Post-Birthright Day 6: Bethlehem and Jericho

On this day, I went into Palestine for the second time.

I had signed up for a tour to go to Bethlehem and Jericho.  I still wasn't feeling confident enough to go to the West Bank without an organized group, and particularly for these two locations, which had no Jewish significance or presence.  I was also feeling a little paranoid that somehow people would be able to "tell" that I was Jewish, so I even chose the date I took the tour very consciously: it was Saturday, meaning it was Shabbat, and anyone hopping on busses and going to Palestine would most likely be NOT Jewish.

I really didn't have any reason to be THAT paranoid, but these are all things I told myself (and my parents) to give me added security.  Now that I've been there, I'm itching to go back, in much more daring contexts, and the only thing holding me back is money and time.  If there's one thing I learned about the West Bank, it's this: it is quite safe if you are a foreigner, particularly an American foreigner.  Palestinians want your business, are desperate for tourism, anything to stimulate their economy, and aren't going to do anything to hurt that fragile balance like mess with a foreigner.  Political reasons / aspirations aside, life is very hard for Palestinians, and most are focused on maintaining a living for themselves and their families.

The tour company was pretty disorganized - so disorganized, in fact, I can't even tell you what company I went with.  I booked it through Egged, which is apparently just an umbrella organization that puts together several different operators and has this giant matrix of connections.  I wound up on one bus picking me up outside the Old City (which was late), which took me to a random location in East Jerusalem with many more busses, where I got on a new bus to take us to Bethlehem.  Once we were through the checkpoint, we got on yet another bus, this one being the local tour operator bus (they couldn't be the ones to pick us up in Jerusalem, since they are Palestinian and cannot pass through the checkpoints into the "green zone" of Israel proper).

Our first stop in Bethlehem was the Church of the Nativity - built on top of the steeple where Jesus was born. It is a really, really, really fascinating building, from many perspectives - art history, history history, current religious politics - and honestly, it's one of my favorite sites in the Holy Land. So beautiful.

Outside the Church of the Nativity

The several blocked-up doorways of the Church of the Nativity - made smaller and smaller for various reasons. The super-small entrance now is to keep animals like mules out.

Inside the Church of the Nativity, heading down into the Steeple (now functionally the crypt of the church).

Crosses carved into the columns

Down inside the Steeple - you can see my tour guide in the center. He's Palestinian-American (holds American citizenship, but lives in Palestine), and one of the 30% Christian population of Bethlehem.

Me, touching the spot where Jesus was born.

One of the side wings of the Church of the Nativity

The Greek Orthodox altar of the Church of the Nativity - there are a few churches that control the Church, and they actually get in fights with each other over things like transgressing on each others' space during ceremonial cleanings on holidays (we're talking, monks swinging at each other with broom handles).

4th-century mosaic from the first church - the current church, from the 6th century, was built on top of the ruins, but a surprising amount of the original mosaic was preserved as a result. This mosaic covered the entire floor of the original church.

Even some of the paintings on the wall from when the church was built in the 6th century survive - there's some that was preserved enough to be restored across the church.

Me, in the Church of the Nativity!

Down in the Catholic-controlled part of the Steeple. The Steeple was a stone cavelike natural structure used the way we'd use a barn (hence, our classic nativity image as we understand it today) - but really, it was more like a cave than a barn.

The Catholic wing built on to the side of the Church of the Nativity - the services here on Christmas are broadcasted across the world. (I'd imagine so are the Orthodox churches, but they observe Christmas on a different day, sometime in January, and it's probably not a big thing on American network TV).

The church is on one side of, appropriately enough, Manger Square, which is apparently an insane place to be on Christmas.  I would have tried to come then if I hadn't still been on Birthright.

Manger Square, complete with a Christmas tree and a mosque.

After the Church of the Nativity, we walked through the old part of Bethlehem (like Jerusalem, dating back to the Ottomans) to the Milk Grotto. Local tradition holds that in this grotto, Mary nursed Jesus, and the walls of the church are said to have properties to help cure infertility. There is no written mention of this in the Bible, but it's a tradition held by the locals for centuries few people outside Palestine have heard about.

Entrance to the Milk Grotto.

Descending down into the church.

Inside the Milk Grotto church.

