Carpets of Red Anemones

This past Saturday, Jodie and I did something we had wanted to do for years. We visited the northwestern Negev during February, in time to see desert in bloom.

Our first stop was the Be'eri Forest, "a rolling landscape of hills and fields" famous for "its carpets of red anemones."

While there were anemones in the forest, they were mostly surrounded by weeds. The forest is also a popular destination for families riding bicycles.

We had better luck seeing the flowers at Be'er Marva, across from Kibbutz Alumim. Just off the main road, this small nature preserve had less people and more flowers.

February's flower blossoming is marked by Darom Adom (The Red South), an annual festival that brings Israelis from other parts of the country into the northern Negev, some of them, like us, for the first time. It was a colorful, enjoyable experience and the perfect way to spend a sunny February day.

Official Darom Adom website (Hebrew)

The Burgas Affair - Now in Paperback!

I am proud to announce that The Burgas Affair is now available in paperback!

Order your copy today!

Review on "Books From Dusk Till Dawn"

"The story is as much about the relationship that develops between them as it is about finding the bombers before there were more deaths. Boyko had his own dodgy past to deal with which was slowly coming to light throughout the story. There are times that the story drops back to fill in how events went down. I really didn’t like Boyko to start with but he did grow on me. Ayalya feels she has a lot to prove about herself and how she is seen by other members of both these teams.

"There was plenty of action throughout the book, both surrounding the bombing and Boyko’s past. It is very much a tension builder with spikes of adrenaline fueled scenes to allow you to take a break before the next one, if you need to. They were a couple that I would want on my side. I really enjoyed this book, though it is sad that in real life the case was never solved. If you continue reading after this story ends  the author goes on to fill in facts about the real bombing."

Read the full review on "Books from Dusk Till Dawn".

The Burgas Affair - But What Are They Eating?

When Detective Boyko Stanchev of the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security sits down for lunch at a roadside cafe, he is furious that his partner is an inexperienced data analyst from Israel. Ayala Navon has just flown in from Tel Aviv to join the investigation of a bombing at Burgas Airport which took the lives of five Israelis and their Bulgarian bus driver. Ayala has never previously been to Bulgaria and Boyko feels she will interfere with his work on the case.

The waiter brings their lunch.

There is the ubiquitous shopska salad—finely cut wedges of tomatoes and cucumbers topped with grated salty white cheese. Next to it were small ceramic bowls of potato salad and the so-called Russian salad, which was nearly the same, except for the addition of carrots and peas. A colorful tomato salad and one made from peppers were also quite appealing; they were served on traditional Bulgarian plates. Off to the side was a bowl of yogurt spotted with drops of green.

“Snezhanka salata,” Ayala said, dipping in her spoon to help herself.

“How do you know its name?”

“It’s because,” she began, but then she shrugged, smiling to herself. She recalled the occasions during her childhood when her father had asked to include Bulgarian dishes in their meals, a request stated so frequently that her mother had given in to his tastes, despite their being so different from the cuisine with which she was familiar.

“Because?” he asked, waiting for an answer.

“I just know the name.”

Read the rest of this article on But What Are They Eating?