Catching up... Sedona - 4. CHAPEL OF THE HOLY CROSS

This one kind of got to me.  I was raised Catholic, but don't really go to Mass. I have my faith and my beliefs, but don't attend church services unless I'm invited.  This works for me.  But the Chapel of the Holy Cross is not only a Sedona Architectural Landmark, my father-in-law was involved with this architectural achievement.  So I wanted to visit it for it's beauty and also for my kids and grand kids to see a bit of their family history.

There is very little color inside the chapel - this painting and the red votive candles, as well as the four lengths of fabric framed on the side walls, were about it.  The rest is earth tones and quiet colors.

These aren't stained-glass windows - they are clear (see above), looking out to the red rock hills and greenery.

I loved the very simple alter with the small bronze crucifix and votive candles.

Stations of the Cross - these are in all Catholic Churches.  These were unusual, made out of railroad spikes:

There are twelve Stations, one to six were on one side wall, and seven to twelve were on the facing side wall.  Beautiful and simple.

There are no windows on the side walls, but these wall hangings reminded me of stained-glass window panes:

This whole church visit, "tour" that I took, walking around, looking at everything, I kept fighting tears for some reason, and I am again as I write this.  I don't know why it's making me so emotional.  As I stood there looking at this beautiful bronze sculpture of Christ on the Crucifix, it was hard not to burst out in tears.  ???   It was just beautiful.

"Head of Christ in Granite" from Cathedral in Chartres, France:

There were other crosses here and there in the chapel:

Pretty planted flowers outside the doors:

On one side looking down from the chapel we saw this HUGE house - and it's beautiful gardens and water features.  I want to live here:

Below are a couple of things I found on-line about Robert Dewell, my kids' grandfather, regarding this project.  The first is information about him receiving an Award of Honor for his participation:

The American Institute of Architects, in 1957, saw fit to recognize the work by rewarding its designer with a special citation for sculpture, at the same time conferred Awards of Honor upon all those responsible for designing and erecting the chapel, including Anshen and Allen, architects; the Bishop of Gallup, owner; William Simpson Construction Company, contractors; Marguerite Staude, donor; and Robert D. Dewell, structural engineer. 

This link is to an article about the history of the Chapel, and the link itself is the sentence that explained what Robert Dewell did on the project:

Technical aspects of the design were addressed by Robert D. Dewell, a civil and structural engineer based in San Francisco.

This link will take you to a YouTube video that was shot from the air by a drone.  It shows the chapel from all angles:

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Truly an interesting adventure for me, both doing the research and then visiting The Chapel of the Holy Cross in person.

From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!   😇⛪✝😇

NOTE:  I know that some people reading this will be uncomfortable with my feelings and disagree with my beliefs.  I never apologize for or debate my religious or political beliefs.  To each his own...  Visiting the chapel for the architectural experience alone would still be worth the visit.  It's close to town, a self tour, and it's free.  It is, after all, just a building until we bring our own personal histories inside.

Catching up... Sedona - 3. HOT AIR BALLOONS

I never get tired of waking up to the dragon-fire-breath sound of hot air balloons.  When I wake up to that sound, I always picture a dragon overhead, shooting fire down.  And I climb out of bed fast, throw on some clothes, and step outside to see what's going on and what's going up (or landing).

Many mornings while camped in Sedona I saw hot air balloons either taking off or landing right outside my RV windows.  What a treat!  Usually a lot of my neighbors were also out watching, coffee cups in hand.

Here are a few photos:

Inflating the balloons:

Loading the passengers into the basket:

Fire in the hole!

Almost ready to take off:

Another company had five balloons.  They set up behind my friend, Mike's, van.  (Hi, Mike!)  We watched the three on one side of the road and these five on the other side all take off and fly away.

And up they go:

Pretty cool, huh?  My Sunseeker has become a Balloonseeker for a couple of weeks.  See the balloon behind the tree branch?

Never get tired of this.  And sometimes I lift Katie out of the bunk to come outside and join the fun.  Most of the time she sleeps through it.  :)

And that's the end of the Hot Air Balloon photos.  I promise!  Until the next time they're around us, lol.

From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!  🎈🤓😍🤓🎈

Catching up... Sedona - 2. JAVALINAS!

