Oseh Shalom

The title song today is Oseh Shalom, Make Peace. Jeff and I volunteered to help run a service at Parris Island yesterday. Our Temple sends a team up each Sunday morning to perform this important deed for any Jewish marines or recruits who choose to attend. In the camp's ministries' building there are chapels for many denominations and all hold services at the same time. We spent a meaningful hour with two young men and our team leader Ken Rosenberg. Jeff and I will return next week and train another vounteer to lead the service.

It is our small way to say thank you to all the men and women who serve our country and we wish them all well and a safe return.

You Are my Sunshine

Here I am on another kayak trip with a group of friends. This week we paddled on the May River and had a gorgeous weather day. No dolphins, but we saw some interesting birds and beautiful homes on the islands we passed. It is all part of an exciting weekend culminating in a dinner dance to honor our friends Sue and Bob Wiener for their love and service to Temple Oseh Shalom. They organized a lunch and this kayak trip yesterday and tonight is the dinner dance.

The weather here has been balmy and sunny and is such a pleasure for November. Flowers are still blooming and the grass is green. We love our life in the south.

Macarena

Here we are at the Testimonial dinner for our retiring rabbi - Rav Bob Wiener. What a great night with good friends, food and music. We all danced the hora, electric slide, macarena and more.

YMCA

Jeff and I ran a program for our Bull Hill neighborhood called "Color Wars" just like in camp. The food committee had box lunches and the day ended with make your own sundaes. In between Jeff and I organized games like a marshmallow toss and had the guys put lipstick on each other while blindfolded. We had a trivia contest about Sun City and South Carolina and a mini scavenger hunt. It was lots of fun. Each person picked a colored bandana, that became the teams and they competed for medals, trophies and just to be silly and have fun.

In the top photo Jeff and our friend Laura Marks eat their lunch. Then the blue team performs their cheer. I am enjoying my three scoop sundae and Jeff sits at the judges table while they tally the scores.

A great time was had by all.

Smile

More critters in our back yard. Top is a large alligator who showed up last weekend. Then a blue heron who appears to be smiling and laughing. A group shot including a great white egret, juvenile ibis, wood stork and another egret. The bottom picture is a close up of a great white egret and the wood stork.

Suppertime

Our back yard has turned into an animal sanctuary. Although the lagoon is full of algae islands, the birds are coming and we just love watching them. This a great white egret and there have been up to nine of them along the lagoon all week. This lucky gal/guy caught a small garter snake in the last photo and enjoyed playing before eating it. I'll post some more photos with other wildlife in our yard.

Norwegian Wood

This is the end of our kayak trip. The same dead tree now has ibis on every branch. They are waiting for the tide to go out so they can look for dinner as there are oyster beds under the water. It is not Norwegian Wood, but that is such a great song.

When You Wish Upon A Star

Today I finally went kayaking and couldn't have wished for a more terrific day. My friend Carol Rosenberg (third photo) and I joined a small group led by Sue Chapman of the Swamp Girls and we paddled out by the Pinckney Wildlife Preserve. Right away we saw a group of dolphins leaping out of the water and joyfully playing. Next we came upon this dead tree with an osprey on the top and a great white egret sitting on a lower branch. We continued on and saw flocks of ibis flying over the fresh water ponds in the preserve. It was a lovely, sunny day and the water was smooth and I had a great time.