27. Trip to the Hula Valley

Dear Emilee,

I was right, I knew it, I was right; I just knew we are going somewhere and we did!

Sue and Howie picked us up first thing this morning and drove with us to the Hula Valley.

It is a valley in the north of Israel. It used to be a lake, or as the ancients called it a sea, a part of the flow of the Jordan River. By the 1950’s the Israelis dried it up. The marsh it was had malaria spreading mosquitoes, the worse of their kind and many people, mostly children, died from the disease. Now, the majority of the valley is a seabed of a rich agriculture soil. But some of the marsh, now clean of mosquitoes, was contained and kept as a nature reserve where big birds are landing on their migrations from the north to South Africa in the winter and on their return to the Northern nesting grounds in Summer.

Today, only some of the local residents were in the marsh. The big birds already left about a month ago. But the Hula Valley was peaceful and we enjoyed the walk.

We met grade 3 from Karmiel on one of the bridges and they took their pictures with me to say hi to your grade 3. They will be checking the blog and see if maybe they can connect with your class and have an exchange of friendly letters and pictures. They loved the catfish and the water turtles and pointed to us the reed that grows like weed in the marsh. They told me that this is the same reed used to make a little basket for Moses from the Bible, so he can float in the Nile.


We watch a 3D film of the migration of the big birds with winds and moving chairs and water drops in our faces. Fun. It felt like we were flying with the birds over oceans, mountains, and deserts.



We saw catfish and water turtles swiming together everywhere they think you might feed them.

From the Hula sanctuary, we went to The Dubrobin Farm where a preservation of the first farm in the area erected in 1884. We visited an old well with a water wheel, the chicken and geese and one horse. There was a large orchard around the farm and many beautiful roses. We saw some old dresses, beds, and pictures of the people that used to live in those houses.

It was a good day to travel.

Tired, going to sleep now, your reporter Flat Stanley.

26. Going Somewhere?

Dear Emilee,

We've been training for a week. Daily we go to the beach and walk. My hosts are trying to walk 6 km nonstop. I think they made it to 4 km so far. In the heat, it is rather difficult.

I'm not sure why they are training, but I know that they are at it daily. Mrs. C. feet are hurting her on these walks and she went to the shoemaker a few times, but she is still walking.

I am sure that we are going somewhere soon. I am sleeping in the camera bag again tonight! Before I walked into the camera bag, I saw Mrs. C. placing oranges, Bamba (peanut butter chips), halva, water, and dates into bags ready for the morning. She even got her Sar-El hat that she got during her week in the army, ready to go. So I am sure that we are going somewhere; but, I don't know where.

Up till today, we've been doing mundane things, like shopping and cleaning house, checking bus and train and flight schedules; we even went to some travel agencies. But I’m not sure what is the verdict - so I guess I’ll have to wait and let you know when we get going ... I think it'll happened tomorrow.

From the camera bag
Your excited reporter, Flat Stanley

25. Duchifat

The National Bird of Israel - Duchifat (It's English Name is Hoopoe)

It lives near the beach in Nahariya,Israel.

Mr. C. have been trying to get this bird on film for a few months now. This is the first time he had been able to get close shot of her. Click on the picture, isn't she just beautiful?!

Duchifat was chosen to be the national bird of Israel on June 1, 2008 by a popular vote.
You can read about it: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988588.html

Resting on the beach
Flat Stanley

24. On Wheels

Dear Emilee,

The train was packed. You could hardly see the windows across the aisle. People said that the reason for the crowds is the holiday week. Passover is a whole week celebration; all of Israel is on wheels: 7 days of eating Matzo, 7 days of visiting, 7 days of school vacation, and 7 days of crowds. We experienced the crowds yesterday.

We went to Nes Ziona to visit childhood friends. Mrs. C. studies with them at the same school since grade one, and became good friends later on. So they know each other for over 50 years. We went to visit Nurit and Danny at their home. The home is very beautiful and the couple are the perfect hosts.

