Modern Vespa

You and me both.

Geez Trepp I'm lying in bed with my wife feeling like crap because the biggest conflict we have today is which restaurant to go to for breakfast.

Mate you wouldn't be the first MV'r to stay at our house and at some point in the future if you can get away, you and your family are more than welcome to have an Aussie holiday at our place.

No bomb shelters, no loud bangs, no unrest, just wineries, great views and plenty of peace.

Stay safe mate, you're in our prayers.

No offense of any kind felt here...

As I said, she does conflict resolution work in Israel/Palestine (as do many of my other connections both in my academic and personal circle of friends) and ALL of their work is in empowering the non-combatants on both sides to try to resolve their differences without literal and structural violence occurring...

I actually advised a young Israeli woman in my office the other day, someone who served her two years compulsory service in the Israeli military and just got out last year, who is planning to go to grad school here in New Mexico to get a degree in Art Eduction specializing in Social Transformation, with her hope being to establish a Jewish/Muslim art institute for young children back in Israel to help try to heal the wounds inflicted by the power brokers of both sides on the citizens of the two countries.

As someone whose Jewish lineage took a big hit during WW2 who was also good friends with Rachel Corrie - I feel that I get 'both sides' as well as anyone can who has not been shot at or bombed in this conflict, and I do not envy anyone who is ever exposed to such terror. I hope that both civilian and military casualties are as light as possible in this most recent episode and that the conflict is resolved quickly.

All the best to you and your family Trepp, as well as the others I know working on the ground to help solve the violence going on there right now.

Desi B.

Stay safe and keep well hop along. My prayers are with you and yours.

As well as mine.

I'll keep my views on the rights and wrongs to myself, and just say that our thoughts here are with all those affected. Hopefully there will be an outbreak of calm before too long.

Trepadacious. Not sure what it means, but it's a light-hearted word that sounds like our friend's moniker and I'm saying it now in an attempt to make him smile in the face of a seriously trepadacious situation. Whatever guys like me do instead of praying is what I'm doing for all y'all just now.

I'm a bit of a News addict and I've watched and read way too much about the Middle East but if you are even slightly curious about it do yourself a favour and ignore the "dressed up" news on Fox and the BBC then tune into Russia Today and Al Jazeera and see the coverage they don't show on the mainstream News.

I'm not suggesting that there's an agenda but there is a major difference in the presentation.

Bill x

I'm just hoping you, your family and your country remain safe. Best wishes.

Please, folks, this isn't about politics. This is about whether Trepp and his family are okay. Let's leave everything else at the door.

I can't claim to know a great deal about the political and military situation out there Trepp, that must be changing every day, but I did visit the West Bank, Jerusalem and Bethlehem a few years ago, and its a beautiful place that deserves to be free of conflict and bloodshed.

So from one fellow rider to another, stay safe with your family, make the best you can of where you find yourself, and I hope you are riding again soon in safer and more peaceful times with the sun shining off your Vespa and a smile on your face.

+1

Close call yesterday... was out picking up new glasses at lunch time and got caught too far from a building to take shelter when a multiple missile attack was launched on the city. I ended up laying in the gutter next to my scooter with my hands over my head.

30 seconds is a really long time in that position when you know missiles are in the air heading in your direction.

Most of the missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, but two or three landed about a block from where I was (one hitting an apartment building). I got back to work with mud all over the front of my pants and was the butt of 'did you sh*t yourself from fear?' jokes for the rest of the day.

Quiet night last night, but so far this morning we've had to run to the shelters at work three times.

Thank you again for all the kind words and I echo Jess' wise words when I implore people not to expand their concern for me into political blame-storming.

I happen to know several Palestinians who used to live near me who are now hunkered down in Gaza right now, and I pray for their safety and look forward to speaking with them when things quiet down to ensure they are okay. But we never talk politics.

If an Israeli and Palestinians can manage to leave politics out of their discourse, I have faith that you lot can manage it as well.

Is the scoot ok ??

Trepp
Thoughts and prayers from a very peaceful part of the planet (something I am thankful for every day).
Wishing you and yours safe lodgings and and end to this extreme situation asap.

Your concern is touching.

Yes, the scoot is fine.

You might want to rethink the red color on the scoot. And skip the target mod stickers if you have any.

Just saying.

Shalom.

good to hear the scoot is fine !!

Stay safe

WD

I suggest a standoff...

I'm not nearly a good enough poker player to be able to bluff with a 'hand' like that.

