Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush....

Today, the kids and I spent time at a local art gallery specializing in the art of handmade paper.  Together, we took a private lesson in the art/science of paper making. The gallery makes its papers from various base fibers including banana leaves, cotton and mulberry trees, all grown on its property. Our lesson focused on paper made from the mulberry tree.

The top is the branch with the bark
partly peeled off.
The bottom is  a bundle of dried bark. 

First, a branch was cut and soaked in water.  Its bark was stripped and soaked further.

Once softened, we banged away on segments with hand made mallets and reduced the whole thing to a pulp (this took quite a while and a hefty amount of elbow grease).

The pulp was then placed in another tub of water to which we added leaves and flowers (which we also freshly picked from the garden).  

This mixture was then strained in a mesh frame with each each "sheet" being gently placed on top of a secondary wire mesh.

We made 7 total and stacked each on top of the next.  Once we had a stack, we placed it under a press to draw out an excess water.

Each sheet was slowly peeled and placed on a piece of wood to dry and was gently rolled out to remove creases.

This whole process took us nearly 2 hours and several of the steps in the artist workshop were begun before our arrival.

The kids thought that making paper was fun and interesting.  They were really engaged the whole time we were there.

Afterwards we hung out at Meme's house.  Andrew and Adam took over the recliner as well!

Bamba Factory

The plan today was to meet with our friends the Shemesh's and the Zamir's for a tour of the Bamba Factory.  Bamba is a corn based puff flavored with peanut butter.  The kids learned all kinds of things about Bamba - it was first invented in 1964 for soldiers and then turned into a commercial product.  The factory we visited is the only one that makes Bamba in all of Israel.  In fact, when we arrived, there was a container being loaded for overseas shipment.  Sometime soon, we'll see those same Bamba at Von's!

Shwarma  eat your heart out! 

Before we headed to visit Bamba and his house and factory, we were hungry, so the kids finally opted in and tasted one of the best things ever:  SHWARMA!  It was ever so delicious, especially with a side of "chips" (french fries).  Mommy also enjoyed one of her favorite things:  Cafe Afouch (or upside down coffee).  Whatever it is, it is the best latte type drink ever - better than Starbucks and even Coffee Bean.

Later in the afternoon we headed to Dizengoff Center in downtown Tel Aviv for some noisy and crowded street action.  I did find my way back to Hod HaSharon and then Hadera!  I'm getting a hang of these Israeli freeways and the exits on the round-abouts too!

The kids on top of Bamba. 

Andrew in front of Bamba's house!

Adam, Kobe, Andrew and Oren at Dizengoff Center.

My boys and I.

My girl Karen and I! I think I'm catching up on her tan...

Zichron Ya'acov

Today we visited the quant little artist colony of a town named Zichron Ya'acov.  From one part of town there are amazing ocean vistas and from the other, a grand view of the vineyards of central Israel.  We spent a lovely afternoon strolling and learning about Zichron's history.  We stumbled upon a handmade paper gallery and will be back on Thursday for a hands on lesson in the art of paper making.  Something that the kids and I look very much forward to. In the interim, Adam had another vanilla cone, in his quest to taste ice-cream in every town in Israel!

We also spent a few hours at sea-side cafe with my Uncle Raphy (one of my mom's younger brothers), and his wife Sylvia.  The kids were able to splash and play in the surf as we caught up on each other's lives.

Shuk HaCarmel

I'm really starting to enjoy this indulgent break of ours!  Each day is filled with sight seeing, time at the beach, or a visit with family.  I really can't imagine returning to reality.  The nice thing for the kids has been the lack of adherence to a structured and over-scheduled life.  I think we really all needed this break and are enjoying each minute of it.

Leah and Andrew on the train.

Today, my aunt Leah took some time off from work and treated us to a Tel Aviv outing.  For fun we took the train  - it was a half hour ride and dropped us off inside the Azrieli center, a gigantic mall in downtown Tel Aviv flagged by some of the largest skyscrapers in the Mid East.  We took a taxi to the shopping district and spent time in the Shuk HaCarmel (felt a bit like the Santee alley in downtown L.A. but more congested).  The kids were a bit overwhelmed by the traffic, the number of buses and the quantity of people on the street. We learned that Allenby can only be traversed by public transportation and the latest thing in Tel Aviv is to rent bicycles.  You can check them out at various intersections and then check them in at your destination.

