibbutz. We also visited the famous Safed Candle Shop. In the shop they had a giant wax candle sculpted into a David and Goliath scene. It was clever. I especially liked that Goliath had crusty toenails. We ate Yemenese food for lunch...which included Yemenese Ganja Juice for Dan. Dan bought some fly Naot sandals and then we explored the old cemetery.
Now we are in Ein Gev drinking rum and playing War. We ate dinner at the Ein Gev Fish Restaurant. I got Fish Shwarma and it was AWESOMMME. A long day, I think I'm going to hit the hay. Tomorrow we are going to Hamat Gader...and then home.
With undying love for cheeze, Sublime, Chevrolets, hand wipes, a mammoth orange, and St. Peter Fish.
I respectfully remain,
J. Michael Hess Webber
.jpg) |
| Greek-Orthodox Church, Capernum |
 |
| Church of the Multiplication, Tagba |
 |
| The rock. |
After Capernum, we visited Tagba. Tagba is the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish. Until 1948, it was also an Arab village. Now, Tagba is a Christian pilgrimage site. The small church has been built around a large rock, upon which Jesus stood to bless the bread and fish. There was an enormous group of Christian Indians in Tagba today. They came in a big bus.
Today, I wore pants and a hoodie and so I was allowed to enter the holy sites...something to keep in mind in case you ever want to visit the Holy Land...they don't take kindly to exposed shoulders.
Then we arrived in Tzfat. Tzfat is the highest city in Israel. It is one of Judaism's four holy cities and is the world center for Kabbalah. Because of its deep foundation in Jewish mysticism and magic, the city is built around superstition and magic. Every doorway is painted turquoise or blue...colors thought to ward off evil. The religious women dress in turquoise and even wear turquoise eye make-up. Chamsas and the ever-seeing eye hang in every home and garden.
Upon my request, Dan and I visited every synagogue we could find in the city. We also visited the artist quarter where we got to talk to some local artists. It was a great chance for us to practice our Hebrew away from the kibbutz. We also visited the famous Safed Candle Shop. In the shop they had a giant wax candle sculpted into a David and Goliath scene. It was clever. I especially liked that Goliath had crusty toenails. We ate Yemenese food for lunch...which included Yemenese Ganja Juice for Dan. Dan bought some fly Naot sandals and then we explored the old cemetery.
 |
| The Artist Colony in Tzfat |
With undying love for cheeze, Sublime, Chevrolets, hand wipes, a mammoth orange, and St. Peter Fish.
I respectfully remain,
J. Michael Hess Webber
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Yabba-dabba don't
Today, I got poop on my arm...and this time it wasn't fish poop... (you'll have to read on to hear more)
Dan and I are on a trip. Yesterday we caught a bus to Hadera, rented a car from a wonderful woman named Jaquelin, and drove to the Kinneret.
We are booked, for two nights, at the Tiberius Hostel in...Tiberius. In our room there are two sets of bunk beds. Dan and I have one and the other is being shared by two Australians. Both are very friendly. The four of us share a bathroom.
One of our bunkmates is an Australian of Indian descent, named Anil. Anil smokes A LOT of cigarettes and seems to have an affinity for canned beer. I have yet to see him when he is not wearing linen trousers.
The other bunkmate is a middle-aged bearded Australian named Michael. It has become very clear to me that Michael has not been in Israel very long. I draw this conclusion based entirely upon his bathroom etiquette. Israelis have very specific bathroom habits which are adopted, out of necessity, by anyone who has lived here.
Here are my observations:
1) As I mentioned in a previous post, the Squeegees is a fundamental tool in the Israeli bathroom. Today, after his shower, Michael had NOT sqeegeed!
2) Every Israeli toilet comes equipped with two flush buttons. One is the #1 button and one is the #2 button. Generally, the #2 button is larger than the #1 button, just to make life simple. All I'm going to say is that Michael pushed the wrong button.
All around, though, Michael is very very nice.
Moving on...
Tiberius is a city on the western shore of the Kinneret. It was established in 20 CE and named in honor of the Roman emperor, Tiberius. Tiberius has been venerated in Judaism since the middle of the 2nd century CE and since the 16th century, it has been considered one of Judaism's four holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tzfat. Now...Tiberius is a tourist hub.
