Mt. Hermon
I saw Mt. Hermon a few days ago.
Now, if you look on a map and check how close Haifa is to Mt. Hermon, you'd think "big deal, duh, you live pretty close to it!"
Yeah, well, many days of the year you can't see it from Haifa due to the smog and dust/sand storms called "hamsim" or "sharaf" (Hebrew/Arabic).
That means that you pretty much can't see Mt. Hermon all summer long (read "May through September"), so the fact that I saw it the other day is very exciting. It might actually start cooling down and - heaven help me - R A I N. Oh, just writing that thrills me. Yes, Israel has definitely taught me to appreciate rain. Oh, how I miss it.
Comments
I saw Mt Herman, too! It was quite beautiful and felt very far away. I was surprised I could see it from your apartment. I felt like I could touch history. It is such a different feeling from living in the States with plastic McBurgers on every corner.
Posted by: Ma | September 16, 2005 05:41 PM
I'm sure they'd put a McBurger there if they could manage it . . .
Posted by: Mark Fojas | September 16, 2005 10:41 PM
Only mildly related:
It rained here last night sooo hard that we lost power. It was not an electrical storm. We were in the basement of Wells Hall playing Puerto Rico and it went black on us. Right at midnight, too. This was particularly interesting because we never, ever lose power on campus. There are so many generators etc. that it just never happens. I was excited. And scared.
Posted by: Kristen | September 17, 2005 01:49 AM
We haven't had rain in about a month and it finally came today!
Posted by: Rae | September 18, 2005 05:01 AM
Rained here. Grass is g-r-e-e-n! and Growing! (not my problem)
Posted by: ma | September 18, 2005 05:23 PM
IT RAINED HERE, TOO!!! IT'S SO EXCITING ALL I CAN DO IS WRITE IN CAPITALS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!
Posted by: mara | September 18, 2005 06:25 PM
Ummm, Why is Mt. Hermon special?
Posted by: Mendon | September 18, 2005 06:37 PM
'Cause it's far off in the distance and we can only see it on a clear day.
Clear days only happen when it is cooler here.
Posted by: mara | September 18, 2005 06:44 PM
Also, I think Mt Herman figures in the bible. It really was special for me knowing that this was the land that both Baha'u'llah and Christ walked. And more, Moses, Abraham . . .
Posted by: ma | September 19, 2005 03:26 AM
I can close my eyes and see the Golan Hts. and to the right is Mt. Herman in Syria. It is covered in snow and shining like a beacon to the heavens and to the sea by Haifa Bay. I imagine I am standing right where Mr. Furitan stood looking out over the Bay to Akka and scanning the horizon to Mt. Herman. We are linked together over many years to a history in the religious center of the planet. Perhaps you will achieve your long awaited rains. "Make it so!"
papa
Posted by: papa | September 20, 2005 03:29 AM