...white crabs.Left house around 6 a.m. and steadily walked towards the beach. First thing I say was Kitty. I took photos of her hurt leg. She seems happy and relaxed, but she is cripple. Along came flying the pair of Kingfishers and Kitty was looking at them but probably knew she wouldn't stand a chance ever catching them. Up on the wavebreaker I exchanged a few "hello's" and "how are you's" with the fishermen there - today was a good day. Almost all of them caught a few fish. A new fish to me was what one fisherman called "Televizia" (must be slang). Tiny, but tasty - he said. Arriving at my checkpoint near the rocks I saw Ms. Cat and she, most definitely, saw me. I feel honored I fell into her liking and she follows me around everywhere, but I wish she would stop biting me out of affection. Her bites are soft and totally painless - she doesn't push her teeth through the skin, but I am traumatized by the amount of injections I have received here in Israel - those are injected in the rear and are -I think so at least- painful :-(Anyway, so she caught me when I unsuspectedly was trying to photograph fish fighting for bread on the water - My elbows were on the balustrade and she came up there and tenderly bit me. Only later did I see a tiny hole and blood running from it on my arm. And, and this is what worries me, a larger purple spot that seems filled with blood. At those same rocks I heard a fisherman near me call out "hello there! so nice to meet you" - and it turned out he had caught a larger, white crab on his fishing rod. The crab released itself before he could take it in though :D Then, as I walked the boardwalk near the pond and looked into the water I say many, many, many white crabs stuck to the (concrete - but with sea-weed covered) edge of the pond. They were big, white, with orange colored chelae and had......... blue legs. I tried to catch this on camera but the ever pounding waves made it very difficult. Quite beautiful though.C'est tous. The first time I saw living white crabs.(My mezah was busy. Few old fishermen and some new ones. The new ones saw me and started saying they had found a Mermaid - but the fishermen I know told them off. This is not a way to talk about somebody. I agree!)
The first photo isn't very clear, but the blue legs of the crab can be seen!
Left late: 07:20 it said on the clock on the building before leaving Ramat-Gan and 26 degr. C.Nothing, but that means absolutely NOTHING, was to be experienced at the Yarkon bridge. Too early? The trains came and left as (probably) scheduled though..Saw again a nice collector's car. (photo 1)A fisherman I got to know quite well over the last few months told me that he had just caught a crab (very much bigger than the ones I watch at my mezah) - and when I asked what is the deal with them he told me that after they die he takes out the meat to use as bait. He showed me a Denise he caught just half an hour before I arrived and he was very proud about it :-)When I arrived at the 'rocks' at the end of the wavebreaker (photo 2) I was SO relieved to Ms. Cat again. The last time I saw her she looked dirty and depressed (in my eyes) and non-respondent - but this time, on the rocks, she yawned at me as if to say she's doing what she's doing and that is her decision and hers alone. Then, after some pleading from my side :D - she decided to come to me and honor me with her (VERY close - photo 3) presence. We had some (re)bonding time together at the balustrade (photo 4) and then I asked her to come along the wavebreaker. Which she, kindly, responded to. My surprise was big when Mr. Kingfisher decided to join us (photo 5) . Ms. Cat didn't express any of the hunting signs she usually shows when seeing birds around and sat docile at my feet watching Mr. Kingfisher watching the sea (for fish).At a certain point two people (very annoying, Russians - don't they ever notice other people?) a father and (small) son came along and Mr. Kingfisher zoomed out of view while bidding "ciao" (photo 6).At my mezah I was all by myself (finally) with the sea. I noticed a cunchia (snale-house) (photo 7) and I touched it very, very gently to see if I could pick it up. I couldn't. So, I left it. But... afterwards noticed that it moved itself, very, very, very.......excruciatingly(!) slowly.... I thought that was rather sweet. Such primitive life and knowing what is best to survive... Nature is awesome.On my way back home I crossed the pond and saw the Snow Egret pleading to the fishermen to not forget him and throw him some (small) fish ... (photo 8). And, who can describe my surprise, Mr. Kingfisher showed one last time - to pose? After all the frustration I went through trying to catch him for the camera he now makes it his mission to become my very own personal photomodel? (photos 9 and 10)Life is beautiful at the sea. Now I gotta learn to carry some of that feelings with me into 'everyday' life and let it sweeten my days.
