Exercising the right to vote

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I was happy to vote today!
Israel had municipal elections and it was a yom shabbaton, a day off from work and school.
Two of our town's schools had polling places for the roughly 6,500 residents old enough to vote. 
It was a festive atmosphere in Meitar, with folks walking in, stopping to chat, and smiling at one another. 
And music and booths just outside the schools' gates. 
It happens every five years.
Democracy in action. 
May the best man win! 
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The Book of Life is still open

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Just before I shut down the computer for the next 26 hours of Yom Kippur, let me wish you a gmar chatima tova.

May you be written and sealed in God's Book of Life for a good new year of life! 

For more Day of Atonement posts please see
http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.com/search/label/Yom%20Kippur

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Me having fun

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Woohoo, I got to climb up a huge ladder and play in a HUGE truck! 
What a fun day that was in Ramla! 

Look at the size of that thing!
Standing under it is Dani, the man responsible for Kibbutz Gezer Olives. 
On our day off, Dani took us volunteers and WWOOFers on a tour of the city of Ramla, including this new museum for old vehicles. 

Ashlea, Dani, Dina, Luke -- what a team! 

There are lots more posts about our olive harvesting adventures last autumn. 

For June 1 theme day, City Daily Photos bloggers are posting on the subject ME.
It's a rare chance to see photos of the photographers themselves.  Take a look!
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On a SPACE high!

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Don't you love the banner for Israel Space Week with the astronaut taking a selfie while making a spacewalk?!
That's the Physics Building in back, and that's where I went for the second part of the Annual Event to Honor Col. Ilan Ramon and the STS-107 Crew and Assaf Ramon.
(Please see my earlier post about the first part of the special day.)

On the top floor is the Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center.

NASA astronaut Dr. Michael Barratt, who had spoken earlier in the day to hundreds of high school kids, now gave a talk to a younger audience, this time with an English-to-Hebrew interpreter at his side.
Just a few of the fascinating things he shared:

• Aboard the International Space Station for long months, they have to exercise 2.5 hours every day to partially overcome the bone and muscle loss that come with weightlessness
• Exercise time is like a "sacred time," when no one will bother you, and you can watch the news or listen to music while exercising. 
• What the astronauts love most is to look out the window.  And take pictures!
• They are 400 km above earth and make one orbit every 90 minutes. 
• They all have to know Russian.
• In the last 60 years 600 people have gone into space. 
• Not many people know, but NASA is about to start suborbital adventure tourism flights on a large scale. 
• From 18,000 applicants to the new astronaut class, only 12 were accepted.

I knew I just HAD TO get a picture with this brave man, mainly for my daughter, Dr. Naomi.
I used my minute with Dr. Barratt to tell him that she also loves all things space and once worked for NASA in California and then went on to teach astronautical engineering at UNSW in Australia.
It  was so exciting and inspiring to shake his hand and stand near him!
Astronauts are awesome!

Then the audience broke up into smaller groups, some to the planetarium, some to creative activities, and me to another lecture.
The young university lecturer opened with a slide of Sputnik, the first satellite.
It launched before he was even born; but I remember the day, Oct. 4, 1957 very well: Our grammar school principal (in Chicago) walked into our homeroom and whispered the news to our teacher, Miss Paskind.  Then with a very grave face the two informed my class that the Russians had beat us to it, and from now on we kids would have to take more science and math courses and to work very hard to be the best!
It was scary for us preteens to hear.  That was during the Cold War mind you, when we American kids still had frequent air raid drills, siren and all.

So in just 60 years we have progressed to the fascinating slide which shows the releasing of dozens and dozens of nano satellites taken up to space with just one rocket.

Next-generation astronauts (maybe) got to see space stuff inside the special glasses.

It was my first time.  haha

Up to the roof just in time to see the blue moon rise over Beer Sheva.
You can see the beautiful new white double helix bridge too!

To the west the sky was still too light.

But soon it was dark enough to enter the observatory, open the hatch, and focus the big telescope on a distant star.
The whole upper dome rotated with a loud creaking noise and the telescope turned with a whir.
Luckily the expert setting it up for our viewing warned the kids in advance.

But even more awesome than seeing the star was gazing at the craters of the blood moon through these two powerful telescopes!

They were set up on the ground near the university's entrance.
Look at the low-tech plastic crate for short kids to stand on to reach the eyepiece!
The young organizers of this big day had thought of everything.  Good on 'em!

Ilan Ramon and his jet pilot son Assaf, both of blessed memory, hopefully were looking down and enjoying this wonderful, moving, inspiring day in their honor.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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Meeting a brave astronaut!

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A real NASA astronaut!! 
I was so excited to get to shake hands and to exchange a few words with him!

It is Israel Space Week, and yesterday at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was the Annual Event Honoring Col. Ilan Ramon and the STS-107 Crew and Assaf Ramon. 
February 1, 2003 was the dreadful day when the Columbia space shuttle broke up while approaching landing in Texas, and Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, perished along with his crewmates. 
Six years later the Ramons' son Assaf was killed in a training mission as a pilot in the Israel Air Force. 
Ilan grew up in Be'er Sheva so they have an extra special place in our hearts down here in the south. 

The event began with four astronauts (seen on the screen) greeting us from space--from the International Space Station! 

