Lamb Chops at sea!

On the kibbutz, right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, there is an old fishing boat. I call it the pirate ship, even though it's highly doubtful that pirates ever existed on the Sea of Galilee. But whatever. The other day, I took the Lamb Chops out to play Ship.

Though it's difficult to see, all of the Lamb Chops are in this picture!

As soon as we got on the ship, Mommy LC ran out and planted herself up on the bow. No matter how hard I tried to persuade her, she wouldn't come down the whole time we were out there. Oh well. I guess she's our figurehead!

Football LC naturally took on the role of captain, especially since it meant she got the costume.
You there! Scrub the poop deck!

HAHAHAHAHAHA! POOP DECK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Captain Football LC is not amused and glares from her perch at Original LC.

You dare laugh at Captain Football Lamb Chop, you scrub the poop deck!

Grumble grumble. Original LC thought the poop deck was much funnier when she didn't have to scrub it. She plots mutiny as she works!

Meanwhile, Christmas LC and Baby LC play on the boat and enjoy the breeze, which was very strong that day.

And where's Young and Agile LC? She found herself a little cubby where she could sit and look out at the sea and avoid the orders of the scurvy Captain Football Lamb Chop.

So, all of the Lamb Chops enjoyed their field trip out of the room. Their time here is almost up!

Lamb Chop on the dig

Last Friday, on my day off (since we're in Israel, the weekend is Friday and Saturday. Shabbat.), I hiked all the way up the mountain to explore the dig site. You know, because hiking partway up the mountain every morning at 5 AM and digging for seven hours for the previous five days wasn't enough. We left early in the morning to beat the heat, however much that is possible in Israel. Because my roommates were all still asleep, I got dressed and grabbed my backpack in the dark.

The beautiful view of the Golan on the hike up.

I really shouldn't have been surprised, being that the Lamb Chops have been stowaways before, but I didn't really think any of them would want to leave the nice air conditioned room and see the dusty dig site. However, once I got to the site at the top of the hill, I heard some coughing from inside my backpack. So, I opened it up.

Gasp! There's no air in that backpack!
Oh, Baby LC! I told you to stay in the room! Do you know how dirty you could get up here? I'll have to give you a bath! And...

Awwwwwwww...alright, it's okay, Baby LC. You must really want to see what digging is like, huh? I'll show you around, how does that sound? We'll be careful not to get too dirty.

Here is Lamb Chop outside of the excavated church area. We are currently digging behind the apse (the semicircle at the front of the church). Smile!

Yes, Lamb Chop. It's very hot up here. Do you want to use a hat for some shade?

Hmm. Maybe not.

Wheeee! Lamb Chop gets a ride in the sifter, which we use to search for treasure around floor level.

You see this square, Lamb Chop? I dug it out in the first two weeks with my bare hands. And some tools.

At the door to the excavated room. Knock knock! Who's there? Lamb Chop! Lamb Chop who? Lamb Chop, your friend!
That's not...awwwwwwww. Oh well. It's cute.

Lamb Chop looks at the hole where we found a complete pottery jar, three glass bottles, a bronze decanter, a ring, a scarab, and a carved dancing figure.
Lamb Chop, look! There's another treasure here in this corner!
...
You!
Awwwwwww. I love you too.

Lambchop looks at the square I am working on in the last two weeks of the dig. She is baffled by the strange pipe and fixture in the corner! What did I find? It's a mystery!

Look what we dug up!
But you know what we do with buckets, right Lamb Chop?
Empty them off over the cliff!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Oh, Lamb Chop, it's okay, I was just kidding. I wasn't going to...awwwww. I'm sorry. Here, let's get you out of the bucket and...

...Awwwwwwwwwww. I'll hold you and not let go, okay?

Lamb Chop had to go to the bathroom, so I brought her to it.
What's that? Where? That's it.
...You know, through the thorns and rocks and by the wall. Be careful, though, because there can be snakes, scorpions, and bugs hiding in the rocks.
What? You don't want to go anymore?
Oh. You don't need to go anymore.
It's okay, Lamb Chop. I'll change you when we get back.

We went back to the site, where Lamb Chop crawled into this cistern head tipped on its side and fell asleep. She needed a cozy spot to rest after such a thrilling day!
Sleep tight, Lamb Chop. I'll be sure not to wake you on the hike down the mountain.

Lamb Chop tours the kibbutz

The other day, I fulfilled my promise to Young and Agile LC, and I took her around the kibbutz to show her some sights. I was going to put these up yesterday, but I made the unfortunate error of going on a site tour with the other dig group. We were going to go to this really cool site, which we did end up seeing, but it was like, "Before we go to the cool site, let's spend 5 hours doing things to sap the energy and enthusiasm out of you!" This included watching a totally bogus video about the Golan Heights while being sprayed with water and blasted by turbo fans (as effects to make you feel the video more), a combination history map/light show of the Golan, and a dinner of a cucumber and tomato sandwich on white bread and about six plums. It was a mistake.

But now, I am free! I'm glad to show you the fun Lamb Chop and I had, and it includes a special video debut!

GAH. Never mind about the video. It's taking like five hours to upload, and I mean that literally. If things ever start working, I'll put it up, because it's a great video.

Sitting outside the kibbutz guest house. Lamb Chop free!

We're walking down the sidewalk to the Sea of Galilee. At this point, Dr. Schuler saw me, and I had to explain to him what I was doing, which was a little weird considering he is my next-door neighbor and professor.