In the shuk

Andrew "Cama Ze Olay?"

Tel Aviv in the background and the Ayalon Freeway below. 

I also spoke with my great aunt Hannah today.  She is my grandmother's older sister and when she learned I was in town called and invited us to visit her in Be'er Shiva.  For a woman in her mid-80's she sounded remarkable.  She remembered each of my sister's names and asked after them, as well as my children's names.  This from a woman with 26 grandchildren of her own and 15 great-grandchildren (with the 16th due to arrive any moment!)!  I hope that her wit and the ease with which she recalled data is a family trait that I will be blessed with when I reach her age.  It was lovely to speak with her and I hope to be able to see her.


We also had fun on Skype tonight -  I was able to catch up with Papa and we got to see Meme, Tata Sharon and baby Joshua!

Lunch Date

I convinced my grandmother to get out of the house a bit today.  She doesn't have a knee cap on her right knee (a result of a bad car accident many years ago) and 2 slipped disks in her spine.  So moving around is no easy task and walking can be somewhat painful.  Even though in her 80's her mind is clear and she is worldly and literate in 3 languages and is quite upset that her body doesn't allow her to do those things she enjoys. In any case, she agreed to lunch at a seaside cafe and I was more than glad to oblige. The air was breezy and refreshing and it was nice to just sit there and enjoy her company.  We watched Adam engulf a giant ice-cream cone and Andrew was kind enough to take our picture.

When I took Meme home we popped in to say hello to Pepe (he did not want to join us on our outing). Andrew and Adam also took the opportunity to show their destructive sides and nearly demolished the arm chair.  Meme thought it was hilarious.  Pepe thought maybe they were tired and that I should insist on their taking a nap!

I also made plans to visit my Aunt Rachel today (she is one of my dad's older sisters).  The boys had no interest and my Uncle Mome was kind enough to watch them for the hour I was gone.  It was nice catching up with her and my uncle Armand.  She is also entertaining out of town guests - her grandson Tomer is visiting from Melbourne and it was nice to meet him.  Tomer will be in L.A. in August so maybe we'll connect then - although he is 19 and probably wants to see cool young people things and not suburban mom kind of things! I haven't seen his mom, my cousin Mazal in decades, except of course over facebook, as she also lives in Melbourne.  My cousin Natalie (who is at least 2 or 3 years younger than I) also stopped by and I met her 18 year old twins Kim and Dean who are prepping themselves for their tour in the IDF, as well as her 3 year old cutey Har El. While I was there, my dad also happened to call!  So, the one hour visit was a real whirlwind and a nice opportunity to make a date for later in the week!

Handsome Adam.....

Meme and I

Meme, Pepe, Adam and Andrew,  Adam is sitting on Andrew's lap - if you look closely you can see Andrew's outline!

Reclining!

Attempting to run away! 

History

Meme and I

I learned today from my grandmother that her mother died at the age of 34 years old of Thyphus, a bacterial disease passed by the bite of a flea or louse. She also told me that she thanks g-d every day for my mother's life.  As a child my mother was prone to illness - she was constantly sick and was hard hit by Typhoid Fever as a toddler and was nearly consumed by this disease.  My grandmother also told me that she had a sister name Marie who succumbed to the disease. Typhoid is also a bacterial disease passed in the food and water supply.  Neither my mother, great-grandmother, or great-aunt had access to anti-biotics.  This was 1930's and 40's Morocco.  A bit of research and I find that these two diseases are easily treated by a round of the most basic of antibiotics.  She told me that in her time and place, it was a miracle that children survived to see their adolescence and that families (like theirs) nearly went bankrupt in treating childhood diseases.  Our generation and our children's generation in the industrialized world never live in fear of contracting some hideous disease that maimed, scarred and killed children two generations ago.  I have had conversations with people who are fearful of vaccinations but not of  the diseases that they protect us against.  Science and medicine have come so far in saving us from these atrocities.  I can't even begin to imagine the pain that mothers lived through as they watched their loved ones suffer many a disease.