Nurit collects antiques, so the entire house is furnished with many interesting pieces from unusual chairs and a doll my size to antique dishes. Danny is an avid gardener, and the back yard is full of fruit trees. I climbed on as many as I could.

I was also introduced to their two very old dogs,Sky (under the fruit trees) and Juke (in the house).

I stole many patting opportunities.


We waited for their son and fiancé who are planning a wedding in May to hear all about their plans for the exciting event. When they arrived, we gather around a table full of great Passover delicacies, until Danny checked the internet and found that the last train to Nahariya already left.

The mad dash begun at that point when the four of us run down the stairs, packed into Danny little car, and buckled up while he drove passing the Police to the Tel Aviv train station. We were at the station in 20 minutes and boarded the train home by 9:15 pm.

Mr. C. slept all the way home. We entered the house around midnight and once again fell into bed.

It is a lazy day today. Mrs. C. thought that we might visit today the local holocaust museum, but we are all just too bushed.

Resting,
Your covered-with- Belgium-chocolate reporter
Flat Stanley

23. Passover

Dear Emilee,

Now, that was fun.

We left Nahariya at 5:00 pm and retuned around 1:00 am from Kiryat Ata, where we had the Seder Pesach. Do you see me riding the wine bottle?

The house has lots of rooms and a garden. I joined Mr. and Mrs. C. at the older adults table that seated 14 people at the library. But it was only one of three tables. The hosts told us that they will have about 25 people for Passover dinner, but I counted around 40! Many were little ones. You can see me with the youngest, Kinneret, on the side bar.

Outdoors, our hosts had many fruit trees that the kids climbed and picked fruit before dinner. Indoor, was full of light and a kitchen that radiated great smell everywhere. Once everyone arrived, we set at the festive tables and started to tell the story of Pesach. We read from a booklet that recites the story of Children of Israel who were slaves in Egypt and were saved by God. Our booklets were in three languages: Hebrew, English, and Russians. At the tables other languages were spoken as well, Amharic (the language spoken by the Ethiopians), French, Ukrainian and Spanish. It was fun to listen to all of them and try to follow the readings.

As the story goes, there was famine in the land of Canaan and in search of food for their family, Jacob and his sons went to Egypt. They settled in there and over time, the family grew. Pharaoh the king of Egypt was afraid that the people will take over his land so he decided to enslave them. After 430 years of slavery, things were getting harsh and they cried out to God. God heard their cries and called Moses to lead the people out of slavery to freedom, to Canaan, the land He gave to their fathers.

Moses went to Pharaoh asking him to allow the people leave Egypt, but Pharaoh refused. God brought on Egypt 10 plagues (hardships) to show pharaoh His strength and that the slaves should get their freedom. On their last night as slaves, God passed over the land and killed all the first born of Egypt but not of Israel. They had to hurry and follow instructions given by God for their salvation. That night is the Passover Seder, that is celebrated every year on the 14th day of Nisan (the month of spring).

Moshe, our host, was the Seder ‘grandfather’ so he M.C. the evening. Katya, his wife, did the cooking and kept looking after the food, taking pictures, overseeing the sitting arrangement, and gave all of us a home welcome, smiling.

We sang through the first two glasses of wine and reciting the Hagada, which tell the story of redemption in detail. Then we ate. There were so many wonderful things on the table. Salads and cooked vegetables; roasted lamb and baked turkey; mashed potatoes and matzo (unleven bread) and lots of wine and juice. The traditional charoset (sweet mixture of apples and honey) and maror (red horseradish paste), hard-boiled eggs and parsley and matzo ball soup. For desert matzo were dipped in chocolate and placed by red jelly. When we finished the meal, we sang more songs, read some more of the Hagada booklet and drink 3 more glasses of wine. The fifth cup, which was added this year to the ceremony, is the cup of the State of Israel.

We laughed a lot, sang a lot, and talked a lot, and I am glad that Moshe drove us back home to Nahariya, for the three of us were very tired.

