Today was a routine day which will be quite similar to tomorrow I assume. We were up at the usual hour, had breakfast and then off to work at the warehouse. We emptied duffle bags, checked the equipment and then refilled them.
I should say something about the food. It is really healthy with a never ending supply of fresh vegetables for the 3 meals. Breakfast is a little different with an egg omelet and delicious cinnamon buns. Lunch is the main meal with an assortment of meats, fish and poultry. Supper is similar to lunch with a different assortment of the above. Desert is always made up of several choices of fruits. I am sure that you could eat as much as you want here and never gain weight.
We have a mixed group of volunteers from Canada, the USA, France, Peru, Estonia and Soviet Union. 30% are not Jewish. The Jews range from very religious and kosher, to conservative, secular and 1 atheist. All are Zionists or they would not be here. The age range is from young to middle age with 1 or 2 seniors of whom I am the eldest by far. Everyone is well educated so the conversations around the table and while working is quite stimulating. We all enjoyed the Krav Maga session yesterday. No one complains about the work or the organization. A few of us go for a walk or a run at the end of the day. One fellow was chased by a few ‘hungry’ stray dogs so I will have to be more careful when I run tomorrow as maybe they didn’t get enough to eat. The weather was hot today, probably hitting above 25C in the afternoon. It was rather hot to run so maybe I sweated more and lost a few more ounces.
Yesterday, my shoes gave out. The 1 piece soles and heels fell off spontaneously within minutes of each other. Perfect built in obsolescence. When our commander saw what had happened , he came over, took my shoe size and promised to bring me a pair of boots today. He was true to his word and this morning presented me with a brand new, black, pair of Israeli army boots. I put them on immediately and received jealous comments from my colleagues. I thanked him and the madrihots profusely. I am so proud to wear them. You can see them in the picture below.
We found out that it was the Houthis that sent us a rocket on Sunday. I guess that we were lucky. We were in the van and had time to file out and get to a shelter. 2 more minutes and we would have been driving along in the van when the sirens went off. The standing orders are that if you are in a car when you hear the sirens, you stop the car, get out of the car, lie down on the ground, on your stomach and cover your head with your hands until all clear. Imagine 20 of us doing this on a major highway. This is an everyday occurrence in Israel that I have not yet had the occasion to try. I have an app that shows where the rockets go off, minute by minute. We have been under rocket fire since I have been here but I only went into the shelter once. We hear the boom-boom several times a day even where we are.
Today we were up bright and early for work. ‘Hi ho,hi ho, it’s off to work we go’. We arrived in the warehouse and worked on army bags. The bags are 3 ft long and 1 foot wide. We had emptied and sorted the equipment yesterday. Today, our task was to fill the bags. We divided ourselves up into several teams to make the work go faster:
1, make a plastic bag, 2, seal 1 end of the bag, 3, put a uniform or jacket in the bag according to size, 4, seal the bag, 5, bring the bag to another team, 6, place the jacket, the sleeping bag and the uniform in the large army bags that someone is holding open, 7, haul the bag to another place, 8, close the bag, 9, put the bag on the shelf, 10, erase the date on the label of the tagged bag, 11, put a new date on the label of the tagged bag
Did I miss any step? I hope not because they are very strict on precision. An improperly sealed or torn bag can mean a wet uniform for a soldier.
In the afternoon we filed into a room for Krav Maga instruction with a young, well built and well trained instructor. He gave us a history of Krav Maga which is an Israeli developed self defence system. We were going to be taught commie, which is a more advanced method of fighting, faster and more adapted to fighting an opponent of a different, usually bigger size. We lined up in 4 lines of 4 and paired off with an opponent of the same size. He then taught us different punches and kicks and how to parry them away and strike back. We took turns as the aggressor or defender saying in advance what the attack would be in order to avoid contact. It was hard work for 1.5 hours, a 10 minute brake and a second 1.5 hour session. I got through the day with all my teeth, no black eye, no bruises and no broken bones.
