End of Summer Recap

With the kids going back to school today the summer is officially over. Shlomo and Hoodie went to Keytana (day camp), 2 weeks and 3 weeks at their respective schools. 

Peri and I also took a very different approach to the summer. We decided that one day a week we would go on tiyul. The criteria were: not local and different from the usual. Sometimes we did stuff as a family, sometimes with friends, sometimes with the kids, sometimes just the two of us. The end result was a fantastic summer visiting different places and spending quality time with people we don't always get to spend a lot of time with. 

Our summer tiyulim included: Akko (boat ride), Tnuvot (IEHL Game), Tel Aviv (Sonoma Market), Netanya/Hadera, Modiin (Jeeping), Teveria (Jungle Keif), Beit Shemesh (Police Museum), Yarka (Amusement Park/Ice Skating).

Akko - Anything touristy to do in Akko is located in the old city. There is a large parking lot at the entrance to the old city. On a really hot day, with little kids there are not a lot of cost effective things to do. We headed to the port and took a boat ride. The whole family had a really nice time on the boat. 

Tnuvot -  While Tnuvot isn't technically a new place, as I play hockey there most weeks of the year. The IEHL is a league that plays a short season at the beginning of the summer. It was the first time Peri had been to the rink in Tnuvot. It was the first time I watched live competitive hockey since I played in the hockey tournament 6 years ago. It was a great date night for Peri and I. 

Tel Aviv -  Located somewhere in the middle of the bustling city is a beautiful green space, including a sensory park for kids. Sonoma Market contains a lot of restaurants and food related shops, many of them kosher. It was also an opportunity to visit a friend that I don't get to see enough.

Netanya/Hadera - Uncle Jesse was on his first ever trip to Israel. We were not going to pass up the opportunity to visit him. It was great getting to know him as the adult he is becoming as opposed to the little boy I remember. Shlomo and Hoodie really took a liking to him to the point the Shlomo still enjoys talking about him. On the way home, we got stuck in super heavy traffic, leaving us arriving home after bedtime. We took a detour into Hadera and found a restaurant for dinner. The food and customer service were excellent.

Modiin - Peri had never been jeeping before. She called up to get a quote on the price. When the price was too high, the owner quickly dropped the price to something extremely affordable. Peri and I got to do all of the driving while we followed our guide through the Ben Shemen forest as he drove an SUV. The hour and a half of driving made for an incredibly fun day. We spent the afternoon/evening with friends in Modiin. It was definitely one of the highlights of the summer. 

Teveria - A friend joined us to travel 14 km South of Tiveria to a kibbutz with an exotic animal park called Jungle Keif. They had all kinds of exotic animals including: monkeys, snakes, lizards, camels, ducks, swans, turtles (lots of turtles) and everything in between. There were ducks running around lose and all kinds of animals all over the place. It was very Israeli in term of the layout being smallish and a bit chaotic. It was very well shaded and they had water mist spraying through parts of the park, allowing you to forget the extremely hot day. There were a ton of animals. You could even buy a cup of food to feed the various animals. There was a lot of food in the cup to the point we had leftovers as the time to go home was approaching.

The plan was to go from there to the beach in Teveria. Being ben hazmanim, the streets and beaches were more of a zoo than the animal enclosure we just came from. In the end we went home, got changed and went to spend the late afternoon on the local beach.

Beit Shemesh - We took Shlomo and Hoodie to the Police Museum. We took the tour, which included 2 short movies. Some exhibits had some special effects. Outside they had a display of old police cars. They had kids size police uniforms that kids could try on. It was a cute little museum, if you are looking for something to do for an hour to hour and a half. The rest of the day consisted of meeting up with some friends and a stop to the cemetery.

Yarka - With a couple of days left til the start of the school year we went with 2 families up to MyBaby. MyBaby is a giant toy store that also has an amusement park, skating rink, bowling alley, restaurants (none kosher) and more. The 3 families pooled our money together to buy a card that covered the cost of skating. The end result was a huge bonus on the purchase that left us with enough money for everyone to enjoy the amusement park rides and activities. 

