Play at the park

This past year, Sarah W. and I helped to lead a Bible study with these wonderful young mothers.  We just LOVE them!!!!  We had our last hurrah for the year at the park.  We were going to do it last week, but with the chance of rain, we cancelled.  It looked threatening this week too, but we decided to go ahead and it ended up to be a beautiful morning!  The sun even peeped out for the time we were there.

There were a couple of the young moms who were not able to make it and we missed them!
Here are a few photos from the morning.

Marin is such an adorable little girl!!  Especially in Sunday School with another little girl, Piper.  So ornery together and they just make me laugh!!

 Funny face, Cai!

Julie traveled the furthest to class, driving 30 minutes one way!  We sure enjoyed having you come and brave that drive!  Not the easiest with a little one!

 Notice Luke on the bench in the back?  I think I saw Sarah F. post on facebook that he was sitting there for a bad attitude??

 Precious baby!

Sticks make such a fun toy!

Beth arrived late (naps sometimes cause that!) so she wasn't included in the group photo.  Sad.

Luke and his cheezy smile.

Blake refused to smile.  He usually gives me a nice grin, but not that day.

Drunk (with milk)!

sweet sister love!

This is a real Luke grin!

(Some photos of a couple more kids turned out either blurry or with eyes closed.  Sorry, moms, if your child is not included.)

What a good year we have had and I love seeing God at work in their lives as mothers and wives.

Masada

We went to Masada  It is an ancient fortification on top of an isolated rock plateau (similar to a mesa) on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea.  Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE.

Next to Jerusalem, it is the most popular destination of Jewish tourists visiting Israel.  Masada has become a modern symbol of Jewish survival.

We took a gondola up to the top.

 It is really high up!  So glad we didn't have to climb up!

After Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Great Revolt ended, except for surviving Jewish rebels.  They fled to the now unused fortress of Masada.  There they held out for 3 years.

The Romans knew that the Zealots at Masada were the group that had started the revolt; in fact, the    Zealots had been in revolt against the Romans since the year 6. The length and bitterness of their uprising probably accounted for Rome's unwillingness to let Masada and its small group of defiant Jews alone.  

Because Masada is situated on top of an enormous, isolated rock, anyone climbing it to attack the fortress would be an easy target. Yet the Jews, encamped in the fortress, could never feel secure; every morning, they would awaken to see the Roman Tenth Legion at work, constructing battering rams and other weapons.  The Romans made Jewish prisoners of war build a seige ramp.  (see the first picture at the top of this blog)  It has deteriorated over time of course.  

Pigeons were kept here.  For eggs and possibly used as homing pigeons to carry messages.


960 Jews committed suicide rather than be killed by the Roman army.  Only 2 women and 5 children were found alive.

 Israeli soldiers take an oath here: "Masada shall not fall again."

Here you can see the remains of the Roman camp.

As a mother, I can imagine how horrifying to hold your children and know that the Romans were slowly building the ramp up to your home and that death was just around the corner.

This is a synagogue.  Reconstruction is above the black line.

 Going down "the snake path".  A few took the gondola down, but I decided to try it with Al.

We met a family from Portland climbing up and we took each other's photos.  

You can see the Dead Sea in the background.

We ran into this man from the States, I think St. Louis.  It was on his bucket list to climb Masada.  I am so impressed with anyone who can climb UP!!!  Especially an 80 year old man!!  This is a photo of him after he came down in the gondola.  He was so happy that he accomplished it!  And we were proud of him too!

"Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
              Fight the good fight of the faith."
                                1 Timothy 6:11-12

A walk

The flowering crab across the creek are so beautiful!

I enjoy the birds who come to visit  - an oriole


Harris' sparrow

the woodpecker who comes each day 

amazing how he can reach through the wires to get at a peanut!

I noticed something a little cock eyed.  My feeder was not where it was supposed to be!

 ???

I believe these are the culprits!  They were also digging in my flower bed on the deck and I found a geranium on the ground that needed to be repotted.  They must have been looking for some seed that dropped from the feeder into the flowerbed.

Jill and Claire came and we took a walk around the lake.  What a beautiful walk!!  I had not taken my camera, so when they left, I went back on the walk around the lake with the camera!  There were pictures to be taken!! 

This swing is waiting for the children to get out of school!

 

There are so many dandelions!!  Seriously they pop out overnight!  I think you can almost watch them grow!

I heard my woodpecker and found him in the hedge tree!

Is this an American coot?

An oriole nest, I believe.  Hanging over the lake.

I heard chattering above my head

Last week we counted 24 turtle heads bobbing in the water!

 So you see the turtles in the water?

 The water reflection is so pretty!

Our first Canada goose babies!  Swimming with Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.

 Kingbird perched on top of the evergreen

 Look at this turtle's nose!

I came home through the back yard and guess who is perched on my deck looking for more food?  Maybe it is hard to tell, but it is the woodpecker sitting on the post.

I think winter might finally be done with here in Kansas??  It has been a crazy spring but we finally started up our fountain and I hope I don't have to cover my flowers again.  How I love walking and seeing God's hand in His creation!

Creation displays Your wondrous works!  Psalm 145:5