Today, Mr. C. went for his “beach combing” and returned with pictures of frogs and lizards that grow here on the beach. They are so cute; I had to add them to the blog.


Full up to my chin,
Flat Stanley

22. New Camera

Mr. C. got a new camera for Mrs. C. for Pesach (Passover)! This way we'll be able to take pictures at the Seder. ya. Right now, they are learning how to stop the blare...

Happy Flat Stanley

21. Almost Passover

Dear Emilee,

Wind; Sand blowing up in our faces; High waves breaking into the shore; Clear day. We are at the beach in Nahariya and the clear sky pinpoint the horizon where Rosh Ha-Nikra is located by the Lebanon Border.

Mr. C. went today, as he had been doing daily, to the beach. He is teaching himself how to blow the shofar. I went with him to the beach and hang to his belt in the back so I will not fly away in the wind. What a beautiful day. The sound of the sea is so loud that we can hardly hear the shofar blowing.

Tomorrow is the Seder the first night of Passover. All I know so far is that it is going to be a celebration of the night that Moses led the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, to freedom in the Promised Land. We will have to read the story in Exodus, the second book of the bible, to know more.

This is the greatest celebration of the year in Israel. Everyone talks about it now for 3 weeks. Mr. & Mrs. C. are taking me tomorrow night to some friends and I am planning to tell you all about it the day after.

Sea Salt on My Face,
Stan Flatley

BTW, the cameras are not working so I cannot post the pictures from beach. Sorry. I hope that we will not miss the pictures from tomorrow night.

20. Three Day Galilee Trip

Shalom Emilee,

Finely, I made it. After a week waiting for Mr. and Mrs. C. to check their email, complete their computer work, and load pictures, I can start reporting to you.

Tuvia picked us up on Sunday morning as promised and we started a three days Historical trip.

We visited cemeteries, memorials and museums. On Har Meron, there are tombs that many people consider holy and come to pray for healing. Madonna, the famous singer, visited some of the tombs recently. During a holiday called Lag Ba-Omer thousands of people visit the tombs. It was not that crowded when we were there.

In Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, there is a cemetery of some of the first settlers of Israel. In the museum, we watched a short movie about them and the history of the Kibbutz.

In front of Misgav-Am lookout laid a complete village of empty houses. The Hezbollah build these houses as a façade. (see picture on the side bar) No one lives there. Occasionally they place paper dolls in the houses so when TV cameras are pointing at them to take pictures it looks like there are people there.

The columns near by the Kibbutz were erected by Canadian communities as a memorial for children who were killed on a school bus.
Tel-Dan archeological excavation was a walk to the very ancient past. Here the gates of the Tribe of Dan were reconstructed as well as the very first gate where Abraham walked through to the land that God promised him.

The sound of running water filled up the air in Tel Dan. It is a beautiful place full of plant life and birds flying and chirping all over the thick forest bed. The Eucalyptus trees that were planted along the river to dry out the swamps in the beginning of the 19th century were rooted out. Now, the original vegetation is growing again and some unusual flowers and trees are seen in the area. New and unknown kinds of lizards and birds are filling up the ground and treetops. We also followed the River Dan to two more places. One was the enormous Mapal Ha-Tanur (Oven Waterfall) on top of a mountain.

You can see from the picture that the waterfall is full of flowing water from the Hermon that had snow this winter. Since water shortage is a way of life here, the waterfall is a true miracle. I was enjoying it so much that I climbed a tree to get some figs.

The other place that the River Dan went to was a place called Dag on Dan where I met some special friends like ducks and peacock and special types of chickens and roosters and some type of bird called Pninit.

Israeli breakfast includes everything but meats. On the side bar is a picture of it all laid out for us. Mr.C. and I truly enjoyed our meals. During one of the lunches, we met a lady and her three girls that become members of my fan club. I’ve got a fan club going in this country! At the waterfall, I met some friends from New York who were visiting and we had a reunion. The last time we met, they were in grade 1. That was fun

Moses is overlooking the valley and the historical trail across the street from our hotel.
But my favorite place of all was the Canadian Centre in Metula. It is a sport center build by Canadians. It has an Olympic size ice rink, swimming pool, bowling, basketball court, and great ice-cream kiosk. The young Israeli hockey team practices there. Can you see a very cold me waving in the picture? I guess not, the picture does not load on the page, maybe it is too cold?

