Shimon Peres on Mt. Herzl, then and now

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City Daily Photo bloggers group is posting today on the theme ABANDONED.

Today on Mount Herzl we buried Shimon Peres and I, and I daresay most of the people of Israel are feeling sad, almost abandoned.
The former President was 93 and, well, he was always here, here with us and for us.
As Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Wednesday morning, when Peres died, "This is the country's first day ever without Shimon Peres."
It feels like our father has died.
He is, indeed, the last of our State's founding fathers, the larger-than-life "giants" who brought our State into being in 1948.

Above is a photo I took of  President Peres in 2009 at Mt. Herzl.
(Please enlarge it and enjoy the wonderful faces.)
He spoke moving words at a new annual ceremony called The National Ceremony for Ethiopian Jews who perished on their way to Israel.
To read about the kesim (Ethiopian religious leaders) in the picture and their liturgical or ceremonial umbrellas, please see my posts here and here.

Shalom dear Shimon Peres.  Thank you for your example and inspiration.
We here below will carry on and try to make you proud of us.
Rest in peace.
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Rush Hour

Rush Hour is the title of the sculpture, I wonder if they get in the way at home time.

Friends Of The Maytag Repairman

Americans, except for the very young, remember the famous TV ads featuring the Maytag repairman. The idea was that he was lonely because no one ever called him, ostensibly because Maytag appliances were so dependable.

Well, there are not a lot of Republicans in the City of St. Louis. (Much of the rest of the state is a different story.) Their table at the Hispanic Festival gets about as many visits as the Maytag repairman. They are certainly enthusiastic, out expressing their point of view, surrounded by posters for candidates there is zero chance I will vote for and flags of Latin American nations (me gusta mucho Costa Rica y Argentina).

But note the Trump poster and then the Mexican flag on the table. Cognitive dissonance?          

Head-on with a Sable antelope

Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve outside Graaff-Reinet has a Sable antelope breeding program and while on the game drive we stopped next to the camp for a closer look.  This young male came walking towards the fence and stood still watching us long enough for me to get a nice head-on photo of him.  Just a pity for the fence wires in between.

Some info about the Sable courtesy of Wikipedia:

The sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) is an antelope which inhabits wooded savannah in East Africa south of Kenya, and in Southern Africa.

The sable antelope is sexually dimorphic, with the male heavier and about one-fifth taller than the female. The head-and-body length is typically between 190 and 255 cm.  Males reach about 117–140 cm at the shoulder, while females are slightly shorter. Males typically weigh 235 kg and females 220 kg. The tail is 40–75 cm long, with a tuft at the end.

Sable antelope live in savanna woodlands and grasslands during the dry season, where they eat mid-length grasses and leaves. They visit salt licks and have been known to chew bones to collect minerals. They are diurnal, but are less active during the heat of the day. They form herds of 10 to 30 females and calves led by a single male, called a bull. Males fight among themselves; they drop to their knees and use their horns.

Street Portraits At The Hispanic Festival

Faces on the dance floor. Everybody's smiling. I doubt I would. I can't dance to save my life. Just plain clumsy. 

It occurs to me that there is one kind of dance where no one ever smiles: tango. It's deadly serious and has an entirely different attitude..        

It was a grand day

Cherry good-byes at the end of the Pearly Kings and Queens harvest festival.

Harvest Time Silver Tip Vineyard ....Panorama Drive Grand Forks

Bob and Friend

We met Bob and his handsome canine friend in Lake Sumter Landing.  It was a beautiful day and they were relaxing on a bench.  He graciously consented to have his photo taken after his friend insisted.

Bob is a veteran of the U.S. Army and lives in The Villages.

I have a great urge to say "Woof!" which is "Thank You!" in the Canine Language.


[This was cross-posted to our Ocala & Central Florida Photos blog.

Cityscape

A view of the Shard and Southwark bridge from the city side of the river.

When a game ranger goes above and beyond

A lot of people have the policy that if you want something done you have to do it yourself, especially if you don't really have anybody to delegate to.  But even then you need somebody to push a rock out of the way for you every now and then.  I had a funny "push a rock out the way" moment on a game drive at Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve outside Graaff-Reinet the other day.  We weer driving up the mountain when we found this boulder lying in the road.  The ranger immediately hopped out to roll it out the way and clearly underestimated its weight... or his own strength, because it just did not budge.  Perhaps it was the rocky equivalent of Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, and nobody can move it no matter how hard you try.  Oh well, if you can't get it out the way then you just drive around it like we did.

The Victorian Couple

It's a full time job being a member of the Victorian Strollers.  So many events to attend, sometimes as Victorians and sometimes, just for a change WWII enactments.  I did ask, and yes, they have huge wardrobes, it's not just the clothes but all the accessories, handbags, jewellery, gloves and belts. Most importantly they have lots of fun.  Last Sunday was of course to attend the Pearly event at Guildhall. (see yesterdays post)

Preparation

One of a group of Mexican dancers about to perform. It makes me think me think of ther preparations of a bride.

