Fridays with Manny

  

The Festival of Lights

From Sunday, November 28th until Monday, December 6th, Jews from all over the world are going to be lighting a special light holder called a Hanukkiah, to honor miraculous events which happened in Judea around 200 BC, also known as the Land of Israel.

In that time, the area was under the control of Syria. They outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. In 168 BC, a group of a Jewish priest Mattathias, and his five sons started a rebellion, which led to the liberation of Jerusalem and a rededication of the temple, which required lighting the menorah. Unfortunately, there was only one container of the oil left; but it miraculously lasted for eight days. Thus, the legend behind the holiday Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, was born. The holiday is also called the “Festival of Lights”. 

I hope that you will enjoy my interpretation of light, which sometimes can be seen in a different light.

Enjoy and Share!

www.encounterspublishing.com

Fridays with Manny

  

How to Say Thank You

Years ago when I was in my mid-40s, we adopted a gorgeous cat without realizing it would affect my asthma. Fortunately, I was introduced to the miracle worker – Dr. Angela Wu. Utilizing her Chinese medical practice, she helped my body strengthen its immunity system. Today, thirty years later, I rarely get colds, and can even be in the same room with a cat without an allergic reaction. I continue to visit Dr. Wu’s Healing Center once a month for the upkeep. For me, this is the best insurance to keep enjoying my life until I am one hundred and twenty. Thank you, Dr. Wu and your wonderful staff!

I wrote this thank you note for Thanksgiving Day. We all still have time to thank the people in our lives. Please call me if you want to benefit from Dr. Wu’s talent. Meanwhile, please enjoy these beautiful flowers.

Fridays with Manny

  

Why We Need Bees

Many of us know that the reason we have honey is because of the bees. In Bee Culture, I found an interesting story about the chemistry of honey. However, the production of honey is the result of bees’ main activity, which is pollinating plants and flowers.

Honeybees are among the most numerous and efficient pollinator species in the world. One bee can visit more than 2000 flowers in one day. They pollinate over 100 crops grown in North America and contribute $15 billion to the US economy every year. There are 4000 different bee species in North America. Unfortunately, many of the bee colonies have declined for various reasons. 

I learned about this from an article from Planet Bee Foundation. You can find out more about them in a few documentary movies such as “Queen of the Sun” and “Vanishing of the Bees”. Meanwhile, enjoy my images of these remarkable creatures.

Enjoy and Share!

www.encounterspublishing.com

Fridays with Manny

  

Morning Fog

On Friday, after I dropped off Max at his dog-sitter in the Richmond district, I was driving to my office in Daly City. However, on this morning, crossing Golden Gate Park was challenging. So, I decided to take an alternative route along the ocean. Later, I learned that traffic was due to the “Outside Lands” Music Festival, which took place over three days in Golden Gate Park. As I drove closer and closer to the ocean, the fog grew thicker and thicker, and I could barely see the cars ahead of me.

San Francisco has sometimes been called the “Fog City”. There is a meteorological reason for this phenomenon. Online I learned that the reason for this is that the Northern California climate gets very hot, especially in the summer, and creates a low-pressure zone. San Francisco on the other hand, is surrounded by water on three sides. The hot air rises, creating a vacuum for the cold, high-pressure, moisture-filled ocean air to rush in – hence, the fog. Another type, tule fog, can occur during the winter. Sometimes both types occur simultaneously.

As a photographer, I like the fog. It always creates beautiful unexpected light. I stopped to take these three images that day.

Enjoy and Share!

www.encounterspublishing.com

Fridays with Manny

  

Scary Fun

Some of my neighbors started to prepare for Halloween a month in advance by decorating their front yards with scary creatures, tombstones and with carved pumpkins that light up at night.

Turns out that the tradition has to do with a 2000 year old superstition practiced by the Celts, in Europe, for the holiday Samhain, which fell on the night before the new year, October 31st, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. On this day, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. They thought that the Druids or Celtic Priests will have an easier way to communicate with spirits to make predictions for the future. Of course, over the many years, the holiday evolved into the fun event celebrated by children and adults and has nothing scary about it, unless you are watching Halloween horror movies.

It is also an opportunity to photograph some of the “scary” creatures.

Enjoy and Share!

www.encounterspublishing.com