Hail, hail, the gang's all here*

.
My kids all came to Israel for the week of Feb. 9-15 for their father's funeral.
That was the week of wild weather -- dust storms, thunder and lightning, and to the north snow.

We left Tel Aviv soaked and bedraggled after gale force winds and driving rain caught us on the way to the train.
Here son Edo holds hailstones that awaited us at our destination on that last day together, the new Elma hotel**.
But he was also squinting because the sun had come out.  Go figure.

Here is the view from the hotel, which hugs the southern slopes of the Mount Carmel range.

And looking to the other direction, inland.

West of the greenhouses and fish ponds and farm fields -- the dark blue of a wavy Mediterranean Sea.

Lots of agriculture.   (All the photos can be enlarged with a click or two.)

The weather changed back and forth rapidly in the 24 hours that we stayed at the hotel.
This dark and threatening sky was at 3:00 in the afternoon. 

Then just two hours later came this beautiful light.
.
*One version of the 1917 tune: 
(listen on YouTube at the link)

"Hail, hail, the gang's all here,
Never mind the weather, here we are together;
Hail, hail, the gang's all here,
Sure we're glad that you're here, too!"
 . . .
**UPDATE: Just published in XNet/Ynet!: stunning aerial photos of Elma hotel now and as it was in 1968, when it was Mivtachim (a rest & recreation place of the Histadrut).\!  Also interior shots.
. 
(Linking of course to SkyWatch Friday! )
.