YES!!

Just the other day I looked at several posts to see if you had responded....no Brad.

I'm BAAACK!

Thanks go to those who were worried about me.

Wifey and I were gone for 12 days in Israel on a Holy Land tour. A DREAM trip!

It was great! Ya'll should go!

The Bible came alive as we walked where our Bible heroes walked - Abraham, (Lot), Isaac, Jacob, Saul, David, Solomon, Jesus, Paul...Learned sooo much more by being in the culture and at the sites where certain battles and miracles took place.

Drank water from Jacob's well where Jesus drank and talked to the Samaritan woman about living water, stood in the cave/pit they believe held Jesus while awaiting trial, looked out over the valley of Har Megiddo (Armageddon), saw where Paul left Israel to start his mission journey to Turkey/Greece/Rome, got re-baptized in the Jordan River where they think John baptized Jesus, prayed at the Western Wall, Held a month old lamb on my shoulders, Got a kiss on the cheek by a camel!

The sites are all uphill and rocky so go NOW while you can walk without a cane.

How this relates to LLing: Ya gotta have a DREAM bigger than your problems to survive and thrive in this biz.

My parents traveled he world courtesy of their crummy little rental houses. OUR rentals paid for this trip and our well organized helpers cared for our biz while we were thousands of miles away.

What is YOUR DREAM trip?

I'm glad you had a good time, Brad.

I used to work for a company that put together tours of the Holy Land. I could have traveled there for free as a perk of the job but I had little kids at the time, couldn't go.

Congrats on your trip Brad! That sounds like an amazing time!

Congrats on your trip Brad! That sounds like an amazing time!

Glad it was a dream trip that caused your absence.

Welcome back.

Was wondering where you were.

Thanks for sharing your trip experience.

Was that an ESA camel? LOL.

How many places have you traveled?

Are there other places that would be just as well to live in as the US?

BRAD who? ;)

Glad you had a nice trip. I was in the Sinai in 1982 but never got up to Israel itself. But we had some spectacular snorkeling!

We just spent 5 days in Sedona last week. Returned to find our crazy neighbor built a "spite wall." But we'll leave that for later. Went to several cliff dwelling ruins, we have now been to all the major Anasazi and Sinagua sites in the SW.

We were going to visit "Grand Falls" but I ran out of steam. That's the muddy "chocolate falls" on the Little Colorado, but it is way the heck n gone out on the Navajo res. Next spring if I'm still kicking we'll go. It only flows during the snow melt.

This weekend we are going to Grand Canyon West for the day. The local Hualapai tribe opens the "Skywalk" (yes, where the fellow fell off last week taking a selfie...) to local residents for free and even provides lunch. I've never been before.

This summer is river rafting summer. Plans to run the Rogue river in OR, and the Arkansas and Gunnisson in CO. And maybe the Flathead in MT. We'll see if I survive the others first.

Getting my bucket list before it's too late. The Dic said I've got ten years, thats 3,600 days. Not going to waste them! :D

Oops. The "Doc," the Doctor.

And yes, I plan to watch my step on the Rim. LOL

Welcome back! Sounds like a great adventure! We've always got to dream - agreed!

My dream trip - I'll have to revisit that!

MikeA,

Start NOW with stair training. LOTSA stairs to climb. EVERYTHING is up steep hills or down 87 stairs.

Break in sturdy trail shoes. LOTSA very rugged stoney paths. (Not tennies, not smooth sole, NO sandals-sand and gravel paths)

Carry sunscreen. Not a cloud in the sky for the entire week. Sunglasses and a hat are a MUST. By day two our group was beet red.

And say hi to the kissing camel at the restaurant in Jericho!

Elliott,

I did log in a few times then realized Hey, I’m on a dream vacation! LLing can wait!

Was wondering why you and the wife were not at lunch Monday LOL.

Glad you had a good trip! Those types of trips create memories that will last forever.

I was able to retire 1/1/19 largely because of the tremendous cash flow from our rentals. I'm living my dream now...

1) Married to a wonderful woman

2) So far my health is holding up ok

3) We have 7 vacations planned this year...one of them is 2 weeks in Ireland

4) Planning a new engine in one of my showcars

and best of all...

5) Since retirement I'd estimate that 80% of my awake time is doing things I ENJOY rather than work. A year ago it was just the opposite.

Now please excuse me while I go see a matinee while eating some popcorn, go for a cruise in my car, have a craft beer with the wife, and settle down for a couple Amazon Prime episodes of "Corner Gas" so we can laugh a bit.

W,

The trip was thru NET Tours in Israel.

Our group was recruited theu Bible Study Fellowship International. Participants were from all over the country and included a couple from New Zealand. All were serious students of the Bible and our teacher was Dr Walter Kaiser who has written many books on Jewish history and culture.

Great people make for a great trip!