Shaggy....

The old place looks pretty rugged as the leaves are almost gone. No snow on the ground anymore but I did my first shoveling of snow up there a couple of weeks ago. It is a shaggy looking photo and I guess I liked it because of that.

Next Season.......

These are archived photos as I do not have any Christmas boxes out at this point.  We had a discussion of the future of Christmas trees but it was just talk so far.

Work of Art by Della.....

It follows the turkey, dressing, potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and rolls with jelly. It will be the best for last with a good cup of coffee. Then there will be leftovers for another couple of days.

More Red Flowers.....

Flowers in bloom at the Mount of Olives area. Walking down the hill, big hill, and one is at the Garden of Gethsemane.  Centuries old olive trees that were restarted from branches of the original trees thousands of years ago.

Walking on Stone.....

The stones on the temple mount are old.  King Solomon built the mount and placed the first temple on this site. That was two thousand years plus  ago. The photo just happened and I like how our young guy on our tour Andrew walks around with his red Under Armor shoes on the historic site. The woman across the way all wear different dress and shoes.  People from so many countries were touring this city.

Cool Monday Morning......

It is a similar view from yesterday's sunrise.  Snow is coming on Tuesday and weather people are saying it could be tough driving over Thanksgiving. I haven't seen the national weather map but I bet tomorrow we won't look this good. I will mow up leaves one more day today and then that will be my last chance to get them taken care of them.

Stars and Bucks......

In Jerusalem there are few to none with coffee shops. But one or two of these creative businesses are out there selling coffee.  I had heard about these shops but while we were walking up one of the endless hills to visit a church in the Jewish sector I snapped this one photo. I am glad it was in focus. They drink Turkish coffee at restaurants. I was glad to get back to my coffee por making many cups of coffee to drink.

This part of the city was leveled and destroyed to keep the Jews from ever returning to the area.  In the 1967 war, the Muslims were pushed back and out of the area. Building began then to restore this city. The whole area is just west of the temple mount. Lots of the buildings there are built on pillars above ancient ruins. Since 1967 it  has been restored, built to look like a traditional Israel city using traditional materials and styles.

Fall in Iowa......

As I was ready to leave the old place I just had to take a shot of my truck. I never thought I would get attached to a vehicle but I do like my truck. I was up mowing up the leaves that fell from the silver maple tree.  The rest of the ones you see in the yard will just be destroyed by the snowfall that will cover them. It has been a week since I was there and I am sure most of the leaves are now on the ground that were on the trees. I did have to work with layers of sweatshirts to keep from freezing while I was mowing.

Store Bought Blooms......

Buying flowers at the store is a quick remedy to the lack of flowers in the garden.  Now the temperatures have cleared the last of any fading blooms.

One Great Day, Yesterday......

Yesterday morning was sunny and we warmed up to almost 60 degrees F.  It is raining today and I couldn't take a decent decorative sky photo today.  Gray is wet and gray. The jets were flying higher than the clouds in this photo.

A Walled Historic Area....

This is the entrance to the Temple Mount area in Jerusalem.  The wall is very old and looks more like a Hollywood set than a surround wall to a holy site..  Once we walked in there we were directed to men and women lines to prove that we had not weapons or bombs. We were checked at so many airports all along the way, including Des Moines, Iowa as we the non-terrorists have to be punished for the bombings. I pulled out my laptop, camera, keys and cell phone automatically everywhere we went.  One lady, who was a nice lady, made fun of my first and middle name. 

Tuesday's Things......

I was pleased to see hardy geraniums growing in Jerusalem. This row of flowers line the entry to the plaza next to the City of David ruins and beyond was the temple steps. .

These two pots are wonderfully desiged in traditional shapes.  The area is in the garden next to the empty tomb.  I did see snap dragon flowers in the area and all the rest were vines and palms.

Monday Morning........

It was a very pink sky.  By the time that I got out on the deck it had turned orange.  I didn't have to step over snow drifts with my stocking feet. The snow melted the past two days and it was still right at freezing when I stepped out there.

Hotel in Netanya.....

The hotel in Netanya, Israel is next to the Dead Sea.  All  the hotels we stayed in were created to handle tour groups that are traveling through the country.  This one was one of the fanciest that we stayed at during the tour.

we stayed on the sixth floor and our balcony was on the left side of the building you see here.The first day out was good when we stayed in such nice surroundings.

Freezing Sunrise......

It is right at freezing and we will be warming up all day.  The clouds must be hovering over the cold layer giving us a cieling of color.

I always m ention as to how the earth is tiliting and the sun now shows up right next to the neighbor's roof. Eventually we won't see the sun as it will behing the house. We have a warmer week ahead of us and the snow is melting ever where.

Bougainvillea....Aross the Seas.

Near the Mount of  Olives was a ruin and a Catholic Church with the flowers in bloom along the old  stone walls.

It probably has been planted along the highways but it does grow wild in some places in Israel. They did have a few different colors of it but the most seen color was this one.

Winter for a While.......

It is a very cold day and seems like winter.  I shoveled snow at the old place this moring.  I guess it will warm up Friday and will stay warmer all next week. Most snow that I shoveled will be gone by the middle of the week.  The junco takes whatever he can find to eat but the fresh batch does make him happy.

Mediterranean Blooms........

Flowers from the other side of the earth. The palm trees are year round but the flowers are more seasonal. The rains didn't happen while we visited Israel but it was suppose to be their rainy season. It was pleasantly warm and some days hot.

Galilee........

No, this is not Iowa.  We are minus one degree this morning in our city.  Last week we were on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. .

Having a country that is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea makes the country have a mild climate while Iowa gets the Arctic air during the winter time.

Say It Isn't So.....

Having spent eight days of the last ten days in the Mediterranean with warm temperatures made this view a sad one.  I knew it was suppose to snow and I did hear the wind blowing in the middle of the night.  This was such a shock to my jet lagged body. It is 17 degrees F. this moring. It will stay this cold all day.

Palm Leaves.....

The palms are wonderful to see in Israel.  The fake grass isn't so exciting that is placed in front of a restaurant.

Coming Home...

Flying from Istanbul to Chicago was a long, exhausting journey. The final hour before we were closing in on Chicago from the north we were rewarded with the sunset. I took many shots but I pulled out this one to share the essence of the moment.

At the end of a 10 hour flight the view of Chicago was so welcomed. Lake Michigan looked great against the sharp edge of the city.

The Dead Sea......

Our travels to Israel gave us an ability to walk and see what is described in the Old Testament. That is the part of the Bible that is treated as a mystery part of the Faith but comes alive as we visit it.  Here is the Dead Sea where the collection of water is adding to the excess of salts and other mineral. The water is so concentrated that one can float on top, semi emerged, and not sink.   The sky was a morning sky and its colors were different than we see here in the states.