WebWalker's Blog

Aaack, I've got Empty Nest Syndrome! Ariel, Efrat, Eran, and Adi left Arizona this morning and flew to California to continue their Adventure in America. The house is too quiet. I miss Adi's lovely lilting songs that she made up each day, and Eran's soft-spoken but extremely intelligent comments about Life. I love the way he tries to help his younger sister learn English by making up games -- looking for English words on signs as we drive around town, first one with an A, then a B, then C, and so forth -- and the way she gets so excited when she finds the appropriate letter on a store or street sign. Eran is keeping a record of everything they are doing on this vacation, to give a report to his school teacher when he gets back home to Israel. Mommy Efrat is helping him by keeping an outline (according to his dictation) of events. It's remarkable to listen to him dictate the extent of detail for each day! Spending time with Ariel and Efrat has been a treat I have en...

Hi All, Just wanted to say thank you to everyone we have seen and stayed with... we are having a great time here - and are really enjoying ourselves. We are taking a lot of pictures - and are posting them - as we go - on Webshots.com So here is the link - check in now and then - as we post new pic's : http://family.webshots.com/album/567489981egxxNk love you all! Bye for now.. Ariel, Efrat, Eran, and Adi P.S. Click on the 'slideshow' button on the right hand side of the page to see the album in slideshow form...

Talk about excited. I'm as happy as a little kid getting ready to raid a candy store. Nephew Ariel [Sherry's eldest child], his wife Efrat, son Eran, and daughter Adi are coming to Arizona to visit next Saturday. It will be the first time the children have been to the U.S. They will be staying in Arizona for 10 days, then will go to Disneyland (where else?!) for the kids to meet Mickey Mouse, and then they'll drive up the coast to Washington State. After a few days visit with the Whetstones there, they will fly back to New York and on to Tel Aviv again. Mom [Emily] is even more excited than me I think, this will be the first time she will get to see her great-grandchildren. I understand Eran has been practicing English, and Sherry tells me that Adi has mastered the phrase, "Gramma, this tastes delicious!" Anyone wanting to visit with them while they are in AZ are most welcome - please call or email either Ariel or me (or leave a comment to this post) and we'll...

David survived Ike. It was degraded to "just" a tropical storm by the time it went over Marshall, Texas, where he is staying... He has no electricity in the hotel where he is living, and after the storm passed he drove around town but didn't see any physical damage. He said there was a lot of rain and a lot of wind, but other than the services outage, things seem to be okay. Of course, now he has to spend the night with no air conditioning and it is muggier than heck, but while uncomfortable it is liveable. Thank God for small favors.

Robin and Jerry Dion are in Arizona on an all-too-infrequent vacation! Visiting with Mom Tate (Emily) and also with son Gary and his wife Jessica. Also helping Gary and Jessica to move from their Grandma Tate's house to an apartment they just rented - Congrats Gary and Jess! Robin and Jerry took Emily up to Sedona for an overnight at the L'Auberge Resort, they should be back sometime this afternoon. Poor things, they had to spend two days up in the cool pines with the clear running river, instead of being down here with us in the Valley of the Dust. I mean the Valley of the Sun. They totally missed the dust storm we had last night, what a pity. I'm purposefully NOT dusting my furniture again till they visit, so they can appreciate what they missed. *hee hee* ~~~ Emily was so excited, waiting for them to arrive, she was like a 5 year old. It's wonderful that they were able to take this vacation to see her. We all have appreciated seeing them and catching up, wouldn...

Okay, yes, I am up on my political soapbox. Don't climb up here often, but the remarks about Sarah Palin "not being experienced enough to be a V.P. and thereby trusted with national secrets" prompted me to make the hike up to this dizzying peak. This does not by any means encompass ALL of her experience, but just cogitate on the few points garnered below: Don't dismiss the fact that Sarah Palin is Commander of the Alaska National Guard-- consider this. Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It is on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units. As governor of Alaska, Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism. Her exposure to classified material may rival even Biden's and certainly by far exceeds Obama's. She's also the comma...

On Thursday, September 11th, 2008, we remember. An American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this seventh anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms. In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds. Join with other patriots. Fl...

Gonna go see a live demonstration by Sam The Cooking Guy today. It will be at the Harrah's AkChin Casino, so who knows, maybe I will drop a quarter in a slot machine while we're there?? Probably not, but you never know! I first saw Sam (last name Zein) on a local television show. He has a cooking show, with quick and easy recipes, kindof like a male Rachel Ray. Except he is waay funnier. He speaks in Real People terms instead of Master Chef Gobbledegook Language. He's known for making cooking UNscary for bachelors and the like, giving hints that other cooks don't and making the comment funny at the same time... for instance, "When you're scrambling eggs, the fork has to clink on the bottom of the bowl, otherwise you won't get the eggs properly scrambled!" When I saw Sam make his 5 minute Omelet with goat cheese and spinach (on TV), I started watching him for hints to give my son - who has turned out to be a pretty darn good cook himself! Sam's TV s...