Bridge

This is my favorite bush. The flower clusters are about an inch across. They don't bloom very long, so I was lucky to get this photo.



Going up one side...


and down the other...


That was quite a feat for me, since I have trouble with high places. The bridge goes over a busy street, and I can't tell you how high it is, but high enough for the fear to build as I walked across. I walked with my eyes on the pavement in front of me, and squinched so as not to see over the sides and see how high I was. If I had met someone on the bridge and had to move to one side that would have been a problem.

Model of Old City

Nice town. But no people, trash, cats, dogs, or even a cactus plant.


Close up of temple.





Pool of Siloam


Home sweet home. But where's my cat?










Shrine of the book, in case I forgot to post this earlier. Contains Dead Sea Scrolls and Aleppo Codex. Al loves this place.

Red Blue Bonnets

You can buy a red variety like this.

Synagogue Music

I have looked at two different systems that use the cantillation points as representing actual musical notes. The results are interesting, but I don't think that was the point of the points. There are similarities, of course, in the way we speak, read, chant and sing.

I even thought of some possibilities for devising my own system of notes from the cantillation points. But I resisted the temptation. It would be very time-consuming. More important is to learn to read the Psalms.

It would be quite suitable and very nice, I think, if congregations could simply read Psalms together, if they don't have tunes for all of them.

Here is a link to some information about synagogue music.

Jewish music - 1. Ancient Hebrew music, 2. The rise
of synagogue song

The synagogue service, as far as I understand, is all written in a book. All the prayers, songs, what is said or done and when, is all there. There are also prayers for about every facet of life. You see people praying (reading prayers out of a book) quite often on the bus or on the street. But to pray extemporaneous prayers is not commonly done.

You also often see here Muslims praying in the park. They stand, kneel down to pray, stand, kneel, etc. 7 times. I wish I felt so free to pray in public. On the other hand, Jesus said to pray in your closet and the Father will reward you openly.

Old Jerusalem

One of the gates into the Old City.
The man at the far left in back is Al. The woman in the bright red socks is NOT me.


Inside the gate.


A street corner in the old city. Christian Quarter Road.


America don't worry...


An underground room hundreds of years old.


Looking down the street. I saw dozens of tapestries and scarves and skirts I wanted but didn't buy.


Mysterious streets (I'd call them alleys) and curving stairs.

Where's Waldo?

On the roof, of course. What's he doing up there, anyway?

Gazing off into the hills,


counting towers,


polishing domes,


Or maybe he's repairing the solar panels.

Tower of David

This is a fascinating place. It was a cold, cloudy day, so the pictures aren't the greatest, but you get the idea.
Courtyard

Rooms and foundations.

View of the tower itself from another place in the tower.

The mosque. The church in the background is actually huge.

The courtyard and looking over the top of the wall.

Looking out.




Jeshurun.


Soldiers.


Figures in a museum.