fjtours

Be careful where you park

2011-09-04T16:21:00.000-04:00

Drew, here is a photo of the beautiful Lexus I told you about on the phone. The owner is one of the owners of the hotel where I am staying in Tiberias. It is the Ron Beach Hotel and is located on the shore of the lake.

When I saw the little sign in front of the car I took another look.

I wouldn't want Grandmother to park her Lincoln there. Would you?

Hope you will have a nice holiday from school tomorrow.

Love,
Granddad

Taking Drew to the Airport

2011-08-23T18:24:00.000-04:00

Drew enjoys going to the small business/leisure airport near our home. I have taken Drew to the airport a couple of times. The cockpit of a small, four-place, airplane is set up in the lobby. Drew enjoys getting in the cockpit. Here he is telling me to close the door and sit down. "We are about to take off."

We were waiting in the lobby hoping that an airplane would land or take off. A pilot said, "I am going out to the jet. Would you like to see it?" I asked Drew if he would like to visit the plane. He said, "I would." On the way to the plane the pilot said it was a six million dollar plane. He was waiting for the owners to return from their business in the area to return to their home in Tennessee. My own caption would be something like this: Business Jet, 6 million dollars; grandson, priceless.

He went everywhere from the restroom in the back to the cockpit. I think this photo answers whether he enjoyed the experience.

I had fun, too.

Granddad flying over Israel

2011-05-12T02:25:00.000-04:00

Drew, yesterday I took a three hour flight over parts of Israel. We flew from a small airport (like the one near our house) to Galilee. When I get home I will show you some of the pictures I took. I think you will like them.

This photo shows me beside the plane. I kept thinking, "Drew would like to do this." Would you?

I will be home next week. Looking forward to seeing you.

I hope all of your school work and your baseball games are going well.

Love,

Granddad

A baby camel

2011-05-07T15:11:00.000-04:00

Drew, this morning I saw a baby camel with its mother near Jericho. I thought you would enjoy seeing the picture.

Grandmother got home this afternoon. I know she will be glad to see you and will give you a hug from me. I will be home in about a week.

A brave little girl at the Makhtesh Ramon Crater

2011-01-28T12:56:00.000-05:00

Grandmother and I drove through the Wilderness of Zin. This is a place mentioned in the Bible. The Israelites lived in the wilderness for many years.

We came to a place called Makhtesh (pronounced Mac Tesh) Ramon Crater. It is the largest crater in the world. There were some people getting ready to rappel down the steep cliff. One of them was a little girl. Her friends told us she was almost six years old. I thought about you and wondered if you would like to do this.

The man is getting her ropes ready and explaining to her how to hold on. This was the first time she had gone down this high cliff, but I think she had gone down some smaller cliffs before. Don't you?

Just horseing around

2011-01-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

One of our stops today along the Nile River was the site of Edfu. There is a large ancient temple from the period of the Ptolemies in the second century B.C.

From the cruise boat to the temple we took the local carriages. The carriage parking lot looked like our shopping mall parking lots on the day after Thanksgiving.

We had a great visit, but two of our couples, riding in the same carriage, had a little spill. It resulted in two small skinned places on Joe's left elbow and a skinned place on Doris's left hand. They are all fine. Here is a photo we made about four hours later at Kom Ombo.

Tonight we have already docked at Aswan. Looking forward to some nice visits in the morning.

At a famous Egyptian Temple

2011-01-18T15:39:00.000-05:00

The temple in the background, built against the mountain, belonged to a Queen in Egypt by the name of Hatshepsut (pronounced HAT-shep-suit). She ruled Egypt about 3500 years ago. That was before Granddad was born. :-)

I think you can click on the picture for a larger one. Show this to Mom and Dad. We love you.

Let us hear from you.

Drew at the Pyramids

2011-01-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

Drew, here is the picture I prepared to show you with Grandmother and Granddad at the Pyramids in Egypt. We think about you a lot and look forward to coming home to see you. Tell Mom and Dad "hi" for us.

