Swinging Through Ashdod

I spent Friday exploring the back-country with the Magic Carpet, cruising out to Beit Shemesh, then to Ramat Beit Shemesh (a few kilometers south.) Eventually I ended up in Ashdod, where I met Yigal.

Yigal

Yigal's neighbor Yerach owns a Yacht, so we went down to the docks to hang out on his boat. It's a small speedboat with a little cabin and a fridge loaded with beer.

Yerach

The Marina in Ashdod

Unfortunately, he didn't want to go for a cruise. "The motor uses one liter of gasoline every minute. I take it out once a week, on Shabbat with friends. Every time I make a loop around the marina it costs 100 shekels."

So we went swimming and Yerach went fishing. There's something about swimming in the ocean, and aftereards, that tired, salty feeling as I dry in the sun, that let's me know I'm on vacation, that I can kick back.

Yerach caught about five, enough for a Shabbat dinner.

Kissing fish?

Yours truly, hangin at the wheel.

Visiting you Yacht at the marina is more of a social thing. Everyone tied up knows everyone else, so they all come out to their boats and say hello to each other as they walk by. Kinda like the Elks Lodge. It's a different bunch from the bearded Talmud-thumping Jerusalem crowd. One tatooed guy in speedos came up to me, "Oh, you're religious! Wow, my son is a Chabad rabbi!"

Yigal talking endlessly with his girlfriend in the cabin.

The city of Ashdod. It just keeps growing and growing and...

Check out my transition lenses

It was nice to get out in the sun, but I had to get back to Jerusalem for Shabbat, and I had to drag Yigal away from his girlfriend to get him to come with me. Since getting the car, I haven't spent much time back here in Pisgat Ze'ev, so it was time to catch up with everyone at Pisgat Moriah (our little shul.) Spent Shabbat with American Steven and his family, regaling him with tales of dating adventures and disasters. Had a great time fully.

We're on break from Yeshivah for the next three weeks, so I'm taking life slowly. Playing in the mornings, working evenings. I was supposed to go to Moishe's house to learn how to paint landscapes, but I was nauseated and sick last night and have spent today (Sunday) sleeping recovering. And I have a moonlight hike in the forests near Beit Shemesh planned, starting in about three and a half hours, so I want to be in the best shape I can be for it. Hopefully I'll get to painting tomorrow. Shavua tov!