We returned Tuesday night and since then we had two celebrations of Bar Mitzvah; talked on Skype to Meagan, the oldest granddaughter who will have her 11th birthday tomorrow, and did all the daily up keep. Happy Birthday Meagan!

A new week starts in the morning, and I have no idea what will happen next.

Your faithful reporter
Flat Stanley

19. On the Move Again

Dear Emilee,

We are going somewhere again.

Tuvia, a friend of the Cunningham’s is arriving right now with a jeep and we are going…
Don’t know where or for how long, no one tells me… (Pout)…

I thought when you mailed me to this old couple that I will be bored after the first week and will have nothing to do, but they are busier than a class of 8 years old! Always on the go somewhere.

As you can see, I’m guarding the luggage and making sure that they don’t forget me behind. I will write again as soon as I can sit at the computer again.

Have a delightful week,

On the go again,
Your reporter, Flat Stanley

18. A Day in Haifa

Dear Emilee,

Mrs. C. computer was in the hospital for a few days, so I couldn’t write. I hope you did not miss my letters too much.

Nothing special happened. Mr. C. went to school, studied Hebrew at home, and painted some walls for Passover. Mrs. C. without the computer walked around the house like a caged lion, and the neighbours upstairs were renovating so the hammer and drill were shrieking down in the apartment. Yesterday, we all had enough of the noise, so we traveled to Haifa for the day

We came to Haifa with a ‘sherut’, an Israeli mode of transportation that I haven’t seen in Canada. It is a vehicle that seats 10, a size of a mini-van, and is running along the bus lines. So where the bus goes, it goes. Between Nahariya and the shuk in Haifa, the sherut is the most direct means of transportation. It is also faster since it stops only to let someone off or on.

We were in Haifa earlier during my stay, but we were in a different part of town. Yesterday, we walked slowly through the ‘shuk’. A shuk is an open market and many Israeli towns have them. There were many stands loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables; others with meat and poultry, some with fish. There were lots of clothes and shoes and some were just for bread and sweet baking while others sold nuts of every kind. .
The one in the picture is displaying all types of plastic ware. It is an interesting place to walk through. The shuk in Haifa is very clean.

We also found a McDonalds in Haifa! such a nice surprise. So we had a soft ice-cream there and we walked on and looked at some old synagogues downtown, and talked to Danny who manages a bible book store.










There is a Hamsin today, a hot wind from the desert full of sand and it is blowing dust into the clean house.

Your hot and a touch tired reporter
Flat Stanley

17. Ad-Lo-Yada or Purim Parade

Dear Emilee,

It came a week late because the rain, but it was here. Full of colors and sunshine and warm winds. 1600 people, mostly children, from every school in Nahariya participated. All kinds of characters and themes and music. It was fabulous. Can you see me in the pictures?

Happy to participate
Your faithful reporter, Flat Stanley

Israel Flags. A Proud Procession
Every parade has drums...
Lion of Jerusalem ...and of Judah












Dancers of Sudan …and of Utopia Queens on Stilts

16. Happy Birthday Tim

Dear Emilee,
Today, March 4th is your Daddy, Tim , birthday.
Please wish him a happy birthday for me and for my hosts, Willie and Orith, who love him as a son. They want him to know that they bless him for his birthday with all types of happy blessings and hope he has a wonderful day of celebration.
Have fun with your Daddy today, Emilee, and you can eat a piece of a birthday cake for me :)
Love, Flat Stanley.

15. The Visit Of A Space Alien

GROSS!

This shout came from the shower. Mr. C. and I were doing his Hebrew homework in peace when this shout startled us. I looked at Mr. C. to see what we should do, but he lifted his head, set back in the chair and waited for the what’s next? event.