Please Q Here

2010-09-17T17:51:00.000-04:00

Drew, today we went to a famous old library in Dublin to see a very old book call The Book of Kells.

Here is grandmother waiting in line to go in.


What does it mean to Q Here?

The Irish and British talk about a Queue when they are waiting to go into a building. They say Queue up, and we say wait in line. It means the same thing. So, in this sign Q stands for Queue. Have you ever been in a Q?

We hope to get home tomorrow night. We look forward to seeing you and your Mom and Dad.

We found a McDonald's in Londonderry

2010-09-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

This afternoon Grandmother and I went to a shopping mall near our hotel in Londonderry, North Ireland. When we saw the McDonald's Grandmother said, "Let's split a Quarter Pounder with cheese." We did, and it was good. You would have enjoyed being with us.

Here is a picture I made of Grandmother eating her half of the Quarter Pounder. How much would 1/2 of a 1/4 (Quarter) pounder be? Ask Mom or Dad to help you figure this.

We miss you. Tell Mom and Dad hello for us.

Is this Granddad's store?

2010-09-12T12:46:00.000-04:00

Who is Brown?

I caught a Leprechaun using my computer

2010-09-11T08:18:00.000-04:00

Drew, look who I caught using my computer to look at your picture.


A Singing Leprechaun using my computer.

Click on the picture for a larger image. Would you like me to put him in a cage and bring him to you?

Someday we must go to eat at Long John Silver's and we can have CHIPS. There are several restaurants in Tampa that serve fish and chips. The British and Irish put vinegar on their chips instead of ketchup. I think you like potato chips with vinegar flavor.

Tell Mom and Dad "Hi" for us.

What would you like for lunch?

2010-09-09T13:29:00.000-04:00

Today we ate at a restaurant in Blarney, Ireland. Grandmother and I split a ham and cheese sandwich. I noticed on the board that the restaurant had a Kid's Menu. What would you order? I know you like chicken nuggets, but what are CHIPS?

Chips are not what you may be thinking. In England and Ireland the terms chips is used for what we call french fries. Check chips in your dictionary to see if it mentions that.

There was a local fair in the Blarney Woolen Mill parking lot. Grandmother bought some fudge.

She also found some nice things for you.

Call and leave us a message sometime. We love you. Tell Mom and Dad hi for us. We hope you are having a good week at school.

Love,
Granddad

Leprehauns for Drew

2010-09-08T18:14:00.000-04:00

Grandmother located some LEPRECHAUNS for you at Glendalough (pronounced GLENDA LOCK) in County Wicklow, Ireland. We thought you would like it. So, we bought it for you.

Tonight we are in Waterford, Ireland. We love you. Tell Mom and Dad hi for us.

Your Dad and Uncle Ferrell in Washington, D.C.

2010-09-04T19:57:00.000-04:00

Here is an old picture I made of your Dad and Uncle Ferrell in Washington, D.C., in 1974.

Would you like to go to Washington?

Our Funny Balls

2010-09-04T08:57:00.000-04:00

These are the balls we play with in the pool. When I saw the sun shining through them I decided to make a picture. Then I thought of something funny. When a group of friends get together, there is always an odd ball. Ask Mom or Dad to explain this.

My grandson, the clown

2010-08-22T23:11:00.000-04:00

Drew wanted me to make him look like a clown. The cherry he got with his drink was just the right size.

For Drew: Grandmother at Nebi Samwil

2010-05-19T07:42:00.006-04:00

Drew, this morning Grandmother and I went to a place north of Jerusalem called Nebi Samwil (pronounced NEB-ee SAM-WILL). The word Nebi means prophet. The word Samwil means Samuel. Some Bible scholars think this was a place called Mizpah in the Bible. Samuel, the last judge of Israel, called all of the people of Israel to Mizpah and judged them (1 Samuel 7:5-6).