I did my residency with a fellow who had a black belt with several dans. I asked him what he would do if he were challenged to a fight on the street. He said: ‘I would run away’. I asked him why? He said: ‘I don’t know if he has a gun or a knife and I have nothing to prove.’ That seems to be rather wise position to take and I will keep it in mind.
After work at 4:00, I did a 6 km run for 45 minutes listening to 60s light rock music. After supper we had a 1 hour lecture by the madrihots on IDF slang. The lecture was great and rather humorous but I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open.
This morning we had flag raising and then the singing of Hatikvah. We then received our Sar-EL Volunteer Blue Shoulder Patches. Each regiment has a different shoulder patch. Every time you go up in grade in the IDF or receive a shoulder patch, you receive the traditional punch on the shoulder by your commanding officer. One of the fellows was a football player for Kansas City. The Madrihots really had to reach high to punch his shoulder. The last 2 pictures are the before and after pictures of the volunteers when we received out IDF uniforms.
I went back to my hotel, had a quick shower and went down for the 6:00 wine, soup and light refreshments party. I met a few new people who are doing different things here. There are many ways to volunteer here and make yourself useful. Everyone had a different story as how they had spent the last week.
I walked around downtown Tel Aviv for an hour or two eventually meandering down to my favourite watering hole overlooking the beach. The young waitress recognized me from last year and the fact that I write a blog. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so I ordered some nachos and beer, real comfort food. It’s warmed up this evening allowing me to sit comfortably on the terrace under the warm-up lights.
We have been under rocket attack for the last few days. Although I personally have not experienced it, some of the other volunteers heard the sirens and have taken cover in the shelters. The rockets are coming from Hamas in Gaza, from Hezbollah in the north and from the Houthis everywhere. They all blame the Israelis for starting the renewed fighting. Is it possible that they sincerely believe the nonsense that they spout.
There was a big demonstration tonight and some of the volunteers went to see what it was all about. I went to a demonstration last year which was the first demonstration that I have ever participated in. I am very allergic to that sort of thing, preferring to write my own opinion in my blog and hoping that I will have enough of a following to make a difference. Who am I kidding? We will see how my book will be received in the near future when I return.
‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile.’
I was up at 6:00 this morning to get ready for the day. I split my belongings into 2 parts, the stuff that I really need and the rest which I won’t need until the following week. Breakfast was great as usual. I counted 37 different dishes of fruits, vegetables, fish, cereals, bagels and croissants. They even have a first class cappuccino machine. The breakfast room and common room have a dozen round tables and chairs and a living room next to it. You are welcome to sit at any table, introduce yourself and get involved in the conversation. It’s like summer camp only better as we all have a common purpose. All of the clientele are doing some sort of volunteering. Many are with Sar-El, volunteering on IDF bases. Others are doing daily trips to farms to pick fruits and vegetables. Others are helping in food distribution in Tel Aviv for people who are less fortunate than ourselves. When you speak to the volunteers and ask them why they are here, they all have the same common response. After Oct. 7, when we saw what they did to Israel, we all felt deep down in our hearts that we had to do our part to help Israel in her time of need. 30% of volunteers who come here are not Jewish. Some are religious, others are secular with a few atheists like myself.
We all put our luggage onto a prearranged van. You can tell the first timers from the veterans. We know beforehand that they give us army uniforms that you must wear at all times so extra clothes are not necessary. You can leave extra baggage in the hotel. No sooner than we got into the van, the sirens went off. We had 30 seconds to return to the hotel and go down into the safe room in the basement. The room was OK but it was standing room only for 20 people. We stayed the mandatory 10 minutes until ‘all clear’. I am happy that we didn’t have to be in there for 2 or 3 hours which can occur if we are under sustained rocket fire. I don’t know who fired the rocket but I do know that it was taken out by the iron dome probably over the sea.
