Camera Captures a World Apart

 

In North Idaho this morning, a blanket of snow and a huge leaf drop have changed the appearance of the landscape.

The tractor and plow got its first workout this morning, and it will put in some more time, tidying up the driveway and area around the barn. 

Fortunately, the snow is not too deep but enough to slow things down a bit. 

The deer are still passing through the Lovestead several times a day.  

Their travels often offer a lovely sight, especially in the midst of big flurries of snow. 

Bill has just headed out the door to take the Subaru to town for some maintenance, including a new headlight and a new wiper blade.  

Then, he'll go to work. This is a busy time of year around the Inland Forest Management office because landowners are anxious to get their forest plans which often help provide a break on their property taxes.

All the Thanksgiving food, purchased and prepared here, has been transferred to Willie and Debbie's house. 

And, so, we're looking ahead toward tomorrow's feast day AND the first of three Gonzaga games at the Phil Knight tournament in Portland. 

Lots of festive moments ahead, along with a little snow clean-up. 

Meanwhile, off in Malta, Annie's seeing the sights, as you can read below. 

Quite a contrast between the two places where our family members are hanging out this week!

Hope you enjoy the photos, depicting two very different aspects of local life.  

From Malta, Annie's photos . . . .I was going to take the ferry to Gozo today but then when I saw the waves at the ferry terminal and one of the employees mentioned to me that there was a chance the ferry could be canceled if the winds got worse, I opted to save that trip for another day. 

Instead I found some caches and then headed to Rabat and Mdina. The entrance to Mdina was used in the filming of Game of Thrones. Really awesome place to wander around in. I also visited the catacombs and world war bunkers under St. Paul’s Basilica.

My suitcase is allegedly taking a flight to Malta at 10pm. Let’s hope it’s here by the time I get up!

I’m currently watching Mexico vs Poland in the hotel bar, where a Polish soccer team is also watching. Hope they don’t feel bad that I’m rooting for Mexico.

~~~~~

A few facts about Malta:

With a population of about 516,000 over an area of 316 km 2 (122 sq mi), Malta is the world's tenth-smallest country in area and fourth most densely populated sovereign country. 

Its capital is Valletta, which is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area and population. 

Official languages : Maltese and English

Currency: The Euro,since 1 January 2008. ...

Geographic size: Just 121 square miles,316 km².

Malta is significant in the Bible because God used a shipwreck and Paul’s status as a Roman prisoner to bring the gospel to a people who would have otherwise never heard it. 

Luke records the shipwreck in great detail in Acts 28 and says that the islanders were kind and friendly to the shipwrecked crew and passengers, giving them shelter, food, and hospitality when they washed up on the shore.

 Known as the “Heart of the Mediterranean.”

Malta is also home to some of the oldest free-standing structures of the world – the seven Megalithic Temples. The country is believed to have been inhabited since the early Neolithic period of 5000 BC.

The country has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the seven Megalithic Temples. The other two are: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and Valletta.

Malta was a British colony for more than 150 years. During that time, it was used as a submarine base by British forces. The British also launched attacks on the Italian navy from the island. Sadly, Malta was also bombarded by Italian and German air forces.

If you are a Hollywood movie fan, you may be interested to learn that Malta has also featured in productions from ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Troy’ to ‘Captain Philips’ and TV’s ‘Game of Thrones.’ It is such a nice place to shoot a movie because of its beautiful and quiet coastline.