Sunday, October 9, 2011

Raising the Sukkah

I spent Friday Evening and all day Saturday attending Yom Kippur Services and making music with my friends Jim , Shlomo, and Will. It was an insightful, rewarding and rich experience, but I'll admit I was more than ready to be out and about come Sunday morning.

Recently a blogging friend posted about going to a lake and it reminded me it had been a while since I visited Creve Coeur Lake. This is one of my favorite riding destinations and seemed  the perfect place to begin my day. What made it even more special is how seldom I get to check out the Lake on Sunday mornings. Sunday mornings are when the rowers are usually out on the water.

The St. Louis Rowing Club uses Creve Couer Lake to practice.

It is very peaceful sitting by the water and watching the rowers.

The trees haven't really changed much in the last week.
I noticed this woman using chop sticks to pick something up from the beach area. At first I couldn't figure what she was picking up, but soon it became clear.

She was picking up Goose droppings. I went over and asked her what she was doing, but she didn't speak English and just pointed to what was in her bag. I'll probably never know the true reason she was gathering goose sh*t, but I'm guessing (hoping) she uses it for fertilizer.

I wanted to be at Neve Shalom to help raise the Congregational Sukkah. But, before Neve I wanted to go to Cabela's and, also, grab a quick bite to eat. This meant I had to tear myself away from the Lake and be on my way.



I made it to Neve nearly right on time. Much to my surprise I wasn't the first one there. It seems at Neve things begin when they begin and the published starting time is meant as more of a suggestion for when folk can start to gather.

There were five of us and it was enough.
The Sukkah we use came from Sukkah Soul and was easy to put together and well designed. Helping to raise the Sukkah and spending time in it are two of my most favorite things to do.

We erected the Sukkah on the concrete patio in front of the Synagogue.
Then we walked it up a slight hill and set it on the grass.
Proof I wasn't the only one enjoying myself.
Nearly ready to begin decorating.
Looking good.
Nice.
Heather had been visiting her Grandmother and called to say she was heading home just as I was getting ready to head for home. Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

On the way home I saw this sidecar rig. By the time I got the camera up he was nearly out of sight. And being in a hurry made for a fuzzy photo, but I think if you know what you're looking for you can make it out. I couldn't tell what kind of a tug it was, but it was red.

The day ended with Heather and I going for a nice six mile walk (at least according to her new Nano with pedometer). The two highlights of the walk were seeing an owl (no picture) and one particular squirrel (have pictures).

This little beast let us get rather close, but . . .
. . . soon enough close enough was too close and he took off like a Busch Stadium Rally Squirrel.
It has been a full and wonderful weekend and the best part of it all is . . .

Tomorrow is Columbus Day and I'm still off work. 

12 comments:

  1. I had to wiki Sukkah. Thanks for giving me the opportunity of learning a bit more about Jewish traditions.

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  2. I am with Sonja, I ahd to wiki it as well. You learn some thing new every day! Nice to see you having a craking weekend. Good Stuff.

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  3. Glad you are having a nice weekend & gotout riding!

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  4. Sonja: I embedded a link under Succah just in case. There are also links to both Jim & Will's websites. You may want to check them out. They are very talented folk. Succah is where the idea of the Thanksgiving holiday came from.

    Thanks for the comment.

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  5. Rog: It has indeed been a great weekend so far. Nothing like staying at the Hilton, but wonderful nonetheless :)

    Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.

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  6. To the Motorcycle Goddess formerly known as Princess Scooterpie: It would be sad to miss out on this weather. I've ridden when the temperatures were in the 30F's this time of year. 80F with low humidity is sweet. I hope to get out some today. Heather doesn't have the day off, so I must be careful to have a good day, but not enjoy myself too much.

    Thanks for your support.

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  7. Thank you for the links as I had never heard the term before. It sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day. Don't have too much fun on your day off!

    Richard

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  8. Dear Keith:

    I am delighted you had a great religious holiday and a nice Columbus Day. It's hard to believe that on this day in 1492, Columbus got off the boat and inquired as to where they kept the gold.

    You couldn't ask for a better holiday weekend here... The temperatures were freat and the humidity was non-existent. Take care of yourself.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack/reep
    Twisted Roads

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  9. What a nice weekend. It is great that you can do something you enjoy, got out for a ride and still have Monday off.

    Our circuit courts are open so I'm at work today. Oh well, I scored Friday off this week instead.

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  11. My friend Rabbi Jim posted this link earlier today. It goes into the juiciness of the Holiday of Sukkot.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W27HIMA-uAw&feature=related
    Enjoy and be happy.

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  12. Seemed like the perfect weekend to bring it all together without stress. All the times meshed, all the good times weren't overdone. I'm glad it was all so easy. :)

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