The drive to the IDF base took about 2 hours. Tel-Aviv traffic is terrible and it took some time to leave the city. Eventually, we were in the countryside, continuing down into the Negev just south of Beersheba. I slept most of the way as I was up late last night writing my blog at a bar on the beach. We were introduced to our leaders called ‘madrihots’. They are lovely girls, 18 and 22 years of age. Their enthusiasm was contagious and they put us all at ease and really ‘broke the ice’. We were given our rooms at random. I have 3 room mates, a father and son team from Oregon and a fellow who was in the US army for most of his career.
Lunch was excellent, 20 different dishes to choose from. Apparently the kitchen was recently renovated and the cuisine has much improved. After lunch we got our IDF uniforms. I love it. Our uniforms are big and somewhat oversized. Our madrihots uniforms have obviously been tapered and fitted. I guess that is the advantage of being in the army. I will know that next time around.
We were then introduced to our warehouse managers. They are also very enthusiastic and welcoming. We took before and after pictures. We then danced Israeli style dancing to Israeli music for 10-15 minutes. I remembered the steps from my Bar Mitzvah days. I was also invited to many Greek weddings and christenings and was taught to do Greek dancing there. The steps are very similar. Our base is trucking base. We have 1437 trucks here. Many have to be cleaned, put in shape and repaired. Our job today was to disassemble large, heavy bags containing sleeping bag, uniforms of various sizes and jacket. We then sorted the merchandise, separating the useable ones from the damaged ones and then repacking the bags. All this work is accompanied by loud music to make the day and the work go faster.
We had 2 hours off before supper. Most of the volunteers took the time off to relax. That is a word that I don’t quite know how to spell, so I went for a 50 minute, 7 km run. That was my first run since October when I did the World Championship Triathlon in Spain. It wasn’t too bad as I had my ear pods on and listened to Crosby, Stills and Nash. I will see how I feel tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will be up at 7:00, breakfast at 7:30, flag raising at 8:30 and work from 9:00 to 12:30. I signed up to be with the Krav Maga group. We are 16 in the group, with an even mix of guys and girls. Krav Maga is an Israeli defence method of defending yourself if you are attacked. It is not a sport. When I applied to be in the group, they would not accept me because of my age. I had to write all sorts of stuff saying that I am a triathlete, play hockey and am a ski instructor. Eventually they accepted me after getting a medical certificate and signing a waiver. We will be starting our first session tomorrow afternoon and will do it 1.5 to 2 days a week.
This evening we had a meeting with our madrihots who explained how the base works. We then had to give a little blurb about ourselves. We are mixed group of Canadians, Americans, Estonians, Peruvians and French people. I started my blurb off by saying that I graduated McGill in 1970 and took a year off to go travelling. “ I don’t think that any of you were born then”. Except for 1 or 2 others, I was correct. This is a very young group compared to other groups that I have been in. The average age appears to be 40 to 50 probably due to the Krav Maga option.
I travelled on a motorcycle for 6 months around Europe until the bike was stolen in Italy. I then hitch hiked for 6 months, skiing for 2 months and working on a kibbutz in Israel. That was my first introduction to Israel. I was cold, I was hungry, I was lonely. It was the best year of my life.
If some one had told me on Oct 6, 2023 that at 74 year of age, that I would be going to war, I would have thought that they were crazy. On Oct. 7, 2023 I made the decision to volunteer to go to Israel. The rest is history.
Love,
Brian
I travelled on a motorcycle for 6 months around Europe until the bike was stolen in Italy. I hitche
Last evening I went to Vickie’s for Shabat dinner. She invited me as soon as she knew that I was in Israel. Last year she was instrumental in getting me a position as a physician on an MDA ambulance. Several months later, she arranged to have a Sword’s of Iron, medal sent to me. The medal was only made for this war and was sent to about 150 physicians who volunteered to serve on an MDA ambulance during the war. It made me very proud to receive it and I displayed it in my office for several months.
