"Live in the Sunshine. Swim the Sea. Drink the Wild Air."

You're right, those aren't my words. They belong to the famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. I won't pretend to be so literary either. All it took was one quick Google search when I was thinking how to describe my Labor Day weekend. Here's a recap:

Saturday: Spent most of the day by the pool at the community rec center close to where we live. It felt more like our own private club though as our fellow embassy expats likely sought refuge indoors from the midday heat or missile strikes. Although the temperature has risen both literally and figuratively in this neck of the woods, we continue to live by our motto from last year's Gaza fracas: "Keep calm and carry on." Watching the kids frolic in the green grass was a nice way to spend the day.

(Imagine this scene with ten times less kids.) 

Sunday: I never picture myself living so close to a beach, let alone a premiere one along the Mediterranean Sea. I probably didn't imagine myself ever getting surfer rash either but I can now say I did from riding (and mostly crashing) some big waves on a boogie board. I also swam the sea for the first time without a hyper-cautious Israeli lifeguard blowing his whistle incessantly at me. Going to the beach on Sunday is positively blissful as most Israelis are back at work. But even when I'm at the office, I can still enjoy a beachfront view. My idyllic beach screensaver is right outside my window.

  

(Not my photo but you get the idea.)

Monday: Another precious gift from this past weekend was an incongruent holiday schedule, meaning the kids were at school while the DiploParents had the day off. So we packed our day with activities that our two boys would unquestionably complain and whine about if they were with us. We began with a three-hour hike in the rolling hills outside Jerusalem. After we washed down our quiche lunch of with gulps of the fresh, wild air. we visited a studio of a local artist. We are probably the farthest thing from art connoisseurs but that didn't stop us from leaving with an piece of Judaic art from Moshe.

(Moshe stands next to our newly acquired papercut of a Havdalah Spice Box Tower with Hebrew calligraphy inside. )

   
So, there you have it. I think Emerson's quote pretty much sums up the weekend. The best part is that we have an extended weekend getaway coming up for the Jewish New Year Holiday. I'll let you know what Google comes up with for that one.