After the Milk Grotto church, we were driven down to the Shepherd's Field, a little complex built up around the area farmed by shepherds in biblical times where it is assumed they saw the star telling them about the birth of Jesus.

Entrance to Shepherd's Field

Small chapel inside a natural rock cave many shepherds have been using since biblical times as shelter.

Chapel built by the same Italian architect that built the Florentine church on the Mount of Olives in the 1950's.

Entrance to the chapel.

View out over olive trees, fields and Bethlehem.

At this point, our Bethlehem tour was done. We then were left at a gift shop to do our souvenir shopping - almost everything there was made by hand, by the locals, with local materials - it's easy to believe this, since Palestinians can't leave Palestine and there are not a lot of resources coming in either; they have to do most things by hand with the materials around them.  It was nice to be able to trust that something truly comes from the land you are visiting, rather than worry it's a cheap Chinese import (a relatively new problem in Israeli markets), and I picked up a beautiful hand carved cross for my aunt (and one for me as well).

We were finally picked up by our original Israeli bus and taken back to Jerusalem to drop people off not continuing on to Jericho, and because it's faster to rout through Jerusalem than go through the numerous checkpoints between Bethlehem and Jericho within the West Bank.

The concrete wall with protest art, on our way to the checkpoint leaving Bethlehem.

On the way to Jericho, even though we were not yet joined by our new Palestinian guide (waiting for us inside Jericho), our driver pointed out points of interest along the way, including the Inn of the Good Samaritan, the site Muslims believe to be the location of Moses's grave (Jews don't believe his grave is known / can be known, since Moses himself didn't want to become someone/thing to be worshipped), and the point where the elevation is sea level (much of the Judaen desert is below sea level).  It was nice he gave us that information as we traveled so it wasn't just a long ride of silence.

Our driver and his camel-owning friend, where we stopped to give him some business at the Sea Level markation (most of the van actually took him up on a little camel ride).

Artistic hand sculpture at sea level.

Bedouin encampment on the side of the highway.

Islamic holy site - where they believe Moses is buried.

Wild camels as we drove in to Jericho.

We first stopped at the visitor's center to get lunch.  I didn't feel like paying $11 for a questionable-looking buffet, so I opted to buy a couple oranges in the market out front and explore the building.  I climbed all the way to the roof and got a pretty nice view of Jericho:

View overlooking Jericho. Can you tell it's an oasis?

View overlooking the Old City ruins of Jericho, which we would get to explore later, and a refugee encampment beyond.

Typical Jericho scene, with the Old City and the new cable car line in the back.

Jericho's claim to fame is its continued existance - its archaeological records reveal that it was first settled at least 10,000 years ago. It is the site of Joshua's takeover in the Bible, when the "walls came tumblin' down." I got to see some of those walls, which is absolutely crazy.

Our guide met us after we watched a short film about the ruins of Tel es-Sultan (the Old City ruins), which we then had an extensive tour viewing.  Even though it's just a pile of dirt and rubble now, it was incredible to see how much had been uncovered and how much archaeologists know about this place.  Also, we studied these ruins in my art history class a couple years ago, so it was amazing to actually be standing near/on top of them.

Neolithic tower

Myself by the Neolithic tower, with the sun setting behind the Judaen mountains.

More ruins at Tel Es-Sultan

More ruins at Tel Es-Sultan

The Jericho cable cars soaring over the ruins at Tel Es-Sultan, up to the monastery.

Me in front of the city gates of Tel Es-Sultan

We had two more short stops left on the tour: the Sycamore Tree and a view of the Greek monastery.  The Sycamore Tree is only 1,000 years old, but it is supposedly very near the site the original Sycamore tree once stood that Zacchaeus climbed in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus passing through Jericho. It stands on property owned by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Sycamore tree.

The Greek monastery is called the Monastery of the Temptation. It is build above the cave tradition holds that Jesus spend his 40 days and 40 nights of meditation and fasting during the temptation of Satan. The modern monastery was just built last century, but the first one built on the site was built by the Byzantines around the 6th century (around the same time the now-standing Church of the Nativity was built).

Monastery of the Temptation

Me in front of the Monastery of the Temptation.

