A Pleasure Full Grown VIII~Um Qais

It had arrived; the last day of TBCBE. Active Son and Bride-to-Be had already returned to work and studies in Boise, Idaho, Artist Son had returned to school near Boston, and tonight Oldest Daughter and Tayta would begin their journeys back to Chicago and Houston. But we had one more day: the weather couldn't have been better, and it was a Saturday, which was Dear Husband's day off. Oldest Daughter and Tayta spoke as one in their desire to visit a favorite Jordan site, the ruins at Um Qais, the ancient decapolis city of Gadara. How many times we have visited Um Qais, I do not know, but we always find things familiar and new to enjoy there.

View from the entrance to the ruins

On this day, I decided to explore the inside of some of the old rooms near the entrance of the ruins.The layers of plaster, the layers of paint, the layers of sediment, all made me think about the past lives lived here.

The sky was clear and we enjoyed the best views of surrounding areas that we've ever experienced.

We headed up the north end of the cardo to visit the museum

Hiking up the back way

The wild flora continued, even inside the the museum courtyard

 Cyclamen persicum, growing right out of the limestone walls and floor.

One of the fortunate statutes, which still had its head

Bacchus: a melding of human, animal, and plant-like features

 doors and more doors...

Golden Flowered Henbane

Hyoscyamus aureus

Finally, we looped around the site, back to the cardo to enjoy the magnificent view of the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee/Lake Tiberius.

We stopped to enjoy a simple tea and salad picnic which Tayta had prepared for us, under a favorite tree with a view.

And so it was the end of the beginning of our pleasure. May we nurture the beauty and sweetness of this time together as we remember it in the days to come.

A Pleasure Full Grown
A Pleasure Full Grown II~#amafraqychristmas
A Pleasure Full Grown III~Amman
A Pleasure Full Grown IV~Wadi Dana
A Pleasure Full Grown V~Little Petra
A Pleasure Full Grown VI~Madaba
A Pleasure Full Grown VII~Jerash