It was the first time Shlomo ever went ice skating. (Me carrying him on the ice at Channah's Bat Mitzvah when he was 1 doesn't count). We had a great time on the ice. It was interesting that he had no idea to expect the ice to be so slippery and cold. By the time the 40 minutes on the ice was done, had improved significantly. We had a great time together. 

The combination of activities were not only fun but they provided a nice breakdown to the week, where the kids could entertain themselves allowing us to have time to work. 

Living so close to the water I find myself at the beach regularly.  Sometimes on a bike ride or when Peri and I just need a short break from a hectic day. Usually we stay on the tayelet (boardwalk). I have rediscovered the joy of spending time on the beach and how much I love spending time in the water. 

It has been a great summer. Hopefully it will lead into a great school year and with Rosh HaShannah on the horizon a great up and coming year.

 

Home Swimming Pool

Sonoma Market

Uncle Jesse

Jeeping

Jungle Keif

 

MyBaby

Turning Back the Clock

Last Monday marked the end of summer as Channah returned to school. Wednesday was another marker that we have moved out of the summer season as I returned to the hockey rink. A hand injury is limiting me to that one game until after the chagim. It is a good time to reflect on what had been a very busy summer.

The war in Gaza did dominate our lives to some degree.  A dozen scrambles to the Mamad (sealed room) and the sound of jet planes, helicopters and occasionally being able to hear artillery fire in the distance made the war much more real then just following the news. With some adjustments day to day life continued mostly as normal. It was disappointing that the war did cancel our trip to the beach in Ashdod that I had been looking forward to at the beginning of summer.

For the first time Channah was in camp for the whole summer.  The first 3 weeks she went to camp in the Rama. She walked there every morning and we picked her up in the afternoon. She really came out of her shell in interacting with other kids. She also fell in love with gymnastics which is going to be her chug for the year. When the 3 weeks were up she went to another camp a little bit farther away. Channah discovered she had natural talent in archery, learned to play baseball and was exposed to Tae Kwon Doe. There were regular reports from the staff about what a great camper she was. We also continued our regular home work routine through the summer. The combination has really paid off as Channah has been absolutely thriving in her first week and a half of school.

The summer was not quite as happy a time for our car Snowflake. The air conditioner finally kicked out and wasn't worth fixing.  Despite the relatively cool summer (most of the summer was in the mid 30s instead of low 40s), we decided that Snowflake could no longer take the heat. We purchased Zoom Zoom which was a slightly newer car that could handle the heat. It was a real upgrade for us. Aside from a working air conditioner it also came with a bigger trunk, working stereo, remote key entry and sensors when you are backing up. I went from trying to avoid driving whenever possible to enjoying driving.

Zoom Zoom

Our original plan for the summer was to find a new place to live. After a lot of searching we finally accepted that it was not economically feasible with skyrocketing rent in the neighbourhood. Instead we met with the owner of the apartment to negotiate a long term lease and some improvements to the apartment. Fixing up the apartment became the project of the summer.  Plumbing and electrical was fixed and our bedroom no longer has carpet. We painted the entire apartment. Changes have been made with rearranging or replacing some of the existing furniture.  It was a huge step for Peri and I to set up our new home together. We celebrated by having a Chanukat HaBayit at the end of the summer. Our apartment was filled with people who are extremely important in my life. Even my Rosh Yeshiva attended.

Earlier this year I started to have a tough time battling PTSD and depression. Having the safety and security of a stable home environment left me face to face with deep painful memories and fears. Through therapy and medication, I have come leaps and bounds in this battle. For the first time in a very long time I have been able to allow my self to have wants, hopes and dreams. More and more I am uncovering who I am and who I want to be. It is tremendously refreshing to once again see life as full of potential instead of just struggling with whatever is sent my way. 

