Random Thoughts From Netanya Israel on Weather, Music, Time and Rhyme.

Kind of amazing in that I'm closer to the Indian Ocean than the Atlantic.

Caspian Sea, Mediterranean Sea.

Dead Sea, Red Sea.

How did I get here?

Is this really me?

Everywhere I see ...

...there are orange trees....

Okay I'm not sure I'll rhyme that much here but this is definitely the time to wax poetic on the beauty of Israel especially from my vantage point in Netanya. First off Netanya is known as the Israeli Riviera and it lives up to that tourist tag. It is very Mediterranean in a California coastline way. There are flowers everywhere even in January on a cold day and the brightest oranges I've ever seen on trees laden with the most orange trees I've ever seen everywhere. I'm from Florida and I've lived in California so that says a lot. They median in the street and in the front yards are filled with citrus trees where people actually reach up, take a few and take them home. This is not Miami where someone may shoot you for grabbing a mango...

From my balcony I look down and see .....

.....either lemons, citrons or grapefruit trees.

The fruit are the flowers of Israel.

And there are a lot of flowers as well everywhere.

Plumeria trees without flowers because it's winter.

Faded hibiscus fighting to stay open despite the cold.

Even on the recycling bins there are flowers.

My son likes it my nephew does not.

It's sort of a contest who can add that last bottle?

Or maybe they guilt you into it...

Either way there's flowers there too!

Snapdragons recently planted.

Palm trees of every kind everywhere.

Okay no coconuts but all the others.

Date palms.

I had fresh dates with yogurt for breakfast!

And then you get to the beach....

The trees lean as the wind from the Mediterranean always blows...

.. a lot like Miami and the breeze from Biscayne Bay.

Does that not look like the Riveria?

http://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/

your-next-vacation-to-netanya-the-israeli-riviera/

Looks like a painting. 

Taken with my Note 5 seriously...

So really Israel is hard to explain.

So many people from so many places in one small nation.

Orthodox Jews, secular Jews.

Different traditions.

Druze Arabs fight in the Israeli army.

They are considered the best fighters.

It's just a big mish mash like a delicious stew.

Israel unfolds slowly like a rose bud.

Each petal opens and waits for the next.

Each moment, each place.

First the beach, then the plains.

Then the desert, then the mountains.

Then Jerusalem that feels like the Center of the World.

Arabs, Jews.

Where am I?

I'm a little bit everywhere.

But I'm here.

It does feel like home in a way.

Where ever you are there is family.

Friends coming and going.

I have at least a dozen Facebook friends here.

Real life friends from Miami NY and California.

Am In in NY or California or Israel?

And there's 770 Chabad headquarters in Israel.... 

...awkwardly amazing as if it picked itself up and landed in Israel.

Kind of like me right now.

Looks like a Mayan structure.

By the beach, by the hotels.

Somehow it looks perfectly normal.

It's warm today so enjoying it.

I prayed on the balcony that was so hot in the warm sun.

The sounds of the city below.

The aroma of the food being cooked for a party tonight.

The women have a party tonight for the bride.

It's not my custom so I'll see what it is when I see it.

Israel it's really not what you expect...

Great music too!

One of the most popular singers here... in NY too!

Beautiful video... 

...shows the mix of cultures, music, styles.

Nissim is awesome.

Story below tho just Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissim_(rapper)

Alex Clare studied at Aish here in Jerusalem.

Best known for the song "Too Close"

Also his relationship with Amy Winehouse but don't ask him on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Clare

Studies in Israel now and records music.

Lastly a CD my son produced is #1 

Well in those charts in Israel that relate to Orthodox Music.

Newest Single

Tell me what you need..............

Benny Friedman's new CD.

My son buying a copy in Israel.....

....of a CD he produced. Wild.

Here for his sister's wedding.

How cool is that?

A little plug here.

Great CD

Very popular in Israel and around the world.

http://bennysmusic.com/?p=euiqmefm

Kind of amazing back in August had no idea I'd be here now.

Life is like that sometimes.

It surprises you in good ways.

May your life be filled with good surprises!

Will blog as time allows.

Wedding tomorrow night.

Beautiful couple.

Can't wait to dance.

Weddings here are wild dance wise...

Besos BobbiStorm

Ps....And have a lot of kids in transit for the wedding.

So a bit scattered and the house smells of a million more calories...

...for the Mikva Party tonight.... 

Blogging from Israel..so What is it like? Cold, warm... both and wild.

That was last night in Jerusalem at the Wall. 

We prayed there a while.

I got to watch sunset as we drove up to the Wall.

We also did the Tunnel Tours. 

You MUST do them if you go..

You don't have to be Jewish.

We had Germans, people from Thailand and Americans.

It really gives you a sense of history, the bible and just a wonder of the world.

They explain the geography, weather and history and how it relates.

How various generations of invaders came and went.

Each adding their own style and touch to the construction.

The very mountain the "Wall" of the Old Temple is built on is HIGH.

Note it's a lot of walking..

