This is the little compact that I rented in Israel, June and July 2014. This gave me the freedom to get to my photographic destinations, and to go get my gluten free products and fresh fruit in Binyamina. It handled well, did not disappoint.

The roads were good, the Israeli signage was good, with enough English that I only got really lost once. That once was not exactly healthy, because I turned wrong, drove, and was somehow well into the Shomron, the part which was not Israeli. A helpful fellow at a gas station patiently communicated in Arabic ( I know zero) and road map, that I missed a critical exit on the highway, way back then, and off I went, and it was good.

My butterfly-mobile is parked here at the head of that really wonderful trail, not far from the peak of Mt. Meron. Traffic on that road is light, but constant, what with the military post at the mountain’s top.

Butterflies were flying in the foreground of this image, and that was a welcome committee that I relished, each of the 5 mornings and afternoons that I ‘worked’ this mountain-side.

While I was there in Israel, that June ’14, rockets began firing from Gaza. One time we had to go into their “safe room.” The kid from the streets of Brooklyn, now way grown-up, had to go into Rachel’s safe room with his 3-day old grandson. Can you imagine how that upset me? The haters, and anti-Semites and fascists are still at it, folks. Fortunately, almost all Israeli men and many, many women have served, and fought. Moshe, for example has fought in 3 wars. Three. Israelis have a real calm about their status. They have been there, and sadly, done that.

Israel sits at the juncture of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. A good place to photograph butterflies.

Jeff