
A Kitchen Party in the Dark
My first kitchen party (Ceilidh) was held in complete darkenss in a church hall at Baddeck, a small pleasant touristic town. Fiddling, Gaelic songs, ghost stories, family tales and some dancing animated the evening.

My first kitchen party (Ceilidh) was held in complete darkenss in a church hall at Baddeck, a small pleasant touristic town. Fiddling, Gaelic songs, ghost stories, family tales and some dancing animated the evening.

Lobster Cove Lighthouse – life lived on the edge of sea and land, rich in tradition but also in the unexpected. A spirit of generosity and hospitality manifests in a kitchen party thrown by the park authorities. A walk around lighhouse reveals the amazing geology and ecology of the island.

Newfoundland folk music at its best: Jim Paine and Fergus O’Byrne singing of sea, land and love, playing a plethora of instruments. Another serendipitious event on my trip: hearing the soulful sailor song on the radio, I detoured my car to this local show at Woody Point. A highlight of my NL visit!

Choosing not to challenge the coyotes on the coastal road, I drove up Cape Breton’s East Coast – watched the seagulls fly against the picturesque lighthouse at Neil’s Harbor, saw the stunning rocks at Green Point (keeping in mind the rouge waves!!!), and closed the day over drink and music at the Atlantic Restaurant by the Keltic Lodge.

Western Cabot Trail is rich with history, geology and beauty. You can’t go wrong, but I was the only one walking the historical La Buttreau, visiting the ruins of Acadian fishemen’s houses. On the popular Skyline Trail we fought the winds and the rain . A cozy social evening at Le Gabriele closed the day.

Clayton Jazz Festival: Kimberly Hawkey, the 10th Mountain Division Jazz band and Studio G from Nashville, all sounded their music over the St Lawrence, as barges were going downstream, then played and sang at night in Clayton’s hangouts. Also brief visit to Lake Onatario and an October Fest in Cape Vincent.

Forillon National Park, QC, is well worth it, Carriage roads and desolate forest paths lead from the “Bay of Seals” to “Land’s End”, with whales watching and gannets diving. Also rich wild life, and historical fishing sites. Forillon’s Auberge (hostel) offers socializing oppportunities and excellent services.

As automn is coming to a close, I kayak over the pond for the last time and take some loon pictures on location, with the row in my hand and the cellphone in the other. We enjoy a great getout with oldies music and beer. Eventually I pack up my wonderful trip, ready (kind of) to resettle in the Middle East…

Perfect carefree days by the pond: swimming, sailing the pontoon with family and friends, writing poems, sunbathing on the dock, picking blueberries from the secret bushes and enjoying a variety of good music at the Ossipee Valley Bluegrass festival. Especially notbale was the all-female Shel band.

The home-made Israeli spiritual scene in India ranges from the orthodox Beit Chabad to the innovative Beit Bina with the “Jewish Heart” in between. They all provide a warm home but with some strings attached, and a “protection” from the surrounding overwhelming “spiritual salad”.

Music, grass and the spiritual salad – the three occupations of Israelis in India outside of shopping… Western, Jewish and israeli involvement in Indian spiritual paths create interesting fusions that transform Israeli society, Judaism and India.

Sufi Festival, 2019, Ashram Bamidbar, Israel. A wonderful celebration of love, spirituatliy, openess. Great music and dance performances with full audience participation. A variety of enlightening workshops in music, dance, writing, spirit and understanding. Inspirational setup in the deep desert of the Arava.

My first kitchen party (Ceilidh) was held in complete darkenss in a church hall at Baddeck, a small pleasant touristic town. Fiddling, Gaelic songs, ghost stories, family tales and some dancing animated the evening.

Lobster Cove Lighthouse – life lived on the edge of sea and land, rich in tradition but also in the unexpected. A spirit of generosity and hospitality manifests in a kitchen party thrown by the park authorities. A walk around lighhouse reveals the amazing geology and ecology of the island.

Newfoundland folk music at its best: Jim Paine and Fergus O’Byrne singing of sea, land and love, playing a plethora of instruments. Another serendipitious event on my trip: hearing the soulful sailor song on the radio, I detoured my car to this local show at Woody Point. A highlight of my NL visit!

Choosing not to challenge the coyotes on the coastal road, I drove up Cape Breton’s East Coast – watched the seagulls fly against the picturesque lighthouse at Neil’s Harbor, saw the stunning rocks at Green Point (keeping in mind the rouge waves!!!), and closed the day over drink and music at the Atlantic Restaurant by the Keltic Lodge.

Western Cabot Trail is rich with history, geology and beauty. You can’t go wrong, but I was the only one walking the historical La Buttreau, visiting the ruins of Acadian fishemen’s houses. On the popular Skyline Trail we fought the winds and the rain . A cozy social evening at Le Gabriele closed the day.

Clayton Jazz Festival: Kimberly Hawkey, the 10th Mountain Division Jazz band and Studio G from Nashville, all sounded their music over the St Lawrence, as barges were going downstream, then played and sang at night in Clayton’s hangouts. Also brief visit to Lake Onatario and an October Fest in Cape Vincent.

Forillon National Park, QC, is well worth it, Carriage roads and desolate forest paths lead from the “Bay of Seals” to “Land’s End”, with whales watching and gannets diving. Also rich wild life, and historical fishing sites. Forillon’s Auberge (hostel) offers socializing oppportunities and excellent services.

As automn is coming to a close, I kayak over the pond for the last time and take some loon pictures on location, with the row in my hand and the cellphone in the other. We enjoy a great getout with oldies music and beer. Eventually I pack up my wonderful trip, ready (kind of) to resettle in the Middle East…

Perfect carefree days by the pond: swimming, sailing the pontoon with family and friends, writing poems, sunbathing on the dock, picking blueberries from the secret bushes and enjoying a variety of good music at the Ossipee Valley Bluegrass festival. Especially notbale was the all-female Shel band.

The home-made Israeli spiritual scene in India ranges from the orthodox Beit Chabad to the innovative Beit Bina with the “Jewish Heart” in between. They all provide a warm home but with some strings attached, and a “protection” from the surrounding overwhelming “spiritual salad”.

Music, grass and the spiritual salad – the three occupations of Israelis in India outside of shopping… Western, Jewish and israeli involvement in Indian spiritual paths create interesting fusions that transform Israeli society, Judaism and India.

Sufi Festival, 2019, Ashram Bamidbar, Israel. A wonderful celebration of love, spirituatliy, openess. Great music and dance performances with full audience participation. A variety of enlightening workshops in music, dance, writing, spirit and understanding. Inspirational setup in the deep desert of the Arava.