Rachel and I were once on our way to wedding. One of the people in the car was talking about the recent birth of a child. They had thought they had been done having children and that their timeline for when certain life events that happen as children grow up had been set. Instead they had turned back the clock by a number of years, as they will not hit those milestones until their youngest child grew up.  We didn't know it at the time but Rachel was already pregnant with Gabi during the conversation.

This summer has been all about turning back the clock. I have an opportunity to start again and build a life for myself that I thought had been lost forever.  This summer was a glimpse at what potential my life has. It is refreshing to have so much to look forward to.    

Colliding Worlds

'We Didn't Start the Fire' is running through my head as I make this list. I am tone deaf so you can decide for yourself if this works. 

Blue Jays Lose, Blue Jays Win, Wedding, Wedding Reception, Wedding still to come, Stomach Flu, Hockey, Cottage, Stanley Cup on CBC, Shabbats with Family, Shabbat with Friends, Camp for Channah, Marineland, Anniversary, BBQ, 'Canadian Donuts', New Shoes, Broken down Erev Shabbat near Cornwall, Star Trek into Darkness, Man of Steel with D-Box, The Great and Powerful Oz, The Devil Wears Prada, Dave and Busters, Bowling, Mount Royal, Kiddush for friends who waited 14 years to adopt baby girl, Channah's insomnia is back again, JFK, Flight Delay, 'There's a Cow in My Soup', Trading tickets with Ticket Master, Tov Li again and again, Sushi Delight, Sheva Brochot, Pre-Sheva Brachot, Harbourfront, Schedule Juggling, Raising money, Brand new dryer waiting for my return home, Living with my parents, time with family and friends (including the Israeli ones), 2nd Still Standing Magazine Article, Slurpees, Free baby sitting, Chauffeur service, Science Centre and Oink Oink for Channah, lots of crafts, dollar store, Walmart, 2L bottles look huge, tons of new stuffed animal friends.

That is a brief summary of why I have been mostly tuning out the world over the last few weeks. The trip to Toronto has been a mass of worlds colliding. The past with the future as I continue to pick up the broken pieces and figure out which ones to take with me, which ones to keep in a safe place and which ones are not as significant as they seemed before I picked them up to examine them.

When I moved to Israel some of my life in Toronto became left in my passed. When Gabi died some walked back into my life and many more walked out. When Rachel died I had a flood of support from my new community and a lot from the old country. It was such a blur I can't say with any degree of certainty if an individual person didn't. The family in Toronto was flooded with even more support. While they were flooded with hundreds of condolence cards I received 4 or 5. It does not bother me in anyway how people choose to or not to show there grief. It is only to help understand what I am about to write.

On a number of times I have run into people that I know that I don't think I have heard from since Rachel's passing and possibly much, much longer. I am sure it is 1000 times more awkward for them as it is or me. We exchange greetings and sometimes even make small talk. I walk away with two questions on my head 1.Did they know about Rachel? 2. If they did, why didn't they say anything? (even in a round about way to let me decide if it is a topic I want to discuss). The end result is instead of taking another tiny step forward, I feel confused as the questions turn over in my head.

I am proud of how in the last few months, I have gotten myself back on my feet at home. I am now confident I can provide the an environment to allow Channah to continue to grow and prosper. I also believe Rachel would not have left me to take care of Gabi if she didn't have full faith in me. This trip has taught me to face the fears of my colliding fears and remind me the world is not as big and scary of a place that it appears to be. I love my family. I know that I can take care of it.

Toronto Trip -- Sports

The plan is for the next little while to post some of the highlights of our recent trip to Toronto. Fitting in as many sports as possible was an important part of our trip.