We are here through Shabbat so there isn't much going on. The city is a bit of a ghost town. We arrived yesterday around 1pm and explored every inch of the city. We visited the ancient ruins, went to an abandoned mosque, walked the promenade, played billiards, visited the tomb of Maimonedes (although I couldn't enter in my shorts) and ate cola flavored blow pops.
Today we hit the road around 9am and drove north around the western edge of the lake. Our first stop was the Mount of Beatitudes, on the northwestern shore of the Kinneret. This is the supposed spot from which Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Again I was in shorts (it was 90 degrees) and so I wasn't allowed into the shrine...the grounds were beautiful though.
We stopped next at the Gadot Lookout, took some awesome pictures, and then hit our original destination...the Dvora Waterfall on the Gilaboon river. We hiked...and hiked...and hiked. To me, as an American from the east coast, the trail was surprisingly treacherous...scaling rock piles, wading through rivers, and scaling cliffs, in order to move ahead. However, while I was starting to laugh uncontrollably from sun exposure and exhaustion, Israeli families (teeming with little children in Tevas) passed me on their "leisurely stroll" with picnic lunches on their backs. The views of the Hula Valley were unbelievable.
At one point Dan made a brilliant observation. He said, "Man, Israel really makes you work for the awesome scenery. It not like you just walk down a little asphalt path and BAM...a pretty picture. Nope, if you want it, you have to work for it, dammit". .
I think this same thing applies to Israeli people. I have found that you can't expect to walk into a situation and feel surrounded by friends. You have to prove yourself to Israelis. You have to work for friendship and companionship. But once you get it, it is so very worth the effort.
Now for my poop story...
Dan and I took a break from hiking to wade in a stream that looked like it was straight out of the Garden of Eden. Vines of pink flowers hung from a cliff face and bamboo shaded the water. It was paradise. We left our shoes and water bottles on a boulder in the middle of the stream. When we decided to press ahead, we put on our shoes, picked up our water bottles and started to walk. Five minutes later, we started to notice a very pungent poopish smell. Dan realized that the smell was coming from the bottom of his water bottle...and it was poop. Someone had pooped on the rock and he had set his bottle in it! Then I realized I had poop on my arm...I had smeared my arm in human poop! Mmmmm.
Which reminds me of a quick note on Israelis:
When Israelis are going on a day trip, they never leave the house without a roll of toilet paper...just in case. They must learn this in the army. I think I am going to adopt this practice.
All-in-all, Dan and I walked about 10 kilometers. At the end of the trail there was an ice cream truck. We each ate a popsicle.
Now, we are sitting in the hostel lobby drinking wine and watching the Munich/Chelsea game with old men...a glorious day from start to finish.
With undying love for Firehook mediterranean crackers, DJ Flula, peacocks, and sparrows.
I humbly remain,
J. Michael Hess Webber
Dan and I are on a trip. Yesterday we caught a bus to Hadera, rented a car from a wonderful woman named Jaquelin, and drove to the Kinneret.
We are booked, for two nights, at the Tiberius Hostel in...Tiberius. In our room there are two sets of bunk beds. Dan and I have one and the other is being shared by two Australians. Both are very friendly. The four of us share a bathroom.
One of our bunkmates is an Australian of Indian descent, named Anil. Anil smokes A LOT of cigarettes and seems to have an affinity for canned beer. I have yet to see him when he is not wearing linen trousers.
The other bunkmate is a middle-aged bearded Australian named Michael. It has become very clear to me that Michael has not been in Israel very long. I draw this conclusion based entirely upon his bathroom etiquette. Israelis have very specific bathroom habits which are adopted, out of necessity, by anyone who has lived here.
Here are my observations:
1) As I mentioned in a previous post, the Squeegees is a fundamental tool in the Israeli bathroom. Today, after his shower, Michael had NOT sqeegeed!
2) Every Israeli toilet comes equipped with two flush buttons. One is the #1 button and one is the #2 button. Generally, the #2 button is larger than the #1 button, just to make life simple. All I'm going to say is that Michael pushed the wrong button.
All around, though, Michael is very very nice.
Moving on...
Tiberius is a city on the western shore of the Kinneret. It was established in 20 CE and named in honor of the Roman emperor, Tiberius. Tiberius has been venerated in Judaism since the middle of the 2nd century CE and since the 16th century, it has been considered one of Judaism's four holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tzfat. Now...Tiberius is a tourist hub.
