Not only am I in Israel shooting the countries landscapes for a friend and client (boutique VIP travel company, more on this later). I get to visit other friends who live here and they rock. Netta Ness Cohen is such a person and please don’t get me started on how brilliant she is suffice to say Netta is top shelf in every aspect imaginable she will probably “kill me” for writing about her my only saving grace is I’ll be traveling through the desert by the time I let her know (I don’t think of it as being chicken… just cautious and no cell reception there). Netta heads up the international business development for the Litvak Gallery an insane Tel Aviv (TA) location, 3,000 piece private glass art collection of the creme de la creme in glass art. Guaranteed you’ve never seen anything like it, period. Were talking multiple floors in the #1 office building in TA (including exec. offices). Okay so you get the picture Netta is awesome and one of my dearest friends so she invited me to lunch, cool I was in town that day had no idea about her new job or who or what this hybrid gallery/museum was. Well no doubt it was one of the high points of my trip and that’s saying something. If ever in this part of the world or looking to borrow a collection for exhibition (assuming your a museum) you’ve got to make the Litvak Gallery a must do simple as that. Netta even showed me pieces in the private viewing rooms (bubbles anyone?) I was and am simply baffled at how the artists are able to do what they do. I saw pieces that defy logic that “A” were glass and “B” how the colors are so vivid perfectly drawn but no paint is involved!! I mean I always liked glass art as much as the next person but this is a totally different plain of awareness. Afterward we grabbed lunch downstairs in the plaza on a beautiful day I was on a roll rare glass artwork, summer weather, great food and the best of friends. Only caveat is the pic I took (Vaclav Cigler’s work) was in open space, low special gallery lighting was used for this installation I totally had the wrong lens (left it in Tribeca). This is just a snap shot and does no justice to this piece. The reason I liked this piece particularly is because as one of the lovely young ladies who toured me around told me if you look closely it’s like your seeing into the universe through the Hubble Telescope (stars and planets, ect.) and she was right. Thank you Netta for a great afternoon and lunch next time in the city I got the next one.

Seems everywhere you look you can find beauty in Israel whether north exploring the coastline and caves or the rich cultural towns having been in the same spot and named the same for thousands of years. It’s hard to describe the feeling kinda leaves you in awe the perfect weather helps in this regard sunny in the 80’s with big puffy clouds taking their time just floating around. Been driving day after day onto the next town or site and see the actual remains of ancient villages, ruins of crusader castles and coliseums all right out of the history channel and books it’s surreal. Definitely puts things in perspective back in the real world I mean where your from, problems and successes alike, real or imagined seem much smaller. More to talk about but my tanks empty and early start in the a.m. got a run on the beach first thing with my name on it (top pic early morning on the coast, bottom pic late afternoon in the mountains… enjoying an espresso).

Long day, traffic was brutal thankfully was rolling in style so can’t really complain. We are up north very close to Lebanon’s border with Israel. Went to dinner wanted to order light so salad and some chicken soup please (yes we were in a kosher restaurant) what?? no chicken soup!! Come-on, your kidding me, I mean I’m in Israel right no chicken soup it’s on the menu!! Next thing you’ll tell me you have no corn beef or pickles “come on people pick up your game”. Alright lets get back to todays sunset we rented a fishing skip about an 18 footer to take us out of the harbor want shots of the city from an ocean view. We had to get these shots and the sun was setting we got out there in a hurry beyond the break wall and the swells were rolling!! I think we got lucky cause the light was beautiful and then some. On the way back in the skipper impressed with how I was able to balance myself feet spread apart in the middle of the boat camera in hand shooting as the skip rolled heavy back and forth with the engine cut. “Where you learn you not fall overboard two hands on camera feet middle of boat” he asked, “oh that, that’s easy” I said, “just take the 6 down to Canal after a while, you’ll get the hang of it”.

I’m writing from the back porch of my clients home surrounded by the families dog (Joy) and cat (toot, which mean strawberry in Hebrew) they have officially welcomed me to their home with non stop attention. The dog a mix of a golden, husky and wolf and is lying at my feet wagging her tail after I had thrown her blue ball about a hundred times already and the cat a Callaway with a tail striped like a tiger is playing with me swiping my arm as I type this. She is a yard cat not one who is timid or afraid of anything pouncing on you and anything it wishes. It is 6:00 a.m. and the sky is blue the temperature is perfect and I am drinking my 3rd espresso. Life is good, I think to myself as the soothing sound of water falls into the carp filled pond just behind me. Yes life is very good no sirens, trucks or subway noise just silence except for Joy bouncing the blue ball then pushing it onto my laptop wanting more of my attention. Today we leave for the north with about 4 stops until we end up towards Lebanon. First before anything else time to take a 3-4 mile run to loosen up after yesterdays 10+ hour flight.