It’s harvest time in Kansas. As I drive home in the dark, I see lots of lights moving out in the field. As I drive to work, it takes a bit longer because I often get stuck behind farm equipment, like this morning with the combine that was so wide it took up both lanes of the highway bridge over 61. Looking out the windows at work, there’s constantly combines, tractors, hay rakes, and grain trucks driving by.
Here’s my first engagement shoot. Heidi was along to direct the poses. She was, of course, invaluable.
I can’t wait to do their wedding!
Thoughts?
My buddy Ben whom I was hanging out with for the day and a Bethlehem taxi driver who rapidly became our buddy as well. The chicken and bread was excellent! My stomach is growling for it right now…
The Ibrahimi Mosque, or Mosque of Abraham, which is located atop The Cave of the Patriarchs, or in Biblical terms The Cave of Machpelah which Abraham purchased from the Hittites as a burial ground.
Wikipedia summarizes well the Cave/Mosque’s current status:
After the Six Day War, the area came under the control of Israel, and the restriction limiting Jews to the 7th step was lifted. In 1994 Baruch Goldstein took an assault rifle into the enclosure and killed 29 Palestinian Muslims at prayer, as well as injuring 125 others, before being bludgeoned to death by survivors. The resulting riots left an additional 26 Palestinians and 9 Israelis dead, and the incident provoked national and international condemnation of Goldstein’s actions.
The increased sensitivity of the site meant that in 1995 the Wye River Accords, part of the Arab-Israeli peace process, included a temporary status agreement for the site, restricting access for both Jews and Muslims. As part of this agreement, the waqf—a traditional “trust” holding land for Islamic religious purposes—controls 81% of the building. This includes the whole of the southeastern section, which lies above the only known entrance to the caves, and possibly over the entirety of the caves themselves. In consequence, Jews are not permitted to visit the Cenotaphs of Isaac or Rebekah, which lie entirely within the southeastern section, except for 10 days a year which hold special significance in Judaism. One of these days is the Shabbat of Chayei Sarah, when the Jews read the Torah portion concerning the death of Abraham and Sarah, and that concerning the purchase by Abraham of the land in which the caves are situated.
The Israeli authorities do not allow Jewish religious authorities the right to maintain the site, and only allow the waqf to do so. Tourists are permitted to enter the site. Security at the site has increased since the Intifada, and the Israel Defense Forces surround the site with soldiers, and control access to the shrines.
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A view from the top of the steps on the Jewish side
Praying, reading Scripture
(notice this is a zoomed shot of the last pic)
I was having trouble deciding how I wanted to interpret the above image. I have two more versions here and
here. Tell me which you like best and what you like and don’t like about the various ones.
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An Orthodox Jewish lady reading the Scriptures. Notice the Arabic script on the mosque walls.
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A wider angle view of the outside. Unfortunately, the IDF soldiers wouldn’t let us go to the Arab/Muslim side, though we tried. So we had to stay on the Jewish side.
The shuttered souk (marketplace)
The Church of the Nativity (Arabic: كنيسة المهد) in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Christ, and it is considered sacred by followers of both Christianity and Islam (see Jesus in Islam).
Yawning in the cold, pale Laos morning after an all-night bus ride.
Cold morning
Cold sunrise
I’m finally going to post some Laos pictures from over a year ago. About time, eh?
Bowing down to a monk, asking for a blessing
Bike vendor
Long bus layover after an overnight bus ride = tired and sleepy
» » I'm thinking of Californians (especially the Witmer family in LA) during these wildfires (and thanking God that there are no trees to burn in KS). The Big Picture has some spectacular photos of the fires. (1) » »
» » As usual, the awesome The Big Picture blog over at the Boston Herald has some stunning pictures, this time of the coronation of Bhutan's new 28-year-old king. (0) » »
One of the hundreds of varieties of delicious cookies at the cookie factory
Sampling and thoughtfully examining
Benji approves of the cookie in question
Listening to how cheese is made at a famous Emmentaler cheese factory
Great vats of cheese
Benji (?) circling down from paragliding out of the Alps around Interlaken
Kristi coming in with a spectacular backdrop
Dietrich paragliding
» » The Boston Globe has a sweet blog called The Big Picture. It tells news stories in stunning pictures with captions. Definitely my style. (0) » »
My wonderful tour director Dad
Fishing on one of the two Interlaken lakes
Boats near Interlaken
» » Wow! This guy took two pictures per day (from opposite angles) of himself for 17 years. He had his head at an angle consistent with the orbit of the earth around the sun. (If he would be the sun, the left picture has his right ear pointed at the earth and the right picture has his left ear pointed at the earth.)
(Hat Tip: Google Blogoscoped) (0) » »
