A scheduling conflict prevented today’s planned excavations, so instead I headed for the wilderness, following the “Alon Road” from the Jerusalem-Jericho highway to the north. It ended with a failed attempt to climb Alexandrium – we simply didn’t have time to make it and be back home in time for a student’s appointment. I told the students last night they could join me if they wanted; only four accepted. That itself is quite amazing to me – to have a once-in-a-lifetime shot like that and to pass it by, for what? Homework? There are plenty of days to do that, and few when you can go to out of the way places.
I remembered today the answer to the question I frequently get – what is my favorite part of the country. The answer: the hill country of Samaria. Perhaps part of the reason for that is that I have spent relatively little time there over the years, and almost none in the last 5 years. I also like it because it strikes me as so similar to what it would have been like in biblical times, with the numerous terraces and olive groves. It’s also very biblical territory – the heartland of ancient Israel with the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. And countless biblical stories took place at sites like Shiloh, Shechem, and Samaria. We didn’t visit any “sites” today, but I enjoyed the same terrain, just a bit east of the central ridge, where the main route and sites lie.
I took 467 photos today, which is on the high side for a regular day of shooting. The largest number was of sheep and shepherds (about 150). There were flocks on many of the green hills, and we stopped a number of times to take pictures. The shepherds were all nice, but without knowledge of Arabic, our conversation was quite limited.
We saw a number of other animals as well, but no gazelles as I was hoping. I saw more cranes than I remember seeing in any one day, and many we were able to get quite close to. We also saw many donkeys, camels, sheep dogs, dozens of millipedes, and a frog.
Besides sheep, my other photographic goal for the day was wildflowers. I didn’t see so many exotic ones, but I was impressed (again) with just how green everything is after the spring rains. Usually the red anemones were to be found in patches of hundreds or thousands, but I liked this shot with just a few. Seems like it might illustrate better than others the truth that “the grass withers and the flowers fall” (Isa 40).
Great trip. I commented to the students that it could well end up being my favorite of the semester. What does that say about me?
Tomorrow we’re into the Old City for a night sleeping on a rooftop and then a full day of seeing some of the best sites of Jerusalem!