We got back to Jerusalem after sunset, after Havdala, and the city was again awake and buzzing with the end of Shabbat. It was New Year's Eve, but that doesn't have a very big meaning in Israel, where most people follow the Jewish calendar.  We wished our Palestinian guides a Happy New Year, and they wished us a Happy New Year as well, but once we were back to the Jewish-dominant areas it was as if the day didn't exist... very strange for an American to experience. I didn't feel like going out to find a party, where it would just be foreigners desperate to also find a party, and I went to bed at a reasonable hour. (The midnight curfew also helped me come to this decision).

I was awoken by very loud bangs, which when in the Middle East is not the ideal sound to be surprised with, but realized it was just kids setting off fireworks in the street. I was surprised by this display of excitement at the New Year with what I'd come to understand about the Israeli attitude towards it, until I realized my hostel, while Jewish and in the Jewish quarter, was right next to the Armenian quarter and not far from the Christian quarter.  There was joyous yelling and loud banging, as well as a massive upwelling of church bells, as the clock struck midnight.  While I was not out on the street experiencing any of it, it was a special energy to experience, and I went back to sleep when it had died down a bit (after about 20 minutes), ready to leave Jerusalem in the morning for my southern adventure.

As always, I do not include all (or even close to all) of my photos here in my blog.  To see all my photos from my post-Birthright travels, see my Flickr album:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtashalocke/sets/72157628990457609/

Post-Birthright Day 5: Shabbat Shalom!

This entry will be relatively short (especially compared to that monster of an entry just before this), so I can throw something in here I completely left out earlier in the week.

Wednesday night (Day 3), after getting back from Hebron, I was playing Apples to Apples with some girls at the Heritage House when I finally got a text from Ariel (my soldier friend from the Birthright trip who lives in Jerusalem) saying he was off work and in the Old City - we had been trying to see each other, but he kept having to work late - and was with another Birthright participant, Ali. We walked around the old city together for a while, explored Ali's super awesome hostel (Austrian Hostel in the Muslim Quarter next to an Armenian church) and enjoyed the view from the roof, then Ariel walked me back to the Heritage House.  It was a great evening, it was so good to see familiar faces (and feel safe walking in unfamiliar territory with a soldier).  Ariel, if you're reading this, I miss you!  Come to America!

So, fast forward through the last monster entry to Friday, Day 5 on my own in the holy land.  I spent the morning in the Arab shuk with Nicole (the girl I had gotten dinner with the night before) and did a little shopping before she left for Tel Aviv.  After an obligatory stop at Holy Bagel, I left the Old City and started walking down Jaffa Street.  Realizing it was too late to get to the Israel Museum (it closed at 2 for Shabbat and it was already late morning), and also realizing that I was leaving Jerusalem that Sunday for my southern adventure and had nothing booked (and staying in an observant Jewish hostel, wouldn't be able to use my computer until Saturday evening), I set off on a search for a coffee place with internet I could use.  I settled on Cafe Hillel, drank some delicious lemonade, and proceeded to use the afternoon to do all things internet-related I would need to get me through the next leg of my adventure.  At 3, I realized I was running out of time to go shopping for Shabbat, and packed up and ran down the street to Mahane Yehuda (the Jewish food market from Day 2).

I had told some other girls staying at the hostel I was picking up some Shabbat fixin's, since we didn't feel like doing the whole, get-set-up-with-local-families thing and just wanted a quiet night in, so I was worried I had let too much time go by.  It turns out, I got to the market just in the nick of time, which is the PERFECT time to go.  The shuk was absolutely nuts! Vendors were practically throwing food at people and barely even taking their money, they were so desperate to make those last-minute sales and get home before Shabbat set in. There were people running, shouting, buying, bumping, bustling, haggling... it was an absolute blast.

Morning walk through the old city - I have a friend named Isaac Kaplan, so this banner caught me by surprise.

Shopping in the shuk, up to the last pre-Shabbat minute!

Awesome building on Jaffa Street.

Jaffa Street, deserted, just before the start of Shabbat. Israel pretty much shuts down for the Shabbas.

The Shabbas candles in the Heritage House.

My simple little Shabbat feast - Challah, cucumbers and tomatoes, labneh, wine, halva, and dried fruit from me; incredible strawberries and more wine from Jazzy and Pauline, miscellaneous other shared items. There is no heat-based cooking allowed on Shabbat, so I had to go the "raw" route .It was a simple, wonderful little ladies' Shabbas, made more special by my own preparation!

