Monthly Archives: June 2019

Acco

My readings of crusader history always mentioned Acre. I did not know that it was known before, and later, as Acco. We are in Acco, on the shore of northern Israel. The area is beautiful, the sea is warm, enticing, … Continue reading

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Via Maris

We are on the famous Via Maris, the Way of the Sea. For thousands of years, people, traders, and armies, moved from Egypt to Lebanon, and Phoenicia to Damascus, keeping the Mediterranean on the left, or the right, depending on … Continue reading

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Netanya

Landed in Tel Aviv on Saturday early evening, I bet it took two hours to get off the plane, through passport, and through baggage. And then it was another hour to get to the hotel up north. We are on … Continue reading

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Spinning in Less Than a Week

In less than a week, actually in four days, we will climb into a tube, breathe recycled air, rise in the atmosphere. and the Earth will spin beneath us. It will spin showing us the Sierras, it will grow dark … Continue reading

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Fear the Intermittent

Something has gone wrong. It’s okay, nothing works forever, it isn’t a perfect world. And we have gifts, talents, abilities… We can fix things! All we have to do is to have the right perspective. We need to approach the … Continue reading

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Father’s Day

It was a good day, all my children remembered, and wished me well. Mostly they remembered good things, some even great things. Some things were suspicious. For a lot of years I had a later start in my day, so … Continue reading

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Eidolons

At the moment of the physical death of the body, the ancient Greeks thought that the essence of the person was separated from the flesh. The eidolon. First, we know that death is complicated. Sure, the heart stopping is clearly … Continue reading

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Growing Old in Berkeley

I dunno, I think I was a sophomore in high school, so that would be 1964, or there about. I had spent the summer going without the monthly haircut. It wasn’t long by today’s standards but wow, it was long … Continue reading

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Sparky Left

The power is off… again! The utility company warned us that it would cut power in case of fire danger. There is no fire, or fire danger. Power is just gone in a patchwork pattern through the countryside. We have … Continue reading

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Please Yield!

Okay, so this is basic driving 101. If you hit a pedestrian you immediately fail the driving test. Seems fair. If you fail to yield you also immediately fail the test, even if you didn’t hit anyone. Ha, and if … Continue reading

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Next year in…

I have a headlamp. I haven’t always had a headlamp, but I was told I should get a headlamp. Because it is dark in Hezekiah’s Tunnel. I am going to walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel… well, wade through the tunnel. There … Continue reading

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Colleagues

I’ve been thinking again, Always a potentially dangerous activity. A friend of mine is considering retiring from the same college where I retired. He put in forty years, adding his years as a student. I put in forty years, adding … Continue reading

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