My FIRST Javalina sighting!

Diana and I were out sightseeing one morning and she wanted to drive down Schnebly Road a bit.  We went to the end of the road where it's blocked, there's a trail head there, I think.  Anyway, we turned around and were headed back to town, when we were suddenly confronted with a JAVALINA CROSSING!  She stopped the car, and the people coming the other way stopped, too.  We both scrambled for our cameras!  I missed the herd, but got a few good pictures.

The herd (yes, a bunch of javalinas is called a herd) walked up the hill on our left and through the bushes and crossed the street a few at a time, walking across the road in front of us. 

Finally the one below came out of the brush by itself, limping a little, and walked slowly across the street, into the ditch, and up the hill on our right, following the rest of the herd.  What a kick!  I've wondered when I'd finally see some javalinas, and now I have.  Cute little critters!

And away they went.  I can't believe how excited I get about this stuff, BUT I DO!  I love these photos!  LOL

Some facts from ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM website:

"Javelina (Tayassu tajacu) also known as collared peccary, are medium-sized animals that look similar to a wild boar. They have mainly short coarse salt and pepper colored hair, short legs, and a pig-like nose. The hair around the neck/shoulder area is lighter in color giving it the look of a collar. Javelina have long, sharp canine teeth which protrude from the jaws about an inch."

From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!  😎❤😎

Catching up... Sedona - 1. AMITABHA STUPA

Diana and I camped together in Sedona and then again in Cottonwood, and she got me out sightseeing!  Really!  She had me hiking, climbing, ducking branches and rocks, walking across rivers, giggling in some places and getting emotional in others.  And I totally enjoyed it ALL!  She's already been to most, if not all, of these places, so she knew where they were and the best times to go.  Most were free or inexpensive.  Yay!

I have a lot of photos to post, so I'm going to do one location per post, every day till they are DONE!  Then I'll have a record to look back on.  Some will be short, others longer, and most will be photo heavy/text light.

First, the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park.  It was FREE.  Just drive up and park in the (very) small parking lot and walk up the path.  Beautiful area, lots of flags hung in the trees, offerings left here and there, pottery and statues, bird feeders and water dishes as well as the two large - I don't know what to call them.  Not statues, not monuments.  Well, you'll see.  It was very quiet and peaceful with many people praying and meditating, although Diana and I did a little chatting and giggling.  Can't get the silly school girl out of the women!

"The stupa is one of the oldest forms of sacred architecture on earth, dating back to the time of the Buddha, 2600 years ago. Stupas are mostly found in the East, where Buddhism first took root and flourished. They are indeed rare in the West. A stupa is considered to be the living presence of the Buddha and as such represents the Mind of Enlightenment. Stupas have been built to avert war, end famine, and promote prosperity and well-being. Their sole purpose is to bring benefit for all living beings, and the mystical accounts of the healing powers of stupas are well documented."
-- from Sedona Verde Valley website

Visitors are directed by the sign to walk three times, clockwise, around the first large structure and pray for good things for others, peace, prosperity and the well-being of others.  I wanted to pray for myself, I always have a few on tap, but didn't want to tempt fate, so I prayed unselfish prayers.

Alter at the foot of the stupa, with dishes of water and many stone offerings.

Prayer Wheels - From  their FaceBook page:  Spin them clockwise! Each has close to a billion mantras on a 2000 foot roll of microfilm. Many blessings occur when you spin prayer wheels!! Remember: clockwise.

These bronze Prayer Wheels were beautiful:

Buddha in the alcove of the Prayer Wheel:

"Saturday, March 25, 2017 we had a dedication of three new prayer wheels donated by Mr. Tamaki from Japan, CEO of Tama International. We are so very grateful for his generosity! 20 of his employees and associates came from Japan for the celebration. Mayor Sandy Moriarty spoke as well. Please enjoy the prayer wheels."  From their FaceBook page

Here's the large carved wood Buddha:

Me with the Buddha:

Diana with the Buddha and Chimney Rock in the background:

Various other pieces of sculpture and trinkets, etc. were found as we walked through the area:

It's a pretty small park, but you can wander around for a while, catching new things to see on the various paths that go here and there.  We were there on a beautiful, warm day, a perfect outing!

From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!   😎❤😍