Skywatch from October - here you go!

It's time once again for that always-appropriate meme, Skywatch Friday! 
Looking through my photos from last month, I came across these lovely sunset shots. We were getting ready for our trip at the time I took them, and I truly, completely forgot about them until this moment. I'm so glad I thought to browse through!

Nice, right? They look even better close up - click on them and see for yourselves.


And for more sky-oriented photography, go check out Skywatch Friday, where you'll find great shots from all over the world. Happy Skywatching, everyone!

Goodbye, RivkA

Well, I've been in kind of a slump. We were shocked and saddened to hear this past Friday that our friend from so long ago, RivkA Matitya, had left this world. We used to know RivkA back when we hung out in the Bnei Akiva building in Jerusalem in the early 90's - she was always there in the Yavne Olami office, where she spent so much of her time. She was always a burst of smiles and energy, and we were happy to talk with her, again and again!


Then we lost contact, and when I first heard about the Coffee and Chemo blog, I was sad to realize that it was written by that same sweet friend of ours from way back. Until I started actually reading her blog, and saw that RivkA wasn't in any kind of a slump herself - she was still all smiles and energy, but using it now to live her more adult life with her husband and kids. She was seemingly a whirlwind of energy, running from event to event, loving her family, teaching swimming classes (!) and more. We did get to actually reconnect in person a couple of times, at various happy occasions and at the JBloggers picnic that she organized in Jerusalem, just a little over a year ago. Here's the photo that I have from then - you can see her beaming (as she always has) in the middle:

To give you a small understanding of what she was like, here's part of one of her blog posts from 2007:
~~~
Okay, so here is the deal: I don't want people to look at me with sad, "droopy" eyes.

I don't want people to think of me and feel sad.

I don't want people to see me and feel sorry.

I don't want to be the cause of worry and concern.

I know that when you first hear the news, it's a bit of a shock. So it's okay to be sad in the beginning (I was too). But don't stay there!

You can ask me anything.

I'm totally open.

I don't mind talking about the cancer or what's going on.

Chemo certainly affects the day-to-day of my life, so there's no ignoring it.

But I really don't intend to hang out in some dark, depressing emotional pit.

So here's what I want:

When you think of me, be happy.

When you see me, smile.

Read more: http://coffeeandchemo.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-droopy-eyes-please.html#ixzz14BB0gdA7
~~~


Anyway, it didn't work - we were sad on Friday, and I know I've never cried as much at anyone's funeral as much as I did at hers, on Saturday night. Then Sunday morning came around, and I found this sun rising on the way to work - and somehow couldn't help but think that RivkA had gone from lighting up our world to lighting up the heavens:

And I started to realize that I was doing just the opposite of what she would have done - we're meant to be happy, and take advantage of every good thing that life gives us! If we can all start acting the way she did, the world will quickly become a far better place. So I'm going to try, and I hope you all will too!


In that spirit, here's a fast, funny sign that we found in Sharon, MA just a few weeks ago. I know, those of you from Massachusetts may not find this funny. But some of the rest of us do!

(By the way, as a humorous aside to our Boston trip: my Israeli coworkers are shocked that I [or anyone] can pronounce "Massachusetts." They claim that saying it aloud must be part of the U.S. naturalization test.)


May RivkA's family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem! Shiva information can be found on her blog, Coffee and Chemo.


Please daven (or send happy thoughts) for the memory of RivkA bat Yishaya.

A ruby by any other name...

There we were, shopping with my mom in the Lincolnwood Town Center. Dave wandered off, and when he came back, he said he had found something for my blog. I wasn't sure if it was a funny sign (for my other, funnier blog) or something lovely, for this one. Turns out, both my guesses were wrong - and yet, he was totally right. How could I possibly resist this?

As you may have guessed by now, I'm posting this for Mary's Ruby Tuesday meme. To participate, just post a photo with some red in it, and link to her blog, Work of the Poet. Then go there yourself to sign up, and of course to see what other interesting reddish photography has been posted!
Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I'm back! Just in time for Skywatch

Well, we've returned from our vacation, and mostly recovered from jet lag. We had a wonderful time visiting with our family and friends. And yet, it's also wonderful to be home!

I will soon start posting all sorts of cool photography from our trip - but first - I happened to look up this afternoon as I was leaving work, and look what I found!

Lovely, right? I was quite pleased to have come across it. And on a Thursday afternoon - it was just the sign that I needed to get me back in the blogging mood :)

For more sky-oriented photography from all over the world, go right now and check out Skywatch Friday, that ever-popular meme. Have a great weekend, everyone! And happy Skywatching!

Ah, Autumn

Well, you may not all know this, but even as I type, Dave and I are on a fun-filled vacation in the States! We've been in Boston since Thursday afternoon, and are headed out to Chicago tomorrow night, where we'll be through Sunday. If you're in either of those locations, we would love to see you!

