Looking back to BONNAROO 2018: When it is 100 degrees outside and the humidity makes you feel as if you just stepped out of a hot tub, the last thing I would want to think about is fire. But, this man patiently showed others how he makes blown glass bowls and more on the grounds of Bonnaroo daily.
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
BONNAROO 2018: Ahhh, the family concert... the family who see's Eminem together at midnight sticks together.
BONNAROO 2018: She showed vigorous support for America with not only her outfit, but also her blanket as she sat in the midst of thousands of people walking from concert to concert.
Some may disagree as they were taught not to wear or sit on the flag. Others may high five her, which is the Bonnaroo way.
"How do I look," she asked. The shutter shut, "Great," I quietly responded as she handed me her cellphone. "Would you take my picture with my phone," she asked.
Another shutter click and I disappeared into the crowd where I next came across a large shirtless man that had a "Lost Soul" tattoo across his stomach. He was carrying a unicorn... I will get to that photo later.
BONNAROO 2018: Never get between a large tattooed man and his unicorn. Never.
“Dreams are the playground of unicorns.”
Be who you want and dress as you like.
“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.”
Tile by tile he was carefully uncovering history from well over 1,000 years in Israel.
Have you ever been somewhere that just made you feel as if you were standing somewhere great or amazing in some way?
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is said to be one of two of the holiest sites in Christianity. The church, referred to sometimes as the Church of the Resurrection, sits on the site of where Jesus was crucified.
The location of the church that dates back to the second century AD, you will find five representations of the final passage of Jesus. However, after the crucifixion the building did not start out as a church. It started out as a temple dedicated to the goddess Venus built by a Roman Emperor named Publius Aelius Hadrian.
The Roman Emperor built the temple dedicated to Venus to cover up the cave in which Jesus had been placed in and later arose from. It wasn’t until year 325 that Constantine the Great ordered a church be built in place of the ungodly temple. The church construction was finished in year 335.
The mid afternoon slack, but if someone steps inside... it's on!
He has your favorite Popsicle, tourist books and maps of Jerusalem in multiple languages. Soda galore and even free wifi to entice the customers to enter. A small sitting area inside has your traditional plastic chairs that fold under American weight and more.
During the slower times of the day the sales speech increases while the customer base decreases. In America, that is opposite as part time teens use the slower portions of the day to SnapChat, post Instagram selfies and more. Part time in Jerusalem? Ha... What's that?
Step right in and I guarantee you will be sold something. If not, you will be block in for conversation about marketplace, the Old City and the age of the structures. But, if you just make that one purchase of a drink or a map, you will be out the door a little quicker.
But when it is busy... It is busy. Basiclly, it's GO TIME!
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”
Life.
Sometimes you see people in life who you somehow know, they have a better understanding on the world around you. They know the what's and the why's - but, you don't know why?
You can tell by the face, the way some hold in their statements to let you talk. You can tell by the way anger rolls away not even touching them.
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing that solutions don’t come from individuals, but rather experiences.”
He was sitting on the roadside in Jerusalem with a small cart of goods for sale. If someone passed him by he refused to let it get to him as he smiled and told passerby's to have a great day in English and at times Hebrew depending on who was present.
“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”
“Rest and motion, unrelieved and unchecked, are equally destructive.”
It has been a long day at the store... in the Jerusalem marketplace area of Israel. May 2018.
High atop a mountain sits a monastery with a statute of Prophet Elijah in Israel. He was said to be a miracle worker who lived in northern Israel during the time of King Ahab in 9th Century BC. He defended the worship of the Jewish God over Baal.
The man pictured was selling prayer beads as you enter and exit the area.
Tel Aviv, Israel is the second largest city in Israel, just behind Jerusalem at number one. The city and its immediate neighbors are a mixture of massive and modern along with old and rustic.
Tel Aviv has a population of 438,818 residents. It even has its own Silicon Valley known as Silicon Wadi, which is another name for Gush Dan. The so called valley area is filled with high tech companies, much like the Silicon Valley in California.
