Photos

Instead of printing a few grayscale photos in the center of the book, I decided to create this full color gallery with the help of Instagram’s X-Pro II filter. Hover for captions in thumbnail form or click to shuffle through the enlarged photos with captions.

Preface – When Mom came for Christmas, she brought a huge box of yo-yos from Dad’s stash in her basement.

Preface – Depression glass sherbets. One portion of an example of my parents tendency to collect things.

Preface – I had this plaque made to honor my parents. We attached it to the lamppost that we removed from the front of our family home.

Enter Stage East – One of my first experiences in Tyre was a prayer walk that included a stroll along this waterfront walkway.

Enter Stage East – A typical view of the marketplace in Tyre.

Enter Stage East – A salesman in the souq. Cigarettes, magazines, and nuts.

Enter Stage East – Josey helped me to learn to drink coffee. I’d hated it before. Here she is in an artsy pose. She always told me she wanted to go to Lebanon to take photos.

Enter Stage East – This is a photogram I made out of a Lebanese postage stamp. Tyre was famous in history for majestic cedars that were often used to represent the glory of God in the Bible.

Enter Stage East – One morning, high above the city on a hill, the peninsula appeared to be floating on a cloud.

Enter Stage East – The winters were cold in concrete buildings. I had my friend Abu Ahmeed make me this crazy warm robe out of Spanish wool.

Enter Stage East – A calm day within the jetty in the Port of Tyre.

Enter Stage East – The majority of fishermen in Tyre are Christian and are descended from the earliest church. Notice the chapel in the center of the harbor.

Millennial Monsters – Sadiq pointed to this carved stone and said they were Jesus’ friends. It was carved by an early monastic order in Qana.

Millennial Monsters – This grotto is the traditional site of the wedding feast where Jesus turned water to wine (at least as far as the Lebanese are concerned).

Millennial Monsters – There is a shrine to Jesus inside the grotto. One year we made our own sunrise service on Easter morning there.

Millennial Monsters – A large yard filled with tombs comprises much of the Memorial site in Qana to remember the loss of life in 1996.

Millennial Monsters – Just a few of the photos of children who were killed in the Qana massacre.

Millennial Monsters – Today there is an art gallery on the site of the Qana massacre. The paintings and sculptures are quite expressive and artistic.

Drive – Most people wouldn’t guess that there is any place in the Middle East where you can find snow at any time of year.

Drive – There’s no lodge with a huge fireplace at the ski resort in Faraya, but you can buy hot chocolate at the snack shack.

Drive – Walid and I were wrestling in the snow. It was the first time he and Sadiq had experienced the white stuff.

Drive – This photo was taken on another trip to the castle at Tripoli. The time I drove by with Sadiq and Walid, I didn’t get this close a view.

Sweet Solitude – I described this road in this chapter. I had to be stealthy to get to the running track without being captured and forced to drink tea.

Sweet Solitude – From the top of the few remaining sections of seating, you can see two thirds of the Hippodrome here.

The seating pictured here is the location the previous photo was taken from. You can see two columns supporting an arch in the aqueduct on either side.

Sweet Solitude – There used to be a trough on top of this structure that carried water for miles, bringing it into the city during Roman times.

Sweet Solitude – I climbed up on top of the aqueduct and risked being whistled at to take this picture. It’s my favorite. You can see the Roman road in the lower left.

Sweet Solitude – This photo of the Triumphal Arch in the Hippodrome ruins was taken from the Necropolis, or city of the dead, just beyond what would have been the city limits in Roman times.

Sweet Solitude – Actual stones of the Roman road. They were reportedly fit together to be smooth as glass at the time.

Helicopters and Triremes – The pink marble remains of the pillars of the cathedral are distinctively shaped.

Helicopters and Triremes – The kings of Jerusalem had to travel to their coronation ceremonies to Tyre’s Cathedral during Crusader times.

Helicopters and Triremes – It was quite conspicuous for me to be poking around down there in the pit as people were walking by looking down on me from above.

Helicopters and Triremes – This Muslim cemetery is right across the street from the previous photo of the Cathedral. Just beyond it is another site called the City Ruins.

Helicopters and Triremes – An example of the tombs made of limestone rock, scattered around Tyre from antiquity. They’re very similar to the way both Muslims and Christians bury their dead in this stony country.

Helicopters and Triremes – This row of columns int he Old City run along a bend in the Roman road that entered the city on the other end of town at the Hippodrome.

Helicopters and Triremes – Right about here was where the Egyptian Port was located. The Tyreans did their best to keep Alexander out, but he had destiny on his side.

Helicopters and Triremes – The day I walked down this beach to survey the helicopter damage, the tide was out and I walked along in the sand.

Helicopters and Triremes – The boatworks in Tyre doesn’t make full scale triremes, but they build cool replicas of ancient ships by hand one at a time.

A Time to Mourn – Shia Muslims retell the story of the lost imam, Hussein, during the annual observation of Ashura.

