July 19th through 22nd

Natan playing Ultimate at the Ra'anana Ultimate frisbee clinic

July 19th: The day after the campers left, the coaches divided up and went to the campers' villages to hold Ultimate frisbee clinics. I really wanted to go to one of the West Bank villages, but Natan and Khalif made connections with some of the campers from Ra'anana, just north of Tel Aviv, and they needed a driver, so I volunteered.

Everyone at the end of the Ultimate clinic in Ra'anana

The Spirit circle after the final game of the Hat Tournament (Natan is in the middle of the back of the circle)

July 20th: Natan and Khalif participated in Hat tournament (everyone's name is put into a hat to make random teams), a fund raiser to support the Israeli Junior National team. Natan's team did really well, losing in the finals.

Natan and Khalif after a hard day of frisbee at the Hat tournament

Tel Aviv beach at sunset

July 21st: I took Natan, Khalif, and their friend Rachel to the Dead Sea (but not before we got lost and ended up in the wrong road, with the infamous wall separated Israel from Palestine).

The Dead Sea - the lowest place on dry land on earth - 1385 feet (422meters) below sea level. It is 42 miles long and 11 miles wide (at the widest point).

My friends Hila and Assaf were telling me that there is so much mineral wealth from the dead sea that industrialization has been reeking havoc on the ecosystem. The water level has been dropping 1 meter a year for the past 30 years, which may be the cause of dangerous "sink holes" which have emmerged. In less than a century the Dead Sea will be dry.

Khalif, Natan and Rachel floating in the Dead Sea. The salt level is almost 9 times that of the ocean, making it impossible to sink.

They are not standing on the floor of the Dead Sea

Rachel's first camel ride

Rachel at Herod's palace at Massada

Massada: According to Josephus, a first century Jewish Roman historian, Massada was fortified by King Herod between 37 and 31 BCE, as a refuge for himself in case of a revolt. About 100 years later, in 66 CE, there was a Jewish revolt against the Romans, and in 70 CE the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. Massada was the last stronghold of the Jewish revolt. The Romans laid siege to Massada in 72 CE. When they finally breached the walls in 73 CE, they found the 960 inhabitants dead, choosing death to slavery.

View from Massada

Another Massada view

July 22nd: Today is a rest day for me. I put the boys on a train station this morning as they headed for Pardes Hana, about an hour north of Tel Aviv to participate in the training camp for the Israeli Junior National Ultimate frisbee team. I ate interesting and delicious food.

Pita with Zahatar (Zahatar is now one of my favorite herbs) for breakfast at the beach.

I was telling my friend Hila that I had falafel 4 times in the last 2 days (falafel is definitely on my list of favorite foods). She told me that in Ramatgan, where she lives, I must eat manai sabeech (I don't know how to spell it, but that is how it sounds). So that is what I had for dinner. Manai Sabeech is a pita stuffed with a hard boiled egg, roasted egg plant, salad, and sauerkraut, then covered with tahini, (and of course I loaded it with pickled peppers) - delicious!

Maybe my favorite laundry shot