Some of the Heritage House girls - this photo is stolen from a different night, from Shira's camera (she's one of our host moms, AKA madrichot, on the far left) - L-R Shira, Jazzy, Melodie, Arielle, and Paula.

It was a very pleasant evening - it was relaxing to be with other less-observant people after three straight weeks of complete inundation (the host moms were all out at their own Shabbat dinner plans, we were actually technically locked in for the evening), getting to know each other, sharing the day's adventures, etc.  I really met some amazing girls at the Heritage House.

I then went to bed early - I had a big day looking at me and wanted to get some good rest.

As always, I do not include all (or even close to all) of my photos here in my blog.  To see all my photos from my post-Birthright travels, see my Flickr album:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtashalocke/sets/72157628990457609/

Post-Birthright Day 4: Walking the Holy Land

The theme for this day was Day of the Mounts - I went to the Temple Mount, Mount of Olives, and Mount Zion, among other things, all on foot.  I saw Islamic sites, Christian sites, Jewish sites... I truly felt I was walking the Holy Land.

A disclaimer before I begin: there are a couple things to know about Jewish law.  One is that according to Jewish law, no Jew is permitted to walk upon the Temple Mount, the most sacred place in Judaism, the location of the First and Second Temples, the latter of which was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD and the last standing remains of which is the wall surrounding the Temple Mount, now known as the Western Wall, Wailing Wall, or Kotel.  This is because the innermost point of the temple, the Holy of Holies, was only to be entered by the High Priest on Yom Kippur, and even though the temple is gone, it is believed that the space still holds its spiritual essence.  Because the temple is now gone, and there's not an exact blueprint telling us exactly where the different parts of the temple were positioned, we have no way of knowing on what ground we tread as we walk on the mostly open space on the Temple Mount, and could inadvertently "enter" that space which was reserved only for the High Priest, only on the holiest day of the year.

Jewish law has no qualms with non-Jews walking upon this space, other than the 2,000-year-old sadness that the Temple no longer stands.  A Christian or Muslim walking across the Temple Mount does not hold the same sacreligious connotations of a Jew walking across the space.

The other thing to know about Jewish law, which I have mentioned before in this blog, is that according to Rabbinical law, Judaism is passed on through the mother and not the father.  Because my father is Jewish, but not my mother, Jewish law does not consider me to be Jewish.

It's a confusing context to be placed into, with how blurry the lines are between faith and race and culture within Judaism, but long story short, it means that according to Jewish law, I am allowed to walk across the Temple Mount.  I write this long explanation for my observant Jewish readers, to preempt any offense I may have caused by posting photos of myself there without explaining this.

With that being said, I can start my entry about my incredible day walking all around the holy city!

My first stop, after getting a bagel, was to ascend the ugly ramp next to the Kotel and enter the Temple Mount.  Presently, the mount is Muslim-controlled, as one of the holiest sites of Islam is situated on that spot: the Dome of the Rock.  Contrary to popular belief, the Dome of the Rock is more of a shrine than a mosque - there is also a mosque on the Temple Mount near the DotR.  What struck me about the Temple Mount was how much empty space there was - a wide open plaza surrounds the DotR, extending to the outer wall of both the Temple Mount and the Old City, looking down on the Kidron Valley.  There are various small structures, either serving functions for Islamic worship or ruins left over from various occupying forces over the last 2,000 years.  Also on the Mount are beautiful walkways lined with trees - it was a very pleasant morning just walking the grounds, until the non-Muslim visiting hours were over and all Western-looking people were asked to leave as prayer groups began dotting the plaza.  I did not dare to attempt entry to the DotR - perhaps I should have asked someone, and I did have a head scarf with me in case it was asked of me to wear it, but I was intimidated by the man standing by the entrance - I assumed, probably correctly, that he was there to prevent entry to non-Muslims.  A shame, as I've never been inside an Islamic place of worship and wanted to experience and learn, but understandable with today's security conditions.

