Israel

  • Oleander In Bloom In Israel

    Oleander In Bloom In Israel

    Right about now I should be working on Succah decorations (truthfully I have enough in boxes in the attic for a few succahs, as you can imagine….) but instead I’ve been painting in my art journal and looking at some of my own photos for inspiration. Up the hill from my house and within our…

  • Take A Walk In An Olive Grove In Northen Israel!

    Take A Walk In An Olive Grove In Northen Israel!

    We are in the middle of an extreme heat wave which means it is even too hot at 6pm for my usual walk which takes me through a lovely old olive grove, so I thought I’d share with you some photos I took a few weeks ago on one of those end of the day…

  • Queen Anne’s Lace In Bloom Everywhere In Northern Israel

    Queen Anne’s Lace In Bloom Everywhere In Northern Israel

    I love witnessing the yearly cycle of the fields and hillsides just outside our front door, and the brilliant cascade of color sometimes associated with that! In the spring vivid green becomes hills of rolling yellow, then dotted by red and white, and then comes all things purple, like thistles of all kinds (which I…

  • A Walk In The Neighborhood At Dusk Northern Israel Style

    A Walk In The Neighborhood At Dusk Northern Israel Style

    Yes dear readers, this really is my neighborhood in Northern Israel, and sometimes I just have to pinch myself when I realize that I’m so very fortunate to be living in such a gorgeous place with rich history and stunning views. It feels like we are living out in the country, and yet we live…

  • Red Poppies And White Daisies In Bloom In Northern Israel

    Red Poppies And White Daisies In Bloom In Northern Israel

    I love sharing with you all the beautiful seasonal blooming and bearing of fruit of native species here in Israel, and so of course the blooming of the red poppies, a month late this year, is on the list of things to share. I previously wrote about poppies in bloom on a hillside near my…

  • Pride Of Madeira Blooms In Northern Israel

    Pride Of Madeira Blooms In Northern Israel

    One of my favorite non-native yet very Mediterranean garden friendly plants is Pride of Madeira. I found some small plants at a local nursery years ago, and the tiny plants have become woody bushes/trees that bloom every Spring with gorgeous cone-shaped purple flower stalks. This year we had a very wet winter and so all…

  • Today Is Memorial Day For Israel’s Fallen Soldiers

    Today Is Memorial Day For Israel’s Fallen Soldiers

    Today is Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers, and this year it is quite different indeed. My heart goes out to all those who treasure the memorial ceremonies and the once yearly get together at the grave of their loved one(s), and who this year will be remembering their son/daughter/mother/father/aunt/uncle/brother/sister quietly. In large military cemeteries…

  • Wisteria Blooms In Northern Israel

    Wisteria Blooms In Northern Israel

    During the Passover holiday my daughter was itching to just get outside, so I sent her down the street to the garden I designed a few years back, with the mission of photographing the glorious wisteria in bloom! Wisteria blooms before there are any leaves on the vine, so it is truly spectacular, the only…

  • Cranes Migrating Home To Europe On A Rainy Day

    Cranes Migrating Home To Europe On A Rainy Day

    Yes, dear readers, we know that Spring is quickly approaching, even in some of the colder countries in Europe, as the twice-yearly crane migration is happening! This is one of our favorite things to witness, here in Northern Israel, and family members generally shout to one another “cranes!” and everyone comes running, as it is…

  • Cyclamen Blooms Non-Stop All Winter In Northern Israel

    Cyclamen Blooms Non-Stop All Winter In Northern Israel

    I bought two pots of cyclamen, a large white variety and a smaller variegated pink variety in October, and just as the nursery promised, they have been blooming non-stop! Cyclamen are native to Northern Israel, and I have seen them blooming out nature not far from our home, so they are especially beloved and a…

  • Almond Trees In Bloom In Northern Israel, Just Like In Van Gogh’s Painting!

    Almond Trees In Bloom In Northern Israel, Just Like In Van Gogh’s Painting!

    Here in Northern Israel where we are blessed to be living close to nature, the yearly blooming of the almond trees is something that brings great joy! The almond tree is the first tree to bloom, and as fruit bearing tree it is one of the trees whose New Year we celebrate on the Jewish…

  • The Tomb Of The Son’s Of Hezir In Jerusalem

    The Tomb Of The Son’s Of Hezir In Jerusalem

    The Tomb of The Son’s of Hezir, located in the Kidron Valley adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City, is actually historically correct (unlike the Tomb of Absalom and the Tomb of Zechariah that are neither tombs nor for those attributed!) and was teh burial cave for an important family of Kohanim, priests in the Holy Temple.…