Love of Travel

I often wonder how my love of travel was developed. When I was younger than 8, I remember having a map of the United States on the wall near the foot of my bed and I memorized the capitals. I kept a record of which states I had visited- New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania... waiting to go further north, south or west.

I saved money from my first job and left for the grand tour of Europe. In the summer of 1965, Sue Lear Weisgrau and I spent 8 weeks and $5 a day seeing the highlights of major cities. We used a Europass on trains, stayed in pensions and had a fabulous time. We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of that trip this summer.

Single, I took a trip every summer- Mexico, London, Scotland. When we got married and had small children and big tuition bills, our travel stopped.  We did save to take our children to Israel several times. Luckily, Norman loves travel as much as I do and, once he retired and then I did, we have been to all 7 continents, South America four times, Asian several times... always ready for the next journey.

Next up is a new twist... travel with my grandson to England. We are both Downton Abbey fans so that excursion was a must. Yaakov has an aunt and uncle outside London where we will stay for half the trip. The other half will be around Bath and the Cotswolds, with stops to Stonehenge, Oxford, Strafford on Avon, places I visited 50 years ago. Time for another visit, wouldn't you say?

We travel to feel ourselves fully in the world, to see the world in new ways, immersed in the experience of discovery. I am so happy to be sharing that discovery with my grandson.

Lankenau Hospital Dedication, March 12, 2015

The Shabbat Suite at Lankenau Hospital was dedicated in memory of Dr David E. Epstein z"l on Thursday, March 12, 2015. Phillip Robinson, president of the Lankenau Medical Center, spoke as well as Dr. Stephen Gollomp who dedicated the prayer room in memory of his parents, especially his mother. Cheryl Epstein, widow of David Epstein, also spoke as did Rabbi Abraham A. Levene, Rabbi Emeritus of Lower Merion Synagogue.

The art works selected for Room 1 are my colorful works on paper inspired by travel. This project was conceived by Rabbitzen Choni Levene. I am proud to be included in this wonderful project for our community.

Phillip Robinson introduces Stephen Gollomp

Phillip Gollomp speaking

Rabbi A Levene speaking

Rabbi Levene, Ted Kosloff, Phyllis Kosloff, Choni Levene, Cheryl Epstein

Two of my mixed media prints in room 1

More of my art (mixed media prints) in Room 1

Grace Miller from Jerusalem, Israel, and one of my works on paper

Two of my mixed media prints in Room 1

Alaska- Inspiring Awe + ART

It is no wonder I called this series "Believe Your Eyes," since the visual beauty of Alaskan vistas is astounding. Here are some photographs of some beautiful scenes along our way:

And here are some more of my interpretations:

Golden Wilderness- monotype

Silver Spring in the Forest- monotype

Silvered Trees- monotype

Golden Forest- monotype

Believe Your Eyes- mixed media

Believe Your Eyes- Alaskan Inspired Art

Last summer we went to Alaska and I was overwhelmed with the natural beauty there. A trip to Alaska amid all the natural beauty made it hard to believe my eyes when I saw the incredible natural resources. Over 75% of the land is preserved wilderness! They have wooded wilderness, mountains, lakes, glaciers, abundant flowers in summer- everything to make your visit a stunning visual experience. I captured some of the color and beauty from that trip into this series.

There are 15 images in this collection.

Believe Your Eyes- mixed media

Believe Your Eyes 2- mixed media

Endless Wonder 1- mixed media

Endless Wonder 2- mixed media

Golden Forest- monotype

ECUADOR- Traveling 14,000 feet in One Day!

We drove from Quito to Guayaquil and went from 14,000 feet to sea level on the way. We stopped in Cajas National Park and saw the Continental Divide at Three Crosses. We went through cloud forests as well.

Good bye Andes! You are amazing!

ECUADOR- Inca Ruins

Not far from Cuenca are the nearby ruins of Ingapirca (Wall of Inca Stones.) These are the famous ruins that, according to the experts, were used to control the native Cañaris. Stores, bathrooms, a tambo for the Inca, a temple dedicated to the sun, they are part of Ingapirca that was built in the 15th century by orders of Huayna Capac.

ECUADOR- Quito, a very high capital city!

Quito, formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of Ecuador and at an elevation of 9,350 feet, it was highest official capital city in the world until La Paz became the capital of Peru. It is located in South America Ecuador on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active volcano in the Andes mountains. With a population of 2,671,191 according to the last census (2014), Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. In 2008, the city was designated as the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations.

The historic center of Quito has one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas. Quito, along with Kraków, were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO in 1978.The central square of Quito is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the equator; the city itself extends to within about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of zero latitude. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion, as the word ecuador is Spanish for equator.