Because it is such an iconic part of the Jerusalem cityscape today, it might interest you to know WHY the Dome of the Rock is so important - it is built on the site that Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad ascended to Heaven and spoke with God and Abraham, and received many of the Islamic laws Muslims abide by today (praying 5 times a day, etc.); it is also built on the "Foundation Stone," bedrock from the hill below the Mount, which Jewish tradition holds was the site of Abraham's almost-sacrifice of Isaac and could possibly be the location of the Holy of Holies (the aforementioned inner part of the temple).

One last tidbit before I give you pictures: The Temple Mount is built on a raised hill many believe to be Mount Moriah, which is where the Talmudic sages theorize the world began.  So, this truly is the very center of the world for the Jewish people - the place of creation, the place the Divine Presence rests, the place every synagogue in the world faces (which is why every synagogue in America faces East, and synagogues in Asia should face West).

Morning prayers at the Kotel, seen from the ramp ascending the Temple Mount.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Dome of the Rock

Raised platform on which the Dome of the Rock stands, and some Islamic structures near the edge of the Temple Mount.

The Mount of Olives can be seen across the Kidron valley through these arches.

Various structures on the Temple Mount, and the shadows from the above-pictured arches.

Myself and the Dome of the Rock.

Some of the lovely gardens on the Temple Mount.

I finally found my way out of the Temple Mount through the only exit that seemed open and found myself in a part of the Muslim Quarter I hadn't seen before - it's incredible how just around the corner of a windy stone street, you can feel like you're in an entirely different world.  There was no Hebrew to be seen, but fortunately there were signs in English directing me back to the Western Wall.  I stopped for a moment to rest and made a little friend:

Small kitten that hung out with me near the Kotel for a while.

I then exited the Old City through the Dung Gate (which, yes, derives its name from its use in ancient Jerusalem), and was greeted by a long line of Bar Mitzvahs, on their way in to perform their ceremonies at the Western Wall.  There was singing, dancing, shofars... I've posted a couple video clips for you to see, it was awesome.

Blowing the shofars

In this clip, you can hear the shofars being blown near the end, just before they disassemble to go through security.

In this [longer] clip, you can see the ceremonies lined up, one after the other, on their way into the Kotel - you can skip about 1:00 in of you don't want to wait for them to get closer. This clip gives a much better view of the surroundings.

It was so much fun - I felt like dancing along, and wished I knew the words to the songs!

My next Mount of the day was the Mount of Olives, the hill behind the old city of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley.  I'm just naming things as much as possible, for anyone familiar with the Bible or other religious texts... it's still surreal to me that these are real, physical places, and that I WALKED to/through/across/between them.

If I do bullet points, I may be able to shorten this already epically long entry.  Here are some things to know about the Mount of Olives:
1. It has been a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years (AKA the time of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs)
2. According to Jewish tradition, when the Messiah comes, the ressurection of the dead will begin here (hence the desire to make it a cemetery)
3. Many prophets and famous rabbis are buried
4. In the Bible, there are many mentions of Jesus crossing the Kidron Valley and ascending the Mount of Olives, either to teach there or while on his way between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
5. It is called the Mount of Olives because, surprise, it used to be covered on olive trees.  The Romans burned them all down.
6. Because Jesus is said to have ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives, the hill is dotted with beautiful churches of all different denominations.

Now with that information out of the way, enjoy some pretty pictures of my hike!

Descending from the Old City - apparently I was following the path Jesus is said to have taken in his walks across the valley and didn't even realize it.  Those big structures there are the tombs of Beit Hazir and Zachariah, the ancient Jewish cemetery can be seen above them, and the hill covered with churches and trees beyond the cemetery.

Closer view of the tombs of Beit Hazir and Zachariah.

Myself behind Yad Avshalom (Tomb of Absalom), named for David's patricidal son (incorrectly attributed - the tomb was built around 1,000 years after Absalom would have lived).

Only a small ways up the Mount of Olives - you can see a little of the Kidron Valley between the Mount of Olives and the old city of Jerusalem.

Dominus Flevit Church, built on the site Jesus wept for the future destruction of the Temple - built by Antonio Barlucci, a famous Italian architect who designed many of the newer religious structures in the holy land in the 1950's.

View of Jerusalem from the top of the Mount of Olives - you can see the entirety of the Temple Mount, where I was earlier that morning, and most of the old city of Jerusalem. Eize nof (what a view)!

