December 12, 2012 - or 12/12/12!  I can't believe it's been 11 days since I last wrote in this blog - I need to be more consistent!

Monday night, we went to a "Walk Through Bethlehem" put on by a church on the mainland.  It was absolutely fantastic!  Outside, there was a camel, a donkey, some sheep and goats - plus the three wise men, showing off their gold (gold-wrapped Hershey kisses) frankincense and myrrh (which we got to smell) - and centurions, guarding the premises.  We spent about ten minutes in a tent, hearing the story of the census, and the hope of the jewish people for a messiah;  then we went inside the church, through an area that wound around booths where people in period costumes showed how they baked bread, mixed spices, wove thread,  and lots of other things one might have seen in Bethlehem.  The floor was covered in straw and wood chips, the booths were draped in cloths and backed by painted wooden scenes - an amazing amount of work went into this evening - and the other two evenings when it was also available.  At one point, a wedding party wound through the visitors, authentically dressed and making lots of noise.  In an alcove at the end, Mary & Joseph and the baby Jesus sat beside a manger (baby Jesus was Dora's grandson - Dora and Ron are the owners of the Jamaica Beach RV park).  The whole experience was just amazing!

Just another view of the park, showing the pond with its waterfall and one of the many, many palm trees.

I opened my door one morning to be greeted by this guy, who obligingly stood there while I took pictures of him.  He's a duck, although I haven't figured out what kind, yet.

Hibiscus flowers, growing outside the office building!

Sue-Jane, you would love this - and would take far better pictures of this hibiscus, I'm sure!

Remember the pretty flowers from when I first arrived?  Well, they're oleanders - unfortunately, they\'re past their prime right now, but at least you get the idea . . . 

The camel in the Walk Through Bethlehem.

One of the wise men (these pics are blurry - forgot my camera, so used my cell phone camers - no flash)

Villagers explaining their wares.

I know - crappy picture - but you get an idea of the backdrops created for this evening!

Grinding grain - visitors could take some grain and grind it between  these two stones.

A loom - kids got to have a go.

Mary and baby Jesus.