Our Netanya Beach

The beach has played an important role in our time in Israel. That's because we live 100 meters from it!

We have some great (and not so great!) memories there. For a bad example, one day my brother was running along the beach with me, and he starts screaming like a banxshie while hopping on one foot. I didn't know what to do so I screamed for help. Thankfully my mom was nearby so she rushed over, scooped up Ben and started running to the lifeguard's chair some way away. She sent me back to get the stroller and our beach stuff so it wouldn't get stolen. It turned out that Ben had stepped on a big piece of glass! Usually the beach is clean and free of glass but this time it wasn't! Another memory is that every Saturday there are a million machtot (paddle ball) players and they smash it really really hard; we call one guy Richard Gere because he looks like the actor.

We played a ton of machtot (I think it's actually 'mat-chot'!)

 And another memory is that my dad would go jogging on the beach every morning or go to a big set of gym equipment to work out -- and then jump in the sea to cool off at the end!

The water was really great to swim in, no junk, no trash, very clean!

Not a day goes by without a beautiful sunset and each day, we look out our apartment window and enjoy the beautiful-looking beach and sea.

Most sunsets looked like this!

Every morning my family wakes up and looks out the window and my dad says to my little brother: "Hey, Ben, did God stuck up the Meditwainia Thea twuw a stwa overnight?" and Ben looks and always would reply: "No Daddy, God didn't stuck up the Meditwainia Thea twuw a stwa!"

My mom LOVES the beach, so this has been a great time for her! She's gotten to go a lot with Ben while I was at school. We were on the beach as last as December 8!  

Shabbat dinner and after-dinner swim on the beach!

As you know, there was a HUGE storm 8 days ago; when the storm was over, we went back to the beach to check it out. When we got there, we stood there open-mouthed. Everything had been either knocked over or just outright blown-out! The lifeguard's chair had been knocked over, all the massive tarps that covered them were in no state to be repaired, and my brother just stood there crying. The whole exercise area was busted up and had to be completely removed. We were really sad to see the beach in such bad shape after so many happy times there!

Stormy view from our apartment window!

By the way, this is the only beach I've ever been to that has NO shells! I am sad to leave the beach because I love the nice weather and playing with my family on the beach and in the sea!