Myself, overlooking Jerusalem from the top of the Mount of Olives.

Crusades-era chapel at the top of the Mount of Olives, where it is said Jesus took his last step on Earth before ascending to heaven after his resurrection.

Church of St. Mary Magdalene, inside the Garden of Gethsamene.

Church of All Nations at the foot of the Mount of Olives

Inside the courtyard of a church complex on top of Mary's Tomb

The church built on top of Mary's tomb.

I happened to be up at the top of the Mount of Olives when a call to prayer went off, resulting in one of the most incredible sounds I have ever heard.  From that vantage point, I could hear every mosque in Jerusalem sounding out the call, and they all mixed together in the most beautiful, eery sound I have ever heard in my life.  It was impossible to capture in a recording, but this video clip was my best attempt:

Listening to the call to prayer, overlooking Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

I then proceeded to walk along the floor of the Kidron valley around Mount Moriah to the City of David. The City of David is an archaeological site with excavations dating back thousands of years, up through biblical times, and up through the first millennium.  There is an entrance fee, but since I hiked in through the "back" (up a kabillion stairs through the Palestinian village on the side of the ridge), I accidentally snuck in and didn't have to pay.  I was just desperate to be done going up stairs, I had no idea I was sneaking into the archaeological park until there were suddenly ruins in front of me.

View from (only) partway up the ridge to the City of David - you can see the path on the valley floor by which I walked around Jerusalem - around the corner to the left is the Temple Mount, and you can see the back of the Mount of Olives in this picture.  The Arab village on the right is built atop more ancient Judaen tombs.

Ruins in the City of David possibly belonging to King David's palace.

After meandering through the ruins in the City of David, I continued along my path around the outer edge of Jerusalem until I got to Mount Zion.  The actual location of the Biblical Mount Zion is disputed, but today it refers to a hill attached to but just outside of the Old City of Jerusalem (that attachment being at Zion Gate, the entrance to the Old City I could not find to save my live a couple days before, and had actually passed through the sites on Mount Zion inadvertently on that day in my attempt to find that gate).

On Mount Zion is the precursor museum to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum we visited while on Birthright), Oscar Schindler's grave, King David's Tomb, the room of the Last Supper, and the Church of the Dormition.  I didn't stop at the holocaust museum, nor did I know to look for Schindler's grave, but I visited the other sites and they were quite beautiful.

Entrance to King David's Tomb (probably not the real location, it's hard to keep track of these things over the course of millennia). 

Prayer candles outside King David's tomb.

The sound of the men praying behind the divide next to me was so haunting, I had to capture it and share it with you.  In the frame is the cenotaph for King David's Tomb, which would theoretically be somewhere beneath it.

The Cenacle, the room where the Last Supper supposedly took place.  The building has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, hence the Gothic architecture in a room supposedly at least 2,000 years old.  That's me sitting there in early-second-millenia architecture (sometime between 1100-1300).

View from the roof of the Cenacle, where I took an hour-long nap.

Church of the Dormition - built on the site where Mary died.

Interior of the Church of the Dormition - unfortunately it is impossible to capture the incredible scent of pine and several different incense fragrances, but it was almost overpowering.

The crypt of the Church of the Dormition.

I returned to the Heritage House when it re-opened for the evening, met a new girl named Nicole, and went with her to check out the Arab markets.  Unfortunately they were all closed up - I didn't realize they shut down so early - so we went on a dinner-finding mission.  We settled on a restaurant, which was more than I was used to spending, but it was a great change from my bagel/falafel routine - and even though Chanukkah was over, I got my first taste of latkes in the holy land!

My first Israeli latkes.

I cannot believe how much I wound up writing for this entry... even more, I cannot believe how much I saw and tried to take in and process in a single day.  It was incredible, and my feet are STILL recovering from the damage (I am writing this in late February).  I hope you get a chance to read it all, I think what I saw and did was pretty fascinating.  If you did read the entire thing, congratulations! You get a gold star! And you will all be rewarded next time with a MUCH shorter entry.

As always, I do not include all (or even close to all) of my photos here in my blog.  To see all my photos from my post-Birthright travels, see my Flickr album:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtashalocke/sets/72157628990457609/