Home Again, Home Again ~~ January 12, 2018

On the plane — January 11 We are almost home after a month’s absence. It’s been an incredible trip — upending my mind, raising my consciousness, lighting up the globe of my imagination so that places that were once just names to me are now pulsing with life. It’s been the kind of transformative trip…

Breads and spreads ~~ January 3, 2018

On the plane from Amman to Paris. About to take off. Images, thoughts, impressions, and emotions about our month in Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan are a swirling kaleidoscope in my head. This has been one of those change-the-way-you-see-the-world trips. It will take me some time to process it. But mostly, in this moment, I am…

Time Travel ~~ January 1, 2018

Yesterday we said goodbye to Maria Gadnaor, a joyful, funny, sprite of a travel companion. We enjoyed her company so much. She saw us from Eilat, through Petra (Big and Little), to the place where John baptized Jesus and set the forces of Christianity in motion. The baptismal site is such a poignant place. There…

Makdous Fatteh ~~ December 30, 2017

So, I spent yesterday leaning on a cane as we hiked around and I got carsick descending into a valley where the rest went hiking in a creek. Still, it was a lovely day. The cane got me through Little Petra which was really lovely, even if it wasn’t big Petra. The natural rock formations…

Wadi Rum (The Valley of the Moon) ~~ December 28, 2017

Today was our visit to the ancient city of Petra, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing to say about it since I was laid up in a hotel room with a dodgy knee. [Gorgeous pictures of Petra, taken by Gale: The fall I took skidding in the sand of the Timna…