:: April & May 2016 ::
I am so grateful to be running
again and this morning we went
for the long one along the crest of
the hills, it's hard and hilly but you
come out and have beautiful views
of the Alps.

#seroletherapy

25 April 2016
Our very last International Night
of Zaven's High School career. I
had amazing Israeli food and Joe
was on a meat only quest.

15 April 2016
We had a 3 day weekend - hurray!
Wine fest and beach day, our first
beach day of 2016!
Look at those skies.
Wowzers!

Spotorno, Italy
24 April 2016

Wine walking tour for Joe and I on
May 1st

Zaven's IB Exams start on the 2nd
and continue through the 16th and
then he is officially done. Yahoo!

I am off to Israel for Mother's Day
May 5th - 9th

Zaven goes to Nepal from the 27th
of May to the 4th of June. That
amazing kid is going to rebuild a
school and experience Nepal!

Graduation June 12th

And as always Joe's doctorate is
ongoing and he is amazing,
working full time and getting A's.
Now he has a few days between
classes - whenever he can spend a
few hours with me, I feel like I won
the lottery.

We are on a sprint!
Vinum 2016

We love this annual wine event.
Local producers and street food
and perfect food.   

23 April 2016
Omar Leigh Fletcher
November 28th 1934 - May 7th 2016


Everyone: Why are you
visiting Israel?
Me: Because of the food.

In addition to eating the
best food ever I also met
smart, witty and lovely
Israelis and I  learned
about the culture, the
political climate and
Judaism.

I loved it.

5-9 May 2016
We went to a fabulous
food market at the port of
Tel Aviv. Halvah -  
sesame seed paste with
honey or sugar. My new
favorite thing.

Also, not pictured, but
dates, dates of Israel are
better than cookies. The
shriveled excuses we have
been eating our entire
lives are wrong and more
like XL raisins.
Israeli dates and halvah.
My life is complete.

Also not pictured because
it isn't pretty but totally
yum shakshuka - I loved
the eggs and spinach.   
Salatim - these little bowls of
fresh vegan salads and sauces  -
hummus, baba ghanoush, Israeli
salad, fresh vegetables, etc -
served with pita and the best
falafel. Not a huge commitment
but a great sampling.
Sabich - Israeli street food. Pita
with eggplant, cabbage, salad, and
hard boiled eggs. Weird but totally
insane.

Not pictured Kanafeh - this was
so strange but so tasty - dessert
with goat cheese. LOVED it.
We were told by our friends in Tel
Aviv  to absolutely not go to
Jerusalem - too unstable and
dangerous, but when our driver
picked us up we asked if we could
stop for breakfast on the way and
he said, "I am from Jerusalem and
I will take you there for the best
hummus you have ever eaten."
Danger smanger - who could pass
up the best hummus ever?

On the way to Jerusalem we
passed beautiful forested hills.
Forests in Israel. Who knew?






More Salatim and truly the best
hummus ever. I don't know what
sorry excuse I have been eating
called hummus but it is nothing
compared to the real Israeli deal.
This was a tiny hole in the wall in
the Arab section of East
Jerusalem. We would never have
been comfortable to eat here on
our own so we are very grateful to
Arich our driver and guide.    
Lovely Jerusalem. We
visited the tomb of
Jesus - which weirdly
wasn't crowded. Also
the Western Wall which
was so special as it was
Shabbat.



























































































Baklava & Spices
Forests before Jerusalem and
after the Judea Desert...and then
the Dead Sea
And then we stayed in a Kibbutz
at the Dead Sea - the Ein Gedi. An
oasis in the desert with views of
the Dead Sea and Jordan. Also
Bob Dylan on loop.
Another highlight was a very
special hike to the top of Masada
at sunrise. I love Alice Hoffman's
The Dovekeepers so this was a
meaningful adventure. We had to
wake up at 4.00 AM but it was
worth it to see the sun come up
over the Dead Sea and Jordan.

I learned later that while I was on
the top of Masada, feeling blessed
and in awe, Omar passed away in
his sleep. I am so grateful to have
a dad who loved me & who
believed I could do anything.  
Happy Birthday Avalon, I love you
from the top of Masada - my very
fancy sign that I made and packed
with me.
A last dip in the mud and the
Dead Sea. The colors are so
amazing, what an experience. It
really is very floaty.
My last day in Tel Aviv. One
last food frenzy push.
Marzipan croissant and
cappuccino.

Later Israeli wine and
cheese.

I loved, loved, loved Israeli
wine, which wins
international awards
annually.

So my next trip, a wine tour
and trek in the forests.

A very big thank you to my
most beautiful Jewess friend
Lori for sharing Israel with
me.

שלום
Shalom
To honor my dad my family decided to
plant a tree in his honor.

A most special place to me is Serole. I
wanted to be able to visit my dad's
tree in a lovely & peaceful spot in the
forest, near the vacation house.
Since Omar passed away when I was
on top of Masada at sunrise I thought
it would be fitting to plant his tree at
sunset.

We brought a bottle of Barolo, toasted
dad and each one of us shared our
favorite memories of Omar.







































I wrote a letter, read it aloud and left it
under a rock at the base of the tree.

My shoe is off, my foot is cold. I have a
bird I like to hold. My hat is old, my
teeth are gold. And now my story is all
told.

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Dr. Suess