The round Senate Hall was packed with classes of high school students and several rows of adults.  
Several Israelis speakers gave talks in Hebrew, and then an American lectured in English.
Seen at the podium is Dr. Jacob Cohen, Chief Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center in California. 
He pointed out that anyone 17 years old or younger has grown up while there is a continual human presence in space, i.e. there have been one or more astronauts up in space at all times ever since these kids were born. 

The excitement level rose even higher when the American astronaut arrived and began talking to us and showing exciting movies of launches and landings. 
Dr. Michael Barratt is a medical doctor, a pilot, diver, father of five, speaks Russian, and who knows what else! 
But he spoke in a friendly and humble way and inspired us all. 
On the screen is his Space Shuttle Discovery when they landed after six months in space.
But before that, in 2009, Dr. Barratt went up inside a small Soyuz capsule and docked with the ISS International Space Station, staying there for 199 days; that mission launched from Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. 

After the fascinating talk, to which the kids paid rapt attention, Dr. Barrett stood with each class for photos. 
But still, at the end everyone swarmed him in the center, hoping for a selfie with a real astronaut. 

Finally the University officials whisked Dr. Barratt away, because even astronauts have to eat lunch!  

At 4:00 space-related activities continued on campus and I had great fun! 
But since this post is getting long, let's leave that for the next post.  
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Donkeys and olives

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My new friend, Malka! 

"THE HOME OF MALKA AND RACHEL" says the sign. 
Last year the donkeys lived in the kibbutz olive grove, grazing on the underbrush and contributing manure fertilizer.
But this year they were spotted eating olives (!) so they were moved to their own paddock, at least until we harvest all the olives. 

Nothing like a good dust bath on a hot day. 
Yes, it's still hot and dry in Israel, despite it being "winter." 

After she saw Malka roll over, Rachel had a go at it too. 

Two donkey friends and a cloud of dust. 

They are so sweet! 
Gotta love donkeys.
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(Linking to Camera-Critters.)

The olive harvest is in full swing!

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This is my 6th day living and volunteering at a nice kibbutz in central Israel. 
We are working hard harvesting olives.
The main method to get the olives off the branches is to "comb" them off with a plastic rake thingy. 

We spread long long tarps on both sides of the trees. 
The olives we "comb" fall onto the tarps, making a sweet sound. 

Finally we push and pull all the olives into the center of the tarp, kneel beside the pile and fish out a few twigs, and then pour the beautiful olives into a crate. 

More about life in the big olive grove in the coming days.
If you'd like to learn more about the place and the philosophy, please see one or all of these:
Olives 101
The Olive Blog 
Kibbutz Gezer Olives -- Facebook page 
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Come and join us, there's still a few beds left for more good volunteers! 
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Dean and Dina down by the sea

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Number One grandson Dean and I were talking about sloths and how they hang upside down. 

I decided to throw decorum to the winds and demonstrate, despite my grandmotherly age. 

This was about ten years ago, in Australia, but I still remember the fun of acting young at heart in a public park! 

Visit the gallery to see what other City Daily Photo bloggers dared to post for our August theme, "young at heart."

(Linking also to ABC Wednesday's D day.)

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A Swiss donkey and a black sheep

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A fun and unusual night in Boudry, Switzerland, last month.

Every December this nice man takes his calm donkey around to all the Christmas events in the region.
The kids and the people love it.
I especially loved seeing a donkey again.

One farmer brought a young lamb, which I just HAD to hold.

The donkey led the way for a multi-cultural holiday procession through the cobblestoned medieval old town.
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(Linking to Camera Critters.)
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Mirror on the kiosk wall

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Luckily the little Swiss cafe at the beach has a mirror on the outside wall.
It's easier than taking a selfie.
It is closed for the season so I normally have the seashore all to myself on these cold and grey days.

It also mirrors a beautiful old house behind a tall, mossy old wall.
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Finally, something for James' meme, Weekend Reflections.
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A water buffalo farm, in Switzerland!

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A farm full of water buffalo -- in northern Switzerland! 

I found it while staying the last few days at Sonnenhof, the French-speaking Community of Grandchamp's "branch" over in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
One of the nun-friends walked me up the mountain to see the impressive  water buffalo.

The youngsters still have stubby horns.

We saw no one around to ask, but we are assuming these animals are raised for milk and maybe also meat.
The best mozzarella cheese is made from water buffalo milk. 

I had fun posing with the big tightly-wrapped hay bales.
You can see one of the farm houses in the background.
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(Linking to Camera-Critters meme.)
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Cookie baking begins!

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The baking of Christmas cookies for the ca. 50 nuns, novices, and postulants of the Community of Grandchamp, plus many expected guests, has begun! 
And as a volunteer I got to help.  :)

Linking to Weekend Reflections.
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Burying carrots in the cellar for winter, Europe style

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Today is International Carrot Day.
It brings back memories of my wonderful month with an Austrian farming community.
It was October and some of the root vegetables had been harvested and were awaiting further attention in two colorful wheelbarrows. 

Look, a three-fingered carrot!

Ready for longtime storage in the big underground cellar.

But THIS was new and exciting to me (although common knowledge for Europeans)!
They bury the carrots in this sandy ground in the floor of the cool cellar!
The old and true ways of food storage during the winter.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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