Left house late (on purpose) - and when I passed that building telling time and temperature I saw it already was 08:20 and 28 degrees C. Just entering Tel-Aviv...There was a Snow Egret gathering at the banks of the Yarkon. At least 30 of them were present. I also noticed one being of a larger version than the Snow Egret and having grayish backfeathers. I assume that is the 'regular' Egret - whom I had not seen here before. Quite an impressive bird.The Lapwings were having a loud fight under the bridge - the hollow space there made their shrieks sound even louder. Later they continued the fight in mid-air. And, of course, Mr. Mysteriousbird came flying past with a sound barrier breaking speed... So, I had given up on ever getting him on picture. I thought he was just a too nervous bird to sit still for a few seconds. But then *_*when I reached the beach and looked over the balustrade he came flying upwards right in my face and landed opposite me on the brink of the wall of the boardwalk and........ stayed sitting there for so long that it was me (after like 100 photos taken of him) wanting to change positions. So, I walked up to where he sat (5 or so meters away) and climbed over the balustrade (surprising myself with the ease I did that as well, since the balustrade is quite high at that point) - But then he flew away... While sitting on the balustrade he came back, Yesh! Sat real close to me and took off several more times while keep on coming back - until he disappeared. When he took off - he flew real low, almost ON the sea and it looked like he disappeared into the waves - On the mezah -while sitting in my bright, pink, plastic chair - a fisherman I have never seen before kept on looking at me. Later he came to me and wanted to chat - he was bored he said and asked me several times to come sit near him. I kept refusing politely but he really got me angry when he used the word "motek". Iechssss..... Even his offering me borekas (with hands that previously held worms) couldn't make me be more friendly. We -fishermen and I- usually say our niceties (goodmorning, showing a little interest in the catch so far, etc.) but we know from each other we need our own space - our own time with the sea. This was a fake fisherman. Although he did catch 2 fish, LOL.
I saw Mr. Mysteriousbird again - but this time flying over the Yarkon. His deep blue wings are simply breathtaking. I wish he would stand still for a moment so I could make a photo of him. I am pretty certain he is a Kingfisher though. Same build, same beak, same keen eye on the water... just like the Pied Kingfisher - I again carried a pink, bright, plastic chair from the boulevard and sat myself down on my mezah. Strangely it happened again that the crabs, who initially hurried into their hiding places came out and strolled around me. This time so nearby me though that for the first time I could actually see their eyes. Yes, yes..... I have looked into the eyes of a crab. Soooo romantic :p
Had to wear my little black chinese shoes for my walk to the beach today because the straps of my sandals had broken again. I just now bought my 3rd pair of the very same sandals at Shuk HaCarmel. The first pair I bought were size 39 and those made me trip all the time since they were too long, so when I bought the 2nd pair I made sure I took size 38. Since those sandals have been totally outworn and a strap broke as well and the basta at the Shuk didn't have size 38 anymore I am now wearing 37. And they fit nicely. Strange though how 3 different sizes fit me...The sea had a glimmer on him I had never seen before. Like a glaze over the surface, a thin film of not shining shine... (photo 1).Though quite late (left at 06:30) There were practically no people at the boulevard (boardwalk). I could actually "sing" (I call it singing) without anyone hearing me. I enjoyed that :p When I reached the end of the ramp and did my usual check-up on the crabs at the rocks a bird I have never seen before came to sit less than 1 meter away from me. He was soooo beautiful. He had a brown/white patched chest and deep-blue, very shiny, wings and a long, thin beak. He also had a little fish in his beak. I so much wanted to photograph him but knew the moment I reach for my backpack he'd fly away. And, that is what happened.... But, that's not all. It felt like he was on a teasing mission. Teasing me that is... Because when I started to walk towards "my" mezah I saw him again. He was sitting there as if to say "look, and see that you cannot photograph me" - and he was right. (photos 2 & 3) - Hardly noticeable but the best I could do..... And still that wasn't enough for him because later on, after I had spent a few hours on "my" mezah and was walking towards the "commercial" stretch of the sea towards Shuk HaCarmel - I bent down over the balustrade of the boardwalk to look down to the sea and up from underneath me he flew.... less than 1 meter away from me - who was totally unprepared for that. He was definitely teasing me...The underwater rocks near "my" mezah are covered with whatever - and look very pleasing to the eye so I tried to make a photo of that as well - only to discover that soon as I took out the camera the rocks that had been uncovered by sea water until then were continuously being drowned by the sea again :D (photo 4)In the little puddle at 'my' mezah I always see crabs of all different sizes, colors and designs, except for white crabs - but when I see dead crabs they are always 'white'. I wonder if white crabs are just more vulnerable and accident prone or if crabs, of all colors, turn white after they die? I can't find anything on internet about that...(photo 5)At first the clouds were all over but when the day turned into "your regular" August summerday again - the skies were amazingly high. (photo 6). That is one thing about Israel (perhaps the Middle East?) - because those high skies I never saw in the Netherlands for example. I love high skies...And then, just before turning into the Shuk, I decided to make 2 photos of the grafiti (rather wall paintings) that I see every time I go to Shuk HaCarmel (photos 7 & 8)...