A Time to Mourn – The women of the camp mourn their loss at the arrival of Hussein’s wounded horse without it’s rider.

A Time to Mourn – A main intersection in the city of Tyre. The Ashura procession wove all the way through the city.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – Nearly to the southernmost tip of coast in Lebanon, we turned back and took this photo of the limestone cliffs near Naqoura.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – This dog was shot when it failed to sniff out a bomb that killed a high ranking officer in the Israeli controlled South Lebanon Army.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – I am still unaware of the grueling journey that awaits me in this photo. We’re just beginning to hit some traffic. You can barely see the thistle that I picked in my hand.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – My little Honda did the job of carrying us on this historic day. Notice the thistle on the dashboard and the prayer beads handing from the rearview mirror.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – Amal was one of the major components of the Lebanese resistance forces. To the left of the flag you can get a sense of the crowds that were out to experience this momentous occasion. The border fence is to the right.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – The other noteworthy flag being flown, other than the Lebanese flag, was the bright yellow Hezbollah flag.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – The United Nations observers were perched on a hill, watching the parade of tourists go by.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – Here’s a better photo of the stalled flow of traffic. The situation was very similar to the drive to Beirut during the 33-day War.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – I was starting to get a little tired by this time. My smile is strained as my mind is on looking for a restroom. The Israeli town of Kfar Killa is visible behind me.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – This is the heavily fortified part of the fence at Fatima Gate that we didn’t walk up the road to see the day of our marathon.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – Fatima Gate is on the left side of the road at the crest of the hill in this photo. This was as close as we got, but there crowds of people all along this access road.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – I wish I could treat you to smells in this photo gallery. A little barbed wire just doesn’t cut it to tell this story.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – I don’t even want to think of the atrocities that went on here.

Fatima Gate and Beyond – It may not look like too much from below, but up on top, the view is commanding. No wonder it was used by Israel as a base of defense during their occupation. This was as much of the castle that I saw while sitting in a traffic jam below as dusk turned into darkness.

Parents with Passports – One of the first things we did when my parents came to Lebanon was to go on a walking tour around Tyre.

Parents with Passports – It was quite an adventure for my folks to travel to Lebanon. They had to get passports for the first time in their lives. This is in the port.

Parents with Passports – I couldn’t find any of the photos we took that day, so I included this one from a much cooler trip. The day my parents and I went, it was much warmer.

Parents with Passports – Toward the end of our two day marathon tour, we visited the ancient city of Jbeil (Byblos), who’s residents claim it to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world.

Parents with Passports – This is a typical checkpoint along the road where you have to stop and get permission to proceed. Notice the steel I-beam “jack” that I describe littering the approach to the army base in Sidon.

Parents with Passports – There are three sections of beach here. The closest is the stretch that ran beneath our balcony. In the middle, you can see the enclosed private beach that belongs to the Resthouse Resort. Beyond that, you can just make out the rows of restaurant shacks that temporarily line the beach in the summertime.

Parents with Passports – Here’s a closer view of the eating area next to one of the beach restaurants in the evening.

Parents with Passports – Palestinians sunk this freighter with mines during the lawless times of the late 70’s and very early 80’s.

Eternal Questions – This is the painting I bought at the mawrad. The artist wouldn’t confess who she had painted – only that it was the one who would come on the Day of Judgment.

Eternal Questions – After buying the painting, Sadiq and I retreated to this room to discuss the finer points of our faith over a glass of tea.

Against All Odds – A wedding feast about to be devoured

Against All Odds – Live ethnic performers at a wedding.

Against All Odds – Dancing the Lebanese national dance, the Dabke, at a wedding celebration.

Against All Odds – I met Kimarie on this trip to England. When I went into this amazing church, I was embarrassed when an older gentleman had to ask me to remove my baseball cap. Oops.

Against All Odds – We had to make a big sign to encourage drop-ins at our language center.

Against All Odds – One day Denis caught me wandering around with my head in the clouds thinking of Kimarie, having forgotten it was my turn to open the center.

Against All Odds – Denis and I taught conversational English, but we also hired our own Arabic language helpers who eventually went on to teach UN workers and their spouses, who needed Arabic too.

Surviving Storms Together – Kimarie is dressed in the clothes she would have worn in India. She’s at a potluck meal at James Aalgaard’s church after our presentation.

Surviving Storms Together – This photo was taken by me, with my left hand. I had just asked Kimarie to marry me. Notice the ring on her finger.

Surviving Storms Together – We’re sitting in a park below an overpass, just across the river from Arizona State University – freshly engaged.

Surviving Storms Together – Best wedding photo.

Surviving Storms Together – I created this design for the napkins at our wedding reception.

Surviving Storms Together – Left to right, Dan, Denis, and Bill. Very important friends in my life. Instead of throwing rice, our guests blew bubbles as we drove away in Dad’s 1965 Mustang.

