ancient terracing
on the mountainside, every
inch of land precious

I shot this with my new camera lens from the veranda off our living room. The Cypriot mountains are full of ancient terracing, used to plant vineyards, fruit trees, and to grow many crops. The mountain dwellers were desperate for land and worked hard to terrace the mountainside. They worked so hard that hundreds and hundreds of years later the terraces are still in place, the land leveled off, and the ancient stones packed in place. Some of the terraces are still used today, but you can see them all over the mountainsides. They are an echo from the distant past. One of the many things I love about this island–the juxtaposition of the ancient and modern like most countries and cultures in the Mid East.

Cyprus, by the way, is really not part of the Mid East. It is only 30 minutes by plane to Israel, but it is officially part of the EU.

The community worships each morning from 8 AM to 10. We attended the group worship and then took a drive through the mountains and villages surrounding us. We bought a little lunch and some water. It was so much fun. God’s glory is so evident in the nature that surrounds us. We are feeling the stress of living in the fast lane melt off our shoulders.

Tonight we are hosting dear friends from Texas for supper, more chicken noodle soup, salad, and national desserts we bought in town.

Oh yeah, we are having fun.