Samuel also anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel at Mizpah (1 Samuel 10:1).

We are already at the airport to get our flight for Atlanta. We look forward to seeing you soon. Tell Mom and Dad we said "Hi."

Love,
Granddad

Would you like a Banana split?

2010-05-17T13:45:00.005-04:00

Drew, I saw these bananas growing near the Sea of Galilee and thought of you. Have you ever seen bananas on the plant before? We don't see them like that at the grocery store, do we?

These bananas are too green for eating, aren't they? Do you know what the blue bag is for? It is covering a stalk of bananas to keep away bugs and to cause the bananas to ripen sooner.

Grandmother and I will be home soon, Lord willing. We look forward to seeing you.

Look where we ate today

2010-05-14T15:14:00.003-04:00

Drew, today Grandmother and I stopped to get some chicken nuggets, fries, and a chocolate sundae. We thought of you. Would you have enjoyed that menu?

Look at the place we stopped. Can you read the sign? It is in Hebrew. The young lady who took our order spoke Hebrew, but we still got our food.

We are having a great time. Every now and then I say that I hope you can come with us to Israel sometime. Would you like to do that?

Love,
Granddad

Sheep and goats

2010-05-13T03:14:00.003-04:00

We saw many sheep and goats yesterday. The picture shows a shepherd and his flock near the town known as Gath in the Bible. Jesus used illustrations of sheep and goats in Matthew 25. Get your Bible and see if you can read the story.

If you click on the photo it will show large.

We love you. Grandmother and Granddad

Riding a Camel

2010-05-07T16:11:00.004-04:00

Drew, I saw a little boy, younger than you, riding a camel at Petra in Jordan. I thought about you and wondered if you would like to ride a camel.

I hope you are having a good time visiting Disney.

Drew is flying high

2009-12-30T11:58:00.008-05:00

Yesterday we took Drew by the Executive Airport near Temple Terrace, so Grandmother could shop for Drew's Christmas present for next year! In this first photo Drew shows off his Taekwondo moves as a small plane taxis to the runway.

Here Drew tries out the cockpit of a new Cessna. He found I-75 immediately on the navigation system. I think he may make a good pilot.

Click on the photos for a larger image.

Some photos for Drew - Monday, Dec. 14

2009-12-14T14:42:00.004-05:00

Hi Drew,

I saw a lot of things today that I thought you would enjoy. I went to a museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. There were a lot of school children on a field trip. A clown was standing at the door holding a big rag doll. You can see what he was doing with the doll.

Would you want a big rag doll with his leg around your neck?

This picture of Granddad was made at a place mentioned in the Bible. It is called Gezer. I am standing in a gate that dates back to the time of King Solomon of the Bible.

I haven't had an Email from you in a long time.

I love you,
Granddad

A new friend

2009-12-13T14:58:00.004-05:00

Drew --

Today I went to one of the parks in Israel. I met a new friend. Here is a picture of my new friend.
Do you like my new friend? What do you think we should name him? Do you have any new friends?

I will be coming home this week.

I love you,
Granddad

Granddad at Caesarea

2009-12-12T15:44:00.005-05:00

Hi Drew --

Caesarea is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Acts. This is the place I visited today. The apostles Peter and Paul were here. There is a harbor built by a bad king known as Herod the Great. Today the waves were very high. Do you see how high they were splashing? It looks like they are touching the clouds.

One of the stores in the area displayed sculptures. I ask my friend to make my picture with this pinhead guy. I think he looks funny. Don't you?

It was windy and rainy, so I am wearing my jacket to stay warm.

Within another week I will be back home, Lord willing. I look forward to seeing you then.

Love,
Granddad

Pictures for Drew on Wednesday

2009-12-09T15:38:00.007-05:00

Today I visited a beautiful place called En Gedi (pronounced In Ged-i). I saw some animals I thought you would like to see. This is a Rock Badger. This one came really close to me as you can see. The Rock Badger is mentioned in the Bible in Leviticus 11:15.

