Our friend Walter recently brought over a portfolio of his paintings which we enjoyed at our Devotional Meeting. Most of the acrylics were part of an experiment Walter did about 10 years ago. Since then, Walter has had a stroke and must relearn some of the procedures of his craft. It is poignant, listening to his enthusiasm for his art, knowing that he must work even harder now to regain lost skills. However, the enthusiasm and joy are still there, making our visits so special.

I thought I'd try to get back into some of my drawing and painting, so I hunted through my things to find the 'old bridge in China' I'd started about two years ago. I looked through all my drawers, the closets, the old sketchbooks, cleaning them out as I went along. By the end of my search I hadn't found any old unfinished drawing, but I did discover things I'd forgotten I had, like my mother's old passport, her driving license from Germany, old report cards and test scores from my childrens' school, and a nest of old letters from my dad. It was so enjoyable becoming reacquainted with all these old momentos.

We are in the process of getting ready for Baha'i Pilgrimage, securing flights, making hotel reservations. We arrive in Haifa, Israel mid-April for an 11-day visit and will stay in one of the little German Templar dwellings along Ben Gurion Avenue.

The Haddad Guest House offers wonderful accommodations, a little kitchen where we can cook meals, and is a 15 minute walk from the gardens on Mt. Carmel. It is surrounded by little cafes and restaurants with outdoor tables for visiting and relaxing. When we discussed what we wanted for accommodations, we didn't want the Holiday Inn experience in Haifa, which is something we could get here. We wanted to stay in one of the old stone buildings nestled in the hub of the city, even if comfort levels were compromised. I think we've found just the right place!

I've brought home some books on Israel, one of which is the Insight Guide to Israel by Brian Bell. I like the pictures, and the depth. It explains the cultural mix of the people - Ethiopian Jews, Russian Jews, Israeli Arabs, Orthodox Jews, Secular Jews, and the Zionist Movement. Another book, by Doughty/El Aydi is "Gaza: Legacy of Occupation - A Photographers Journey" features the people of Canada Camp. I hope someday that all areas in Israel will be totally integrated, so there is no separation and exclusivity - people learning to appreciate cultural differences without conflict and willing to share the same neighborhoods together.

Yes, I've been cookin'. I made two beautiful rounds of cheese, one from goat's milk, the other from raw cow's milk. The one on the left is laced with a small amount of turmeric, to give color. Both loaves have chives and seeds, sun-dried tomatoes, and a little walnut coating.

I used my cheeses on a home-made flatbread called 'Naan', making several large pizzas.

Naan is so easy to make, so flavorful and soft, like a puff of air.

This is a corn-tomato succotash, using berbere, an Ethiopian blend. It is baked with a corn-chip/crushed pumpkin and squash seed topping.

I cooked barley in left-over whey from cheese-making and added some of my goat cheese on top.

I've achieved an understanding of how to regulate the consistency of yogurt. I wanted to get a texture that was super-smooth yet ultra-firm, so it could hold its shape in a crepe. With a few experiments, I prepared a wonderful huckleberry-kumkwat crepe using yogurt rather than cream cheese. I made a huckleberry sauce for the topping, featuring crushed pecans and a light crackle-crisp texture that complimented the sweet softness of the yogurt inside. I served these huckleberry crepes for breakfast on Saturday.

This is my first crop of the year - fenugreek seedlings. I've been pulling them up, washing them, and adding them to salads. They have a unique pungent taste which, when chopped, also enhances scrambled eggs.

I wanted to drive up to Seattle last weekend, to visit Pike's Place Market, but George wasn't eager for that, saying it is too touristy. So he took me to Trader Joe's (I just wanted a Market experience), and the place was packed, jammed with people. We ran into our old neighbors and had a nice chat, but I cleared outta there so fast, just knowing that the longer we stayed the more we'd spend! I bought a special sweet lemon that when sliced is stunningly refreshing (my friend Karen recommends it), some 'pasteurized' whole milk (not the ultra-pasteurized which seems to be everywhere so it can retain absurd shelf-life standards. Dead milk, I told George. You can't make cheese or yogurt out of it. Nothing happens.)

And an Armenian flat-bread, Lavash, which I hope to make next week.

I 'got lost' exploring Flickr shots featuring Lavash, and found another bread Romal, or Barbari, which is made all over Iran. It can be purchased at a neighborhood bakery, but in many rural households, it is made daily. This bread has a boiled soda-flour wash that is pasted on top of the loaf before it is baked, resulting in a beautiful glaze. Pieces are broken off during the meal, mopping up stews and gravies. A good bread for hot winter soups, too.