Akko

This is the second part of my blog from Akko but Blogger is being insanely difficult. Once I get things back in order I will post some more from the beginning of that day.... Sorry about the confusion....

Old man and the sea
For Cheryl :)






Mor waiting patiently



These are the famous Baha'i gardens in Haifa
Sunset on the Mediterranean...

All I can say so far is that Israel is amazing. An ancient land and a modern country at once, it is strikingly beautiful at every turn. I arrived yesterday morning and spent the day eating delicious food and relaxing at Jack’s house with him and his family. Today was our first outing… we went first to the marina in a place called Herzelia Pituah, which is a wealthy neighbourhood right next to Tel Aviv. We strolled around and had ice coffee to cool us off, since it was a humid 32 degrees or so. Later, we drove to Caesarea, an ancient Roman city that has been amazingly well maintained. For 500 years Caesarea was the Roman Empire’s capital city in the region and it has its share of sordid history, including the death of many Jews. It was also the home of Pontious Pilate during Jesus’ life and St. Paul spent two years imprisoned here. Now Caesarea is popular tourist destination in a country filled with history and archaeological sites.

We walked through the ruins, with the exception of the amphitheatre, which we couldn’t see because there was an event going on. At dusk we had a fantastic (and enormous) dinner at one of the many ocean-side restaurants. Tomorrow we are going to Haifa, Akko and Zichron Yaakov…




The beach





Caesarea









Look what we ate! We had about 15 'salads' which included hummus, Israeli salad and lots of vegetables with different herbs, oils and spices. We also had chicken and goat kabobs cooked on a charcoal grill. Every bit of it was fantastic.




View from our table
... and some mint tea to finish...

In soft summer breeze or in wild winter wind....

Jack came to visit for 12 days in August. While we mostly relaxed at my parents' house in Cape Breton, we also got out and spend two days driving around the Cabot Trail.

We had excellent weather and were both happily impressed by the beautiful scenery. It's no wonder that Cape Breton consistently ranks among the most beautiful islands in the world.

Cheticamp
Margaree

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

We spent the night in a beautiful little cottage in Ingonish and headed back the next day. What a wonderful little trip!



Waiting for the Englishtown ferry.

Home...

Ma & Pa


Finally, summer at home - one of my favourite times of year to be here.

This year we didn’t have the great weather we are used to, instead getting stuck with a lot of rainy, cool days.

The day of my mom’s 50th birthday, though, dawned clear and warm. Our family, and especially my mom, had a beautiful day.
Me and Sarah Jane making sangria.


Grace and Eliza



Simon-o and Grace. Simon's girlfriend, Jessica, is Grace's mom.

Happy 50th Mommy!