On a more lively note, we also spent a portion of the day at the beach yet again.  The kids never seem to tire of it and I think one of my greatest pleasures is watching them play in the surf and sand.  Adam and Andrew body surfed through the day and each dove head first into waves to ride them out.  They are partners in crime and together they swam, played and walked to the kiosk to buy an "artic" (popsicle).  Adam's favorite is the Artic Spritz with a little pen like water shooter.  He asked me today what the Hebrew word for "shpreeets" is!  I told him that "shpreets" is Hebrew. He didn't believe me, because after all we do say "shpreets' quite a bit at home.   On a side note, people watching on the beach on a Saturday is hugely fascinating.  People of all kinds, ages, sizes, religious observance are out in abundance with little or no care to appearance - the focus seems to be on family, fun, relaxation and friendship - not silicone....

I did drive through an Ethopian neighborhood on my back to my uncle's house.  The women were out for a Saturday afternoon stroll in abundance and in traditional garb - maybe it's not Addis Ababa and I'm sure many of these folks miss their homeland -  however, I find it comforting to know that Israel provides a haven of safety for them to be who they are.

I watched a bit of Israeli TV with my grandmother today, including "Kohavim Noladim" or a "A Star Is Born" - kinda like American Idol.... One of the commercials was about a new reality show called "Chai in LALALAND."  The premise is that 6 Israelis get dumped in Los Angeles and have to figure out how to live there!  I wonder why this would be such a novelty.....after all there are more Israelis in LA than anywhere else in the world (outside of Israel of course).  In any case, made me chuckle.

Namal Tel Aviv

My cousins Gavhit and Maor (along with his wife and kids Roee and Noa) invited us to spend time with them today at Namal Tel Aviv (Port of Tel Aviv).  The Port is no longer active and has been converted into an upscale hub of shops, farmers market, clubs and restaurants.  There is a beautiful board walk with views stretching to the south and of the Tel Aviv beaches and beyond to the old city of Jaffa.

It was a real treat to spend some time Gavhit and Maor and get to know them a bit more.  I last saw Gavhit 5 or 6 years ago when she was working in Las Vegas and Maor in 1998 during his stop in Los Angeles.  They are both a few years younger than I am and in fact it is their father Shalom, who is my first cousin.  The size of our family and the generation gap in between is tough to explain to the kids.

Andrew, Roee and Adam

I don't know if Maor and Gavhit are my second cousins and Andrew and Adam's 3rd cousins or maybe 2nd cousins once removed, nor how to describe the location of Roee and Noa on the family tree -maybe they are the 3rd cousins?? Roee and Noa are a generation below Andrew and Adam, even if they hold similar birthdays. It may be time for a lesson on ancestry because the whole  thing is VERY confusing.

We made it back from Tel Aviv in time for Shabbat - my Meme baked another chocolate cake - in fact she has promised the kids one cake per week!  

The boys loving each other - maybe a bit too much!

My uncle Yoram (my mom's youngest brother) with Andrew.

Andrew with my Meme!

Day 10/Time Is Flying By/I'm Loving It!

It's hard to believe that our 10th day has come and gone.  Today was a much needed maintenance/rest day (with a bit of fun squeezed in!). On a long trip like ours, unfortunately we need to make time for fueling the car, changing money out, checking out an Israeli McDonalds (pretty much the same level of yuckiness as in L.A. but more expensive), grocery shopping and doing lot's of LAUNDRY.  I've been missing my domestic duties (hard to believe) so I even took it upon myself to bake a cake.  It was more a challenge in metric conversions then in creating a sweet treat and overall, I think it turned out well.  The kids also enjoyed time at the local park and we were able to meet up with my cousin Oshrat and her cute little ones, Shira and David Israel.   Oshrat was also kind enough to share a few old pictures along with some recent ones taken at David Israel's bris, in November 2010. 

Mome and Leah bought the kids each their very own bow and arrow set.  They have been wondering around pretending to be Robin Hood!

Oshrat, Valerie and Sharon - probably summer 1985.

Tata Hanna (My Grandmother's older sister), my mom, Meme and Pepe

My mom, Oshrat and her husband Shai.  My dad, grandmother and Tata Hanna seated on the bottom row. 

See and....

Saw!

I'm loving it!