Vickie invited me with 2 of her children and grandchildren along with 2 Turkish students who I met last year and are now living in Israel. Vickie always associates herself with young people who I have met on several occasions that I have been invited. We were not supposed to talk politics but how can you avoid this topic in Israel? Her son had lived in New York for many years and is very well informed of the situation. I asked him 3 questions: ‘What do you want to happen? What do you think will happen? What will happen?’ He answered me in a very candid manner that I will not discuss here. His answer made me think very seriously about the position that I have taken and re-evaluate my thoughts for the future.
Today I woke up to nicer weather, 18C sunny with cloudy periods, in other words not beach weather but great weather for walking around. The water is rough and swimming is not permitted except for the surfers who are wearing wet suits. I took a long walk for 3 hours along the boardwalk taking similar pictures to those that I took last year. I met a few people that I had known from the IDF Sar-El group from last year. It’s a small world.
I am sitting on a beach chair over looking the blue-green waters of the Med., writing my blog and sipping a cappuccino. Life is pretty easy. The boardwalk is filled with people strolling along enjoying the day. There is a cool breeze which makes the sun very comfortable, great spring weather. Young people in bathing suits are playing beach volleyball. They also play another game that resembles volleyball but you use a soccer ball and send it back and forth across the the net using only your head, feet and chest. It looks impossible to learn at my age and limited soccer skills.
Tonight I will pack as I am leaving for an IDF base tomorrow morning.
I spent the last 2 days packing and unpacking, trying to take the least amount of necessities. I have an IDF army uniform for 2 weeks and an MDA uniform for 2 weeks so I really don’t need a lot of clothes. Finally I reduced my life to what I could put into a carry on and something called a personal belongings sack. My clothes fit into the carry on and my medical supplies and electronics fit into the personal belongings sack. 55 years ago I travelled for 1 year with 7 lbs of luggage. I really think that my medical supplies weigh more than that and I consider myself to be in good shape. As for the electronics, you don’t realize how many wires, adapters and chargers that you need to carry when you are at home.
I arrived in Israel yesterday in the pouring rain, a phenomenon that is rare at this time of year. At the last moment before leaving Montreal I managed to throw a raincoat into my already bulging carry-on and it became of use to me on my first day here. Apparently, it has been 25C-30C all week but the temperature dropped just for me to make it easier for me to acclimatize. I managed to take the correct train to Tel Aviv without getting lost and then bought an Israeli bus-train card that you fill up with shekels to travel with. It is a good system. It’s hard to believe that 3 weeks ago I was skiing in -24C and in +15C last weekend.
I am staying at the Maxim Hotel which is where all the volunteers stay so it is easy to make friends here. I am across the road from the beach but the water is rough, cold and uninviting. The manager, came over to me right away and greeted me with an Israeli hug. I stayed here for 2 months last year. I met up with a few friends that I had known last year. People tend to come the same weeks from year to year as it probably fits in with their personal schedules. I went out to dinner with a Dutch friend that I knew from last year. We went out to an Italian style restaurant. As I have said before, if you are in a foreign country and are unsure of the food, you can always find a good Italian restaurant. The restaurants are great here and there is a lot of variety.
Today I went to Carmel market and met up with 2 Spanish ladies for lunch. They have lived in Venezuela, Spain, France, Spanish Morocco and Miami and speak several languages. In spite of what we hear in the news, they say that there is very little antisemitism in Spain except for the government which is left wing and therefore pro-Palestinian. On the other hand antisemitism is very prevalent in Holland except for the government which is right wing and pro-Israel. It is hard to decide which side we should dance with.
There has been isolated rocket fire from Hamas. They always seem to be running out of food, on the verge of a humanitarian crisis and starving because of the ‘genocide.’ They never seem to run out of rockets. The dichotomy is that in spite of their hardships, the population is increasing. The night before I came, the sirens went off in Tel Aviv and people had to rush to a shelter. The Houthis fired a missile at Tel Aviv that had to be taken out by the iron dome. Their missiles are dangerous as they are very big, long range and probably more accurate. I guess that they knew that I was coming and wanted to welcome me here. Last year the Houthis fired missiles, rockets and drones at me while I was in Eilat forcing me to take shelter in a converted sewer pipe. I am beginning to take this
The war ends when 1 side drops their weapons, gets on their knees, puts their hands over their heads and says don’t shoot. That has always been the rule of warfare. Cease fire only means, that the Israelis cease, and they reload and fire. That is what they have been doing for 80 years. We want the hostages home now. I don’t believe that there will be another cease fire until they hand over the hostages and Hamas relinquishes power.