It was not practical to bring my hockey equipment with us. I had enough trouble explaining to security at Ben Guerion Airport why I was traveling with my skates and helmet. For the first little while, I borrowed equipment from another goalie when he wasn't using them. When our schedules no longer worked, I borrowed the upper body stuff from a friend who upgraded a few years ago. The lower body equipment, I borrowed from the person who runs the Monday night game. The equipment had been donated a long time ago after someone upgraded their equipment. If the year had been 1983, it would have been state of the art used equipment. One person kept complimenting me on how well I played and that I would be so much better if I had better equipment. Nobody had a stick to spare so my old Monday night game bought one for me to be added to their spare equipment. Thanks Glenn.

I was playing up to 3 games a week. I easily fit back into my regular Monday night game. They have not been able to fill my spot with a regular since I left. I was also able to play a bunch of afternoon games my FIL runs, that I have never been able to play in before. Who has time in the middle of the afternoon to be able to play hockey? I had a great time and made lots of great saves. Goals that I gave up have been easily forgotten. I also spent a lot of time adjusting the borrowed equipment. I stopped a slapshot from a Junior A player which left it's own 'autograph' on my wrist for about 10 days.

I had been looking forward to Halladay's return to Toronto. The game against the Phillies was moved to Philadelphia to make room for the G20 rioting. The Doc ended up pitching on the Friday night so it wasn't that bad. The result was I got to go to two games instead.

I went to Jays/Twins game with my Father and my Uncle. It was a really entertaining game. My Uncle and I paid extra attention to Twins LF Delmon Young who always seemed to be the centre of the action. HR leader Jose Bautista hit an inside the park 2 run homerun when Young was insturmental in taking himself and CF Denard Span out of the play. It was a rare treat to watch. The Jays went on to win 6-5.

The second time, I went with Channah and my Mom to a Sunday afternoon game against the BoSox. The first play was a fly out to LF, which Channah quickly understood that rule. I have never seen anyone cheer so enthusistically for a foul ball. To her it meant the batter had another turn at the plate. She managed to cheer herself out by the 4th inning and my Mom did a great job keeping her entertained the rest of the game. Every once and a while she would turn her attention back to the game. By that point she wasn't sure if a play was good or bad for the team she was cheering for. It was a really fun afternoon. Jays lost 3-2. I don't think Channah has ever been to a sporting event where the home team won. It could be worse, she could be a die hard Cubs fan.

For me one of the highlights was one of the tremendous displays of Achdut that I have ever seen at a baseball game. There were a lot of vocal Red Sox fans in the section next to ours. Every once in a while they would start the cheer "Let's Go Red Sox" At some point it got really embarrasing for a home game and someone would start the response with a " Let's Go Blue Jays" cheer. Around the 6th inning there was a really long back and forth round of cheering that wore down both sides. There was a short pause as fans from both sides stopped to discuss. Then suddenly all at once in perfect unity they started a tremendously loud round of "YANKEES SUCK"

I bought Channah a bright pink Blues Jays Princess hat that has a pink bow that ties in the back. It was perfect for her. I picked up an official batting practise hat for myself. It is a big improvement to what I have been using for tiyuling. I picked up a cute baseball person for Rachel.

Before we made Aliyah I took Channah to the Hockey Hall of Fame. It was really neat because they had just retired my favourite all time player Patrick Roy. Going back was high on her to do list for the trip. We walked in and all she wanted to know was who "the most famous player" was. It was a very different response to last time where her fascination was the giant statue of Ken Dryden, who was "Bubbie's friend" She tried to make my Mom happy by touching "the famous puck" (from the 2010 Olympics). We played two games of bubble hockey which was the one of the main reasons she wanted to go. She thought the Vezina trophy looked like the Beit HaMikdash and no longer recognizes the building featured on the Conn Smyth Trophy. The real lesson of the day was that she will never understand the cultural significance hockey had on myself and Canada as a whole. It is a small price to pay for the better life I am able to offer her here.

It was nice reconnecting with the sports I love. I am going to try to be more proactive in playing hockey this year. It is amazing how little my perception of professional sports has changed since the days where I used to live and breath it. I still follow, just not to the same degree.

Eilat