Dawidh ’El‘azar Street

Jewish date:  15 ’Iyyar 5772 (Parashath Behar).

Today’s event:  International Tuba Day.

Greetings.

First, I would like to note that on this day in 2005 was the famous Time Traveler Convention at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about which this blog hosts a special report posted in 2008.  If anyone reading this ever has access to a time machine, please consider attending this special event.

Now on to today’s segment on the streets of the town I live in, Giv‘ath Shemu’el.  Today’s street of interest is Dawidh ’El‘azar Street, which is on the western side of town.  As before, all descriptions may be inaccurate for the sake of entertainment.

These three characters are robots built by an alien race known as the Intefe (pronounced |ˈɪntə̩fə|).  There are rather a lot of these around Giv‘ath Shemu’el, and finding out why they are here is becoming one of the goals of this photography project.  Robots of this type mostly just stand around and maybe glow when you look at them.

On Dawidh ’El‘azar Street there is a playground called Gan haṭṬaf (“Child Garden”), which has some nice equipment.  The people who design playgrounds in Israel tend to have a lot of fun.

Although sometimes it is not clear what they have in mind.

I think one is supposed to sit it this and spin around.

This giant frog really enjoys this playground and lives in the “castle”.

One of Giv‘ath Shemu’el’s famous riding elephants.

One of our famous riding lions.  Only for the fearless who bring their own whip and chair.

The frog claimed this passage leads from Dawidh ’El‘azar Street to a magic land and suggested the Intefe were messing with the shape of spacetime.

Some pretty flowers the frog is particularly fond of, especially with a dragonfly vinaigrette.

Enjoy and share the weirdness.

’Aharon/Aaron

’Allonim Street

Jewish date:  14 ’Iyyar 5772 (Parashath Behar).

Today’s event:  Nurses’ Day.

Greetings.

Before I continue my series on the streets of Giv‘ath Shemu’el, I would like to note some weird news:  “‘Loch Ness Monster’ ordered to leave Wisconsin river”.  This is not about an injunction against a legendary monster, but rather about a sculpture left in river, apparently as a prank.  We ought to have more stunts like this.

Today’s street of focus in my series is ’Allonim (Oak) Street.  As before, commentary on the photographs may be deliberately inaccurate for entertainment purposes.

One of the things I really like about Israel is that they make it very convenient to recycle paper and plastics.  They have recycling bins, such as this one, all over the place out on the streets.

I discovered these pots attached to a palm tree (not an oak) on a median.

The pots were part of an agricultural system tended to by Smurfs who had taken up residence on a median.  Notice the distinctive mushroom-shaped houses and Israeli-style drip agriculture.  The Smurfs refused to be photographed, but they did allow me to photograph their mini-village.  The plants are very young Smurfberry bushes.

Enjoy, share the weirdness, and watch out for Gargamel.

’Aharon/Aaron

Raḥavath ’Ilan Street

Jewish date:  26 Nisan 5772 (Parashath Thazria‘-Meṣora‘).

Today’s events:  Look-Alike Day (not to be confused which is Look Alike Day, which is Friday).

Greetings.

Continuing my series on the streets of Giv‘ath Shemu’el, today we examine Raḥavath ’Ilan (Tree Square) Street, down in the southern part of the city near Bar ’Ilan University.  As before, descriptions may be deliberately inaccurate to make them more entertaining. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but weirdness is in the imagination.

One thing very odd about Raḥavath ’Ilan Street is that it is not a street in the normal sense of the term.  It is essentially a long, thin parking lot with other parking lots attached to it.

An attempt at decorating dead space at the end of Raḥavath ’Ilan Street, possibly with Japanese influence.

This weird, spiky plant may be from Mars.

In Giv‘ath Shemu’el and neighboring towns, there are a lot of citrus fruits, such as these oranges, growing out on the streets and in people’s yards.

Alien seedpods.  No way these could be from Earth.

These spherical things on the ground were left here in an attempt to attract Pac-Man.

That white paint is the latest fashion in tree makeup.  Notice the peer pressure.

Notice the alien plant.  I have seen many of these glowing in the dark.

More Pac-Man bait.

Whoever laid out the streets has an interesting sense of humor.

Enjoy and share the weirdness.

’Aharon/Aaron

PS:  I am somehow getting a vision of a caption contest, so please feel free to leave comments with original (mis)interpretations of any of the photos in this series.

’Oranim Street

Jewish date:  20 Nisan 5772 (Parashath Shemini).

Today’s events:  National Robotics Week, Look Up At The Sky Day, Yuri’s Night, National Licorice Day.

Greetings.

Today’s street of interest in Giv‘ath Shemu’el is ’Oranim (Pine) Street, which is near Bar ’Ilan University.  As previously, comments may be inaccurate if deemed more entertaining.

Clearly someone who laid out the street plan has an interesting sense of humor.  And again, I claim no understanding of the transliteration system

Despite the name of the street, there are a lot of non-pine trees on it.

Again, not a pine.

Definitely not a pine.

This is not even a real plant.

OK, here are some pines.

Pines, a wall to climb over, some vehicles, and a strangely ominous building in the background.

Electrical boxes in this country are frequently painted to look non-boring.  These electrical boxes were painted by Pablo Picasso during his “blue period”.

These plants have been locked up for being naughty.

This building has Yale envy.

More Yale envy.

Even more Yale envy.

Yale envy above and beyond the call of duty.

Even this tree has Yale envy.

Finally, a little flower growing on a rock.

Enjoy and share the weirdness.

’Aharon/Aaron