My wife wants me to take the car during this crisis and I keep telling her that I'm a smaller target on the scooter. Apparently she didn't marry me for my sense of humor.

Praying for a peaceful outcome. Stay safe!

Stay safe Trepp. Politics aside, you're one of ours.
And ditto if you ever feel the need to have a sun drenched holiday here in Aus.
The door is wide open

Thanks for the kind thoughts.

When I was in the navy my ship visited Australia many times (usually Perth/Freemantle but twice to Albany). The hospitality was something I still tell people about.

I went to a pub with a family that quite literally adopted me and took me home, and the old timers wouldn't let me touch my wallet... something about paying back the debt to the US Navy for the Battle of the Coral Sea.

I try to return the hospitality to Aussies over in this region.

I truly admire your ability to keep a positive attitude about the important relationships during such a trying time. I know that you are not alone, but it would be refreshing if your perspective was shared by all. You are welcome at my house at any time.

Holy crap, man!! You are one strong person to be able to handle this the way you are. I know these kinds of things happen more often in your region than many other parts of the world, but still. I'd be certifiable by now if I were in your shoes.

Keep on keepin' on!

Hang in there my friend. I've been thru a little bit of this but i can't imagine having to deal with the intensity that you having to deal with. Except for the first nite when i woke up on the floor because a scud hit in the desert outside our compound, i could almost set my clock by them. Your getting hammered. Make sure you keep safe and that includes family and scooter.

I keep nodding along with all of the other comments made over the last day and wanted to add my own, but have to ditto Leuthold's, as well as admiring your coolness under fire (those were dirt stains on your pants after all, right? With each new event I keep thinking about your knee and hoping it doesn't get messed up any further....staying alive is #1 but we want you healthy too

And big spiders, and poisonous snakes. Though they are an improvement over what Trepp is living with now

Trepp,

Stay safe. Praying over here for your safety and also that it doesn't turn into a ground war. Once that starts it takes a while for the cease fire to become totally effective.

Reminds me of this Far Side cartoon:

Love the cartoon!

Check in when you can brother. Know it is getting worse.

Missiles raining down on the city where I work to the extent that we've moved most of the meetings to the shelter so as not to be disturbed every ten minutes.

A coworker just left because his brother had a direct hit on his house and was wounded by shrapnel.

My wife just called to tell me that Jerusalem and our community (ten minutes south of Jerusalem) just had the sirens go off... she heard the nearby explosion from inside our house's shelter.

My eighteen year old daughter is volunteering in a town even closer to Gaza than I am. She's running a day camp for kids whose schools are closed but whose parents have to be at work. She and I have been texting each other every time there is a new siren and explosion to simply tell each other we're okay.

Everyonoe's nerves are frazzled and I could build a whole new dog from the hair that our poor Lab mix has shed from sheer fright.

Stay strong .. be safe.
Prayer sent

I'm glad you are able to check in and let us know you and your family are okay. I find myself searching for this thread each morning looking for your post.

Stay safe!

Trepp and family,

Healing and peaceful mojo sent to you and yours.

Thank you for the updates. Stay safe.

Hang in there and be safe, Thinking about you and your family.

... As do I! Glad you and those you know are relatively safe still...

It's crazy - between the daily reports I get from you and from my american lawyer friend (who is probably less than 30 miles from you on the other side of the wall), I learn more about what is going on than any of our mainstream media is reporting.

All the best!

Desi B.

I'll try to keep this short (yeah, right).

I'm tired.

I'm not talking about the mental fatigue of living in a war zone under attack.

I'm talking about being physically tired from having to share my bed with my wife (okay, I don't really mind that), our youngest child (because he is freaked out by the near miss yesterday that sent his third grade class running for the shelter), and our dog (a large-ish black Lab mix who now jumps three feet into the air when someone so much as slams a door too loudly).

And every single resident of the parental bed took at least one turn kicking me in my bad knee (or in the case of the dog, stretching out across the bad knee/leg) at some point during the night.

I won't trouble you with detailed reports of the missiles falling and bus being bombed (you all have access to the news).

What I will tell you is that I may, as a matter of pure self-preservation, sleep on the couch tonight! The rest of the gang can wake me up as they run by on the way to the shelter if the missile warning sirens fail to rouse me.

Thanks again for all the kind comments and PMs. It's like a warm embrace.

I am betting it will be crowded on your couch. The family wants to be around you I am thinking. You make them feel safe. Hope the madness stops soon.