Mrs. C. shot out off the shower with a huge towel wrapped around her shaking all over, “an alien...thing growing there”
“where?” calm Mr. C. moved his lips
“there” she pointed toward the bathroom door
“where there?” he dared to ask calmly
“out of the wood in the shower, you know, in the seat, it looks like out of space something!”
“let me look at it” extremely calm Mr. C. slowly raised himself out of the chair.
“I think it’s a mushroom of some sort” she said “gross!”

While Mr. C. went to inspect the intruder and Mrs. C. positioned herself by the bathroom door still hugging her towel, I slid under the jarred door and peeked behind Mr. C. shoulder. Yap, she is right, some alien being, maybe a mushroom, is growing in the corner of that wooden plunks that is attached to the wall. It is brown and orange and almost as flat as I am.

“It’s only a mushroom” said Mr. C. disgusted. “I'll plank it out”.
“Don’t use your hand! put some gloves on!” she screamed at him from the doorway. Mrs. C. was still upset, maybe she really thinks that it is an out of space alien. Mr. C. plucks it out and throw it to the big garbage bin.

We, the men, went back to the business of learning Hebrew while Mrs. C. calmed down enough to finish her shower.

After an while I noticed Mr. C. developing a smile. He set back in his chair looking at his studies and at me and sighed a content smile. His eyes averted toward the bathroom door and his smile widen. Mrs. C. came out of the shower nodding her head and saying, “this is crazy, we’ve got to do something about that mold!” Mr. C. looked at her. His eyebrows slightly lifted and his eyes squinted a bit, “yes dear”. After a pause he continued, “tomorrow I will take that wood apart and we will clean it again”.

Peace returned.

Later, the drama invaded our abode again. Sheva came in to play some cards, and Mrs. C. told her about the alien growth. Sheva promised, “tomorrow I'll come by with cleaning supplies and we’ll work on it, bleach is not good enough”.

Can you find Flat Stanley? Spring Cleaning...

In the morning, Sheva arrived as promised. In her left hand a broom-vacuum, in her right a few bottles of cleaning chemicals. Mr. C. removed the offensive wood from the shower, and took up vacuuming the carpets while Sheva started to teach her only student. The two ladies worked on that bathroom from top to bottom. I was helping Mr. C. with vacuuming, washing floors and generally cleaning the house while they attacked every possible spot in two bathrooms and a kitchen. I can help real well sliding into small cracks in floors and under carpets just like my brother taught me long ago. The three adults and I started that major enterprise at 08:00 and continued until 12:30, at which point non of them was able to move another step. “well”, said Mrs. C. “I guess we started the Passover Spring Cleaning right on time.”

Mrs. C. is still cleaning and learning about supplies and water and other such things. The chemicals she used in Canada, are not strong enough for the Israeli dirt. Stones are filling the water supply of the country because the water is drawn from 3000 km depth inside the earth and are passing through lime stone and other such geological and ecological treasures, all leaving their residue in the water and no reservoir or factory pump can clean them out. The contaminated water leaves stone spots on marble in kitchens and stone deposits in water kettles and even causes hard to manage hair. Mold grows rapidly everywhere there is moisture. Mold is the earth way to hold on to water in a dry land. Dust covers the window sills and outside of blinds (remember the Tris that Amir had to fix? these ones.). All need to be cleaned by ways that are not wasting water and keeping the spots and dirt at bay.

It is just the right time for this exercise. By Passover the house has to be spotless. All leaven and yeast has to be removed for the greatest celebration of the year. Mr. C. is planning to paint some of the walls in the apartment. Sheva said that it easily takes three weeks to clean the house well. Passover will be here at the end of March and judging by the activity of this week, it will find us all ready for it.

Surrounded by rugs,
Your reporter, Flat Stanley

14. Lazy Days

Dear Emilee,

Rain, thunder, lightning, and even though it is Purim Holiday and many are having a day off, the street below is empty of cars and people. It is quieter then on the Sabbath.

