Tracing my path
(sidetrack from "My path to my Sidra Tree [ziziphus spinachristi]"
2002_10_30 ; last update: 2002_11_02; last read: 2005_07_27

For more than 3 months my goal has been to reach "my" sidra, here in the shadow of two Palestine Pine trees, left of the Modi'in twin towers.
On my birthday, 2002_08_15, four of my grandkids and two neighbor kids went with me to see, how my path was advancing.
On 2002_10_22 I finally reached the Ziziphus Spinachristi.
Overview of the part of the path, which I'm going to trace here. Seen are - from front to back - Itamar, two neighbor boys, Ayelet, Yael, Arnon


The goal: my Sidra Tree as it looked when I first reached it.
How could such a distorted perspective enter my camera?
the Modi'in twin towers [22 stories only] are not close to the tree,
and I never saw the Christ spines tree in the shape of a pyramid.

Now I want to trace the last part of my path:

Beyond the terraced wadi which caused me so much trouble, the path climbs up a steep delapidated wall, next to a sabra-cactus

Above the slope of stones, another wall, another slope. I constantly imagine Rabbi El'azar walking around here.

The sabra-cactus seems to be the only cactus which grows in Israel, and even this one is not indigenous, but comes from Mexico. It was (is?) used to fence in vinyards and orchards. Its sweet, tasty fruits are eaten by those who know how to open the fruit's skin with its millions of devious fine thorns. Roaming through Israel's nature is often painful. For whenever an attractive hill pops up, I can be sure to find on it "Sabres", which indicates, that here was another of the 500 villages, destroyed by Israel after 1948. A "Sabre" was once a nickname for an Israeli, who was actually born in the land of Israel, as opposed to the main part of the population , which at that time consisted of immigrants. "They are thorny outside, but sweet within!" was the idea.

This field of ugly stalks must have been a delight of golden chrysanthemes in spring like the ones I photographed from the top of the Crusader fortress, on 2002_04_05 On the spring photo my ziziphus spinachristi is seen between the pine trees and the twin towers

I couldn't by-pass this rock - a step too high for my grandkids to climb or - on the way back - to jump

another step , a sharp turn, and soon I meet an animal path

the big photo gives the illusion as if I could relax for a long time on a path which already existed.
The "Palestine Pines" - two now, after one dried and died in 1997 - are the landmark of the hill.
They indicate, that the place was considered holy.
A "Mikvah", a Jewish ritual bath, from the first century B.C., is there - about 50 meters above my sidra,
and a farm with a mosaic floor, troughs for animals and burial graves from Byzanthine time

Though the sidra is now really close, the path must turn north first. An almond tree, whose fruits have become bitter during 50 years of no tending and the watertower of the new city, erected right on the ancient hill

Tracing back: