deep breath

I'm writin' to y'all on the fly tonight - just wanted to pop by before I wind down for bed. :)

It's the Thursday night before the only long weekend here in Ashkelon. We worked until 1 pm (according to our normal schedule) this afternoon, but did not have to scrub pottery at the compound from 4-6. AND, tomorrow we have a field trip to the Dead Sea/Masada/Qumran...so fun times are ahead! AND some of my friends and I have rented a car for the weekend that we'll take North from the Dead Sea into Galilee for the weekend. (!!!) :D

With our free time and our new ride that we picked up from Avis in Ashdod, we explored Lachish - the site of a major siege and epic destruction back around Hezekiah's time. Sennacarib (I think I spelled that right?), an Assyrian king, traveled south to capture all of Judah (he nearly succeeded), and laid siege at Lachish for over a year while he built HUGE siege engines and ramps. Can you imagine what those ancient people living in that city must have felt to be so constantly acquainted with the feeling of inescapable, imminent doom? I might've expected the grounds to feel eerie, but instead the landscape (which sported an EXCELLENT view of the Shephelah and Judean Hill Country) felt at peace. Actually, it felt as if it was waiting for something, almost as if the very stones I was treading upon were dreaming in the middle of a deep sleep. In the words of Cisneros, the land felt "full of a deep breath."

Anywho, I digress.

Post-Lachish we romped for a bit around Bet Guvrin, a tel that sports famous caves. However, we weren't able to romp properly because the park was generally closed, and there was not much to see.

Okay, talk to you soon! Can you tell I'm trying to be much more proactive about this blog? I am! I hope you all have a great couple of days until we meet again.

Peace :)