Yom Kippur: Sermon on Hawk Watch!

My Dear Sweet ILDB Blog Reader,

Please read the prior post on Rosh Ha Shonah and Hawk Watch to truly appreciate this post.

I wanted to be at Yom Kippur's Morning Service more than I wanted to be at Hawk Watch, but it did not stop my mind from it's wandering desires! I knew that day would be a record day for raptors counted: a front moved in the night before, Kol Nidre, with excellent NW winds and clear skies. Indeed ~ 1,500 raptors were counted; a record day.

A visiting Rabbi was introduced for the Sermon; he took the podium with a stack of papers and a magazine, his topic for the first five minutes or more was devoted to: Hawk Watch!!!

Bursting out laughing, I looked to my fellow Cape Henlopen Volunteers who were also doing the same. We gave high fives each time the Rabbi said the words, "Hawk Watch"!

The Rabbi reminisced about his "Mother The Naturalist" who would never let him walk a step without doing bird and plant identifications. Then, the Rabbi gave kudos to the local Hawk Watch , held up for validation his own birding magazine, and then the "official" Hawk Silhouette Identification Chart!

Having just the week before blogged about the marvels of combining High Holidays and Hawk Watch: I was amazed with the coincidence and beyond giddy.

Giddy is not a term normally described for Yom Kippur emotions...... but there it was.

Later I thanked the Rabbi and learned that he resides at Cape Shores with easy access to witness the daily Miracle of Fall Migration.

La Shanah Tova,

Ocean City's Bike Week, Yom Kippur @ SJC, Shofar Blasts

In Fall of 2004 at my beachy-cottage, my very first night was to the accompanying rumbles of bikes, bikes, and more bikes. As my cottage is near a street light: it was more like hearing the idling varooms gear into blasts.

I was very unhappy. I assumed this was the " nightly norm". I had not a clue about the once a year event of OC's: Bike Week!

I was kinda happy when a tricked-out Harley broke down right in front of my cottage and spent the day in my driveway!

This year, Bike Week occurred the same week as Yom Kippur!

The Shofar is a ram's horn that is ritually blown in certain named notes and patterns to announce the beginning of Rosh Ha Shonah and the end of Yom Kippur.

I spent a wonderful day with Seaside Jewish Community (SJC) in services at our host, Epworth Church, I left in a prayerful mode, but as I drove back to my cottage, I was surrounded by blasts of bikes!

For the weekend 250,000 bikes descended on Ocean City! Again my cottage was besieged by the noise. I was very unhappy.

Oddly the varoom-varooms reminded me of the Shofar blasts!

One Blast: Tekiyah!

Three Short Blasts: Shevarim!

Rapid Line Blasts: Teruah!

The Blast of All Blasts: Tekiyah Gedolah!!!

Then I was happy, and happy even during the night of rumbling, and almost sad when morning came, and not a Bike Blast around to remind me of the Shofar and the call to The New Year: 5771.

La Shanah Tova,