I have lived my entire life in Canada and have never personally, until recently, experienced any act of antisemitism against me. My great grandparents came here and made lives for themselves. My grand parents came here and made lives for themselves. My parents were born here. My father spent 6 years in the Canadian Army fighting for freedom and democracy. Of the 21 young fellows that my father trained with, 9 came home. My father was in a truck as a corporal and had 2 drivers. He lost 4 drivers. I was born here. My children and grandchildren were born here.
The contribution to society by Jewish people can not be compared to any other race or nationality. Michael Dell is Jewish. A number of executives of Apple and Microsoft are Jewish. If the BDS movement wants to desist from Jewish companies, let them stop using computers. Waze is an Israeli GPS. Don’t use it to protest Israel and get lost. Nvidia makes games. Don’t play them. Many medications were developed in Israel. Don’t take them and use natural medicines. The USB is an Israeli invention. Just write on paper and mail letters. Don’t watch Hollywood movies because they are nothing but Jewish propaganda. Jews make up 0.2% of the world population and have received 22% on Nobel prizes. The list is endless. I never thought that I would see what I am witnessing now. What kind of world am I leaving to my children?
If you had told me on October 6 that I would be going to war, I would have thought that you were crazy. On Oct 7, I made the grave decision to go to war. I spent 4 weeks on an IDF base and 4 weeks on an MDA ambulance. I was bombed twice. I treated 100 cases, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, heart attacks, choking, and suicides. I was often 1km from Gaza. I trained 74 years for those 2 months.
People asked me if I was ever afraid. Never! If there is speed or danger, I get exhilarated. I once asked a young girl about the war. She replied, ‘We did not want or ask for the war. We have confidence in our army. We have confidence in ourselves. We are not afraid.’ After 3 weeks in Israel I adopted the same reasoning. Israel stands alone. They will never trust or allow any country to be responsible for their security. If you read my blog you may have noticed that at the beginning, I talked about the Israelis doing this or that. After 3 weeks I changed the noun, ’the Israelis’ to the pronoun “we”.
Will I return to Israel in the near future? That all depends if Hezbollah ‘invites’ me. I myself have decided on a ‘red line’ which if crossed, would force my hand for an immediate return. My finger is on the trigger. My contribution however small it was, was not negligible. I could leave for Israel with 7 days notice.
During the 8 weeks I renewed acquaintances with my 4 cousins and their families, one of whom came to Canada for a visit. It has not been easy for us in the diaspora. Although I have not personally experienced any direct antisemitism, I have observed anti Israel demonstrations on a weekly basis. I recently attended an Oct 7 memorial. There were 1000 students present in front of McGill. It was very sad. There were speeches and everyone sang Hatikva and Jerusalem (Yerushaliam). I also attended a memorial service in Hampstead Park. There were 4000 people present. One lady who had lost her son at the Nova festival spoke. Another young woman from the kibbutz that was attacked also spoke. It was very peaceful. At the same time, there was a pro-Palestinian march from Concordia University to McGill. They broke windows all along Sherbrooke Street. They climbed the Rodrick Gates at McGill, spray painted the buildings and broke windows. Finally the police were called and used tear to disperse the crowd. Good for them! Their old chant was ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’. Can any of them name, which river and which sea? The latest chant is ‘we don’t want 2 states, we go back to 48’. Do any of them know what was decided by the UN in 47?
I am 75 year of age. I will not live to see the end of this. My children will ask ‘how could you not see this coming?’ My grandchildren will say ‘why did you do nothing to prevent it?’ I have no answer for them.