There are also a lot of Ibex at En Gedi. The name En Gedi means "spring of the wild goat." The Ibex is probably the animal intended.

I hope you will like the photos I send. Be good for Mommie and Daddy.

Pictures for Drew - December 8

2009-12-08T15:33:00.004-05:00

Hi Drew --

Today I went to a place called Arad (pronounced Uh-ROD). This little dog followed our car from the ticket booth all the way to the place we visited. He was really frisky. I thought you would enjoy seeing a picture of him.

We also went to Beersheba. This is a place where Abraham and Isaac lived. The city had an big water system so water could be stored for use by the people. In order to go into the big pools I had to wear a construction hat. It makes me look like Bob the Builder, doesn't it?

I hope you are doing well. I love you.

More pictures for Drew

2009-12-07T15:20:00.007-05:00

Drew, today I was in a bookstore in Israel. The store had this nice sign in the window. It looks like the boy and girl are leaning on a lion while reading a book. Would you do that? The next time you go to a library or bookstore look around for a lion.

Did you notice the Hebrew writing. Can you write in Hebrew? The Old Testament of the Bible was written in Hebrew.

Mr. Mauldin, the friend I am traveling with, made this picture of me at Ekron. Ekron was one of the Philistine cities that we read about in the Bible. Goliath was a Philistine. Do you remember the story of David and Goliath?

Now the city of Ekron is only a mound of dirt and rocks. There are some springs in the area and a lot of reeds. The birds come and nest in the area. Do you see the bird house?

A cat picture for Drew

2009-12-05T14:13:00.004-05:00

Drew, here is a picture I made of a cat at Bethany. Bethany was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus visited their home at Bethany. I thought you would enjoy seeing this cat because you have two cats.

Thanks for your Email telling me about your visit to the doctor for your 5 year checkup.

Love,
Granddad

Pictures for Drew from Italy

2009-09-25T15:39:00.007-04:00

In Reggio ad Calabria, Italy, we saw a small park that you would have enjoyed. They had some really neat cars that you would be able to drive around the track.

Grandmother beside the Eurostar train that we rode from Reggio ad Calabria, Italy, to Rome, Italy. This train was really fast. I think you would have enjoyed riding with us.

When we got to Rome we ate at a restaurant called Roadhouse that was in the train station. We shared a good hamburger. They had some old things from the United States. I sat beside the old Texaco gas pump. This is the kind of pump we had when I was a young boy. Can you see how much the gas cost per gallon back then? Do you know how much gas costs today?

Photos for Drew from Malta

2009-09-21T16:03:00.002-04:00

Granddad found a good McDonald's this afternoon in Malta. It was right on St. Paul's Bay and had a nice Ronald Gym Club.

I decided to measure Grandmother to see if she could go in Ronald's Gym Club.

Pictures for Drew from Florence, Italy

2009-09-17T08:56:00.004-04:00

This morning we were walking in Florence, Italy, and saw these horses that pull carts. They were eating breakfast from a bag. I thought you would like to see that. It is really neat, but I am glad we don't have to eat that way. Can you guess what they are eating?

We saw some men working to get a new Disney store ready for opening. I asked Grandmother to let me make her picture to send to you.

Let Mommie and Daddy see these photos.

We love you.
Granddad and Grandmother

Pictures for Drew

2009-09-12T14:20:00.008-04:00

Drew, here is a photo I made of Grandmother in Switzerland today. We visited a wood carving company to see how wood carving is done in Switzerland. This big bear had been carved by the workers at the factory. I thought you would enjoy seeing Grandmother being hugged by a bear.

The company also had a big dog carved out of wood. I asked a young lady on our tour who is good at photography to make this photo for you. I think she did a good job. I hope you like it.

Tell Mom and Dad "Hi" for us. We love you all.

You might enjoy seeing the photos on the Journey's With Jane blog. She is with us on the tour.