Friday morning we packed up and got ready to leave Tel Aviv. Shira had called to say that Peleg was sick and she was bringing him home. Shira’s mother was on her way to tend to Peleg while Shira drove back to where Gadi and Eitan were to pick them up and bring them home. That seemed like a lot of running around for Shira, but she didn’t seem to mind. Poor little Peleg apparently has an ear infection and maybe a virus. I hope he didn’t get anything from me. After Christine, Carol was next to get my cold. The 3 of us sound like escapees from a tuberculous colony with our hacking coughs.
Carol wanted to show us some more of Tel Aviv, the northern end, but a bicycle race caused traffic jams because streets were closed for the race. North Tel Aviv is a very nice residential area and apparently a happening place for young people with restaurants, bars and nightlife. Carol’s daughter Sivan lives in this area.
After fighting traffic, we decided to just head home. On the way back, we stopped at a rest area that actually was somewhat of a mall. We wandered around a bit, had coffee and then ice cream. Nice rest stop!
Back at the kibbutz, we rested for the afternoon and then went to a pool party and barbecue at the pool hosted by Dana, Eron’s wife. It was to celebrate October birthdays. A lot of Dana’s family were there in addition to her in-laws family. It was a nice event with good food. Christine and I played table tennis.
Dana, who is very good with children, got sparkler-type things for the kids. They had a great time waving around the colorful sparklers.
Saturday we stayed home. In the morning Carol, Eron and Moran walked Christine and me up to another mosaic on the kibbutz. It was a lovely morning for a walk and we went up a dirt road uphill. We had some amazing views out across the Jezreel Valley.
The mosaic we saw was actually a reproduction. I guess the original was taken away for safekeeping. But it has a place of pride for the kibbutz. The area is a picnic spot and Eron told us some stories about activities held there.
Carol caught Christine and me walking back down from the mosaic sight.
After lunch in the dining hall, David and Carol took us to the kibbutz’s little museum. It was a lovely historical exhibit of the history of the kibbutz and the importance of Tama. I was really impressed by all the photographs and the presentation of important events in kibbutz life.
There was a 5 minute video of the history of Tama, starting in 1950 making plastic dishes and storage containers. Carol has a drawer full of the original Tama Tupperware-type containers that she uses every day. Then Tama started with the twine and netting and things really took off. Tama is a worldwide company and their netfilm product is a huge success.
I really enjoy listening to David talking about the kibbutz and Tama. He was born on the kibbutz and has lived here nearly his whole life. You can tell how proud he is of the kibbutz and the work he has done both on the kibbutz and at Tama.
We’ve certainly enjoyed touring around Israel, but being at home with David and Carol has been really special. For one thing, you never know who will walk through the door, a kid or grandkid, and who will be sleeping over. Carol and David are wonderful grandparents and clearly the grandkids love being here. Hopefully, Christine and I will be adopted into the Gilad family. It’s a wonderful family to be part of.
good for you