On a different note, I am on the Canadian National Triathlon Team. I am currently in Torremolinos, Spain to do the World Championship Triathlon, Sprint, Age Group 75-79. You can follow me on the web site. You can also follow me on my blog. gobriantravel.com. I will be in Torremolinos for 1 week. Afterwards, I rented a motorcycle and will tour Andalusia. I will fly to France for the 3rd week to see my medical school buddies. We have been friends for 52 years.
I am in the 4th quarter of my 4th and final quarter of my life. The world is a lousy place. I am glad that I am leaving it soon. Hoping to hear from you.
Brian brianmorrrismd@gmail.com
All
All my bags are packed I’m ready to go I’m standin’ here outside your door I hate to wake you up to say goodbye But the dawn is breakin’ It’s early morn The taxi’s waitin’ He’s blowin’ his horn Already I’m so lonesome I could die So kiss me and smile for me Tell me that you’ll wait for me Hold me like you’ll never let me go ‘Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane Don’t know when I’ll be back again Oh babe, I hate to go
I am in the airport waiting for my plane to take off. 1 year ago at the same time, I left for Israel. At the time, Israel was in the middle of a war. I volunteered to work on an IDF army base and on an MDA ambulance as a physician eventually staying for 2 months. I didn‘t know what to expect. Now I do. I loved the experience. At the time I knew that I would go back but I was not sure when. After watching the events of the past year, it became obvious to me that the ‘when’ was going to be ‘now’.
This time I volunteered to work on the IDF base for 2 weeks and then spend 2 weeks on an MDA ambulance as a paramedic rather than a physician. MDA is not officially taking foreign physicians now but with my contacts, I was able to secure a place on an ambulance.
I have written to all my friends and relatives in Israel and should be able to visit with all of them.
I had a busy year since returning from Israel in May. I spent 2 months renovating my 3 boats. I suppose that one could ask if I really need to own 3 boats. But that is another question and another discussion. I played 80 games of hockey. I raced my sailboat. I am on the Canadian National Triathlon Team Age Group 75-79 and did the World Championships for Canada in Torremolinos Spain. I did a motorcycle trip and visited my friends in France last fall. In the winter I skied 34 days, teaching skiing on Fridays and working with the Ski Patrol on Sundays. I wrote about all these adventures in my blog.
I will fly with Air Austria, landing in Vienna tomorrow and then on to Tel Aviv. I will be on the beach tomorrow afternoon. I have 2 days off in Tel Aviv staying at the same hotel as last year. Most of the volunteers stay at the hotel. It is very easy to meet people who come from all over the world. They all come from highly intellectual backgrounds so the discussions around the dinner table is always high level.
We had a cease-fire for a few weeks and everyone was hoping that it would hold. Hamas refuses to give up the hostages without being allowed to hold onto power. This is unacceptable to the Israelis and hence the bombing campaign started yesterday. J’entre dans la guelle du loup.
When I told people that I was return to Israel, I receive a very positive response. I sent out email invitations to friends and family and received over 50 emails of encouragement. I am happy.
I have lived my entire life in Canada and have never personally, until recently, experienced any act of antisemitism against me.. My great grandparents came here and made lives for themselves. My grand parents came here and made lives for themselves. My parents were born here. My father spent 6 years in the Canadian Army fighting for freedom and democracy. Of the 21 young fellows that my father trained with, 9 came home. My father was in a truck as a corporal and had 2 drivers. He lost 4 drivers. I was born here. My children and grandchildren were born here.
The contribution to society by Jewish people can not be compared to any other race or nationality. Michael Dell is Jewish. A number of executives of Apple and Microsoft are Jewish. If the BDS movement wants to desist from Jewish companies, let them stop using computers. Waze is an Israeli GPS. Don’t use it to protest Israel and get lost. Nvidia makes games. Don’t play them. Many medications were developed in Israel. Don’t take them and use natural medicines. The USB is an Israeli invention. Just write on paper and mail letters. Don’t watch Hollywood movies because they are nothing but Jewish propaganda. Jews make up 0.2% of the world population and have received 22% on Nobel prizes. The list is endless. I never thought that I would see what I am witnessing now. What kind of world am I leaving to my children?
