During Chol ha moed Sukkot, most everyone has off, and travels around making tea over a kerosene burner everywhere they go! We, and another family, were so lucky to be invited on a tiyul with camp friends, Menash and his great family! I was a camper when the dynamic Israeli duo Menash and Berko were on the mishlachat. Loren got to work with them! 
These guys could build anything, do anything and burn anything...they were the camp's Israeli MacGyvers!
This is Menash and his cutie-patootie, Merav! We drove into the Judean desert to this beautiful valley near a spring. Here, at Nachal Prat, we joined many other families in hiking, swimming in the pools, and wading through the stream. 
Ariella and Menash brought all kinds of treats for us to enjoy--borekas, cookies, cracker, fruit and cakes. Menash made tea from fresh mint leaves and we sat under a beautiful canopy of trees! 
The kids especially loved jumping in a pool filled with spring water. There were fish in there too, but Elan and Mira were unsuccessful in catching any with my bandana and a stick. Don't worry, I'm not setting them free in the wild anytime soon. How much more exposure to Israel do they need before their survival mode kicks in?
Loren took the kids on a short hike into the hills. There was another pool of water to jump in, as well as lots of beautiful flowers. Loren was in charge of the camera. I had some serious work to do. Those trees weren't going to be stared at by themselves. I stayed by the stuff and felt relaxed! This was old-school day off from camp (the mother ship, not Darom) action.
After changing and redistributing the kids in the various cars (friends must ride with friends...it's the law), we drove to the settlement were Berko, his very kind wife, and EIGHT kids live! They made a great meal for us in their sukkah, and everyone fought over holding their youngest baby, Ranana. I'm not ashamed to admit that my competitive instincts won out, and I took down Mira for another chance to hold her. Hey, that baby was cute!
We caught up with everyone about the current state of lives. The kids tried this syrup called Petel, in their water. It represents itself as healthy the way Trix is a healthy part of a nutritious breakfast. Fortunately, it was not a big hit. I'm willing to buy the kids a lot of junk food to insure a happy, if not healthy, year, but this would have caused me to question my values as a human being, mother and nutrition devotee. We don't question this family's ethics or standards, and we consider them to be wonderful and productive members of society.
My kids just wish they learned about junk food they actually liked. Better luck next time!
The icing on the cake was getting to have another meal with Menash and Ariella on Simchat Torah, the very next night! We went to shul at Shirah Chadasha, where there was a ton of singing and dancing! Then, we walked to their apartment, and enjoyed a fantastic dinner with an impressive display of desserts. Let's start with the fact that they brought out three of them: Crembo's, ice cream cones (six flavors), and maple cake...and of course, more tea! This was junk food the kids could get behind! While the kids played, we sat at their table and laughed and sang until midnight. How is a Jewish person supposed to get enough sleep on yom tov and shabbat?! Shul starts at 8am, sometimes 8:30!
It was worth feeling exhausted!