We are here through Shabbat so there isn't much going on. The city is a bit of a ghost town. We arrived yesterday around 1pm and explored every inch of the city. We visited the ancient ruins, went to an abandoned mosque, walked the promenade, played billiards, visited the tomb of Maimonedes (although I couldn't enter in my shorts) and ate cola flavored blow pops.
 |
| Mount of Beatitudes |
We stopped next at the Gadot Lookout, took some awesome pictures, and then hit our original destination...the Dvora Waterfall on the Gilaboon river. We hiked...and hiked...and hiked. To me, as an American from the east coast, the trail was surprisingly treacherous...scaling rock piles, wading through rivers, and scaling cliffs, in order to move ahead. However, while I was starting to laugh uncontrollably from sun exposure and exhaustion, Israeli families (teeming with little children in Tevas) passed me on their "leisurely stroll" with picnic lunches on their backs. The views of the Hula Valley were unbelievable.
At one point Dan made a brilliant observation. He said, "Man, Israel really makes you work for the awesome scenery. It not like you just walk down a little asphalt path and BAM...a pretty picture. Nope, if you want it, you have to work for it, dammit". .
I think this same thing applies to Israeli people. I have found that you can't expect to walk into a situation and feel surrounded by friends. You have to prove yourself to Israelis. You have to work for friendship and companionship. But once you get it, it is so very worth the effort.
Now for my poop story...
Dan and I took a break from hiking to wade in a stream that looked like it was straight out of the Garden of Eden. Vines of pink flowers hung from a cliff face and bamboo shaded the water. It was paradise. We left our shoes and water bottles on a boulder in the middle of the stream. When we decided to press ahead, we put on our shoes, picked up our water bottles and started to walk. Five minutes later, we started to notice a very pungent poopish smell. Dan realized that the smell was coming from the bottom of his water bottle...and it was poop. Someone had pooped on the rock and he had set his bottle in it! Then I realized I had poop on my arm...I had smeared my arm in human poop! Mmmmm.
Which reminds me of a quick note on Israelis:
When Israelis are going on a day trip, they never leave the house without a roll of toilet paper...just in case. They must learn this in the army. I think I am going to adopt this practice.
All-in-all, Dan and I walked about 10 kilometers. At the end of the trail there was an ice cream truck. We each ate a popsicle.
Now, we are sitting in the hostel lobby drinking wine and watching the Munich/Chelsea game with old men...a glorious day from start to finish.
With undying love for Firehook mediterranean crackers, DJ Flula, peacocks, and sparrows.
I humbly remain,
J. Michael Hess Webber
Monday, May 14, 2012
Mmmm Home...
I apologize for my lonely blog and your lonely emails.
I have been spending a lot of time trying to stayi in touch with all those who I love so so much. I have been finding it difficult to stay afloat and I made a decision to be more present HERE for my last two months. That, of course, does not mean that I have forgotten about you guys...you are my strength and my foundation.
Lately, it has been difficult to wrap my brain around my return to America (I think everyone knew this would happen). It is incredible how quickly yet imperceptively life shifted and how very attached I have grown to an experience that was once only an abstract idea.
As the tug-of-war in my heart presses on, I remember the things that pull me back home. In this entry, I will share a list of SOME of the THINGS and PLACES that I have been missing.
Things I Love About Home:
-Grandma's back porch on Tuesday nights, manipulation with Grandpa, and cucumber & onion salad.
-Robins and squirrels and cherry blossoms and weeding the garden
-Saturday mornings in the West Kiosk with Starbucks and cross-stitch...and Nathaniel
-Walking to Spro for a cup of their freshly brewed iced coffee.
-Morningstar Spicy Black Bean Burgers
-Charmin toilet paper
-Thunderstorms
-A dinner of corn and tomatoes
-Trips to the farmer's market and pickles-on-a-stick
-The smell of farm-fresh tomatoes in the summer
-Watching baseball games at Turps with a bucket of Boh
-Crab mountains and sandcastles and photo booths
-Going to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night to buy gummi-worms
-Uno Attack
-Walking Mitzvah at dusk with Daddy
-Fireflies
-Shucking corn on Grandma's front porch
-Pickled tomatoes
-Wilderness: the frog slide, putt-putt, my cousins, Just Dance 2, crossword puzzles by the pool, the lake, and the air hockey table.