If you had told me on October 6 that I would be going to war, I would have thought that you were crazy. On Oct 7, I made the grave decision to go to war. I spent 4 weeks on an IDF base and 4 weeks on an MDA ambulance. I was bombed twice. I treated 100 cases, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, heart attacks, choking, and suicides. I was often 1km from Gaza. I trained 74 years for those 2 months.
People asked me if I was ever afraid. Never! If there is speed or danger, I get exhilarated. I once asked a young girl about the war. She replied, ‘We did not want or ask for the war. We have confidence in our army. We have confidence in ourselves. We are not afraid.’ After 3 weeks in Israel I adopted the same reasoning. Israel stands alone. They will never trust or allow any country to be responsible for their security. If you read my blog you may have noticed that at the beginning, I talked about the Israelis doing this or that. After 3 weeks I changed the noun, ’the Israelis’ to the pronoun “we”.
Will I return to Israel in the near future? That all depends if Hezbollah ‘invites’ me. I myself have decided on a ‘red line’ which if crossed, would force my hand for an immediate return. My finger is on the trigger. My contribution however small it was, was not negligible. I could leave for Israel with 7 days notice.
During the 8 weeks I renewed acquaintances with my 4 cousins and their families, one of whom came to Canada for a visit. It has not been easy for us in the diaspora. Although I have not personally experienced any direct antisemitism, I have observed anti Israel demonstrations on a weekly basis. I recently attended an Oct 7 memorial. There were 1000 students present in front of McGill. It was very sad. There were speeches and everyone sang Hatikva and Jerusalem (Yerushaliam). I also attended a memorial service in Hampstead Park. There were 4000 people present. One lady who had lost her son at the Nova festival spoke. Another young woman from the kibbutz that was attacked also spoke. It was very peaceful. At the same time, there was a pro-Palestinian march from Concordia University to McGill. They broke windows all along Sherbrooke Street. They climbed the Rodrick Gates at McGill, spray painted the buildings and broke windows. Finally the police were called and used tear to disperse the crowd. Good for them! Their old chant was ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’. Can any of them name, which river and which sea? The latest chant is ‘we don’t want 2 states, we go back to 48’. Do any of them know what was decided by the UN in 47?
I am 75 year of age. I will not live to see the end of this. My children will ask ‘how could you not see this coming?’ My grandchildren will say ‘why did you do nothing to prevent it?’ I have no answer for them.
I am in the 4th quarter of my 4th and final quarter of my life. The world is a lousy place. I am glad that I am leaving it soon. Hoping to hear from you.
Brian brianmorrrismd@gmail.com
All
All my bags are packed I’m ready to go I’m standin’ here outside your door I hate to wake you up to say goodbye But the dawn is breakin’ It’s early morn The taxi’s waitin’ He’s blowin’ his horn Already I’m so lonesome I could die So kiss me and smile for me Tell me that you’ll wait for me Hold me like you’ll never let me go ‘Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane Don’t know when I’ll be back again Oh babe, I hate to go
Tonight I went to the closing banquet which had great food and beverages and is always very informal. I was sitting at a table with a fellow who I had met before and another fellow who lives in San Diego, owns several motorcycles and sailboats so we had a lot in common to talk about. Dr. Ralph Hopkins ran the conference for many years until his passing. Dr. Fernando Kim took over the organization of the meeting afterwards and has been doing a fantastic job of continuing the meeting with excellent invited speakers.
Dr. Kim came over to me to thank me for coming to the meeting as he recognized me from previous meetings. I have been coming to the meeting on and off for 30 years. I told him a story about Dr. Hopkins which I had wanted to tell for many years but was afraid to tell as I did not know how it would be taken. He told me that I must tell the story to everyone.