It is known as the “Party Capital” of the Middle East with a lively nightly that includes 2.5 million visitors annually, a 30,000 student university,
Prostitution is fully legal in Tel Aviv in the form of brothels. However, to so called act of “Pimping” is illegal. Human trafficking is a big problem for the area, but little is being done to solve the issue. Organized crime is reportedly behind much of the legal and illegal forms of prostitution in Israel, according to a past HAARETZ news article.
While driving into ultra-Orthodox Jewish areas on the Sabbath in Jerusalem are discouraged by the officials due to past cases where cars have been stoned as they pass through, it is not an issue in Tel Aviv. Nor is the need to dress modestly.
The legal age to buy alcohol in Israel is only 18 and there are no set closing times for bars. As for the cost of a stiff drink, expect to pay an added tax of 25%.
OUT Media has called Tel Aviv the “most gay-friendly city” in the Middle East. Other cities throughout Israel are not as open with such activity, even though laws regarding homosexuals were removed from the books in the 1980s.
While it may appear to be a bridge, it is actually an ancient Roman aqueduct along the Mediterranean coast in Caesarea, Israel. The structure goes for miles and miles ending in the city that was founded by King Herod of Judea in 10 BCE. The letters BCE stand for “Before Common Era where “BC” simply stands for Before Christ.
The Romans were amazing architects as they built not only the aqueducts, but also an artificial harbor digging out the shallow sand near the short to allow for wooden cargo ships to pull closer to land.
In year 6 “Common Era,”” Caesarea was declared to be the seat of the Roman government and the political capital of Judea.
As for the pictured aqueduct, it was one of three that delivered fresh water from different areas of Israel to Caesarea, a city of about 50,000 residents at the time. The aqueducts went to various springs up to 8.5 miles away.
They were digging for treasures in a trash bin on a side street in Jerusalem.
I have heard many times over, “One mans trash is another mans treasure.” In this case, One mans trash is a boys treasure.
“We sleep, but the loom of life never stops and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up tomorrow.”
Rest after a busy day in the market is important, even if the day is not yet complete.
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre you see visitor after visitor make their way through the crowds to bend down and kiss or place their face against the sacred anointing stone. The church is said to be one of two holiest sites in Christianity. The church, referred to sometimes as the Church of the Resurrection, sits on the site of where Jesus was crucified.
Within the walls of the church that dates back to the second century AD, you will find five representations of the final passage of Jesus. However, after the crucifixion the building did not start out as a church. It started out as a temple dedicated to the goddess Venus built by a Roman Emperor named Publius Aelius Hadrian.
The Roman Emperor built the temple dedicated to Venus to cover up the cave in which Jesus had been placed in and later arose from. It wasn’t until year 325 that Christian emperor, Constantine the Great, ordered a church be built in place of the ungodly temple. The church construction was finished in year 335.
The Stone of Anointing is where Jesus’ body was laid to rest. It is one of the first items you will come to as you enter the church from an outside courtyard. Some have questioned the stone saying that it was placed in the church during an 1810 reconstruction.
Inside the church is a stairway that is regarded as the site of where the crucifixion actually took place. Also inside the church walls is The Altar of the Crucifixion.
In the marketplace of Jerusalem you will find vendor after vendor selling everything from foods to fabrics. You will also find a maze of walkways.
The stairs and alleys throughout the area are second nature to local residents who don’t have any problem finding their way through the maze of crowds and paths. Children who walk home from school each day are equally knowledgeable to their common route.
Each afternoon it is likely that you will see hundreds of children running through the streets excited to head home after a day of schooling. The kids will sometimes stop for a cold Popsicle, a Coca-Cola or piece of candy on their walk home. Other times, they simply skip down the steps in an attempt to get home at the same time as their friends.
He was selling head scarfs and he was posing for pictures after each sell with each buyer on the streets of Jerusalem.
His competitors sit inside stores as opposed to cold calling customers on the streets.
“The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time.”