In the early afternoon the sun came out for a spell and Mr. C. went for a walk on the beach. Mrs. C. and I decided to stay home where it is warm and laze around the computer playing games, eating bondak and drinking soda. Bondak? It’s a nut similar to the hazel nut but tastes a touch different.

He told us that he was caught by the rain pour, but managed to hide under a thick bush and even kept the camera dry. That’s good because he took pictures of spring flowers on the sandy beach and of the high waves and even of beetles in the flowers.

I like lazy days.
Flat Stanley

13. Q. & A. & This & That

Dear Emilee,

We excitingly waited this morning for a Purim Parade, but it rained and rained and then it poured. So no parade.

Purim is a day of joy when all the kids and some adults change their cloths into costumes, like the evening of Halloween when kids go out to collect candies. Only this one is done in celebration of the story in the book of Esther in the bible and the kids go to the neighbours to give pastry and candies as gifts. It tells of a queen, Esther, who saved her people, the Jews, from extinction. Most of the costumes are of queens and princesses and kings and some are of the hated Haman who tried to kill all the Jews and of witches who must have tried to help Haman in his bad deed. So we saw all kinds of costumes of kids on their way to school. We hoped to see them all in a parade, but the entire country is being rained on so all the parades are postponed until next Friday.

Because the day activities have changed, we will have the regular Shabbat meal tonight and my hosts are resting. I received a few questions in the email which I will try to answer in this letter.

Hazel Hutchins, the great Canadian children author, is a good friend and she saw my blog and wrote to Mrs. C. “So glad Flat Stanley has found you! Every once in a while I'll be at a school and there he'll be along with a huge map of his adventures and all sorts of reports. Great fun.” This is a nice comment. Thank you Mrs. Hutchins. I hope to see you again. Since you live in Canmore AB, maybe we will meet in Emily’s school in Okotos, AB.

Carol from Great Falls in USA suggested that I will report prices of things so you know how the money works here. It is a good idea Carol, but as an honored guest, I don’t pay anything. My hosts pay all my expenses. Yesterday, I looked over Mrs. C. shoulder to see what she pays for a special treat she bought for me, a Crembo. Crembo is a winter ice cream. It is made out of biscuit and lots of cream on top of the biscuit and a layer of thin pure chocolate on the cream. It takes most people about two bites and it’s gone. It is delicious. This costs 3.50 shekel which is about 1 dollar. But this is the only thing that I know its price.

Speaking of food, P. from Toronto asked what kind of food I am eating. Well, it depends on the day of the week or the holidays:
- During Purim, the chosen desert is ozney haman, Hebrew for Haman Ears. A reminder that Haman tried to destroy the people and now we eat his ears. Haman Ear is a baked pastry in a shape of a triangle, filled with chocolate or poppy seeds or dates or jam. You cannot eat only one, the pastry is addictive.
- During Shabbat meal, we eat Challah, the braided bread, and chicken soup, and chicken, and vegetables cooked and raw, and potatoes and if you like fish there are all kinds of special dishes made of fish.
- Breakfast is made out of a huge salad of very small cubes of tomatoes and cucumbers and some olives. On the plate there are a few types of cheeses. Yogurt and eggs and bread are also served. And sometimes some humus. Most Israelis drink café haffuch meaning upside down coffee. This coffee is a spoon of espresso in a cup of boiling milk. This is why they call is ‘upside down’ because the main ingredient is milk not water.
- Lunch is the main meal of the day. The most popular is the schnitzel which is white chicken breast dipped in egg and bread crumbs and fried. But fish and beef and baked chicken are also on the menu. Cooked and fresh vegetable are served in abundant and in the winter, soup. Israelis, as a rule, do not eat desert after meals, they might eat a small piece of cake with coffee or tea in the afternoon.
- Dinner is served around 7 pm and it is mostly light snack of pita and humus or an apple. Sometimes people leave their last meal for a sweet snack in a pastry café where they go to sit and talk to friends or a falafel or a shewarma in a meeting place kiosk. Falafel are vegetarian balls made of chick peas and shewarma are thin slices of turkey and lamb mix turning on a skew on a fire. Both are served in a pita with lots of fresh vegetables.