As the meeting came to a close, he then thanked me in front of everyone for being a loyal supporter of the meeting for so many years. He then handed me the mike and asked me to recount the story. 12 years ago in Feb. 2013 I came to the meeting with several of my children. As the morning session closed, Ralph came up to me, addressed me by my first name, Brian, and asked me how I liked the meeting. I was surprised that he would know me by my first name as I am not really that important in the urological community . I told him that I really enjoyed the meeting and that I was here again with my family. He asked me about the skiing perhaps knowing that both myself and my children are ardent skiers. He then asked me if I would be returning next year. I replied, ‘of course I will be here’ and we shook hands promising to see each other next year. 4 weeks later I had 3 heart attacks and a quadruple bypass. Several months later he passed away from pulmonary complications. I have thought about that moment in time many times and certainly every time that I come to Jackson Hole. I often wonder if he is looking down on me wondering why I am not up there with him as we had definitely promised to see each other the following year. I recovered well from the bypass, skiing 35 days a year and playing 80 games of hockey a year. I have done 15 triathlons since my bypass. One day, in the not so distant future we will have that reunion.
Following the banquet, I was invited to a private party with the conference organizers. I was really flattered to have been included among the speakers. The post banquet party was great with drinks, and dancing to Brazilian and 1970s rock music.
Today was my last day at the conference and my last day skiing. The conference was excellent as usual. I really enjoy the smaller conferences which are more personal than the larger ones with 10,000 urologists present. Tonight I will attend the banquet. It will be the last one at Snake River Lodge as there will be a new hotel for the conference next year.
I met my ski buddies at 10:00 and we skied together until 1:00. In snowed 30 cm (12 inches) 2 days ago and 25 cm (10 inches) last night. The sun was out and the luminosity was excellent.
We skied one tree run after another on black diamond slopes. The snow coverage was amazing, pow-pow (powder) all the way down the mountain from top to bottom. It reminded me of the last time we came here with all the kids, pre-covid when we stayed on the slope in the big mansion which was offered to us at no extra charge as our condo was not available. With the excellent snow conditions, I used my semi powder skis all week. The 3 fellows that I skied with were super skiers and knew the hill very well. They seemed to know where the untouched powder stashes were hidden away. However, no matter how good we think that we ski, on these black diamond tree trails, there are always better skiers to admire. Most of the time, we were pretty much alone as it takes a certain amount of skill to do deep powder tree runs. On the pictures showing the trees, we actually skied between them. I bid farewell to my friends and did the last few runs on groomers to finish the day.
I snowed all night and kept snowing until mid day today. 30cm (12 inches) must have fallen altogether. This morning the winds were unbelievable. Several lifts were close and visibility was very poor. I missed meeting up with my buddies so I started out alone at 9:30 on one of the lower gondolas. I skied 2 runs, got rather discouraged and decided to go into the Caspar, mid mountain restaurant. I sat there for a while observing the 50 mile/hour winds, sipping a coffee, eating a muffin and licking my wounds. When does this get to be fun?
After while my friends came in for some refreshments. I reactivated the Jackson Hole app and found that 2 of my buddies were skiing the trees not far from the restaurant. The app is incredible, it allows you to find your friends no matter where they are on the mountain and follow them as they ski down the mountain. I waited for them at one of the lifts.
My luck changed and it started to become fun. I skied with my 3 buddies for the next 3 hours. The wind calmed down and the visibility improved. We skied the rest of the day off 1 lift coming down the mountain among the tightly placed trees. There was easily 1 foot of unbroken powder between the trees. Once, I put my ski pole into a mogul and my pole went down to my wrist. I practiced my newly learned technique of not jumping the turns. Rather, I let the skis just float over the snow while weighting and unweighting the skis to make the turn just like on hard packed snow.
I remembered what my son, Antoine, told me years ago about skiing the trees. I was braking at each tree while I observed him just flying through the trees. He told me: ‘Your skis are 5 ft long and there are 10 ft of space between each tree. There is plenty of room to pass. Find a line between the trees and just trace.’ I did it, it’s true, it works. When parking a car if you look at the curb, you will hit the curb. As he said: ‘just don’t look at the trees.’
gobriantravel 