-Artscape
-Stew Leonards: the Wishing Well, fried chicken and coleslaw on the beach, singing lettuce, and the smell of the bakery.
-Collecting hermit crabs
-Chick n' Ruth's Deli...and Annapolis.
-Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream
-Potted plants...specifically our Basil
-Inside jokes...specifically those I have with my siblings
-Whole Foods-drinking Kombucha and eating a loaf of olive bread in the car on the way home.
-Driving my car
-Cheddar cheese and string cheese and swiss cheese
-Surfer Blood at the Ottobar
-My fingerprint Toms
-Lithuanian Dance Hall and J. Patrick's and Blob's Park
-the Orioles
-L.P. Steamers
-Dinner on the patio at Chipotle with my family...and MItzvah tied up outside the gate.
-Waking up in the morning to the sound of cicadas.
-My bicycle.
-First Thursdays in Mt. Vernon Square
-Playing scratch-offs at Zissimos
-The Vegan Sandwich (plus goat cheese) at Milk & Honey
-Drinking beer in the fountain at night
-Police on segways
-Rehoboth Beach and Skeeball and penguins and walruses
-Truckeroo and grilled cheese sandwiches
-Slip N' Slides
-Sirens in the distance
-Walking to 7-11 in the snow with Daddy
-Morris
To be continued...
With Undying Love for (see above),
I humbly remain,
J. Michael Hess Webber
I have been spending a lot of time trying to stayi in touch with all those who I love so so much. I have been finding it difficult to stay afloat and I made a decision to be more present HERE for my last two months. That, of course, does not mean that I have forgotten about you guys...you are my strength and my foundation.
Lately, it has been difficult to wrap my brain around my return to America (I think everyone knew this would happen). It is incredible how quickly yet imperceptively life shifted and how very attached I have grown to an experience that was once only an abstract idea.
As the tug-of-war in my heart presses on, I remember the things that pull me back home. In this entry, I will share a list of SOME of the THINGS and PLACES that I have been missing.
Things I Love About Home:
-Grandma's back porch on Tuesday nights, manipulation with Grandpa, and cucumber & onion salad.
-Robins and squirrels and cherry blossoms and weeding the garden
-Saturday mornings in the West Kiosk with Starbucks and cross-stitch...and Nathaniel
-Walking to Spro for a cup of their freshly brewed iced coffee.
-Morningstar Spicy Black Bean Burgers
-Charmin toilet paper
-Thunderstorms
-A dinner of corn and tomatoes
-Trips to the farmer's market and pickles-on-a-stick
-The smell of farm-fresh tomatoes in the summer
-Watching baseball games at Turps with a bucket of Boh
-Crab mountains and sandcastles and photo booths
-Going to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night to buy gummi-worms
-Uno Attack
-Walking Mitzvah at dusk with Daddy
-Fireflies
-Shucking corn on Grandma's front porch
-Pickled tomatoes
-Wilderness: the frog slide, putt-putt, my cousins, Just Dance 2, crossword puzzles by the pool, the lake, and the air hockey table.
-Artscape
-Stew Leonards: the Wishing Well, fried chicken and coleslaw on the beach, singing lettuce, and the smell of the bakery.
-Collecting hermit crabs
-Chick n' Ruth's Deli...and Annapolis.
-Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream
-Potted plants...specifically our Basil
-Inside jokes...specifically those I have with my siblings
-Whole Foods-drinking Kombucha and eating a loaf of olive bread in the car on the way home.
-Driving my car
-Cheddar cheese and string cheese and swiss cheese
-Surfer Blood at the Ottobar
-My fingerprint Toms
-Lithuanian Dance Hall and J. Patrick's and Blob's Park
-the Orioles
-L.P. Steamers
-Dinner on the patio at Chipotle with my family...and MItzvah tied up outside the gate.
-Waking up in the morning to the sound of cicadas.
-My bicycle.
-First Thursdays in Mt. Vernon Square
-Playing scratch-offs at Zissimos
-The Vegan Sandwich (plus goat cheese) at Milk & Honey
-Drinking beer in the fountain at night
-Police on segways
-Rehoboth Beach and Skeeball and penguins and walruses
-Truckeroo and grilled cheese sandwiches
-Slip N' Slides
-Sirens in the distance
-Walking to 7-11 in the snow with Daddy
-Morris
To be continued...
With Undying Love for (see above),
I humbly remain,
J. Michael Hess Webber
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