Lynn from Calgary wanted to know if I saw the Olympics. Sadly, I did not. My hosts don’t have a television in the house, so we tried to find the games on the internet. But… the local technicians are on strike and any programs from North America are not streaming through because they disconnected the satellites. Even with a television no one can see the games. Sheva's husband next door watches soccer daily from 4:30 on to midnight, but he gets the program from Europe. It must be from another satellite.

If you, Emilee, or your friends have questions for me, you can write to my hosts at: igotnopc@yahoo.ca put in the subject line “questions for Flat Stanley” and I will do my best to answer them.

Regards to your teacher and the class. And from my hosts to your parents
Shabbat shalom, Flat Stanley

12. Tiyul Ba-Sharon

Dear Emilee,

It must be some kind of a pattern for Mr. and Mrs. C.: one or two days of rest and then an adventure. Suites me fine.

Yesterday, we went on a day trip, Tiyul in Hebrew. A bus with 20 senior citizens picked us up by our house and drove us to an area of Israel that is called Sharon. It is sort of in the middle of the country. This is why they called it Tiyul Sharon.

We visited the biggest electrical factory in the Middle East. The guides showed us the big tower that is 140 meter high, even higher then Eifel Tower in Paris which is only 120 meters high. Then they showed us the very first water pump that made electricity in Israel. It was carried on boats in 1906 and placed on the ground before they build the walls around it to house it. The pump ran by coal. But the people were too poor to have buy coal to feed the pump, so they fed the pump with trees to make it work. Then, in 1926, they replaced this pump with another, much smaller, which was a diesel pump but was twice as strong and it pumped the water from the Crocodile River near by and made twice as much electricity.














1906 Coal Pump..........................................1926 Diesel Pump

Can you see me on the pumps?

They also told us that because Israel does not have enough water they used all the water twice over and they even reuse re-clean sewer water to irrigate the agriculture land.
The land of the electrical plant was a very large area, surrounded by orange trees and palm trees with lots of vegetation and parks to play. Very green.

In Caesarea we stopped at some archeological excavations and saw a huge mosaic floor with pictures of birds and animals which was made 1800 years ago as a living room floor. The floor was so big that we can build a whole house on it. But, what I liked the most was the special work that the third grade children made in the park around it. The classes have competitions. Their last project was making special outdoor sitting arrangements from recycled materials. All kinds of wonderful chairs were along the forest trails from the excavation sight back to the bus. Mr. C. took two pictures of his wife with me sitting on them.




Orchids Utopia was a hot house we visited next. Mr. C. got so excited there that he run out of batteries in the camera. Most beautiful flowers were there, and a maze made from bushes, and live deer and live Chinese chickens and all kinds of trees and butterflies, and aquariums. It was like the Flower Pyramids in Edmonton AB and Butterfly Garden in Victoria BC all rolled into one with a little animal zoo and pools of goldfish for added fun They showed us 5 varieties of plants that eat bugs and Mrs. C. thought that maybe she should buy a few to control the mosquitoes and the flies population around the house.



We had some lunch and our last stop was at The Turtle Bridge over Alexander River. Giant Sea Turtles live under the bridge. We tried to feed them chips, but the cat fish ate them instead. Mr. C. throw in some grapefruit pieces, but they did not like them either. I think they just eat some bugs. Because Mr. C. cameras was out of batteries, we couldn’t take pictures. We’ll have to go another time. The turtles live in very muddy water, but I guess one can take their pictures when they stretch their heads out and they climb on the stones by the river. They live very peacefully there with some cats and a muskrat, lots of very large cat fish with huge moustaches and the odd duck. During their migration, the Cormorant flocks fly in for the night rest as well.

We were at home 12 hours after we started out and went right to sleep. It was a full day.
Today, the rain started again, Yes!

Resting, your reporter Flat Stanley