Catching up... Sedona - 6. TLAQUEPAQUE ARTS AND CRAFTS VILLAGE

Diana and I had three locations planned one morning, and this was one.  We were too early for any of the shops to be open, but totally enjoyed touring the grounds and all the beautiful plantings and sculptures and architecture.  And honestly, who has room for more stuff?  I'd rather enjoy the ambiance of the Village and window shop!

So, without further ado or explanation, here are the best photos I took that morning.  (I've reduced the size so hopefully you'll be able to pull them up.)

This last photo - the house, if that's what it is, maybe it's a hotel or restaurant - but it overlooks the Arts and Crafts Village.  If you look carefully, you can see people standing out on the decks.  I think they are dummies. 

From Me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!  🙃😍😉😎

Catching up... Sedona - 5. MONTEZUMA'S CASTLE

Montezuma's Castle was a pretty quick tour.  We went through the Visitors' center, showed our Golden Age Pass, and walked out the door to the path leading to the ruin.

Along the way we saw a dove:

Closer look at the castle:

 Another critter on the path:

And a close-up:

This model was behind glass and shows what Montezuma's Castle looked like when it was lived in, and what some of the natives might have been doing to occupy their time:

Although this site has the grandest name, "Montezuma's Castle," it was probably the least interesting to me, and the shortest tour Diana and I took.  I'm glad I went, I've actually been here before, but forgot.  I guess that tells you how impressed I was.  Still, it's local history of how the natives lived and worked and survived, and it's a beautiful area with a short walk on a good path to the viewing spot.

From Wikipedia:

"Montezuma Castle National Monument protects a set of well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings near the town of Camp Verde, Arizona, United States. The dwellings were built and used by the Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian culture closely related to the Hohokam and other indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States between approximately 1100 and 1425 AD. The main structure comprises five stories and twenty rooms, and was built over the course of three centuries."  Click the link above for more information.

From Me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!   😎🙃😎

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.