Yes, I did! What? First things first:When I arrived at the bridge the darkness had cleared already and slowly the Snow Egrets, Pied Kingfishers, Peewees and other (like pigeons) birds started flying over. I stood there for a quite a while and when I moved on I noticed something up -other than a feathered friend- was moving. It turned out to be a surveillance camera. Probably for checking up on traffic on busy days. But it was a real weird feeling seeing it follow me with its movement as I passed from one side of the bridge to the other. (on the photo it is hardly noticeable).I noticed the Frangi Pani's aren't that "fresh" looking anymore. Even though they grow still from buds to flowers they miss the "sparkle" that was there before. I saw Kitty again. This time she stayed close to me for a while but after noticing I did nothing -except for talk to her- she moved away from me 3 times. A nice man stopped and we discussed what we could do for her, but on a Shabbat and that early in the morning we were both left clueless and Kitty -yet again- to her own device. Darn :-(I then proceeded on to the "big" wavebreaker and decided to climb up on it - and let the waterdrops of the waves that were breaking near a kind of pole wet me. I still feel uncomfortable walking that mezah but when the drops hit me I forgot about everything and just enjoyed.And then.............. I did what I wanted to do for a few weeks now already. I ventured out on "my" mezah (the small one) - and asked one of the fishermen if he thought it dangerous to climb off the mezah and on to the pole and hold myself in order to let the waves 'get me'. He said that it wasn't dangerous and then continued to say that he would save me if something happened. Upon which the other fishermen joined and said they would save me as well. It might sound funny when I am reading this back sometime later on, but although this was all 'lightheartedly' said it made me feel more secure in venturing out to the pole.....soYESH!!!!!!!! Good gracious. Ohmy, ohmy... what a feeling !Although the sea was very feisty all morning already, the break-up of the first wave that hit me was higher than at least 2 or more meters, covering me completely under water... Like the sea was saying "welcome" with a big, evil grin on his 'face' LOL. I am extremely happy I held on to the handles on the pole because if not, I would be "beachgranny on the rocks" now, hahahaha.... The sheer power of his waves is beyond imagination. At least - my imagination. Although I am very much aware of the power of the sea when you actually feel it - it is even more impressive.There were several other partly broken, partly in existence being waves that hit me and I thoroughly enjoyed them. When I read this back sometime I hope I can remember the feeling of exhilaration that took control of me while submerging into this particular manner of becoming re-acquainted with the sea...On my way back home I found a red rose floating in the waters of the pond. I am not crazy, I know somebody threw it in there sometime. But still... after this experience seeing it right then, I felt it was as if the sea was symbolically giving it to me...I made some more photos, one of a neat graffiti and one of a guitar-player on the boulevard getting ready to play and earn money - but the sweetest about that was his dog: sitting there tied to the tree as part of the act :D
This is goodbye to summerholiday for me. From tomorrow on I have to work 3 jobs again so only time to go to the sea once or twice a week...
17-8-2008 - The sea has again taken 2 lives over this weekend. That's 7 lives in a few weeks time. A girl of 9 and a girl of 14 drowned...
...sitting on, ...... that is (click here for song) ... being the pond really, but close enough. This is the song going thru my head this morning over and over and over and... again while watching the view as shown in photo #1. Waiting for H. to call me. Sipping my take-away cappuccino. Watching the flocks of fish right underneath me in the greenish water, schooling together, them letting the soft current sway them forwards and backwards.. thinking about how people come, and go, and asking myself what's really important and not finding the answer to that question... but being at peace about that anyway, finally. . . Later on when I was on route to meet H. at Dizengoff Center I passed the religious beach and it was "men's day" there today. There were so many. Many fathers, many sons - little children. No mothers, no sisters.... obviously. Although I accept the segregation of people choosing to live a certain life-style according to presumable religious rules, I will never understand how they can opt to have an enjoyable day with their 'same gender' fellow human beings rather than with their own, mixed gender, family. On the other hand, I can fully understand that mom must have commanded husband and sons to get the hell out of the house quickly so she at least can get on with her chores for the preparation of Shabbat, LOL. Photo doesn't show the crowdedness but gives a small impression. I've never seen so many people together in such a small stretch of sea. Like ants....
The sea is always there. I can be mad at him, or perhaps he at me, but he won't run away. He was there before me and will be there after me. Somehow that feels very comforting. One element in life that won't suddenly disappear...Afternoon walks to the beach aren't that enjoyable as those in the mornings. There is lots of traffic on the road, humidity is high and the sun relentless in the summer. Photo 1 of people going home after a day's work. Stuck in traffic. Stuck...The rocks behind the wavebreaker were covered with crabs today. Impossible to see at the photo and even standing right in front of it one has to concentrate to see them. So, photo 2 of the rocks and photo 3 showing their remarkable hiding color that blends totally in with the color of the rocks.I took one of those bright pink, plastic chairs from the boulevard and sat myself down on "my" mezah in seclusion with the sea - and the crabs, of course - in their little pool near the stairs. This time they did get out of hiding and paraded some 20 to 30 centimeters away from me in my chair. Funny how this happened, unbelievable really - it can't be that they're used to me, of course. However when a boy came running down those stairs at a certain moment within one split second they hid in their hiding places again.. until he was gone.After the sun had set, and I was soaking wet I returned the chair to the boulevard and had a coffee-to-go from Aroma at the Beach - drinking it was nice, since with my wet clothes on it actually was a bit "cool". There was a wedding at a restaurant on the boulevard and later I met a large group of shouting and chanting people holding banners with "Putin is a murderer" - so, I figured they were Georgians demonstrating against Russia's president.Photos attached....
