Bike MS: Virginia's Ocean to Bay Ride 2009

Back in April, I posted an announcement about an event in which two of our cousins participated. They were to ride 150 miles to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Hampton Roads, Virginia. The event took place this past weekend, and I have it on good authority, they completed the ride (Bob's note on Facebook).

I did not realize they were part of a much larger team called the Killer Bees. Here's a little synopsis from the web site about their team.

Team Killer Bees is a group of 80 riders, who ride at different paces, and have been an award winning team, having raised over $300,000 in the past years for Multiple Sclerosis. They started as a small team of four riders, who one day finished a bike ride at a Killer B pace and thus was born the name of this highly recognized team. Last year, although the Killer Bees were the third largest team, of those three teams, their 49 active riders raised the most per rider ($1,180 each). After many years of participating in this event, the team has raised well over $300,000 to help find a cure!

Congratulations to the Killer Bees and to Bob and Em on a job well done. Thanks for inviting us to vicariously share your joy and excitement in this great accomplishment.

Bike MS: Virginia's Ocean to Bay Ride 2009

When’s the last time you put in 150 miles on a bicycle? Never, you say? Well, our cousins are riding 150 miles in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Hampton Roads, Virginia, and we thought you might be interested in hearing about it.

The daffodils are reaching toward the sky in Virginia, hinting that spring is standing by the door, waiting to burst through. For Bob and Emily, that means preparation for the annual Multiple Sclerosis 150-mile Bike Ride. They will be beginning a regular routine of training on their bikes to prepare for the MS150. Not that this will be anything new for them. Veteran bike riders, in 1976 they rode from coast to coast in celebration of the nation’s bicentennial.

They will also be cranking up their annual fundraising routine. This is the fourth year that Bob and Em have offered their time and effort to help find a cure for this condition. It is not only the money they raise, but the effort they put into the event that will help those with the disease. Nevertheless, funds are needed for research to find a cure.

They have a friend, Lisa, who will allow them to hold a fundraising event in her wine shop on the evening of April 3. She is also running some MS "specials" in her restaurant during the preceding week. So - if you are local to Gloucester, Virginia, please visit Lisa's establishment, “Rosemary and Wine,” during the week of March 31 through April 3.

In addition, Bob provides bike tune-ups for anyone interested in making a donation (if you live in the area and are interested, we can put you in touch). If you are not in Virginia, their websites are up and running and the links are below, should you care to make a donation:

Bob's Site

Emily's Site

Some of us have been conditioned to think that a small gift is not worth giving, but it was the Jewish sage Maimonides who said that a hundred small gifts are better than one large gift. If a hundred people give a dollar, the blessing of giving is spread to a hundred people. If we each give a dollar a hundred times, we get into the habit of giving. No gift is too small. The spirit of giving is the thing. (Of course, Maimonides lived in the 12th century, so perhaps ten dollars to allow for inflation!)

Emily and Bob love participating in this event and are serious about providing funds for MS research. They will ride the 150 miles, but they need us to help raise the donations. What a wonderful day it will be when no one will have to hear the words "you have MS". I know we are all asked daily to give to this or that organization, but if you want to be part of this effort, give a donation, whether small or large.

The ride is held on the last weekend in May. It starts in the southern part of Eastern Shore, Virginia, in a small town called Cape Charles. On Saturday the riders wind their way 75 miles north to a YMCA camp called Silver Beach, where they spend the night. The following day is another winding route of 75 miles that returns them to their cars. This is a big event with many generous sponsors and tremendous support from the Hampton Roads MS chapter. They will have at least 600 riders and raise close to a million dollars. In their four years of participation, Bob and Emily have had all sorts of experiences. They have ridden in blasting heat as well as a serious Nor'easter, but one constant factor on the Eastern Shore is wind. At least it can be counted on to help about as much as it holds back.

So, revel in the fact that you do not have to hop on your bike and ride 150 miles to help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. All it takes is a couple flicks of your mouse finger to support Bob and Emily as they support the Multiple Sclerosis Society. And if you cannot make a donation, how about sending a link to this post to your friends? Thank you and bless you.

Israel 60 Celebration Dinner

This year, Action Israel and many other organizations joined with the Allied Jewish Federation to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, one of the miracles of the modern world. Many dinners have been held this year in the Denver metropolitan area, including 100 on the Night of 60 Dinners in April. Our local group of friends of Israel held a celebratory dinner tonight.

All told, we had 22 in attendance, a neat coincidence as the Hebrew Alefbet contains 22 letters. Using recipes from the materials provided by the Allied Jewish Federation, everyone prepared and shared typical Israeli dishes.

Below are pictures of just a few of the items that graced our table.

The complete menu looked something like this:

Chopped Israeli Salad (pictured below)

Israeli Spiced Chicken (pictured below)

Sliced Eggplants with Garlic and Tomato Glaze

Israeli Cous-Cous Salad with Fennel and Goat Cheese

Humus

Chicken Hamin

Moroccan Meat Balls

Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Lemons

Pot Roast with Carrots, Potatoes, and Gravy

Potato Kugel

Challah and other breads

Brownies

Jam Thumb-Print Cookies

(If you are interested in the recipes, we have posted some of them on our daughter's recipe blog here and will be posting more in the next few days.)

Another interesting article about the Night of 60 Dinners with some insight into Persian cuisine can be found here.

After the meal, we shared some interesting facts about Israel in her 60 years of existence in the modern world, using the materials provided by the Allied Jewish Federation. You can check some of them out here and here. Some of us had gathered other information, as well, and since many of our people have visited Israel, we shared our experiences and our favorite memories.

One of the most touching moments was the reading of the blog post of our friend, Ori, who is spending some months in Israel. She wrote about her thoughts and feelings attending ceremonies on Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day, literally The Day of Remembrance). Yom Hazikaron is always held the day before Israeli Independence Day, which is intended to remind people of the price paid for independence and of what was achieved with the soldiers' sacrifice. Ori's writing really is worth reading, and you can find it here.

The younger set was busily coloring during this time.

Here are the products of their artistic labors!

All in all, our celebration of 60 years of Israeli independence was rewarding, informative, delicious, and a whole lot of fun.