Four Golden Girls Take the Hill Country

My friends Sally and Steve own a gorgeous historic home

in San Marcos.

It is filled with exquisite antiques which Sally purchased in

Belgium.

When Jack was sick, Sally, Joan, and Barbara

set up a plan whereby we would meet for lunch once a month.

It was a great break for me from the grinding routine of caregiving.
(I forgot one month, and when Sally called me from
the restaurant, I cried my eyes out.)

So...for this August we decided we would spend a few days

in San Marcos and have our lunch there! 

We divvied up the lovely bedrooms.
Sally's:

 and Sally's bathroom:

Barbara's:

and Barbara's bathroom:

This is the only picture I got from Joan's bedroom:

And none from mine, even though I got the best of all!
Mine was the attic room--very exciting!
I loved climbing the stairs every night into my own little
 (actually big!) corner of my own little world!
(In case you don't remember, HERE you can read about
what a loner independent spirit I am!)

Here are some more glimpses of the beauty of this home.

The living room:

Beautiful furnishings:

 

Here's Joan in the lovely sunroom in which we love to lounge!

And here are amazing sights we were blessed to see out the
back windows!

Be sure to click to make larger!
  A mother deer and two babies live in the back yard!

Speaking of sights, this is what greeted us one morning!

 That's Barbara on the fabulous front porch wearing one
of the wall decorations!
(See the historic marker on the wall behind?)

Now we agreed that when it comes to eating,
 "What happens in San Marcos, (and Gruene and Wimberley)
 stays in San Marcos, Gruene, and Wimberley!"
However, I just must show you a couple of items.

First, the world's most delicious cinnamon rolls.

I am not kidding or exaggerating!

These are worth a trip to San Marcos!  We LOVED them!!!

Second, I've been searching my world over for this:

Shay (Mix and Match Mama) had said this is the best 
ice cream ever!
I had driven all over Arlington and been unable to find it.
When we stopped at HEB in San Marcos I looked.
No Lemon Bliss.
The next day we stopped at a CVS in Wimberley 
where there was...
a Blue Bell delivery truck!
I raced in and
 tracked down the two nice delivery guys.  They told me 
that this is a seasonal item, in limited production, 
but that there just happened to be two pints left at a Pac 'n Sac
 less than five minutes away!
So...off we raced before someone else got them.
I bought both, then we had to go all the way back home
 to put them in the freezer.
It was so worth it!
I shared the first pint.  Sally twisted my arm into
 eating all of the second by my own little big self!!!
  I'll be looking forward to next summer for
Lemon Bliss!
I hope I don't have to drive to Wimberley for it!

We shopped, we talked, we laughed, we played cards, 
and we ATE the best food at all the best places!
Sally is definitely the "hostess with the mostest!"
And she sure knows the best restaurants in her neck of the woods! 

I'm so thankful for friends who helped bring me through
the rough times and 
who now help me create and enjoy the good times.


 

How Can This Not Be My Favorite Day?

Because today I saw the tomb where Jesus lay, and...

The round stone below is not the one that was rolled over
the door of the tomb of Jesus.
It is just a representation of how the stone
 might have looked. 

  And thank you, Sandy, for taking a picture of me
stepping from the sacred place where Jesus was buried.

We observed the ordinance of The Lord's Supper (communion)
 in this beautiful garden.

 
 We drank from small olive wood cups, which we were able
to bring home as a treasured souvenir.

(Just a little aside about those olive wood cups--
On the way to the airport in Tel Aviv, Yuval prepared us for
going through the departure process.
He told us that we would be asked if we had been given 
anything while in Israel.
We were to say that we had been given the cups and a map,
because the agents would know the tour company
would give us something.
There were three ladies from our group ahead of me in line,
and by the time I started to answer, "A cup and a map,"
the agent got all frustrated and said,
"I know!  Anything other than the cup and the map!"
But we made it through!) 

While we were in Israel, I would look at my fellow
travelers and say, "How are we going to describe
this place when we are asked how our trip was?"
I answered myself more than once that we would need a whole
 new vocabulary to do it justice. 
So...I feel I cannot adequately describe the awe
of seeing this place.


Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior.
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord.
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o'er His foes.
He arose a victor from the vast domain,
And He lives forever with His Saints to reign!
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah, Christ arose!

My New Favorite Day in Israel

Shalom!

This morning I awoke in Jerusalem.

The Holy City I've read and sung about all my life

is visible from my window.

Matthew 24:3 says, "As He (Jesus) sat on the Mount of Olives..."

This is the Mount of Olives, distant center.
If you click on the picture to enlarge, you can see the
tall tower that we saw HERE
when we were at Mt. Scopus. (Last picture)

 

When we arrived in Israel, I was concerned that I was unable to recognize an olive tree 
By the time we were here, I could recognize one from the bus.
These are olive trees!
They would not date back to the time of Jesus, but I
thought the dirt probably would.
So, I took off my shoes and walked in dirt which the 
beautiful feet of Jesus might have touched.

________________________________________

Matthew 26:36 says, "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples,

'Sit here, while I go yonder and pray.'"