The wonderful Sea of Galilee at sunset. Lamb Chop ponders. How many roads must a lamb walk down before you call her a lamb?

Bye-bye, sun! See you in the morning, bright and early!

We walked along the seashore. Lamb Chop wanted to stop and play with the rocks, so I let her. She made a castle.

Some kibbutz art, or what I assume to be art. Lamb Chop rests her chin on her hand for a moment, then suggests the existence of cultural barriers that prevent us from fully appreciating the potential depth and meaning of this sculpture. I concur wholeheartedly.

Waaah! The barbed wire fence door to the pomegranate trees is open! Scary!

The hill of Hippos-Sussita, looming over the kibbutz at twilight. Say Lamb Chop, wouldn't it be great it they made a movie about Hippos being a dormant volcano that suddenly becomes active again and destroys a whole town? Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton could co-star, and there could be a great side story about an old lady who refuses to leave her home and would rather jump in an acid lake than save her grandkids! What's that? You say that sound like a terrible movie? Why yes, it was.
On a side note, the city we're excavating on Hippos was destroyed by an earthquake in 748. Now THAT could be the makings of a blockbuster!
And to the right: more barbed wire. Someone really doesn't want their bananas stolen! I mean, would you??

I told Lamb Chop that the other day, I saw a goat behind this fence, and it came up and had a stare-off with me for like five minutes. She waited, but the goat didn't show up.

BUT THEN...he did.

This is the moment when there wasn't a stare-off.
Goats are funny because they sound either crazy or forlorn. If they make a sound like "BEHEHEHEHEHEH!" then they sound crazy. If they make the other sound, like "BEHeheheheheheh." then they sound forlorn. These are the things you would have heard if that dumb video worked.

More kibbutz wildlife, also known as cats. This was a quick fella, and I almost didn't get a picture of him!

Smile, Lamb Chop! We're outside the dining hall, where we enjoy dinners of cereal and cucumbers!

See, you're not missing too much by staying inside!
...
Just kidding. It's awesome.

Lamb Chops express themselves creatively

Well, it's finally the weekend! I don't have to hike up the mountain and dig for 7 hours for another two days. This past week, I let the Lamb Chops use my crayons and sketch book to pass the time. Let's see what they came up with!

Ah. Well, you can guess who drew this one. Also of note: Football Lamb Chop is the only one of the family who draws with her right hand. Who knew?

Here's a piece from Original LC. In her words: "There was a rainbow and the tornadoes came and blew it away."

Oh, now isn't that sweet? Just the thing you would expect from Baby LC.

Says Christmas LC: "We're all happy because we're all together and smiling."
Which brings up the question: Do you smile because you are happy, or are you happy because you smile? Let's return to Intro to Psych and ponder this question for a moment.

Hmm. Well, whereas Christmas LC's picture brought up hidden psychological inquiries, Mommy LC's picture is painfully transparent. You don't have to guess the meaning of this.
Muffins. In case you missed it.

And here is...oh. This...um. Poem.
Here Young and Agile LC, I'm going to give you a hug. You don't need to feel alone. And I know you probably feel ignored by Football LC right now--I'll have a word with her about Mr. Peanut. I'll take you outside sometime, just the two of us, ok?
But hey, in the meantime, you don't need to be in a white prison. I picked up a new clean pink sheet from the laundry pile!

So, I think I will take Young and Agile LC for a tour around the kibbutz very soon.

Lamb Chop tours the kibbutz guest house

Alright friends, I promised to take you on a tour of the kibbutz guest house where I am staying for this month while I'm digging in Israel. I took Mommy Lamb Chop on the tour so she could see everything--she hasn't been out of my room yet.

Here is the outside of the guest house. If you walk down the sidewalk, you reach the Sea of Galilee.

Mommy Lamb Chop, you need to be in the picture more. Come on.

You're still not in...eh. Whatevs. Not pictured: the girl who was walking down the sidewalk and staring at me as I took the picture.

Opening the door to the house. Not pictured #2: The Australian man who was about to go out the door as soon as I opened it to take the picture.

Christine: (opens door, sees him) Oh...you can go through. I'm just...using the door. Haha.
Him: (looks at me weird and goes outside)
Christine: (walks in the door and tries to hold it open while he pulls it shut behind him. waits inside for a few seconds to wait for him to go away. opens door and sees him still out there. takes picture quickly with apologetic look.)

We're inside the guest house and looking to the right, where my room is.

See, Mommy Lamb Chop? It's the door around the corner! And you can see my level-taking stick leaning against the wall there.

You know this place! It's where you and the rest of the Lamb Chops spend all your time, and it's where I leave all my junk all over the place. Hey, what are you Lamb Chops doing piled up in the corner there? You sillies.

Had we gone left upon entering the house, we would have been in the kitchen. Mommy LC became fixated on this package of cake. She said she wanted some of the muffins. I told her that it was cake and that it wasn't ours, so I dragged her away to see the bathrooms.

Do you ever get annoyed that so much water is wasted every time you flush the toilet? Well, here in Israel, there is a solution. When you flush the toilet, you push down the lever and then pull it back up again to stop the toilet flushing when you want. Try it out, Lamb Chop!

Wow! Lamb Chop impressed! Eco-friendly!

Lamb Chop meets a new friend. She said her friend's name was Muffins.
Sigh. We're not going to hear the end of this, I can tell.