Anyway, needless to say, I haven't been doing much blogging recently. Who has time? But I didn't want to leave you all waiting around... plus, we're here in beautiful New England, where Autumn foliage is all around us. I've been trying to get a bunch of photos, especially since my Israeli kids have never seen Autumn foliage :)


Anyway, here's just one of the many gorgeous views that we've been exposed to over the past few days:

It's true, Autumn hasn't entirely settled in, and I'm sure in a month or so this will be even more majestic. But I think it's gorgeous, and I just couldn't resist posting it! Feel free to click on the photo, to get an even closer view.


And I do believe that the little it of red on the left qualifies this for that always-fun meme, Ruby Tuesday! Go check out lots of red photography there, where it's graciously hosted by Mary. Happy Tuesday, Ruby fans!


And take care, everyone! I hope to be back to posting regularly soon!

Skywatch - Return of the Sunset

Winter is quick approaching - we've felt some drops over the past few weeks, and the clouds are getting to be much more interesting! I really did miss dramatic sunsets - this isn't a full-fledged one, but I do quite like the sunbeams shining through:

How exciting! Feel free to click on the photo, if you'd like a closer look. Here's hoping that this winter is rainy enough to take us officially out of our drought!
For more sky photography from all over the world, go check out Skywatch Friday. Happy Skywatching, everyone!

A fast window - Tsfat #3

I found a minute to post this window - the next entry in my Tsfat collection. I like the simplicity and monochromatic look - do you?

For more Window Views... and Doors, Too! go to Mary's blog of that same name. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

A macro flowery succulent

Remember those succulents that I'm so fond of? Well, I brought a little one to a friend of mine at work, and we're enjoying watching it grow. He watered it a couple of days ago, and asked me to come over and check out how cool it looked. Naturally, I came over and took a photo:

I know it's not a flower, but it's flower shaped, right?

:)

Feel free to click on the photo to get an even closer shot!
For more of Today's Flowers, go check out that meme of the same name, right here. And for more macro photography, check out Macro Monday, hosted at Lisa's Chaos. Have a great week, everyone!

Doors in Tsfat: #2

Here's the next installment of funky doors and windows that we found when walking around Tsfat a few weeks ago. Well, specifically, here's a set of two windows, and a door. Enjoy!

Here we start to move away from the turquoise, but certainly not toward anything more subtle :)
For more Window Views... and Doors, too! go to Mary's meme of the same name. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Ruby Tuesday - An inside look

Pomegranates are lovely both inside and out! Here's a look at those pomegranates from last week - some of you said that you never had one, so I thought I'd share these photos.

Pomegranates are full of little juicy seeds (that my son very helpfully removed - thanks!). They are tart and delicious, and can be sprinkled on salads, or just eaten plain:

Mmm mmm good!
For more interesting close-up photography, check out the Macro Monday meme, hosted at Lisa's Chaos. And for more reddish photography, go to Mary's Ruby Tuesday meme, at Work of the Poet. Happy Monday and Tuesday, everyone!

Shadow shadow on the wall

I found this interesting shadow on my wall a few days ago. I've always loved these particular window bars!

For more intriguing shadows, go to Shadow Shot Sunday, graciously hosted week after week at Hey Harriet. Happy shadow hunting, everyone!

Ruby Tuesday - Happy New Year II

Yes, it's the Jewish New Year season, and as you may recall from last year, there's a sure way to understand that when visiting any Israeli grocery store. Not only will they likely have sales on both apples and honey, they'll almost surely have a beautiful display of pomegranates! I was wondering to myself whether or not I'd have time to write a Happy New Year's post, when I came across these this morning, and knew that I would find some time:

Yumm! These are big and luscious - I bought three!


For more reddish photography, go check out Mary's meme, Ruby Tuesday, which she hosts at Work of the Poet. And, of course, Happy New Year, all! I won't be back online until late Saturday night - have a wonderful week! And a wonderful new year, full of health, happiness, and everything that you need!

Shadowy Dewdrops

Well, it seems Winter is a comin' at last. I mean, it's still quite hot out, but the mornings are getting foggier and dewier, and there were claims of a few raindrops a few mornings ago. I know that a couple of days ago, I woke up and found the table on my balcony looking like this:

As I was taking the second shot, I noticed the sunbeams in the corner, and realized that actually, the entire table was sitting in a shadow. I thereby declare that this photo is worthy of that always enchanting meme, Shadow Shot Sunday! Go check it out right now, over at Hey Harriet - you'll be glad you did - shadows can be addictive...
Happy Sunday, everyone!

Skywatch - back in Tsfat

Here's a nice almost-sunset that I found as we were wandering around Tsfat last week. Wow, it feels like more than a week ago! Anyway, I couldn't decide if it was worth trying to shoot it through this pretty railing, but I'm glad that I did! Thank you, guilt-free digital photography!

For more interesting sky-oriented photography from around the world, go check out Skywatch Friday. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Doors in Tsfat: #1

As I mentioned, we spent a few hours wandering around Tsfat last week. I found some really intriguing doors and windows there, and some really beautiful ones! I can't possibly post them all at once, there are just too many. Here are the first photo-worthy ones that I found:

Really interesting, right? Just wait, it's going to get even better :)


For more Window Views... and Doors, too! go to Mary's meme of the same name. Happy Wednesday, everyone!