I swore I wouldn't watch the debate. Well, I'm letting the audio run while I edit pictures and write this. Sigh. 

Kids make pita

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More scenes from our Scouts' big "happening."

Visitor kids got to mix a handful of flour with some water, and the Scouts put their dough on the fire to make fresh hot pita.

The new building, almost finished, is a big extension of the Scout troop's den.
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday.)
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The Pearly Festivities

Proof that the seasons have changed.  The Pearly Kings and Queens celebrated the harvest festival yesterday.  The 140 year tradition included morris dancers, maypole dancing, music and bands.

They then all trotted of to St Mary Le Bow church for a thanksgiving service, a bit of catching up with old friends and then departed in charming old vehicles.

I Don't Have To Try To Speak German Any More

And my efforts were so pathetic. I had a couple of years of it in high school so I can make the sounds.  Been there a few times but not often or recently enough to retain much. And three genders and all those case endings and no simple way to make possessives. Enough. As I've mentioned, my best languages that I'm bad at are Spanish and French. The former is  more useful in the U.S.

So STL had its little Hispanic Festival over the weekend. I could read the signs without using Google Translate. And yes, we do deserve great taste.

               

 

Brownwood Bovine

You will find this bovine gracing the walls of The Villages Sales Offices in Brownwood, one of the three "hometowns" in The Villages. She doesn't have much to say but is interesting to look at; sort of like a Hollywood starlet.

No Ted today

... my internet's gone away

Gee But It's Great To Be Back Home

Back to the warmth and security of unsere Stadt auf dem Mississippi. St. Louisans are charming, friendly people.  Or most of us are.

Last Monday was 19 hours from first liftoff until last touchdown. Then work was, well, sort of a blow to the head. No time at all to edit or comment. Need to do what I can when I can.

And, hey, a great big thank you to our CDP colleague, Halcyon, and her husband for inviting us to their home for dinner while we were in Berlin. Meeting other City Daily members around the world has been one of the great pleasures of this work.               

That beady look

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Making jewelry with beads.
Hmm, why are the letters in English, not Hebrew? 

It was a popular activity at our recent Scouts Happening.

It was a magnet, drawing in the young girls.
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The Chocolate Factory

Imagine the smells that must have filled the air back in the 1800's when this was the French Menier chocolate factory.  Following years of being a derelict building it began its new life in 2004 as a theatre and art gallery.

As part of the continuing development of the area a whole new development is currently being undertaken next door.  To be known as Flat Iron square, it promises restaurants, music and entertainment venues

Two Friends at the Glenview Country Club

Now and Then

The old fire station showing images of the transport from a bygone era.  Now we run and cycle.

Scouts pulling together

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Something I had never seen (not having been part of any of the youth movements when I grew up in the US).

The Scouts lashed together a wooden A-shaped frame, stood a child up on it, had kids keep it balanced by pulling on supporting ropes, and slowly "walked" the frame forward as if on two legs. 
There must be a name for this in Hebrew and English?
Anybody know?
You can click a few times to get the big picture.
It was part of the big Happening our Meitar Scouts put on for the community. 
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Forbidden

A very different and interesting visit on open house weekend was to Custom House.  Not only for the architecture of the beautiful Georgian building but also to learn more about the activities of collecting custom and excise duty and protecting what is permissible to enter the country.

Actually what was more interesting is what is not permissible.  One room had a selection of goods that had been seized such as this tiger.  I am stunned at what people try and smuggle in to the country.  Huge elephant tusks, wolves, bears, all manner of reptiles, plus the usual drugs, alcohol and tobacco products.

The methods of smuggling were revealed to us as was the means of how Her Majesties officers (and dogs) investigate and capture those involved.  The dogs demonstrated their skill in finding a suitcase with hidden cocaine, and all for a reward of a tennis ball to play with!

If you haven't already visited Custom House I'd absolutely recommend putting this one on your open house visit next year.

The Stalker Caught!

Art in the City

Title "Saints and Sailors"  by artist by Benedetto Pietromarch.  The work was inspired by a journey on a cargo ship carrying wood pulp from Uruguary to the Netherlands,

Sidley Mountain .....Route 3 Old Lawless Homesite

Bridesville BC Gotta Love The Highlands

Looking Down over Osoyoos BC

Cotton candy aka grandma's hair

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For ABC Wednesday,  K is for kosher cotton candy. 

In Hebrew it is called "grandmother's hair."

Our Meitar Scout troop held a happening at the athletic field, with lots of activities and free stuff for the young visitors.
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Abseiling

A fun use of the city's glass towers.  Those of us queuing to see the award winning garden (see yesterdays post) where entertained by the abseilers on an adjacent building.

A fun discussion ensued as to who would be brave enough to give it a go.  This was really challenged when one of the organisers came over and attempted to entice us into taking part.  It was all of a good cause she encouraged.

I was tempted but no I decided there was another open house I really needed to get to.  (That is the excuse I'm sticking to.)