Friday, June 6, 2008

Ktalav revisited

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My first step into blogging started on a rainy day in February. Snow was predicted but it just rained instead and the most dramatic thing I could find to post was a red ktalav tree, its wet skin shining.
You can click here to see that "historic photo."
Since then the tree has changed a lot. Here it is blossoming in March--

And last week in our now hot and dry June air, it peeled, as promised--

Eerie to walk past and hear little crackling noises! See that alien?

Shabbat shalom, Sabbath peace, to you and all of the marvelous Creation.
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23 comments:

  1. I do see the alien-what a neat tree. Love the beautiful sunset too.

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  2. Very interesting. . . I am not admitting to seeing any aliens. . . Ü

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  3. Dina..you started your blog on my birthday and I am so happy that you did.

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  4. Thanks for visiting my bridges post. Israel may not have landscape on the scale of western side of America, but the scale of history in your land is enormous! Your work in archaeology must be fascinating. You have captured some nice pictures of the Israel. Our news here is mainly of suicide bombers and rockets, so it is very nice to see pictures of life in Israel.

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  5. Just discovered your blog through a comment in Athens DP, really enjoyed following your older posts to your daughter's graduation - congratulations to her !

    Today's peeling bark reminds me of Australian gum trees who also go through this in summer.

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  6. And it reminds me of our madrone trees, genus Arbutus. They must be related. Beautiful.

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  7. This reminds me of both the madrona and also the birch which both have peeling bark of this sort. A great subject for any post, especially if you include beings unknown. :)

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  8. Welcome friends old and new.
    Yes, the genus is Arbutus. Related to madrone/madrona, as I just learned from you. Also to manzanita, as Maryanne at the great http://cairogizadailyphoto.blogspot.com/ taught me.
    In Finland they make baskets and slippers out of birch bark. Too bad the ktalav's skin is too thin to use. Dramatic to watch, though.

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  9. This is a great post. I really enjoyed it,
    Wonderful photos.

    Thanks for the visit,
    Troy and Martha

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  10. peeling trees. i miss our old guava tree. cant see the aliens.

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  11. I love your blog!! Wonderful! Hello from Texas...Thanks for your sweet comment on my pictures of keys...We do a photo challenge and who ever host it, decides on the theme...hope you join in the fun...I'll be back for more visits!! I'm a "closet" archeologist..LOL...I would have Loved it...Happy day to you!hughugs

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  12. Donna-welcome! I'll show some archaeology for you soon.
    Dong--Do guava trees peel? I've never seen one. The "alien" in the last photo is a head with two big eyes on the branch, like E.T.

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  13. Holy smokes, that does look like an alien. How cool!

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  14. Thanks for these good links, Elaine. From the Canada one I learn that "Arbutus bark is very rich in a substance used for tanning hides." Well tan my hide!

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  15. i dont think ive ever seen anything quite like this tree - what amazing colour underneath that skin

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  16. White Mountains or (Lefka Ori in Greek) is the major mountain range in west Crete; there are 58 summits higher than 2,000 metres (6500 ft) in it. The highest summit is Mt Pachnes (2453 m, 8048 ft) - definitely not a place for summer trekking as there is no shade, our mountains at that height are bare

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  17. Thanks M. Kiwi. Wow, I never realized you had such high mountains! High time I patched the holes in my education by seeing Greece.
    Our Mt. Hermon is 2,814 metres
    (9,230 feet), but that is a one of a kind, an exception.

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  18. Hey, nice to find another fan of arbutus trees - although I never expected to find any so far from the west coast of Canada. I'm enjoying looking through your blog - Jerusalem for an archaeologist must be like living in a candy store would be for a kid.

    Thanks for your kind comments on my blog.

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  19. It really does look like an alien! Love it :)

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  20. I love these photos of the "alien" tree.

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  21. Welcome to Jerusalem, Benjamin and Blognote. Glad I discovered your fine blogs.
    M. Kiwi, the green reminds me of refreshing mint candy. But it soon turns tan.

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