So I'm posting from Netanya in Israel. It's a beach city much like Miami Beach in ways but more a combination of Santa Monica and Miami Beach with a touch of Laguna Beach thrown in as well. Sort of like you are in a movie where everyone is speaking in Hebrew and you can't find subtitles in English unless you see PIZZA HUT, IKEA or OFFICE DEPOT signs in English lit up along the side of the road in neon lights. National Geographic Channel is on tv here everywhere with Hebrew Subtitles, I guess that's why Israelis love to travel and see the world. And then many come back to Israel while others stay in America a while. My son-in-law to be is from Netanya of Yemenite/Persian background and his family has lived in Israel for generations. He lives and works in Miami where he met my daughter and they've been together a long time so I feel more like he's a son than a stranger coming into the family. It's a custom to go the Wall before the Chuppah which is the RELIGIOUS wedding ceremony vs a regular legal one in America. Sometimes we do it the other way around as when I got remarried I had a Chuppah but waited a few years for the legal, civil ceremony.

To understand this blog post I attended Hebrew School when I was little after public school where I learned for a few years to say things like EMA BO! Meaning Mother is here! Then ABA BO! Meaning Father is here. Maybe it was Po but think it was Bo so you get the idea. I can't really speak Hebrew but I can read it and understand a little. My list of words is mostly things like "now" "only" "if" "what" "who" "good" "no" "ok" which isn't enough to really string a sentence together but works a bit. His family doesn't speak English. One brother does a bit and a brother in law speaks some as well as Spanish as he was born in Argentina. Yay I can speak a bit of Spanish. Yiddish doesn't work well here as it is mostly a European blend of Hebrew and German so that only works if you are some where that American's who are orthodox or people from England made Aliyah.

When I try to speak Hebrew my mind mixes it all into a mish mash of one word English, one Spanish, one Hebrew and one Yiddish so I smile a lot.

It's very much like LA in that you can drive a half an hour up a mountain and going from boots and sweaters being okay to suddenly freezing.

The spiritual aspect of it is slow to hit me and unfolds the way a rose does as you see layers of it all. The sun setting on the Arab quarter was awesome. It reminds me of Seattle a bit ways and then Laguna and then "OH wow I'm in Israel!"

So here are some pictures and this is where I am living on the Israeli weather sites. Note you have to change them to F from C and well you get the idea.

http://www.ims.gov.il/IMSENG/All_Tahazit/homepage.htm

What I don't understand is..............

55 degrees in Jerusalem seems so much colder than Raleigh.

It's really cold and in Raleigh I'd wear a sweater ...

...yet here I needed a winter coat.

And yet in summer it would be warm so...

... I'm not getting a summer vacation from winter.

The fruit in the shuk wow.

You can live on the halvah and baklava a lone.

Arab area... nice.

Some of the family "at the wall"

So that's it.

I'm either going to the beach or the Dead Sea or Jerusalem later.

I'm here with several kids and family so everything is fluid.

Sorry for any typos, I'm tired.

Jet lag but running.

love you all and will let Mike do American weather this week.

I'll be back next week covering winter weather and anything tropical.

Besos BobbiStorm

Shalom in Israel

@bobbistorm on TwitterB

Winter Solstice .. Game On Winter is Here to Stay. But Rain Not Snow for Many These Holidays

No that's not a Survivor Finale.

Nor is it the Fiji Islands.

It's Seattle at the Solstice or more specifically Fremont.

http://fremontartscouncil.org/winter-feast/

Fremont is a funky place any day of the year.

It celebrates the Solstice with festivals.

I was there one year for the Summer Festival.

I can't really show you those videos.

You'll have to Google it!

But for those who hate the short days of winter.

Know tomorrow is the shortest day of the year.

That's got to be a reason to party!!

I used the capital of the USA for the time.

You can check with this site for your town.

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.html

Yes the Winter Solstice is here...

South Florida refuses to participate.

Northern Florida is a team player.

South of I-4 no they don't want to play.

You can make out the large High that is holding on tight to S Florida.

You remember it from the Hurricane Season.

What is the Winter Solstice really?

Winter is officially here to stay!

The freeze and frost line is far to the South.

However the snow is not going to fall for the holidays over the East Coast.

If you want snow that bad go to Colorado skiing!

Chilly water down there in the tropics.

A nice loop to watch by the Enya song below.

And Winter Came...

I wish I could give people who want snow better news.

But think of all the places you can go and things you can do..

...if it doesn't snow on Christmas.

I mean really in Miami we do the holidays without snow all the time!!

In short sleeves and sandals outside under the palm trees swaying.

Swaying with the palm fronds :)

You really don't need snow for the holidays!

Though a boat makes it so much finer :)

So even if it doesn't snow...

You can show your holiday spirit...

Be happy, be generous and share the love.

I'll be updating in real time if and when some weather shows up.

Til then I'm shopping, mailing things out and watching loops.

Mind you I am cold in Raleigh this December.

Very cold. My toes are cold.

Very cold... 

But my winter will be interrupted by a trip to Israel in January.

To the Israeli Riviera ...

(that's what she said...)

So I'll be saying goodbye to North Carolina for a few weeks in January.

Is that cool? I'll be blogging from Israel ;)

Maybe on the beach!

My daughter's boyfriend proposed in one of these planes over Netanya.

That was then this is now.

They live in Miami.

 I'm going to meet the Israeli family. 

Kind of like a birthday present!

Never been there ...go figure....

Adore my son-in-law!
 Getting in the spirit here and sharing with y'all...

So I'll just count down the days til warmer weather.

And tomorrow maybe I'll have hot chocolate?

Or a Starbucks Green Tea Latte?

Do something special tomorrow!!

When home in Florida I like to go to Key West!

What I'll do tomorrow...

...only time will tell!

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps Good to have a good sense of humor if you are not in Key West

Personally I'd rather be here ..

...and if you are on Lincoln Road check out the parrots..