We had the tremendous privilege of praying in the 

Garden of Gethsemane.

 _________________________________________

 
We descended the Palm Sunday Path.
This is the traditional road most believe Jesus traveled as He
made His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Luke 19:2

And here's Jason giving Virginia a piggy back ride
down this steep hill!

________________________________________________

Other places of importance we saw in this area:

The Jewish Cemetery---the largest and oldest Jewish Cemetery
in the world.  It actually dates back to Biblical times.

 
The Church of All Nations

Here is the representation of our nation inside!

Also inside this church is the traditional Rock of Agony
where Jesus was said to have prayed.
People were kissing this rock.

__________________________________

Here is the Russion Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene.

(You sure gotta click on this one!)

 (It's also visible behind the Church of All Nations
in the picture above.)
This church's seven gold spires make it a standout in Jerusalem. 
_______________________________

It is almost 8:00 P.M., and I have been working on
this blog since I got home from church!
(Remember...I have thousands of pictures through
which to search and sort!)
My computer and I are tired--almost as tired as
I was after actually visiting all these incredible sights!

I hope I have been able to convey some of the wonder to you, 
my beloved readers!

Me and My Camel...

Strolling down the avenue Petra Siq...

(A siq is kinda like a street!)

Guess what?

I found some more pictures of me on my camel!

(Don't forget to click on the pic!)

I'm with Melanie Patterson in the second one.

 

When I planned my trip to Israel, I did not count on a ride

on a camel.  No Sirree.

A friend had told me about her horrible, terrible, hideous

experience in Egypt, with the "camel master" practically

kidnapping her and throwing her on the camel

while she kicked and screamed.

And then people had warned me that camels were

mean and they spit!

 

But then...I saw my camel.

 It was love at first sight.

 

 Does he look mean or like he's about to spit?

 Indeed not.

Let's face it.  Jordanian camels just must be better than

Egyptian camels.

After the guys got us aboard the camels 

(no easy task, I assure you,)

would you believe they just turned the camels loose.

They know exactly where to go.

 

This was such great, unexpected fun.

It wasn't really on my bucket list,

but it sure should have been!

Camel ride in fabulous Petra, Jordan.  Check!

We're Marching to Zion

Well, actually we are busing to Zion. 

Here we are back at the border between Jordan and Israel.
  We were so happy to see

our big purple bus and Yuval and Elie!

Here's Judi hugging Yuval, which we all felt like doing!

As we returned to Israel, these soldiers boarded our bus to 
check us out.  Can you tell how scared we were?

                           Today our final destination will be 

The Holy City--Jerusalem--Zion

We're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.

On our way we will stop at Masada and Qumran.

We will be able to look down on the Dead Sea, the

lowest spot on earth.

 The white along the shoreline is not breaking waves.

It is accumulated salt.

One of the most fascinating sights of my long life.

MASADA

Masada was built by Herod the Great between 
37 and 4 B.C.
It is on top of an isolated rock plateau, overlooking
The Dead Sea.
It was a huge complex of palaces, storerooms, cisterns, etc.
A scale model of Masada:

This is how the amazing remains of Masada
are accessed in the 21st century.

(But not necessarily de-accessed!  Four of our group descended
on foot!  Pastors Gary and Jason, Cliff, and heroine Kelly!)

The square area below was the location of

 one of several Roman camps.

 
The residents of Masada--over 900--committed mass suicide
rather than fall into the hands of Roman troops, after
the walls of the fortress were battered from a ramp 
the soldiers had constructed.

QUMRAN

How amazing is this?  I got to see the cave where the first
Dead Sea Scroll was found.

These scrolls, discovered in the spring of 1947,
were the most important archaeological find of the 20th Century.
This find gave us copies of the scripture that date 
from 300 B.C. to 70 A.D.

It is so pleasant to sit in my air-conditioned home and
reminisce by looking at these wonderful pictures.
At the time they were taken, however, it was
 very, very, VERY HOT!
Here I am on the verge of wimping out--the only time
in the trip I did so!
I returned to the air conditioning and a tall cold Sprite!

Just thankful for all the time I did make it. 


Then...
The high point, the ultimate destination of this journey.
I had heard that there was a tunnel through which the bus
 would emerge with Jerusalem in view.
When
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, lift up your gates and sing
began playing on the bus's speakers, I knew we
were close.
Then...there it was!

I actually recorded our arrival in Jerusalem on my phone,
but I don't feel the recording does justice to the
awe inspiring moment.
(Especially since I was singing along with dubious result)
There was applause, and there were tears from a
 busload of Christians getting to see The Holy City
with their own eyes.

With perfect planning, as always, Yuval took us directly to
 a magnificent overview of Jerusalem.
This is from atop Mt. Scopus, which means "to look over."

Then we went to our home for three nights.

Ahhh...a coffee maker.

This is the view from my window!
The gold dome of the Dome of the Rock is at about 10 o'clock.
Directly above it is the Mount of Olives.

"Those who trust in the Lord are steady as Mount Zion,
unmoved by any circumstance.  
Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds and protects His people."
Psalm 125:1-2