Surviving Storms Together – It’s the tall one. We lived on the far side of the 10th floor.

Surviving Storms Together – The building had twelve floors, so you can count down from the top.

Surviving Storms Together – You can see our building here on the right, from the water.

Surviving Storms Together – We miss the view from our place in Lebanon. This patch of water was where Alexander had his sea battle with the ancient Melkart-worshipping Tyreans. Alexandrina was just beyond the Resthouse breakwaters.

Surviving Storms Together – Kimarie was sold on renting this flat because of the sunsets.

Surviving Storms Together – Yeah, alright. I wore weird clothes then.

Born In Tyre – As far as I know, Naomi was the first American baby born in Jebal Amal Hospital in Tyre.

Born In Tyre – One of the most amazing moments of life is first holding your own tiny infant.

Born In Tyre – Lebanese traditionally give ornamentally wrapped chocolates to visitors after a birth. I decided we needed some Cuban cigars to go with them.

Born In Tyre – A new reformation went on for us as we redesigned it for three.

Born In Tyre – Kevin and Kari flew to be with us for the birth.

Born In Tyre – Kimarie is a proud mama and shocked the neighbors by taking Naomi outside to show her off. You can see the rough waves on the normally calm Mediterranean Sea.

The Bitter Drink – Muslims are positioned lying on their sides to face Mecca after they die, before the tomb is sealed.

The Bitter Drink – A self-portrait by Josey. She was killed in a car accident while we were in Lebanon. I painted the Peace Flower artwork on the cover of the book as part of a memorial letter to send to her mom.

The Bitter Drink – My worries that I would have to choose between attending the birth of my son and the death of my dad were averted.

The Bitter Drink – It seems like those fingers are too tiny to work.

The Bitter Drink – When we brought Gideon home to Naomi, she pulled his sock off and couldn’t stop giggling.

The Bitter Drink – The weather was much warmer when Gideon was born, so there wasn’t as much neighborly opposition when we hit the beach.

The Bitter Drink – “Hey mister, do you want to buy a ticket to the Boyscout Jamboree?”

The Bitter Drink – Dad was always a strong man, until cancer wiped him out.

The Bitter Drink – Dad loved the lighthouse on Vashon Island. We scattered his ashes there in the Sound.

Hezbollah Rally – Naomi was excited to try on this ethnic outfit. None of us had any idea of what was in store that year.

Hezbollah Rally – “Just heading off to the Hezbollah Rally boys, and thought I’d stop on my way through to say, ‘Hi.'”

Convergence – This is how old our kids were as we endured the events described in the emails in Coffee & Orange Blossoms.

Convergence – I’ve never seen one in the States, but we loved our Pajero. It was the right vehicle to have when we needed it.

Convergence – There were many obstacles on the way, but thankfully we didn’t have to try to drive through the rivers.

Convergence – Many anxious moments were spent parked too close to a gas station that hadn’t been bombed yet.

Convergence – We narrowly escaped being caught on a bridge like this when it was bombed.

Convergence – See that colapsed bridge in the background?

Convergence – This road represented one of the three exits out of Lebanon.

Convergence – The sight of this hole infested bridge was a parable of loss for Lebanon.

Convergence – The view from the Convent was breathtaking. Our safe haven wasn’t as safe as we thought.

Refugees – These towers were targeted shortly after we Scholzes got on a boat. Our friends had another close call.

Refugees – Their car took damage when the towers were bombed next door to the convent.

Refugees – We convinced the reporter from the Skagit Valley Herald to share the photos she took during our interview. Kimarie was caught with a bad Lebanese perm.

Epilogue – Men stand on the main bridge in Sidon and survey the damage.

Epilogue – The building was next to the building where Naomi briefly attended daycare. It lost its top 4 floors.

Epilogue – I pumped gas at this station just a couple days before it was bombed. The attendant pointed to the jets flying overhead while we stood there. Glad they didn’t blow it up then.

Epilogue – Denis was able to provide relief in villages around the South. Here is an Odyssey load of vegetables.

Epilogue – A donated generator provided water for an entire village.

Epilogue – How would you like your ceiling to look like this?

Epilogue – One of our friends lost his arm, and was almost killed, when the ambulance he was riding in was struck with a bomb.

Epilogue – A French UN amphibious tank.

Epilogue – A friend of mine took this photo while mourning with friends over their destroyed house.

Epilogue – One of many, many aftermath photos. I tried to limit them, but be assured, this was very bleak.

Epilogue – Kimarie enjoys a sunset over a village we were visiting. The kids were left in the States, while we made a Spring trip to reclaim some of our belongings after the war.

Epilogue – You can’t see it here, but Kimarie is sitting on a rock over what could potentially be the oldest well known to man in the ancient city of Jbeil (Byblos).

Epilogue – This photo was taken from our neighbor’s balcony. You can just make out the Hippodrome ruins behind the mosque if you look carefully.

Epilogue – Enough said.