New Mexico...Rosaries, Shrines and Crosses

I traveled to New Mexico in August...here are some images I came back with of the religious icons and crosses I saw there.

These are some crosses that were hung on the wall in the shops at the Loretto Chapel. I have some images of the inside of the chapel as well- I'll post them soon.

 

Here is the Lady of Guadalupe, in downtown Santa Fe, with the church behind her.

Above, entering the Santuario de Chimayo, there are lots of arches with crosses and angels and a fence with little dreamcatchers and rosaries attached to it.

Above are some images from inside the Santuario de Chimayo. When we went, they weren't open yet, but the man setting up the hanging chiles on the storefronts let us walk around and take photos of the buildings. Inside the shrine above are people's pictures of family members and loved ones they pray for. I really love the detailed hearts inside the crosses atop some of the buildings. And those doors are amazing.

If you're visiting the Santa Fe area I recommend stopping by Chimayo. It's a small town on the high road to Taos in northern New Mexico.

~Happy Weekend!~

I'm back!! Enjoying Summer :)

I've been away from bloggy land for ages! Meanwhile, it's 90 something degrees this week and I'm already pre-mourning the passing of Independence Day... and the shortening of the days starting next week already...

Anyway, just wanted to post some of these gorgeous flowers from the Vero Beach Botanical Garden in Florida taken a few months ago, and to say I hope everyone is having a great summer so far, getting outside and enjoying nature..if you can stomach all the pollen sticking around. I hope it disappears soon! I've been away so long because I'm taking graduate classes and there is a lot of work involved, although I am enjoying that too, I can't wait to pick up my camera again.

 
The quote above is by Elizabeth Bibesco.  Isn't it true though...in winter the lines of nature are so limited in New England...grays and stark whites and the sketchy outlines of branches. In summer our surroundings come alive with color and abandon and the driveway chalk drawings and lemonade stands dotting the neighborhoods. It's my favorite time of year and I wish it lasted so much longer around here! Happy Summer.....

~April in the Countryside~!

Life has been getting in the way of my photography lately. But because I miss shooting so badly, I just had to grab my camera this weekend and head out...anywhere. A side road here, a dirt road there...

A friendly (hungry?) goat here....

A buff Orpington hen there...

And I backed up the street for this one, a fluffy cat sitting on top of a mobile home roof in the sun. Since no one was living here, I'm sure she was the neighborhood queen.

Saucer Magnolias...

Wet duck feathers.  Ducks' feathers repel water and are covered with a protective oil, similar to rose petals. It keeps them warm and allows them to swim in frigid cold waters during the winter months. And just like on roses, I think the droplets make a stunning display of light and texture.

A red-winged blackbird. I came back to this swampy area to see if I would find the hundreds of lovely blackbirds that had been there last week, but all I found was this guy- and lots of 'skeeters. I did, however, get a really neat video clip of him calling and flapping his red wings...wonder who the lucky lady is!

Sigh....more Magnolias...

A swan in the distance of the pond...afternoon sun and a country fence.

I love the textures and lines on the side of this old barn.

New England is usually abloom with pinks and yellows this time of year, but...unfortunately, we experiences two weeks of well-above average temps followed by a few days of freezing cold. Our cherry, magnolia, and pear trees in full blossom have met an untimely demise.  :(  Some of our daffodils, too.  One weekend without my camera and I feel like I missed them all!  I'll have to be at the ready for the next blooms to appear. 

It's not only flowers that are coming to life....I enjoy seeing all the animals grazing on the roadside and the birds flitting around in mating frenzies. I'm keeping my eye out for baby chicks and goslings, too.

Good thing I have lots of photo blogger friends to keep me the cheery flower pics coming.

Have a lovely week friends...

~Mary

Provincetown Sand Dunes...the Outer, "Outer" Cape

Last summer we were able to take a tour with Art's Dune Tours in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Their peace-sign painted Suburbans in crazy colors pick up tours right off the main drag on Commercial Street and take them to the other side of the tourist mecca...

After a few minutes we are in what looks like a desert somewhere out West instead of the East coast...

There are little dune shacks spread amongst the windswept sand bluffs, where artists and lifeguards once lived, and where until recently we were told an elderly woman lived by herself, off the land...

The dunes abut the beach on one side (see the sliver of blue, above) and on the other, you can see back toward downtown and there is a clear view of the Pilgrim Monument (a tower we climbed to the top for breathtaking views of Cape Cod!)

There is the Pilgrim Monument in the distance, on the left, above.

Couldn't you just lie down here and soak up the sun all day? sigh!

And just five minutes away you will find the busiest harbor in the summer in this part of Massachusetts. But that is another post, entirely...downtown P-town is a colorful and wonderfully fun place to go shopping, dog and people watching, and to be inspired.

If you visit Cape Cod, check out Art's and be sure to see more photos in their gallery that tourists have added, showing the beauty of this remote area in various seasons.

Spring Sneak Peek.

This isn't the time of year yet that I can post brilliantly colored flowers and blooming trees. It's that in-between time of seasons, like early winter where the leaves are gone but it hasn't snowed yet. But this time, we get to have summer to look forward to!
The last week in New England has been "driving with the top down" weather...not that I have a convertible, but, I would if I did. So I do the next best thing and open my sunroof.

Even with temps in the high 60's, the flowers are still not blooming this early in the season...just peeks of little daffodil leaves here and there, no yellow yet. So we're left with the simple beauty of sunlight and nature..and feet in the sand at the beach...

Aaaand the birds are out. I'm hearing the babies are already being hatched, too. There is a nest of sparrows right next to where I park my car but I can't get a photo without really disturbing the babies.

Robins...always easy to spot, cheerfully chirping, and seem to like posing for photos, too.

At dawn the sunlight hits the budding branches just perfectly. My house is four floors high so this is my view every morning. Well, presuming I wake up at dawn.

House sparrow, above, on the right. These are the birds that are nesting near my house and next to my car. They are very cute but their loud chirping does remind me that I am NOT a morning person.

Hope you are all enjoying the rising temps in the U.S.... and I do have some friends who are now enjoying the colors of Autumn, so it's always great to see those photos filling my reader and facebook, too.  :)
Mary